What did you miss most about city life when you moved to the country?
I would love to live in the country one day.
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Answers ( 3 )
A choice of great restaurants.
Big libraries.
Good hospitals.
Lots of friends.
Movie theatres.
The University.
Specialty stores of all kinds.
Not a damned thing.
In 2008, we had been living in the Olympia/Tacoma/Seattle area since 1996, when my husband retired from the US Army out of Ft Lewis (now called "Joint Base Lewis McChord" or JBLM in real estate speak). The economy was getting shaky, the housing market was driving some of the craziness, but the cost of fuel wasn't helping any- and in the Puget Sound, if it isn't around the corner, it's an easy 20 minute drive, unless you have to get on to I-5; then add two hours. The traffic alone was crazy-making; even after we had moved out to the relative sticks of NW Olympia, going to SeaTac or even up to Post was traffic-traffic-traffic. Plus a lot of crime- sirens all the time. And housing costs were crazy back then- they are far worse now, but we were there then, and we were flabbergasted.
And Dear Husband detested his job- not what he did, but the company for which he worked. Problem was, as horribly as they treated employees, one thing they did do was pay well- looking around, he'd be unlikely to match the pay without selling more than his pride at management ignorance. So, we put his resume online, and lo! and behold! He was picked up by a large company, which didn't blink at his ask, all we had to do was go to where the job was- Fort Huachuca, in South East Arizona.
We looked it up on a map. Huh. Look- there's a little town right outside the gates and then-- nothing much for miles and miles. Huh. But, look- it has a hospital, Walmart, Kmart (at the time, still open) Target, three grocery stores (plus the Walmart) a mall, Home Depot AND Lowes, 5 car dealerships, and, of course, the Post and all of its offerings. So we jumped- sight unseen to South East Arizona.
DH got there first and found us a place to live rented out by one of his new co-workers. It was about 20 minutes from town, but, since town was only 3 miles long, it was only 25 minutes all the way up onto Post. No big deal. Within a couple years, we were ready to buy, and we found a place even further out- I now live on acreage two miles north of the US-Mexico border. I can see Mexico from my house. One of my sons, when I told him that, asked what Mexico looked like. It looks like my back yard, David. (He's usually brilliant, just, sometimes his brain goes too fast).
We are 30 minutes from town, and given town's growth, nearly 40 minutes, according to traffic (<eyeroll>), from Post- but we LOVE it.
There is no crime; of course, there's nothing to steal out here, but still, no one comes down my road without a reason. My nearest neighbor is a horse- well, horses- a rescue leases the pasture adjacent to our land on the one side. There are definitely no HOAs or bullshit regulations; in fact, my road is private, and if Border Patrol decides to sit there under a mesquite tree and nap, I can tell 'em to leave- private property. I have my own well- my own water, that means- which, in a desert is a big deal. I have hummingbirds, masses of butterflies, a pair of hawks that raise a new brood here each year, and on two sides, human "neighbors" who are as private but friendly as we are- just how we like it. No religious people knocking. No kids making mischief. No four-bangers with more money invested in the mufflers than in the trannie. No stranger-danger.
It does, indeed, mean if I go to town, I plan half an hour to get there. Don't care. If I go to Post, a little longer, depending on which gate I use. Don't care. If I need something from a convenience store, there's one five minutes away (with gas) and a Dollar General ten minutes away (there are LOTS of Dollar-type stores in Arizona). There is a superb Neapolitan Italian pizzeria and Restaurant near the Dollar General. If I need a grocery item, I can drive 20 minutes (no traffic, sixty-five mile an hour) up to Bisbee to Safeway. If I want to go to the Farmer's Market (tomorrow) it's in town at the big park. There are seven or eight sit down chain restaurants, many fast food joints, including two of the best Sonoran Mexican food places I have ever eaten, and some Mom-and-Pop places that serve some damned good food.
If I want Costco, I go to Tuscon- that's a bit more of a drive, but we make a day of it. There's lots to see and do in Tucson, but, of course, there's just as much traffic. So we don't go there without a darned good reason (Costco is a good reason).
Nope- you can keep a town, or worse, city. or even worse-worse a metropolis. Forget it. I like living waaaay out here, without a care provided courtesy of other people.
That's my front yard view.
I've moved from a big city to a college town twice - Once in 1991 from London to Lincoln, Nebraska, and in 2002 I moved from Manhattan to Tallahassee, Florida. That's not exactly "the country" but boy howdy it felt that way. :)
The first time, I was in my 20s, and I really missed the nightlife and social activities. Going to clubs, the theater, and museums in London was a long way from the bars of Lincoln.
The second time, in my 30s, I was a parent and missed the culture and food - a LOT. Going from a massively multicultural city like NYC to a rural southern college town meant a massive reduction in options for good, cheap, delicious food. Struggling to find child care options that weren't all-black or all-white was a real shock as well.
Honestly, more than anything else, and even living in Washington DC (a fair sized town), I STILL miss getting a bacon egg and cheese bagel and a cup of coffee for $2.50 on the corner of my block in the morning. :D