Expectations vs reality for those who moved from a city to a small town?
-
I'm in the process of doing the above and would like to hear about your experience. Were there any surprises? What was as you expected?
wrote last edited by [email protected]Where are you from?
Because my first piece of feedback is that the more you go rural the more it matters where the place is. Everybody below seems to be American and... man, based on what they're saying I can tell you my experience doesn't match theirs and I wouldn't want theirs.
-
How small are we talking? I moved from a large city (Ft. Lauderdale, FL 185k people) to an insanley large city (Brooklyn, NY 2.6 million) then as a sort of whip lash decided I wanted rural living so I took my RV to an area I was thinking of buying a few acres in (Mossyrock, WA ~1000 people) and plopped for a few months. It was not for me. Real "one coffee shop, one restaraunt, one bar" type place and while I loved it initially, the pain-in-the ass of day to day living was too much. Think 20 min drives to the closest gas station, 45 min drives to the nearest large grocer.
After moving around the area quite a bit, I landed on a place with ~35k people and to me, after two years, I am still loving it. Feels like small town rural living but downtown is a 10 min drive away with a bunch of eateries, bars, nightlife, etc.
Pros of 'smaller' town living (after trying a few areas that passed the vibe check):
- Community. With everything going on in the world right now it feels like you are powerless. Shrinking the scope of your action to your neighbors and your immediate area empowers you to make change in a way you've never felt before. You can participate and have direct impact in all sorts of ways, from city council meetings, to improvement projects, to just participating in a local farmers market.
- Safety. Some people may see this as a negative, and I guess it could be depending on how invasive your direct neighbors are lol, but for me on 5 acres it's been incredible. Everyone knows if something is amiss and are not afraid to 'ring the alarm' as it were. When I first bought the property I was parking along the road as it was very overgrown, countless people stopped and asked if I needed help with the car (assuming I had broken down) then proceeded to introduce themselves and have met a ton of people in this way.
- Affordability. Land and housing is cheaper, groceries stay the same (assuming you are near a main interstate). You can buy a house for the price of an apartment in a large city.
- Quiet. Being in a large city is being in the belly of the beast. The gears are turning all night long. With smaller city living, it's the opposite, peace and quiet, take a deep breath and relax. Night life and night owls still exist, but you have to go hunt them down.
- Less Police Presence. Crime rates drop inordinately as the population decreases, and with that, you see a lot less "boys in blue" - furthermore, because it's usually just a few people, you get to know them and have less anxiety with interactions.
- Gardens and Greenery. Speaks for itself, less population density == less concrete paradise == more biodiversity.
Cons:
- Commute. If you don't have a WFH gig, most smaller cities will not have an abundance of the type of work you do. You'll most likely have a commute so somewhere with light rail might be awesome for you if that's the case.
- Gentrification. Depending on where you come from and where you are moving to, you might be seen as a sort of 'colonizer.' I don't get that sneer but I did get several people making sure I was not coming from California LOL.
- Slower Pace. In FL it's known colloquially as "Cuban Time" basically meaning that time estimates should be taken with a grain of salt. The pace of the life is slower in a small town and you might find services taking forever to be completed. If you can relax and go with the flow though, it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
Ok this turned into an essay, this new coffee bean smacks. Best of luck!
This all mostly tracks with my experience in southern Aroostook county, Maine. I moved here at the end of June. My town has 400 people. However, I do not mind the things that bothered u/lowspeedchase. Not usually anyway, lol. I have 10 acres of land, and my house was very inexpensive. I moved from dense suburban Massachusetts. I DO WFH, and I have high speed internet here. I’m quite happy!
-
This all mostly tracks with my experience in southern Aroostook county, Maine. I moved here at the end of June. My town has 400 people. However, I do not mind the things that bothered u/lowspeedchase. Not usually anyway, lol. I have 10 acres of land, and my house was very inexpensive. I moved from dense suburban Massachusetts. I DO WFH, and I have high speed internet here. I’m quite happy!
