Today we travelled from Prineville to Mitchell, Oregon, a town of fewer than 150 people with no other towns nearby. We walked over to one of the few places to eat, Tiger Town Brewery, and sat down for a late lunch. We started chatting with one of the waitresses who, we discovered, had moved from San Diego to Mitchell nine years ago and thinks it’s a good place to be raising her six-year-old daughter. I asked about the economy, and she said that jobs are plentiful because there are so many ranchers who hire help.
As I was asking questions, another woman started helping customers, and she caught our attention because she was wearing a Tiger Town Brewery t-shirt that said on the back, “Buy our beer or we’ll punch you in the face.”
Christy
Yes, we did buy their beer. It was quite good!
Christy is about 65 years old and has lived in Mitchell for 35 years. Her mother was born here. Christy was an Army brat and moved around a lot, and when she was 29, she decided to come back and settle down in Mitchell. She lives in the home her great-grandparents built! She said that’s not uncommon in this town. We had seen a sign for the local school and asked how many students attend. Christy told us that there are about 45 students at the school, which covers grades K-12. Talk about small class sizes!
I was curious about whether people in town go elsewhere for entertainment, and she said no, that everyone pretty much stays in town. When I asked if there are any events where the entire community gets together, Christy lit up and told us about the Halloween and Christmas festivities, which include coffin races at Halloween and sled races at Christmastime. She talked about Tiger Town, a celebration held in June at the Brewery, with a stage set up out back for live music. Someone else mentioned the Painted Hills Festival in September with live music and vendors from around the county.
Christy likes the quiet and calm of her small town. Everyone is friendly. Sometimes she goes to larger towns to go shopping or to visit her kids, but she can’t wait to get back to the peace and quiet of home. I asked if she missed anything about living in a larger town, since she had lived in so many different places when she was growing up, and, with no hesitation, she said that she doesn’t miss anything. It was nice to talk with someone who is so satisfied with her life and her town.