Small (really small) town living....

[freeandfun1]

OK, I am starting my annual attempt at getting my wife to move to rural (really, really rural) Americana (Texicana).

Sooooo..... if any of you have lived in the "city" and have returned to the country, I would like to hear the good and the bad. I have my own imaginings (based on a bit of experience having grown up primarily in rural Texas) of what it would be like (maybe I only think of the good and not the bad). The only worry I have is boredom. But I know I could stay busy enough to avoid that, but the wife might not be able to handle it.

I have my eyes set on a large ranch in Southwest Texas and I really need some help convincing her!

 

[no1tovote4]

The Bad:

The wife doesn't have the support system she likes, and it takes longer to find a group of friends.
(the solution: A good church, unfortunately we are Buddhist and the nearest Theravada Temple is over 50 miles from our house).

The kids have less organized group activities in which to enroll.
(the solution: 4H club.)

Watch for animals in the road!

The Good:
Community support is about 1000% better than in the city, the neighbors will actually come over to meet you.

The quiet is awesome.

Kids drive earlier.

The Schools are far more under community control than that of large bureaucracy.

 

[Gem]

The Good: The people are often incredibly nice, very supportive (i.e. help you out in times of need, bring you over their extra tomatoes when their garden has too many, watch your dogs while you go on vacation, help you shovel your driveway, etc.)

The Bad: There are very rarely any new people, or any people with a variety of opinions and/or life experiences.

The Good: The owner of the local Italian restaurant knows you, and knows just how you like your chicken marsala.

The Bad: He knows you because his restaurant is the only Italian restaurant in 50 miles and you go there once a week because it is one of only 3 restaurants in town...and his chicken marsala sometimes isn't all that great.

The Good: The schools have almost too much parental involvement...the teachers are happy and the children know that they are expected to behave.

The Bad: There are no trips to museums, the nations capital, major cities to see theater productions...because you are too far away from a major city.

The Good: The area you live in is beautiful, serene, and uncrowded.

The Bad: Getting out of that area is incredibly expensive because you are too far away from any major airports.


I can go on...obviously some of these might be more pertinent to the small town I am living in at the moment, rather than yours...

 

[manu1959]

small towns are cool.............except in steven king novels

 

[Trigg]

The Good: The people are often incredibly nice, very supportive (i.e. help you out in times of need, bring you over their extra tomatoes when their garden has too many, watch your dogs while you go on vacation, help you shovel your driveway, etc.)

The Bad: There are very rarely any new people, or any people with a variety of opinions and/or life experiences.

The Good: The owner of the local Italian restaurant knows you, and knows just how you like your chicken marsala.

The Bad: He knows you because his restaurant is the only Italian restaurant in 50 miles and you go there once a week because it is one of only 3 restaurants in town...and his chicken marsala sometimes isn't all that great.

The Good: The schools have almost too much parental involvement...the teachers are happy and the children know that they are expected to behave.

The Bad: There are no trips to museums, the nations capital, major cities to see theater productions...because you are too far away from a major city.

The Good: The area you live in is beautiful, serene, and uncrowded.

The Bad: Getting out of that area is incredibly expensive because you are too far away from any major airports.


I can go on...obviously some of these might be more pertinent to the small town I am living in at the moment, rather than yours...

This is all true if your talking REAL small and isolated. My grandparents live in western Kansas and it would drive me nuts living so far from a larger city.

I used to live in New Orleans and would never raise kids there. I now live in a small town, but only 20 minutes from a decent sized city. That's great for me since I like to go to dinner and a movie and that's not possible in real small isolated places.

 

[Jimmyeatworld]

I think the worst thing about moving from "the city" to "the country" is losing the convenience of getting whatever you need 24 hours a day.

In the city: I once needed a bottle Nyquil at 2:30 in the morning, so I drove down the street to Winn Dixie and got one.

In the country, I would have just had to suffer until the convenience stores opened at 7am.

In the city: I lived across the street from a 24 hour Texaco.

In the country: While living in the city I was visiting in the country and planning on driving back that night (about 50 miles). I didn't start to head out until after 11pm and needed gas. Well, I had to spend the night in the country because nothing was open.

In the city: I lived a mile away from a movie theater. The latest showing started at 9:30pm.

In the country: The one and only video store closes at 7pm.

