His parents wanted him to stay in their small-town life, but he craved the opportunities of a big city.

small-town 是由形容词 small（小的）和名词 town（城镇）组成的复合形容词，表示"小城镇的"，常用来形容生活方式或价值观。 small 表示"尺寸或规模不大"。 town 指比城市规模小的"城镇、市镇"。 small-town life 指"小城镇的生活方式"，通常带有生活节奏慢、人际关系紧密等特点。