MILLER - Ask just about anyone in the eastern end of Lawrence County and they will tell you that Miller is a quiet place - and a nice place to live.

"It's pleasant, peaceful," George Barnett of Proctorville said of one of the small neighborhoods along State Route 7. His company, Reliable Builders, is constructing a porch on a house nearby.

"I'm originally from here and spent some time away in the military. You can get along with anybody around here," he said.

"It's quiet. I like it," Nick Kuhn said.

"It's not an outrageous place," Ernest Basenback said. "It's a pleasant neighborhood, a nice community."

One segment of Miller that is usually not quiet is the DJ Market and Pizza shop, situated just yards away from the Rome Township Fire Department substation. As is the case in many small towns, DJ's is both convenience store/gas station and a hub of neighborly exchange.

At mid day one Friday, no fewer than half a dozen people stopped at the store for something - gasoline, snacks or something to drink.

"In the morning we have a lot of people come in to get breakfast. A lot of farmers come in and drink coffee," cashier Blanche Turley said. "Everyone comes in here, just about."