I am so tired of living in small towns that foster a culture of aversion to change.
- It seems like small towns sometimes refuse to adapt because the residents have been stagnant and comfortable for so long.
This not only keeps the town feeling small, outdated, and stale, but it also works against the local residents in the long run. When new businesses aren’t allowed into the town, it means there is no competition. This drives up prices on specialty goods and services, and keeps the town in the economic dark ages. That’s exactly what happened in my current hometown until a new HVAC dealership moved in last year. Apparently for over 100 years there was only one ventilation company in town, and everyone had to use them for any heating and cooling demands. Because they offered an in-demand service, the HVAC company was able to charge any amount of money for their services. Unfortunately, this meant many families were unable to afford the cost of having their furnace serviced or a new AC unit installed. Many people were going without adequate indoor air temperature control simply because the services were out of their budgets. Then last year a brand new HVAC company opened its doors, and everything changed. Right off the batt, they introduced highly reduced pricing on standard services and equipment. Suddenly everyone could afford to have their outdated heating and cooling systems repaired or replaced! The old HVAC business was forced to lower their prices, and now both of these small businesses are working to keep their prices in line.