That's awesome! I am supposed to get fiber in 6 months but with them neutering the rural broadband fund it might not happen, color me jealous!
-
How small are we talking? I moved from a large city (Ft. Lauderdale, FL 185k people) to an insanley large city (Brooklyn, NY 2.6 million) then as a sort of whip lash decided I wanted rural living so I took my RV to an area I was thinking of buying a few acres in (Mossyrock, WA ~1000 people) and plopped for a few months. It was not for me. Real "one coffee shop, one restaraunt, one bar" type place and while I loved it initially, the pain-in-the ass of day to day living was too much. Think 20 min drives to the closest gas station, 45 min drives to the nearest large grocer.
After moving around the area quite a bit, I landed on a place with ~35k people and to me, after two years, I am still loving it. Feels like small town rural living but downtown is a 10 min drive away with a bunch of eateries, bars, nightlife, etc.
Pros of 'smaller' town living (after trying a few areas that passed the vibe check):
- Community. With everything going on in the world right now it feels like you are powerless. Shrinking the scope of your action to your neighbors and your immediate area empowers you to make change in a way you've never felt before. You can participate and have direct impact in all sorts of ways, from city council meetings, to improvement projects, to just participating in a local farmers market.
- Safety. Some people may see this as a negative, and I guess it could be depending on how invasive your direct neighbors are lol, but for me on 5 acres it's been incredible. Everyone knows if something is amiss and are not afraid to 'ring the alarm' as it were. When I first bought the property I was parking along the road as it was very overgrown, countless people stopped and asked if I needed help with the car (assuming I had broken down) then proceeded to introduce themselves and have met a ton of people in this way.
- Affordability. Land and housing is cheaper, groceries stay the same (assuming you are near a main interstate). You can buy a house for the price of an apartment in a large city.
- Quiet. Being in a large city is being in the belly of the beast. The gears are turning all night long. With smaller city living, it's the opposite, peace and quiet, take a deep breath and relax. Night life and night owls still exist, but you have to go hunt them down.
- Less Police Presence. Crime rates drop inordinately as the population decreases, and with that, you see a lot less "boys in blue" - furthermore, because it's usually just a few people, you get to know them and have less anxiety with interactions.
- Gardens and Greenery. Speaks for itself, less population density == less concrete paradise == more biodiversity.
Cons:
- Commute. If you don't have a WFH gig, most smaller cities will not have an abundance of the type of work you do. You'll most likely have a commute so somewhere with light rail might be awesome for you if that's the case.
- Gentrification. Depending on where you come from and where you are moving to, you might be seen as a sort of 'colonizer.' I don't get that sneer but I did get several people making sure I was not coming from California LOL.
- Slower Pace. In FL it's known colloquially as "Cuban Time" basically meaning that time estimates should be taken with a grain of salt. The pace of the life is slower in a small town and you might find services taking forever to be completed. If you can relax and go with the flow though, it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
Ok this turned into an essay, this new coffee bean smacks. Best of luck!
I'm going from a city of 300k to a town of 2k. Fortunately there's a gas station and groceries in town, less than 5 minutes driving / totally walkable for small hauls.
All the pros you mentioned are things I'm looking forward to. I do WFH so no crazy commutes!
Thanks for sharing!
-
Ontario, Canada
-
I'm in the process of doing the above and would like to hear about your experience. Were there any surprises? What was as you expected?
The slutty farmer’s daughter is usually ugly but always a great lay.
-
My only surprise was how shit every nearby restaurant is
And the lack of ingredients in the restaurants.
Seriously only a choice between orange or white cheese?
-
That's awesome! I am supposed to get fiber in 6 months but with them neutering the rural broadband fund it might not happen, color me jealous!
I’ve read a couple of articles in the last few years about a couple regular people who implemented municipal fiber in their communities and charge very low rates. I’m seriosly considering seeing if that’s feasible here. Current internet is coaxial that comes in on telephone poles. Somehow they finagle gigabit download speeds with it.
