Retiring to a rural setting or small town

[meierlde]

I do have some neighbors down the road, with about 1/2 being weekenders. The county snow plow turns around at my lot corner, so only the last couple hundred feet might be tough when it snows hard, which it does not do often. The people down the road, I do not know how they manage as it gets steep.

.

if their property abuts the road build a carport/garage at the road, and have an atv to make the hill (at least in the winter, depending on how much snow a snow machine might make sense.) Just like in places in the mountains where you see a stream next to the road and a house on the other side there is a cable ferry device.

 

[NW-Bound]

All the lots here have plenty of road front. The problem is the road itself is steep, rocky, and unpaved past my home.

One winter, I came up and saw skid marks left by a car going off the road, and down into my neighbor's lot. But there was no car. The poor driver apparently had a tow truck retrieving it already (we were both weekenders so missed the event).

This neighbor asked for my permission to park on my lot, in order to walk down to his home when it snows. He knows better than to try driving down, and taking the same risk as that guy who wrecked his car on his lot.

 

[38Chevy454]

I prefer to be out in the country. That's the plan for retirement as well. Although my definition of rural is more being outside city limits and in the county type area which could be near a larger metro area.

My current house is on 2.5 acres and I am about 20 miles from edge of Albuquerque that is approx 1.5 million metro population. Previous houses have been similar setups, living outside city limits. I go absolutely crazy being stuck in a big city urban environment for more than a couple days.

 

[Shanky]

Small town to me means no traffic signals. Maybe an exception if it is a blinking red or yellow. If you have one of those new fangled stoplights that change color, it is not a small town.

 

[ls99]

Waiting for Hermit's comments.

 

[NW-Bound]

I prefer to be out in the country. That's the plan for retirement as well. Although my definition of rural is more being outside city limits and in the county type area which could be near a larger metro area...

As I recall, just a few miles east of Albuquerque on I-40 and one can be in an entirely different environment with open space. It was a nice drive going up to Sandia Crest.

Yet, Albuquerque itself is not that dense compared to metropolitan areas on the east and west coasts.

 

[gerntz]

crime doesn't exist, can trust everyone and know everyone, you don't have to lock doors and so many outdoor activities to do.

I think drug crimes including burglary are pretty much everywhere.

 

[Nodak]

I live in a town of 1500 people and have lived here for 60 of my 70 years. I have moved to larger towns a couple of times but wound up returning because I'll always be country boy at heart. Big cities are entirely too separated from nature for my tastes. Now with the Web and Amazon there is no need to do big city shopping trips. This is a fairly wealthy big farm area so we have 3 banks, a credit union, a clinic and hospital and any other services that are really necessary. There are people here that I see regularly and I have known since kindergarten. I have no desire for the rat race of the city.

http://www.cavaliernd.com/

 

[Music Lover]

I live in a winter climate, and a few of my friends that live outside the city a half hour or more that don't seem to get out very much at all in winter. I guess it's fine if you like solitude, but not so fine if you routinely turn down things because a 90 minute round highway trip is far less appealing when it's dark and -30.

 

[Rustic23]

We live on a lake, in a subdivision of 400 homes. Of those I would say that 100 are occupied full time. The rest are weekenders. Of the 100 I would say 60 to 75 of the homes are occupied by folks still working. Acceptance of new folks in the neighborhood is quite good. It's up to the people moving in as to how they fit in. It is small town, but as most folks have been here less than 15 years new folks are really accepted.

As far as rural, it is about 15 min to the nearest town with a market. It has one market, two gas stations, a couple of auto repair shops, and maybe 10 to 15 assorted other stores. It does have a Sub-Way, and a Sonic, so it's not all bad. Thirty min in both directions are larger towns, hospitals, doctors, Walmart, two or three other grocery stores and a dozen or so fast food and other eating places. (40,000 in one, 5,000 in the other) We joke it depends on if you are going to Lowes, or Home Depot as to which way you go. Conroe, Tx, 63,000 is about an hour away, and Houston is an hour and a half to two hours depending where you are going. We make it into the smaller towns once a week or so, and Houston about twice a month. However, seldom do we make it all the way downtown.

We just got back from Houston today, and both DW and I commented on how glad we were to be back to calm and quiet! I absolutely do not know how I ever tolerated Houston traffic! An average day for us, is up around 7 or 8, breakfast, read the paper, take the dog for an hour or so walk, read, do what needs to be done around the house, lunch, read, nap, go to the post office, (three miles away, no home delivery) talk to friends, read, drinks around 5, well sometimes 4, dinner, cards or Mexican Train with friends two nights a week, TV and to bed! We have three of four Master Gardeners, a couple of guys that do Taxes for ARRP, twenty or so golfers (Subdivision has a golf course). DW is a scrap booker and spends several hours a week at it.

