What it’s like living in Grayson – one of the smallest towns in Georgia

So, this little city of mine is called Grayson. It is in a small corner of Gwinnett County in Georgia. All the G’s.

I’ve lived here for as long as I can remember. It is a quiet little place, and it’s often the center of arguments with my friends about who’s city is smaller – I obviously win. You learn to love living in a city with no theaters and one liquor store and football Fridays.

The usual stereotype of everyone knowing everyone is even truer

With just a little over 2000 people, we are proud to claim Grayson as our hometown. The city itself is only 1.8 miles, and it starts and finishes on literally one major road. Due to the extremely small population of Graysonites, everybody knows everybody.

In a small town like this, you can bet on making lifelong friends that will back you up no matter what. You grow up with a select few that you go to school whether it be from elementary to high school or even birth to college.

Guess what? We even have a clock tower!

You have not seen traffic until you live in a town with 80% one way streets

Traffic oh traffic. Traveling between the hours of 4- 6 pm, expect long delays from the central point of the city to all 4 other directions. You may be thinking what’s so new about traffic here compared to other cities… well, the answer is one-way streets!

If you are passing through or living there, expect one-way streets. We take the number one very seriously.

The entire town shuts down for football – don’t meet me there! BEAT ME THERE!

You can drive through the city on a Friday night and realize your car is the only one on the road.

This is the highlight of high school football season. The entire town basically shuts down and everyone you know will be at the stadium cheering on their beloved RAMS…to the extent that we have a notorious rivalry song with another school – “Brookwood, Where you at?”

Photo Credit: Kelsi Ayers

We boast the biggest public library in the county

Yep, that’s right, in a small town of 1.8 miles, we somehow managed to have the biggest library in the entire county. How? Honestly, I don’t even know. Having the biggest library certainly has its benefits such as secret study spots during finals or making some extra bucks tutoring middle schoolers. The downside of having one only library… When it closes, you are out of luck. If it closes early or is closes on major holidays, if you are out of wifi, you are in a dump.

We’re one of the fastest growing cities in the States

My little town of Grayson is the best kept secret in the county. Ask around, no one knows about it. It’s under the radar.

Despite this, we somehow managed to be one of the fastest growing cities in the State.

There’s really nothing better than Grayson Day

Grayson Day, or better known as a day in the scorching heat to celebrate our tiny little town. During this time, almost all of the population of my town will come out and take part in the local festivities.

They all take place on a small street in the center of town known as Main Street. It might be small, but it comfortably fits everyone who lives in Grayson.

We put out of the best athletes in the nation

Our small town has been home to some of the best athletes in the nation. These athletes have excelled in both school and their respective sports enough to a point where they would go pro. Yet, they still stay true to their hometown.

Some of these names include Austin Meadows who was drafted right after graduation to the Pittsburgh Pirates, or Robert Nkemdiche who was just drafted to the Arizona Cardinals or Jennifer Westendorf who won the Gatorade Player of the Year in Georgia and who also played for Brazil National Team.

Another famous name is Aliyah Abrams, who qualified for the Rio Olympics just this week. All of these famous people are proud to call Grayson their home base.

There’s only one liquor store in the entire town

Yep, only one.  But it’s huge.

Whatever you do, make a proper plan before the Fourth of July and New Years – do not stop here. The estimated wait time? Forever.

There’s not even a theatre…

Yep, no theater. That’s a real struggle, I know. We have to drive out to our neighboring cities to go watch the major movies.

Nowhere does Southern Hospitality quite like it

Lastly, the best perk ever of living in this little town is that I have managed to make lifelong friendships that I will hold dear to my heart.

I moved to this town when I was very young, and the friends I made remain my nearest and dearest.

Here in the South, southern hospitality is very much real, and I have experienced that over and over again here. Despite graduating high school and moving on to college to make new friends, we have stayed close and will continue to stay close as our life progresses.