It's hard to explain how substantially I think it influences my perception of things, but on comparing notes with other people who similarly grew up in small towns and now live in cities, there's a commonality that I think is rooted in that experience.

imvfd has pointers to a really cool psychological study showing precisely this. That whether one grew up in a city or small town/country, and how long one spent there, substantially changes how one responds to stress, specifically, in measurable ways. Pretty cool stuff.