-
I'm going from a city of 300k to a town of 2k. Fortunately there's a gas station and groceries in town, less than 5 minutes driving / totally walkable for small hauls.
All the pros you mentioned are things I'm looking forward to. I do WFH so no crazy commutes!
Thanks for sharing!
You're going to love it - I can tell. Enjoy it!!
-
I'm in the process of doing the above and would like to hear about your experience. Were there any surprises? What was as you expected?
The community ain't as wholesome... People are about as a nasty as they are in the big city but it is a lot more personal
-
I’ve read a couple of articles in the last few years about a couple regular people who implemented municipal fiber in their communities and charge very low rates. I’m seriosly considering seeing if that’s feasible here. Current internet is coaxial that comes in on telephone poles. Somehow they finagle gigabit download speeds with it.
Damn I would be so down to socialize fiber like that!!!
-
I'm in the process of doing the above and would like to hear about your experience. Were there any surprises? What was as you expected?
Our taco bell closes at like 9pm, which blew my mind. I assumed no one ate there before 11pm and alcohol or other substances were involved.
-
Damn I would be so down to socialize fiber like that!!!
-
I'm in the process of doing the above and would like to hear about your experience. Were there any surprises? What was as you expected?
Here’s the thing about “groceries in town”. You will find deals at the deli/bakery and possibly the butcher areas of the store. Sometimes. That said, 80% of it is ridiculously priced.
What often happens is people store more food and bundle their drive into town for stuff.
I will, for example, do most of my grocery shopping after my last shift in a run. Less gas and bother and it’s on the way.
We have a large garden. Two freezers. Cold storage. Two fridges. Fruit trees. If a snow storm dropped and we were stuck for a month we’d be fine. The food would get boring, but we’d be fine.
The one danger to this move you’re making will be the sounds or lack thereof. Once you go rural you may have a very hard time going back to hearing people and their vehicles all the time. As in they become a point of grating stress until they stop.
-
Here’s the thing about “groceries in town”. You will find deals at the deli/bakery and possibly the butcher areas of the store. Sometimes. That said, 80% of it is ridiculously priced.
What often happens is people store more food and bundle their drive into town for stuff.
I will, for example, do most of my grocery shopping after my last shift in a run. Less gas and bother and it’s on the way.
We have a large garden. Two freezers. Cold storage. Two fridges. Fruit trees. If a snow storm dropped and we were stuck for a month we’d be fine. The food would get boring, but we’d be fine.
The one danger to this move you’re making will be the sounds or lack thereof. Once you go rural you may have a very hard time going back to hearing people and their vehicles all the time. As in they become a point of grating stress until they stop.
That's something I've thought about. I already cook most of my food from scratch and expect I should stock up from the bigger town out of the way on occasion. My town does get a lot of snow.
As for the sounds, I'm so looking forward to peace and quiet. There's always someone's car alarm going off in the middle of the night, or the dogs getting into barking and howling matches. Hell is other people.
-
I'm in the process of doing the above and would like to hear about your experience. Were there any surprises? What was as you expected?
Depending on the town, it might be very religious, which means everything will be closed on Sundays. Restaurants, grocers, hardware stores, all of it.
Also, in the US, rural/small town vibes usually mean conservative politics are what goes. If it's a bedroom community, meaning most everyone commutes to the nearest city to go to work, then that's less likely, but there's no knowing until you're there.
-
Depending on the town, it might be very religious, which means everything will be closed on Sundays. Restaurants, grocers, hardware stores, all of it.
Also, in the US, rural/small town vibes usually mean conservative politics are what goes. If it's a bedroom community, meaning most everyone commutes to the nearest city to go to work, then that's less likely, but there's no knowing until you're there.
Also, in the US, rural/small town vibes usually mean conservative politics are what goes.
This is a good point which I've considered and looked into a bit. This is in Ontario, Canada. The small town voted Liberal in our recent federal election. The bigger city I'm leaving voted Conservative. Curious as it's usually the other way around!
