I grew up around small airports and liked it a lot. Everybody knew everybody and if you needed a ride to ONT or LAX some off-duty airline pilot might give you a ride in his Twin Beech if you covered fuel costs. We used to have lunch with guys like Artie Scholl and Clay Lacy.
My Dad built a house and hanger on the taxiway at Pine Mountain Lake airport and lived there for 10 years tinkering with aircraft. I can still see his house in this pic, now surrounded by all the newer high $$ mega mansions.
https://www.tuolumnecounty.ca.gov/375/Pine-Mountain-Lake-Airport