About two or three times we have Wine Down. It started Wind Down and was a happy hour on Friday night at the golf club. The club closed about 6 years ago, even those the course is still maintained (that's another story). Anyway, we started having Wind Down in our homes. The host provides the snacks, and we bring our own drinks. Wine Downs have between 25 to 50 folks depending on what else might be going on. Most of the time this is new folks introduction to the neighborhood.

As you can see it's a slow paced life, and not for everyone, but we truly love it!

 

[friar1610]

We lived for 8 years in a small rural agricultural town (about 1800) adjacent to a "city" of 2000 - 2500) in northern New England. About 50 minutes to the major city 35,000 city/60,000 immediate area).

It was insular and the true natives were standoffish except as noted below. The transplants from "away" we're more welcoming. I found that joining a few organizations and doing some real work in the community was the best way to meeting people and gaining acceptance. As a result of those efforts, I made some good friends. Drugs and the break-ins and thefts the generated were a problem. On the flip side, the natural beauty, opportunities to do things outside and the lack of traffic were great. It was harder to get many things done and (horror of horrors!) we couldn't get a pizza delivered to our house. All things considered, we are happier on the coast of MA although there are many things we miss about our previous location. Like so many things in life, where to locate involves trade offs.

 

[Letj]

I can't imagine there's much diversity, racially, ethically or otherwise in small towns and I am not sure I would want to raise a family in such an insular environment.

 

[Bamaman]

I can't imagine there's much diversity, racially, ethically or otherwise in small towns and I am not sure I would want to raise a family in such an insular environment.

Yep. Not that many retirees are raising children in most cases, however.

 

[grasshopper]

This is what folks in a small town do for entertaining themselves.

Sock Hop - February 17, 2017 | Portal, AZ - Rodeo, NM

With 1/2 the residents at the Sock Hop.

My 2009 GMC has 120K miles on it, last time I check the original brake pads had 60% left

I just paid my airlift insurance $65, 30 minuets to Tucson for head injures, heart problems or rattlesnake bites.

Phoenix Magazine article tells about my little part of the world. Portal | Travel Geographically we are 30 miles north of Old Mexico and 3 miles west of New Mexico. Our place is in the foothills or the Chiricahua mountains 1/2 mile from the wilderness boundary. You would only know this place if you were a birdwatcher, or a researcher of rattlesnakes, lizards, bats, or jaguars.

 

[427Vette]

It's interesting to see what peoples idea of a small town is. I feel if your town has a large hospitals, theatres, dozens of eating establishments and a shopping mall along with traffic lights, roundabouts you are no longer a small town.


There has been a lot of discussion about acceptance of an outsiders in small rural communities. I can offer a little insight. I live in a rural (dirt road) community with a population of 535 people about 70 miles north of a metropolis. What I have seen happen over the years is that people want to escape the big city living and elect to live in the country and commute to the big city. The problem is most of these people all bring their big city ways with them. They all seem to want to change the current ways to the way they used to do things where they came from. They all seem to think that we were just waiting for them to get here to show us just how slow, stupid, backwater we really are. The truth is everything was fine before they arrived. Besides if you liked the way things were why would you leave? Why would you want to turn this place into the place you fled from? This never sits well with the locals. The point is if you want to be accepted you need to assimilate or keep to yourself.


A number of years back a family from the above mentioned metropolis bought a five acre piece of land built a house and moved here. They showed up with their kids with several face piercings (it looked like they fell into a tackle box), multi colored hair and strange clothes. Quite honestly they were weird. When we would meet on the road and chat for a moment the guy would often bring up how he felt out of place here. I really didn't have the heart to say it would be best to lose the round blue sunglasses and the trench coat so people don't think you are strange then they might talk to you.


it seems most times when a small town discussion gets brought up it is soon followed by someone stating that the drug/alcohol use is rampant. It kind of gives the impression that as soon as you get off the beaten path everyone will be drunk off their a$$ and high as kite all day everyday. This is simply not true I have lived in a small town all of my life and I don't know anyone who has done drugs of any type. Maybe its worse in other areas but I just don't see it.

 

[Sniggle]

This is our plan. Wife likes horses, so rural it is.

The goal is to try and keep a good airport 1.5 hours or less away, a good hospital 1 hour or less away and a good grocery store 45 minutes or less away.

