Durand, IL a Typical Farming Community in the Midwest

I'd like to tell you about a small town in northern Illinois that you'll probably never visit, and you've probably never heard of. And that's ok by me!

Durand is a typical Illinois farming community. We've lived here for eleven years and still don't really know anyone. That too is typical of small towns. If you were to ask my advice on moving in to a town such as this I would probably tell you not to do it. Don't get me wrong, I actually like this little town. I'm happy to be away from traffic back ups and noise and gangs and all the other things that cities experience. The problem with these tiny little towns is that everyone tends to be related to each other. Or they all went to school together since kindergarten. It's hard to break into the little cliques, but that too is ok. People are friendly when you see them on the street or in the grocery store. Yes, in this village of just over 1000 we actually have a grocery store. Durand is the kind of town where people will stop their car and let the town mutt cross the street and people hold the door for each other at the post office. Please and thank you haven't been totally forgotten here either. It is refreshing when I come home from work and stop to get my mail at the post office and someone actually smiles and says hello and holds the door. You also won't find any stop lights in Durand. There's a good chance that if you're behind a car they won't use turn signals either. You should already know where the person in front of you is going to turn.

Durand is in Winnebago County. The village itself is just a few miles south of the Wisconsin border. The landscape here is lovely rolling hills and even though much of the land is farmed there are still wooded areas. I love to just go for a drive through the countryside, you top a hill and can see for miles. Hunting is a big past time here. With the amount of woods there's plenty of places for herds of deer to hide. In my countryside drives besides deer I've also seen pheasant, hawks, fox, one wolf and many wild turkeys.

There is a village square which is lined by several businesses. The square gets closed off over the 4th of July for go-kart races and the ever famous outhouse races. Yes, you read that correctly. It is all a tongue in cheek, poke fun at yourself event. The outhouse races that is, not the go-kart. The reason for the outhouse races is because at one point in Durand's history there were more outhouses per capita than anywhere else in Illinois. The square also gets shut down sometimes for street dances and in September there is the annual Chili cook off and Biker Bash. There is only one school here. The children go to the same building from pre-school through high school.

In the last couple of years cookie cutter houses are springing up. People trying to escape the cities are pushing their way out. Right now I enjoy sitting on my porch, sipping tea and reading a book. I can foresee a time coming much too soon when my quiet refuge is invaded by noise, stop lights and the inevitable crime. I mourn for the loss of all small towns across America.