You asked.

I can’t wait to raise my kids with a respect for rural living, common sense, kindness, and appreciation of hard work. Front porch swings, big skies, beautiful sunsets, bon fires, and a night sky full of bright stars. I don’t know who wouldn’t want that every day.

I was also able to get a job about 2 miles from home when I was 16–in a small newspaper. Small town America does have some pluses. My parents moved to just outside the town limits of a small town (5000 people, I think it is). We did get a Walmart though, after I left home, and we had a couple of big grocery stores, a flea market nearby, a mall about half an hour away….

in michigan, people have wild berries– that’s exotic. like a bergman movie.

I don’t want to run a dairy farm or a vineyard. If I make my own cheese, it’s gonna be with bottled milk. But I do want to live somewhere I can have a proper garden, a clothesline, and whatever “green” energy modifications I can afford. In the area where I want to live – chosen specifically for aging in place considerations – expenses to operate an efficient home are going to be less than one-quarter what we currently pay in rent.

And I DON’T want to have some halfwit HOA tell me I have to have a lawn, or that my windows have to be dressed with vertical blinds. So, it’s outside city limits for me.

I moved across the country to live IN the city, and that’s not something on which I am willing to compromise right now. However, I enjoy living in a suburb inside the city limits, rather than a downtown loft. I’m willing to move to an area that was once part of the city but is now a small town next door, if it means a little more room to homestead, seeing as it’s only another mile north of downtown. My partner and I have both agreed however that if we move up there, it has to be within easy walking distance of the main thoroughfare that still includes the public bussing system. So we really wouldn’t be missing out on much besides a mailing address.

Financially, there’s no question, living here in the country is less expensive for us. There aren’t any Joneses to keep up with. We’re less likely to shop, we eat out less, and the property tax on our 4 acres is $700 less annually than our standard size city lot. Wash State has no state income tax, so that was an immediate $400 a month raise for my husband.

This town of 50k has a good library, a bus system, a great YMCA that is nearly half the cost of the one in the city, and good healthcare – there are many retirees here and the medical community has responded to this market demand. There are lots of local produce stands and area farmers from which to purchase eggs and family farm raised meat. So far, we haven’t been overly impressed with the restaurants, so we save our money for trips to the city where there are lots of delicious options.

There are drawbacks. No Trader Joes, no health food stores, and less options in that area altogether. Lack of diversity and culture, and definitely less people with a higher education. People head off to college and most don’t return for whatever reason. There are less opportunities here than in the city. One often sees adults working jobs that would normally be done by teenagers if we were in the city. There is definitely a lower degree of professionalism, possibly due to lack of competition?

Smaller towns can have their cliques as well – many townsfolk grew up here and never left. It can take a long time to make friends. Having come from progressive, liberal Portland, I’ve had to acclimate to a town that is definitely more conservative.

We’re fortunate in that we don’t have commuting expenses. I telecommute, and my husband drives a company vehicle. If we had long commutes on our own dime and time, we would not have relocated here. The downfall is that because I telecommute, I don’t meet people like I would if I worked outside of my home. It can feel isolating at times.

The country may be less expensive monetarily, but there is a price to pay. Before making the leap, do your homework!

We kept the city home as a rental just in case. I told my husband that if I ever decide I can’t do this full time, I will get a roommate and live in the city house part time. I’m also not sure I can retire in such a rural area!

Other than that, I agree with all the points you brought up and they’re similar to my thoughts as well, having grown up in the country and moved to the city.

I think there are plenty of non-financial reasons to live either in the country or the city as well, and those need to be weighed in.

I miss the quietness of country life, being able to go home and not worry about someone else’s noise.

But I love how much time I save living in the city, where it doesn’t take me 20 minutes to go to the store. And I feel like I can be spontaneous here.

I don’t think there’s one “correct” choice for everyone, because it depends so much on your priorities and your situation.