The story could be set in some fictional place, but it...

The story could be set in some fictional place, but it wasn't. They made it personal. They plopped it down in a specific place. People in a small town take a lot of pride in who they are, and that's not who they are. This isn't New York. And then set it in 1963, right? In 1963, they'd make fun of a man if he wore shorts.