Lance Youngblood will share the passion he has for his rural town for hours. Youngblood, who has been an educator in the Santa Rosa County School District for over 30 years, lives in the same area where he was born, raised and schooled.
He teaches at the same school where he himself attended, raised and educated his own daughter all in the same town. A town with a population of 533 people according to the 2013 U.S. Census.
Youngblood loves his small town and his way of life that he and his wife Mandy share there. “There are way more positives to living in a rural area than there are negatives,” he shared.
Youngblood’s home is in Jay, Fl. A small town in northern Santa Rosa County close to the Alabama State line. “I can find nothing wrong with my life living in a rural town and remaining here,” Youngblood continued. “My character was shaped here, my daughter Ana’s character was shaped here.”
“I had plenty to do growing up, I didn’t know any other way,” he reflects. “I graduated in 1978 from Jay High School. 85% of the classmates I started first grade with are still close friends of mine today.”
33-year-old Robyn Hardy Enfinger was raised in an even smaller community. The 2013 U.S. Census lists Enfinger’s community, Munson, with a population of zero.
Enfinger, who is an 11-year Santa Rosa County Educator, resides in the very house that her paternal grandparents built, lived in and raised their own children in. “There are so many memories in this house. Memories of large home cooked meals and of people just stopping by to sit on the front porch visiting with my grandparents,” Enfinger shared.
Enfinger also teaches at the same school where she graduated from, Milton High School. Enfinger graduated from high school in 1999, but resided her whole life in Munson, Fl. She still commutes to Milton, just as she did while in school herself, from her home in the country. “I do not regret going to school in town, but this is where my family was and still is. This is home,” added Enfinger. “The personal experiences I had growing up in the country and the relationships with friends and family could not have provided any better way of life.”
Enfinger’s husband Derek Enfinger was born and raised in the farming community of Chumuckla, Fl. They plan for their daughter Ryleigh to grow up just as they did, in the country.
“I was never envious of the conveniences my friends in town had,” Enfinger continued. “I grew up with respect for nature and the land with a slower pace of life. We want that for our daughter too.”
Enfinger’s love for the nature filled community she grew up in molded her into the educator she is today, she said. She is the sponsor for the Future Farmers of America at Milton High School.
The conveniences of living in a town or city aren’t really ever considered by those who were born, raised and remain in a rural community. If rural residents have never experienced such conveniences of a nearby grocery store, or an easy place to pick up dinner after a hectic day at work, they do not know such benefits of living in a town. Groceries are bought in bulk, automobile gas tanks are never allowed to get close to empty, and toiletries are kept in stock. Most families have had roots in the community for generations. Most often living on the same land where they were raised.
“I am so grateful for the diversity I experienced attending Milton High School. Many have never left this community to see any other way of life,” Enfinger stated. “Those experiences at Milton High and then at college at Auburn made me even more appreciative of the location where I was raised.”
Enfinger chuckles as she reminisces about living her first years at the University of Auburn close to a train track that ran at 7 a.m. every morning. Such sounds in a rural community never disturb sleep or the way of life. She then relocated to a part of Auburn that was close to Wal-Mart and traffic. “I soon realized that returning to the area where I was raised was not going to make me rich, but it was going to make me happy,” she shared.
RuralSanta Rosa Countycommunities are filled with cotton fields, stands of pine tress, wild rabbits and deer, gardens full of fresh vegetables, the smell of livestock and fresh cut hay. Most residents have a full size refrigerator and one or more full size freezers. Cable television and water systems have been slow to make their way to the areas. Children play outside in their yard where fresh tomatoes are grown in flowerbeds; neighbors leave fresh produce on each other’s doorsteps, and often gather at the creek for a day of fun.
However, there are notable hardships placed on many families in rural areas. Local employment opportunities are scarce, emergency medical services take time to respond when needed, and no local entertainment venue is available when one grows bored. Pizza Hut does not deliver and cell phone service can be sporadic. It can be extremely difficult to provide detailed directions when the only local landmarks are pine trees. Home repair people become agitated when making service calls once they realize residents of the rural community of Munson have a Milton, FL postal address and there is actually a distance of 20 long miles between Milton and Munson.
For many who live in the small rural communities of Munson, Allentown and Chumuckla there are often struggles balancing parental involvement in their child’s education and also participation for their child in extra-curricular activities. Buses must arrive extremely early for students. Students often keep a blanket and pillow in their assigned bus seat where they can have a few more minutes of sleep before beginning their school day. These rural families often have difficulty managing their child being in a rural educational location while they themselves are employed in town and then live 30 minutes driving distance in the opposite direction. Students struggle with the unavailability of something easy and quick to eat to refurbish their energy before a ball game. Many of which can not go home after school, and have adequate time to make it back for evening school activities or even the funds to drive the distance back to school.
Business partners for small residential schools as well as fundraising opportunities are difficult and often non-existence. Businesses are unfamiliar with the geographic area of the rural schools are often unwilling to provide assistance because they do not realize the residents of these rural areas patronize their businesses just as much as local customers. Understandably these businesses often think those particular schools should seek out assistance in their own communities, not realizing any local business close to their rural school is small and or non-existence.
Despite the all the pros and cons of living in a rural area, Youngblood has lived his life in the place of his own choosing. A place responsible for defining who he is and what he is. “The relationships that we have in our town and our small school are what keeps me here. Teachers are involved, families are involved. There are one-on-one connections. Our technology and advanced level academic classes are equivalent in quality and availability to any large school,” he remarked passionately. “There are opportunities in our school for every student no matter their career path after high school whether it be college or vocational.”
If one were to poll the faculty and staff population of rural schools such as Jay, Chumuckla Elementary and Central they would find a high percentage of employees who were educated and then returned to teach at the same rural school in the same community where they spent their elementary and high school days.
Rural life versus subdivision life is a matter of preference, a matter of what is important to the individual families. One is not better than the other, both have pros and cons. Neither lifestyle should be considered foolish or less valuable.
“One must find and create peace and happiness for themselves,” Lance Youngblood stated. He however prefers to find his tranquility in the one red light, one grocery store rural community that has been his home since the day he was born.
Mark your calendars and plan to enjoy a day in the country at Santa Rosa County’s rural community festivals:
The Annual Jay Peanut Festival is held the first weekend of October. This popular two day festival features home grown peanuts, local crafters and an opportunity to experience farm life.
The Annual Munson Heritage Festival is held the second weekend of October, the 11th and 12th on the grounds of Krul Recreation Area on Hwy 4 in Munson. This two day festival celebrates the rich heritage of the North Santa Rosa Community located in the Blackwater Forest.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Rural Life