The image of “small-town” America has been romanticized over the years. But still, for many who grow up in a small town, the feeling it provides is worth protecting. I know a few things about growing up in a small town. For 26 years, I called Ash Grove, Missouri, home. Growing up in Ash Grove from the mid-1960s through the 1980s was like living in Mayberry, the fictional town of Andy Griffith, on television. (More on this later). Some residents living in cities around the perimeter of Springfield have been sharing on social media about their desire to retain the "small town feel" of their town. Critics will complain that changes are causing the community to lose its “small-town feel.” Sometimes that phrase is used because the town population has grown. Sometimes it is because of increased crime, new faces in the stores, or even tax proposals. Relators often talk about the small-town feel of a town where they are selling homes. Many communities brag about having a sm...