Who lives in a small, rural town and loves it? Where do you live and why do you love it? Do you have big city?

Question

life experiences to compare it to? So, what are the pros and cons and what do you love/what do you miss, etc. etc. etc.?

Answer 1

Twenty eight acres on top of a wooded hill... I love the sounds of nature, the privacy, the peace to think, and always having the option to leave occasionally for all the other "stuff" as a visitor.

Aloha

Answer 2

I grew up in several small towns in NE Pennsylavania, and found that even towns right next to each to other can be extraordinarily different in personality. Some I loved, some I detested. I then moved to suburbia, Bucks County, PA, and hated it except for the history and art. From there I moved to a small town in the middle of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate NY, which was the first place I truly felt like I was "home". When I go back there today, people still stop me on the street to hug me and ask me how I have been! I then changed gears and moved to a small urban town in Guatemala, which was scary, then to the most remote village you could imagine, which I loved, and am still an honorary citizen of. I now live in a soulless small city 2 hours N of NYC, and find it very depresssing and alienating. I miss the feel of community I had upstate, and there was frankly more to do, plus it was easier to meet people. You could walk around safe at night. Here I can watch crack deals go down on my corner any night of the week.

Then again, I spent 12 weeks in Washington, DC, and loved it, and loved some cities in Guatemala. Montreal is great. I think for me what matters the most is how much people are willing to give back to their communities, and to welcome others to do the same. In upstate NY, I was involved with several organizations, knew a lot of shopkeepers and artists, my ideas were not outlandish, and I was a local performer. Here, where I live now, rich Manhattanites run the show, and have done away with ethnicity, culture, and affordability. The people left are depressed and mean-spirited in general, and it is not safe to step forward with ideas. Some small places in PA were wonderful and progressive, while others were close-minded and agorophobic. Like attracts like, it is a matter of finding your niche. I prefer living in a msall-town community minded atmosphere anyday over a faceless cityscape. My idea is to live in a small cottage on the sea in New England, or to go back to Central America!

Answer 3

hi...I live on 45 acres about 10 miles north of Mora Minnesota. I love it. In the morning, it is quiet, except for the birds. I walk my dogs on paths we mow out in our fields. We have a huge garden and there is even woods for hunting. Mora is a great small town with great schools. The shopping isn't so hot but it's nice to be part of a community where people know you by name in the grocery store and most everywhere. There isn't a better place to experience all four of the seasons. Our short fall season (my favorite) is here now and I am awaiting the leaves.....
I grew up in larger towns and I am fine because I am close to Mpls, St Cloud and Duluth. I can go to most any event or shopping place in less than 2 hrs at very most.

Answer 4

I grew up in a small coastal town in Oregon. It was too much of an "in between" size for me ... not big enough to have a lot of the amenities, but too big to be called rural, really .. at least didnt have that rural atmosphere.

I raised my children in a rural farming community in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. The town we lived in had a population of 2,000 at the time, was only a square mile in size, and surrounded by agricultural land. It was perfect for raising a family, though they missed out on things a city can offer, they also got a lot of good things only a rural area has. The lifestyle was laid back, easy going, and quiet, and I liked that. And I didn't have to worry if they went out riding their bikes or walked to the local market.

Now I live in a large city, and while in some ways its nice, I still prefer more rural. Its nice to have easy to get to shopping, and museums and other attractions nearby, but its a pain when you have to drive for over an hour just to get to a less populated area.