Labels are for soup cans, not people, or so the saying goes. However, whether we like it or not we all fall into some kind of category that makes us distinct from other people.
In Corry we have the same archetypes of residents as most small towns do but with a bit of a local twist. With homecoming approaching, which tends to bring many Corry residents back to the area for at least a day or two, let’s take a a deeper look the “who’s who” of Corry.
First, are the lifelong Corry residents: The Homebodies. These are people where Corry has been the center of their existence for most of their life. Some people like to judge or look down on this group of hometown citizens in most towns, despite the fact that homebodies are the lifeblood of small town life. Familiar faces create a homey vibe that people crave when they come back to their respective hometowns. Without the homebodies, familiarity tends to fade into a sea of strangers in a familiar place. Not to mention that many lifelong residents run generational businesses or at the very least entire families will work at the same workplace whether it part of a tradition or necessity.
Second, are the periodic residents: The Roundabouts. Roundabouts are people who are locals who grew up here, even for a few years who find their way back to Corry on a periodic basis. The reasons for this vary, family obligations, relaunch of independence from a familiar place or simply periodic homesickness. Cycles of staying and going vary from a few months, a few years to a few decades with plans rarely involving a permanent stay. These are people who both keep the town familiar and fresh with new lifestyles, bringing back their influences from other areas home with them.
Finally, are a group formerly known as “outsiders” but in recent times are considered: The Newcomers. These are people who did not grow up here but decided to make a home in the Corry area. While historically viewed in a negative light by some, the attitude towards newcomers has become much more positive in recent decades. Younger generations such as Millennials and Gen Z have left in massive numbers without signs of many returning. The newcomers have replenished many of the vacant places I the town that need filled or else the town will decline from population loss.
Some might disagree with the framing and group names I’ve given to these groups of residents but I am simply using terms that locals have used for generations, even if some aren’t exactly how people like to be referred to. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with any of the residents archetypes I have described. All groups are needed to help the town succeed, though at times there can be some push and pull between groups.
On the subject of groups going back and forth, Corry has many cliques of social circles just like any town or city. Now this can be a controversial subject but cliques are not inherently a bad thing, they are the natural process of social hierarchy or division in any place, not just Corry. Cliques aren’t just about who is in and who is out of them, they are dependent on many factors.
In Corry cliques are determined by high school graduating class, workplaces, churches, where people hangout such as bars or social clubs, along with subcultures you can find in most places.
Obviously, we have our country-folk crowd which could be considered a large majority of the area. This is accompanied by a large population of veterans and civil servants. However, subcultures such as hippies, metalheads, punks, fine art enthusiasts, theater kids, skateboarders, intellectuals, gardeners, folk artists and even street culture that would be found in nearby small and big cities alike can be found here. Corry, Union City and the other surrounding towns are similar in the sense that they have layers to who lives there and there is never one type of person you repeatedly run into which has had a cascading effect across the nation and even the world as a whole.
The spreading out and diversification of many ways of life have created many new aspects to what small town life can be in recent decades. While it does come with its own share of issues being the melting pot that we are, it is creating a new excess of ideas, styles and solutions that can be found when residents from different walks of life unite under a town’s banner, or school colors.
So in light of the upcoming homecoming weekend, as new faces, familiar spaces and old friends unite to reminisce or make new memories in our storied town, remember we all share the same space which is unifying in its own right. We all call this place home, it just may be for a myriad of different reasons from person to person.
If you would like to give comment or reach out for more development on stories like this, feel free to email me at tom@thecorryjournal.com