Even with drop-offs at one daycare centre and two schools, plus a quick drive-through coffee detour, I’m usually at my desk less than half an hour after I leave home.

It is just one of the many advantages of living in Wagga, and one of the myriad reasons that much as I love visiting Sydney and Melbourne, I’m happy not to call them home.

A short commute in itself is probably not a make-or-break reason for living in regional NSW, but it is indicative of how life is slightly less harried in a smaller community.

But smaller does not have to mean less vibrant. Wagga’s increasingly popular food scene and growing number of micro festivals are only adding to the long-acknowledged benefits of good schools and reasonable house prices.

At the weekend, more than 10,000 people ignored windy, chilly weather and had a great time at Fusion18, the multicultural street festival that is rapidly becoming known as one of the best events on the city’s social calendar.

People travelled from as far as Brisbane for the event, and organiser Lisa Saffery from Wagga City Council said she is now hearing that Fusion is reason enough for visitors to plan a trip to our city.

Those of us who live in Wagga know we have a lot of other great reasons to be here, and once visitors come to something like Fusion, they’re going to see what else is here.

Sometimes it feels like Wagga is one of the best-kept secrets in NSW.

We don’t get the headlines of our major cities, or the boost that comes from living on the coast, so at a first glance, Wagga’s advantages are a little less obvious, but once you’ve actually visited, the appeal of our city becomes more obvious.

One of the reasons, I suspect, the city is thriving is that we have so many residents who care.

From the seven candidates who nominated for the recent Wagga by-election to the volunteers who turn up early on weekend mornings to set up junior sport, the city and surrounding area has many people who are giving back to their community.

Chris Fitzpatrick, who retired in 2017 after five years as chief executive officer of Committee 4 Wagga, has told me one of the reasons the city feels so upbeat is that young people who grew up here but moved away are now coming back.

He said these younger people are coming back with new ideas and experiences that they are using to establish new businesses and opportunities in the city.

But, he also pointed out the advantages of schemes like CCTV in the main street, which give a feeling of extra security and encourage people to enjoy the growing number of places to eat in a two-main-streets-for-the-price-of-one CBD.

But growth is coming beyond these businesses.

The Wagga Base Hospital development is continuing, and the recent by-election campaign has gifted us with the promise of a much-needed multi-storey car park in the health precinct.

We are going to have a state-of-the-art teaching facility to go with the full-blown rural medical school and a new primary school is being built in the booming suburbs “north of the river”.

Now, I know there’s still work to do. We’re always going to need more public transport and I reckon someone is going to have to get serious about both a Gobba Bridge duplication and a Sturt Highway bypass before too much longer.

All cities have crime, and Wagga is no different. The scourge of car fires is continuing and we have our fair share of break-ins and assaults.

But our police know the issues and they’re doing the best they can.

If we want to help, we can make sure our personal security is up to snuff and report anything suspicious in our own neighbourhoods.

Getting to know our neighbours is also a great way of helping make our homes a little safer, and a little friendlier.

No city is perfect, and Wagga is no different.

But it’s worth celebrating what we do have: A vibrant, multicultural city with a growing food and festival scene, good schools, excellent sports facilities and an affordable housing market with short commutes.

But if you’re still hankering after a beach or a dose of big-city life, a few hours’ drive will get you there – and bring you home again when you’ve had enough.