Building community in your small town sounds like a daunting task. It’s easy to get bogged down, thinking there’s too much to do, that you’d need too many permissions or it would take too much money. The reality of building community is it’s a change of mindset to Take Small Steps. 99% of the best […]

Building community in your small town sounds like a daunting task. It’s easy to get bogged down, thinking there’s too much to do, that you’d need too many permissions or it would take too much money. The reality of building community is it’s a change of mindset to Take Small Steps.

99% of the best things you can do for your town don’t require anyone’s permission.

I’ve seen lists before of things you can do for your city, but none written for small towns. Let’s fix that. Here are 100+ small-town-approved ideas to build community. 

1. Hang out downtown, in the park, in plazas and pocket parks. Take a book or a snack. Invite friends. Have conversations. 
2. Cook extra and share with a neighbor.
3. Introduce yourself when meeting someone new. 
4. Smile and remind people of your name. 
5. Walk. Park and walk to run errands. Park further from where you want to go.
6. Hold a (music) jam session in your neighborhood or downtown.
7. Bike. Bike your errands. Bike to work. Bike to the park.
8. Make a list of everything in your town you can walk or bike to in 30 minutes. You might be surprised.
9. Attend the arts and music events at local schools and colleges.
10. Go to community performances and events. Cheer. Share praise online.
11. Eat outside at local cafes and at picnic tables and benches downtown.
12. Sit down for a meal with someone not like you. Someone from the community who is from a significantly different background, ethnicity, class, income level, or education. Listen.
13. Spend more time in your front yard and on your front porch.
14. Dress the front of your house to be inviting. Set out extra chairs and invite friends to join you. 
15. Drop in on the library and ask about what they have besi