Densely populated areas, whether cities or countries, apparently settle into a different life mode than I ever encounter. Juneau, Alaska, is a small town - about 30000 (and there was a time I thought 3,000 was a goodsized town) and I often think of it as being a town apart. Not so much behind the times - we have a healthy preponderance of college graduates and people with doctorates in every conceivable field - but instead rather like a town that stepped aside, out of the path, so that it can go its own pace.

Our checkout people tend, if anything, to be too chatty.