In about a month I'm going to be moving from a city of 5 million people to a town in Montana of about 5000 people. I can't wait, the town is really friendly, arty, unique and I have really good prospects there.

My only problem is is that I've never lived in a small community, only big metro areas. I'm done with clubbing and anything I want to buy I can get online, so the nightlife/shopping thing is not a problem. But I need to know about small town social rules.

I've been told that there are certain rules for living in small towns, I have so much opportunity to have a great life in this town and I don't want to fuck it up.

To everyone here that lives in a small town, what are the unspoken rules? And what bugs you about new people? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

i come from quite a small town, it's horrible because no one ever leaves, there's generations of people here that see no prospect of moving on, everyones parents went to the same school as them and stuff.im getting out of here because i detest it so much.i try to keep out of the culture, so i don't have many tips, but i guess you have to watch what you say, because if you say something about someone it's more likely that it'll get back to them in a small town.and people are cliquey, so just try to be nice and not talk too much about where you come from, for some reason a lot of people i know get annoyed when people talk about other places.but yeah, good luck

Just be prepared to be talked about, and get used to it.. Everybody knows everything about eachother.. I lived in a small town for most of my life, it was lamelamelame.. Trust me, after 4 months you'll die for the city..

well, i'm from another country but i think small towns may be the same anywhere. my home has about 3,500 people i think

the most important thing to know is that everyone really does know everything about everyone. never say something about someone that you don't want them to hear...

the only other thing i can think of (and i'm not sure how apppropriate this is to the US) is to buy locally and interact with people. there's a lot of rich people back home who bought up the nice houses, as weekend country retreats... they swan around like they're too good for the place and i know the local shopkeepers hate that they never buy anything there or hire local builders/electricians etc

If you fart in a small town, everyone will know. Be warned~!