I grew up in a city of 135K to 150K people and, yet, in many respects, it was like a small town since everyone in your neighborhood knew you. If we did anything, we told our parents before someone else could (and they would). We played outside 'til after dark. During the day we roamed not just our neighborhood, but all over the city. The skating rink owned a couple of busses that travelled the same routes on weekends picking up patrons and then returning them for free! I never would have been able to go every week otherwise. One family, in the winter flooded their back yard for the kids to ice skate. They put up lights and played music. It was great, until someone fell and broke an arm and her parents sued. That was my first lesson in the facts of life of someone ruining a good thing for everyone else. But basically, it was a good place to grow up.