 

[street]

It's interesting to see what peoples idea of a small town is. I feel if your town has a large hospitals, theatres, dozens of eating establishments and a shopping mall along with traffic lights, roundabouts you are no longer a small town.


There has been a lot of discussion about acceptance of an outsiders in small rural communities. I can offer a little insight. I live in a rural (dirt road) community with a population of 535 people about 70 miles north of a metropolis. What I have seen happen over the years is that people want to escape the big city living and elect to live in the country and commute to the big city. The problem is most of these people all bring their big city ways with them. They all seem to want to change the current ways to the way they used to do things where they came from. They all seem to think that we were just waiting for them to get here to show us just how slow, stupid, backwater we really are. The truth is everything was fine before they arrived. Besides if you liked the way things were why would you leave? Why would you want to turn this place into the place you fled from? This never sits well with the locals. The point is if you want to be accepted you need to assimilate or keep to yourself.


A number of years back a family from the above mentioned metropolis bought a five acre piece of land built a house and moved here. They showed up with their kids with several face piercings (it looked like they fell into a tackle box), multi colored hair and strange clothes. Quite honestly they were weird. When we would meet on the road and chat for a moment the guy would often bring up how he felt out of place here. I really didn't have the heart to say it would be best to lose the round blue sunglasses and the trench coat so people don't think you are strange then they might talk to you.


it seems most times when a small town discussion gets brought up it is soon followed by someone stating that the drug/alcohol use is rampant. It kind of gives the impression that as soon as you get off the beaten path everyone will be drunk off their a$$ and high as kite all day everyday. This is simply not true I have lived in a small town all of my life and I don't know anyone who has done drugs of any type. Maybe its worse in other areas but I just don't see it.

Exactly!!!!!! This is what I have been trying to express in my posts and you explained it to a T. This is my same experience you can't come into a small town and change what they do and how they have done it for 4 generations. You need to try to be a part of them and not make them a part of what/how you think it should be. You will not be happy.

As far as drugs I agree with you on this. You don't see it or hear about it and in a small town like I said before that person will be caught and he just won't last living there.

 

[Ronstar]

This is what folks in a small town do for entertaining themselves.

Sock Hop - February 17, 2017 | Portal, AZ - Rodeo, NM

With 1/2 the residents at the Sock Hop.

.....

We had sock hops in high school, but they were only for the high school kids. A target rich environment for finding dating material.

 

[MichaelB]

What happens if one is searching for Mayberry USA but instead ends up choosing Peyton Place?

 

[Sunnymar]

This is the old "be careful what you wish for", many have unrealistic, romantic ideas of small town life. They love some aspects of small town living but forget they must also accept all of small town living.

 

[Huston55]

I live in a town of 1500 people and have lived here for 60 of my 70 years. I have moved to larger towns a couple of times but wound up returning because I'll always be country boy at heart. Big cities are entirely too separated from nature for my tastes. Now with the Web and Amazon there is no need to do big city shopping trips. This is a fairly wealthy big farm area so we have 3 banks, a credit union, a clinic and hospital and any other services that are really necessary. There are people here that I see regularly and I have known since kindergarten. I have no desire for the rat race of the city.

Welcome to Cavalier

Wow, what an interesting little town. It's similar to my little home town in Northern Texas. But, we're not as cold and don't have to worry about alien abductions.

 

[427Vette]

This is the old "be careful what you wish for", many have unrealistic, romantic ideas of small town life. They love some aspects of small town living but forget they must also accept all of small town living.

I agree. If you are a person who likes constant entertainment and simply could not live without the mocha latté that you pick up most days at he quaint little coffee shop on the end of your block country living is most likely not for you.

 

[Midpack]

I'm still of the opinion that moving to Mayberry as an outsider and becoming a local, no matter how hard you try, can be difficult.

+1. For years we've been planning to relocate to another state, but this ^ is definitely one of the things holding us back. Assimilating probably just gets tougher as we age, as most of us get less accommodating - and "natives" already have lifelong friends?

 

[Gumby]

I think drug crimes including burglary are pretty much everywhere.

Here are some maps regarding meth incidents from the DEA. You can draw your own conclusions

https://www.dea.gov/resource-center/meth-lab-maps.shtml

and an interactive county by county breakdown from CNN

http://money.cnn.com/interactive/news/meth-lab-map/

 

[Music Lover]

+1. For years we've been planning to relocate to another state, but this ^ is definitely one of the things holding us back. Assimilating probably just gets tougher as we age, as most of us get less accommodating - and "natives" already have lifelong friends?

I've made a small number of new friends in the last few years, but I think that's it's not easy to do and not very common.