I live in a small city of like 33k, and basically, why is it a snooze fest? Because the population is mostly 9-5 and with families or older people. There is stuff to do, but it isn’t centered around the 20 somethings. That kind of thing is for the bigger cities or college towns.
I can tell ya that for someone like myself, the bar scene doesn’t fit who I am today. It fit me back in my 20s, but that’s because I wasn’t super healthy, mentally. Something to think about