Middleton size

In the movies, I always got the impression that Middleton was a small town with just a picturesque Main Street and was probably easily walkable, maybe 5-6k population. But it seems in the TV series it's more of a small city (40k-50k) with a more suburban feel than a small, charming town (going off the overhead shots they've been showing.) Maybe I misinterpreted the original movies, and it's always been that way, but to me it works better as a small town. Kinda like in Gilmore Girls or Hart of Dixie. It gives the town and the citizens, more character. The small police force (what happened to them, by the way,) small shops, parks, etc. the town itself has seen to have been lost as a character. Maybe it's just me....