5 things people from Toronto don't understand about small-town Ontario life

As someone who moved from Toronto to a small town in Ontario , I can say firsthand that there are a bunch of things I didn’t understand at first.

I knew the change would be pretty drastic, but some of the lessons I learned along the way were a bit unexpected.

I had entered a whole new world, and felt split by the new life I was building and the old one I was attempting to preserve.

It was hard to explain my newfound existence to friends back in the city, and even more difficult to describe what it was like growing up in Toronto to people who, for the most part, didn't like cities all that much.

So, Torontonians, here are a few things you may not get about small-town Ontario living, from a fellow city slicker who packed up and moved to a tiny town once upon a time.

There is absolutely zero anonymity See on Instagram A part of what appealed to me most about leaving Toronto was the idea of being somewhere that felt a little less crowded.

As social as I can be, I definitely enjoy my solitude.

So I figured by living somewhere with a teeny-tiny population and a house a bit out of the way, I'd get a chance to soak up the alone time I often craved.

But turns out, being surrounded by fewer people doesn't necessarily mean more alone time.

In fact, the opposite was true, at least for me.

In Toronto, even if I was wandering along a crowded street, no one would really look twice at me.

I can recall many hungover dog walks looking like a total slob, but not having a care in the world because even if someone walking by was judging, I'd probably never see them again.

In a small town, the situation is different.

You probably know, or will get to know, most people you cross paths with — potentially even right there and then during said hungover dog walk you'd hoped would be taken privately.