-
Ontario, Canada
Gotcha. Can't really help you there, then.
-
I'm in the process of doing the above and would like to hear about your experience. Were there any surprises? What was as you expected?
wrote last edited by [email protected]Not exactly city but still rather near to city center(15-20min drive), to a small town that's quite remote from most stuff(35-50min drive).
Expectation: air quality would be good, quiet, very far commute to work
Reality: air quality is mostly good, quiet, very far from work.
Surprise: there's one poultry farm nearby which make the air quality worst for certain time of day.
Not-surprise but still annoying: i picked up cycling after i moved here, and there's no safe biking path to the city, even the backroad still require me to ride on a few km of road, and some fuck will not give ample space when passing through.
Surprise but a welcomed one: i get access to country-side cycling route via backroad.
-
How small are we talking? I moved from a large city (Ft. Lauderdale, FL 185k people) to an insanley large city (Brooklyn, NY 2.6 million) then as a sort of whip lash decided I wanted rural living so I took my RV to an area I was thinking of buying a few acres in (Mossyrock, WA ~1000 people) and plopped for a few months. It was not for me. Real "one coffee shop, one restaraunt, one bar" type place and while I loved it initially, the pain-in-the ass of day to day living was too much. Think 20 min drives to the closest gas station, 45 min drives to the nearest large grocer.
After moving around the area quite a bit, I landed on a place with ~35k people and to me, after two years, I am still loving it. Feels like small town rural living but downtown is a 10 min drive away with a bunch of eateries, bars, nightlife, etc.
Pros of 'smaller' town living (after trying a few areas that passed the vibe check):
- Community. With everything going on in the world right now it feels like you are powerless. Shrinking the scope of your action to your neighbors and your immediate area empowers you to make change in a way you've never felt before. You can participate and have direct impact in all sorts of ways, from city council meetings, to improvement projects, to just participating in a local farmers market.
- Safety. Some people may see this as a negative, and I guess it could be depending on how invasive your direct neighbors are lol, but for me on 5 acres it's been incredible. Everyone knows if something is amiss and are not afraid to 'ring the alarm' as it were. When I first bought the property I was parking along the road as it was very overgrown, countless people stopped and asked if I needed help with the car (assuming I had broken down) then proceeded to introduce themselves and have met a ton of people in this way.
- Affordability. Land and housing is cheaper, groceries stay the same (assuming you are near a main interstate). You can buy a house for the price of an apartment in a large city.
- Quiet. Being in a large city is being in the belly of the beast. The gears are turning all night long. With smaller city living, it's the opposite, peace and quiet, take a deep breath and relax. Night life and night owls still exist, but you have to go hunt them down.
- Less Police Presence. Crime rates drop inordinately as the population decreases, and with that, you see a lot less "boys in blue" - furthermore, because it's usually just a few people, you get to know them and have less anxiety with interactions.
- Gardens and Greenery. Speaks for itself, less population density == less concrete paradise == more biodiversity.
Cons:
- Commute. If you don't have a WFH gig, most smaller cities will not have an abundance of the type of work you do. You'll most likely have a commute so somewhere with light rail might be awesome for you if that's the case.
- Gentrification. Depending on where you come from and where you are moving to, you might be seen as a sort of 'colonizer.' I don't get that sneer but I did get several people making sure I was not coming from California LOL.
- Slower Pace. In FL it's known colloquially as "Cuban Time" basically meaning that time estimates should be taken with a grain of salt. The pace of the life is slower in a small town and you might find services taking forever to be completed. If you can relax and go with the flow though, it shouldn't be too much of an issue.
Ok this turned into an essay, this new coffee bean smacks. Best of luck!
A lot of people from California come to the smaller cities near bigger cities in southern Missouri. What sucks is that they're driving up the costs of homes and real estate. Wish I could go somewhere that's still kinda nice and get a bigger nicer house for 1\4 the cost and retire early.
