The words “Small Town America” have been used to describe everything from “real American values” to the source of economic and racial anxiety. These definitions and assertions often come from those who have very little to actually connect them with these places, and tend to group vast swathes of land and the communities who live there into a single monolith. To put it simply, there are just so many preconceived notions and ideas wound up in the term “Small Town America” that it has become almost impossible to see these places for what they actually are.