In the city: When I decided to partake of an alcoholic beverage, I had a wide range of bars to choose from, ranging anywhere from trendy bars, to sports bars, to "good old boy" bars, to topless bars.

In the country: We have the VFW.

In the city: I could have food delivered to my door, although it was pretty much limited to pizza and Chinese food.

In the country: The only way your getting your food delivered is if you can talk somebody into going to the store for you.

In the city: Shopping malls and department stores.

In the country: The Dollar Store and Ben Franklins.

In the city: A daily newspaper.

In the country: A weekly gossip sheet.

In the city: Your business is your business.

In the country: Fart in the morning and by that afternoon everyone in town knows what it smelled like.

Now, the opposite side of the coin. Some things are just better in the country.

In the city: My battery died outside a 7-11 and I needed a jump. For 45 minutes, when I asked people for help, they shuffled away from me without making eye contact as if I were offering to sell them crack.

In the country: With my car in my own driveway, I popped the hood and was checking the water and oil, just routine stuff. In the five minutes it took me to do that, three people stopped in the middle of the road, stuck their head out the window, and asked if I needed any help.

In the city: Noise. Cars, trains, the weekly domestic dispute from neighbors on one side, the freak on the other side that sat on his balcony and talked to himself at all hours of the day and night. Plus, an Air Force base nearby.

In the country: The distant barking of dogs is about as bad as it gets.

In the city: Maybe it's just me, but I found it hard to really get to know people. In the 2 1/2 years I lived in the city, I found two people that I really got to know. True friends.

In the country: You don't make one or two friends in the country. Meet one person, and their friends become your friends, you meet their family, co-workers, etc. Making one friend almost instantly gives you a dozen friends.

In the city: Smog.

In the country: Trees!

In the city: A bank loan could involve filling out three different forms which were faxed to the home office after going through three different people at your bank. Depending on how the credit check went, you might have to fill out another form which is also faxed to the home office after going through three different people. After all this, it's possible that you aren't eligible for that kind of loan, but there is another kind you might be eligible for which is essentially the same damn thing, but will require going through the home office and an act of congress.

In the country: Need a loan? Go to the bank and talk to Phil.

In the city: On election day in 1996, it took me 10 minutes to find a parking place three blocks away, I stood in line for 20 minutes (and I was lucky), another five minutes while they check my voters registration, then voting, then getting back out and back to work. Total time- about 45 minutes.

In the country: For election day 2004, the total time from the moment I picked up my keys to leave to the moment I walked back through my front door was about 15 minutes.

In the city: Thanks to one way streets and traffic, it can take ten minutes to drive two blocks.

In the country: I can drive from one end of town to the other in five minutes, and there are no such things as traffic jams.

In the city: An efficiency apartment smaller than your average bedroom: $300 a month.

In the country: That $300 a month can get you a one bedroom house with a small back yard.

The best thing about the country is nobody here buys into the BS. I can say the Pledge of Allegiance without wondering if it will lead to a court case. A prayer before a high school football game just means everyone hopes the players won't get hurt, and nobody sees it as a violation of some twisted view of separation of church and state. On Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day, the flags come out and every street looks like a parade route.

So, all in all, the city is more convenient, but the country is more traditional.

I'll take the country, and don't skimp on the gravy. :usa:

 

[freeandfun1]

My wife and I had a long talk bout this all last night and believe it or not, she has agreed. Now the hard part.... convincing myself! I know that sounds crazy since it is my idea, but now that she has said "ok", I have to consider EVERYTHING. It was easier when she would just say, "nope, not with me!".

Hey, there are worst problems I guess!

 

[freeandfun1]

This is all true if your talking REAL small and isolated. My grandparents live in western Kansas and it would drive me nuts living so far from a larger city.

I used to live in New Orleans and would never raise kids there. I now live in a small town, but only 20 minutes from a decent sized city. That's great for me since I like to go to dinner and a movie and that's not possible in real small isolated places.

The place I am considering is pretty isolated and very small. It is about 150 miles (+/-) west of San Antonio.

 

[Trigg]

The place I am considering is pretty isolated and very small. It is about 150 miles (+/-) west of San Antonio.

Well good luck and take plenty of books with you to fight off the bordom.

I can only take western Kansas for about 3 days and I'm ready for civilization. They have only 2 restaurants in town, pizza hut & a taco place, surrounded by 30 miles of open range in any direction.