I was reading the thread "Alternatives to Santa Fe?" and didn't want to take anything away from that thread so I would like your thoughts on living in small towns or rural setting.
Does any one have to desire to live in rural America? You won't have the fancy things or all the great stores to go to at your finger tips. I'm talking 1 or 2 hour drive to big city shopping and good hospitals etc..
There is a lot of advantages for living in small towns. You become part of a small group, crime doesn't exist, can trust everyone and know everyone, you don't have to lock doors and so many outdoor activities to do. You can live so cheap but still so rich with the quality of life. I will say it is a very simple life with out any of the fancy things in life.
Is it for you or not for you?
My 2nd home in the high-country boondocks is in an unincorporated town. There are two nearby US post offices serving two different Zip codes, and they were not even sure where I belonged. The town is just a couple of square miles along a highway, surrounded by a national forest. The population is around 2,000, although it is higher if the census counted the weekenders like myself.
Go west on the highway, one gets to a town 55 miles away. Eastward, the highway leads you to another town 40 miles away. That's where people go for groceries, if they do not find what they need in a local country store. These towns have about 10,000 people each, and each has a hospital though I do not know what can be done there. Both have a Home Depot, good grocery stores, Walmart, etc...
I actually thought about selling my main home to retire up there. Then, I realized that I enjoyed the 2nd home as a retreat when we were still working, particularly in the summer to escape from the heat (it is at 7,000 ft elevation), but living full-time may not work out so well.
I started to see that healthcare would be a problem, as there is no pharmacy, and a doctor who operated a small clinic there packed up and left shortly after I came. A neighbor said the doctor could not make a living with Medicare and Medicaid. There's a dentist, but I have not needed to visit his office. There are two hardware stores with fairly good inventory. There's a Dairy Queen, and two gas stations, plus half a dozen burger and taco joints. That's pretty much it.
It is nice and quiet though. Crime rate is low. Most of the nicer homes are owned by weekenders, and may be easy to break into, but one would not find many valuables, so thieves may not bother.
I have a large deck, almost 1,000 sq.ft., overlooking a hillside, and with panoramic view of the national forest. In fact, I bought it for the unique location. I will keep it as a retreat for now, but living there full-time is no longer a consideration.