Stoneybrook... small town?

In the BSC we're always reminded (particularly by city girl Stacey) how small Stoneybrook is. But really, just how small is it?
It has two middle schools...both of which seem to be of adequate size, private schools, at least one public elementary school,(It seems that Kelsey Middle School is a public school in the area where Kristy lives...but everyone on her street goes to private schools. Where do the kids going into Kelsey come from? Karen goes to a private school.) and Stoneybrook High School, which is stated in the final book of the series, Graduation Day, as having over 1000 students. (I believe it also states that kids from other towns go there.)

It also seems that it has a nice sized downtown. Bellair's sounds awfully big. Come on... it has different departments and has an ESCALATOR, not to mention numerous restaurants, a movie theater, parks, etc.

I would also mention that they have a university, but then again i live in and go to school in a very small town with a private university (less than 2000 undergrads but still), so I know it's possible.

When I think of a small town, I basically think of the town where I'm living at. It has 4000 people (It seems so much fewer though.) Charles Dickens himself visted here twice in the 1800's and mentioned it in one of his books, American Notes.http://charlesdickenspage.com/minor_works.html#american_notes (chapter 8). The town doesn't even have a regular stop light... it has a blinking stoplight. There are a couple of main roads that come through, but that's about it. The mainstreet is two blocks long (or so), and is lined with antique shops, a small coffee house, a couple of small restaurants (including a place that serves up the best ice cream i've ever had), a tiny community theatre, (named after the Looking Glass Prairie, which Dickens mentions), an even tinier library, and ... well you get the picture.
Tehre are a couple of fast food places and a dollar general and a hardware store on the main road coming in, but that's about it.
I live a block north of the high school. The elementary/middle/high school is basically all in one building, with the high school wing on the very end. (I think the high school has a 100 students...tops) It has everything I think a small town should have... a fireman's picnic and parade in the summer, a fall festival with crafts where they shut down the entire two blocks of the "main street" (actually called st. Louis street). Everyone lines up for hte homecoming parade on the sidewalk to get candy. (I'm assuming they do for the high school, they did for McKendree's.) Plus various other activites, including a haunted tour of the town, and a Witches Night Out in October.


Does anyone else think Stoneybrook isn't as small as they think it is?