What is it that makes small town post offices so great? Have you ever just taken a second, just the smallest moment, to appreciate the marvel that is a small town post office?

Check out these 12 examples of small town post offices and see if you can tell what it is.

Canadian, Texas

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For starters, some of them are just as small as the town they're in. They represent the community they serve, so to speak.

Small town equals small post office. It makes sense.

I can smell the inside of this place just by looking at the photo. It reminds me of some of the post offices from my youth, stranded out in the middle of nowhere rural America.

If you know, then you know. If not, take a road trip.

Claude, Texas

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I'm not sure how old this building is. It doesn't look that old, and honestly it looks like the small country church I grew up attending.

Here's another great example of the small post office representing its community.

Dumas, Texas

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Here we've stumbled on some more unique design choices, even if it's nothing over the top. It's a small, small town post office that reminds us that all small towns are unique in their own way...even if it is just the awning.

Happy, Texas

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Friends and neighbors, this might be my favorite of the 12. The reason why is that it reminds me of my all time favorite post office.

I once lived in a town so small, the post office was also the place you paid your city utility bills, you could get a haircut, and around the back you could get an oil change. The local Lions Club also met there once a month.

In this picture you see a sign for a bookkeeper next door. So, you can drop off some mail and get your taxes sorted; all in one fell swoop.

Hereford, Texas

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Remember what I said about the post office representing the community it serves? Here is Hereford's. It's not tiny. It's not itty bitty.

It's also not massive.

Like the third bowl of porridge, it's just right.

McLean, Texas

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This one from the home of one of Route 66's most famous landmarks reminds me a bit of Claude's post office. It's obviously a fairly new building, and it looks nice. I wonder if there's tile or carpet flooring inside.

I bet it's carpet.

Memphis, Texas

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This one reminds me a little of the post office from the town I grew up in. The architecture is historic, and big for some reason that many today can't really remember.

At least that's how it was for my hometown. Why a town that size needed stairs to get into a post office was always beyond me. I found out later, it was that big because it housed the town's nuclear shelter.

I wonder how many of those are out there in the Texas panhandle.

Pampa, Texas

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Here we go. This is what I've been looking for. That's a pretty fancy looking post office you have there, Pampa. My hats off to whoever designed it.

There's a lot going on here. A lot of little details are just waiting to be noticed.

Way to go.

Shamrock, Texas

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Ah, the Grand Poobah of Texas panhandle historic pop culture; Shamrock, Texas. In all honesty, I was expecting just a little bit more from this post office. However, the lampposts are a fantastic touch, and I bet they're really nice at night.

No joke. I'm a big fan of old school lampposts.

It's a nice looking post office, and it fits well along with everything else they're famous for thanks to Route 66.

Stinnett, Texas

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Couple of things I love about this photo, and the aesthetic of this post office in general. One, it adheres to the representation of the community it serves. Small town equals small post office.

However, this one has a bit more flair than previous smaller sized small towns (read that again if you need to).

This one reminds me of a post office I used to go to where the older men in the community would gather first thing in the morning for the complimentary coffee. They would stand around, drink coffee, and swap all the latest regarding work, the town, and everything wrong in the world.

Coffee at the Stinnett post office? For some reason it seems appropriate, and I just can't put my finger on why.

Vega, Texas

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A very close friend of mine is from Vega, and this little town has come up recently in our conversations. So, I decided to take a peek at their post office and see what they're working with.

Again, we have the same "small among small towns" motif happening before our eyes. While this one lacks the caution-tape-yellow posts marking off parking spots, this photo did stand out for one major reason.

Remember how I said earlier that one of these style post offices resembled a country church I grew up attending? Hell, this one looks like it came with the steeple.

Wellington, Texas

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Here we go. Again, this is what I like. It's history on display. And now we have someone competing with Shamrock for who has the cooler lampposts.

I know there are several more small town post offices to check out in the Texas panhandle, and I hope to compile an archive of all of them. All kidding and joking aside, there's usually a lot of history involved and that's what makes small town post offices so great.

They usually tell some kind of story about the community they serve, and I can't get enough of it.

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