Dumb question: We don't have a synagogue in town; we have a Jewish center. It's actually a former church. Why isn't it a synagogue? Is it missing something so it can't be called a synagogue?
It might serve as more than a house of worship. It also depends on what strain of Judaism the congregation consists of. Reform Judaism tends to call its houses of worship "temples," while "synagogues" tend to refer to conservative and orthodox. It's also possible that if there's only one game in town, maybe they used "Jewish center" as a more all-encompassing term.
Probably the jews in town are JINO's Jews in name only and dont go to synagogue or dont practice. That all I can think of. There probably is a synagogue in town, but you dont know it.