Any city gals out there that

[Ohdanigirl]

have gone rural? Or more small town?

 

Part of me really wants to live a more secluded lifestyle. Maybe even have some chickens, even a pig, and horses one day. I wonder how realistic this is. Can a city girl adjust, or do we always have to stay in the city?

 

At the moment I live in a somewhat big city, lots of traffic, and my neighbors are nearly on top of me. I wouldn't even mind a little cabin with neighbors only walking distance away, but not arms length.

 

Danielle

[saraha]

Former city girl here! I married a farm boy and when we finally got settled, ended up on 7 acres with cows, pigs, chickens and cats. After the newness of country life wore off (everything was so new and exciting for me,for my husband it was funny to watch me get excited over stuff) the thing I missed most was pizza delivery. Or take out. We live far enough out now that ordering and picking it up takes longer than just making something quick. Also, after a year, I missed people. I saw people everyday when we lived in town, but now I have to set out to find people! I am an extrovert, so this is something that I struggle with now and then. The third adjustment is the responsibility that farm life requires. Being gone in town or to the city into the evening requires preparation, or involving the neighbors, to cover milking or feeding, and going away for a trip involves a lot of planning too. I love country life, after having gotten to experience both. One of my daughters swears that as soon as she can, she is moving in town ;), but the others like it here.

[Classical Country Mama]

I did! Went from a suburb of DC to the sticks 3 1/2 years ago. (By "sticks" I mean the nearest Starbucks is half an hour away, we shop for food at Walmart, we haul our own trash to the dump, and we have well water. Oh, and we look out our windows at cows grazing. Er, except now, when the cows have been kindly escorted to market.)

 

I'm the kind of girl who's happy wherever I live, and this place is just fine. I do miss diversity a LOT. However, the up side of everybody knowing your business is I have an instant family; in an emergency there are a million people I could call. My neighbors might not be close physically, but it's nothing like the frequent pre-occupied isolation of the city. I assure you nobody in DC ever brought me their extra turnips or cucumbers or famous brownies. :D

 

Though yes, I do make sure I hit up Starbucks and Target when I run errands up in The Big City.

[Catwoman]

My dh and I have always lived in or near New York City, and I worry about whether or not I would like living elsewhere, yet I would really like a new and somewhat quieter environment, so I will be following this thread with great interest.

[Tigger]

DH and I are both native NY'ers and until six years ago lived in major cities (NY, DC, etc.) our whole lives - now we have found our little piece of happiness in the middle of the midwest - nearest town is 10-miles, nearest city an hour and a half - we have a great piece of property, a house we love and it's so relaxing.....and we can get to any city in the US within a 2.5-hour flight, so it's not like we can't enjoy the cities we love, we just don't have to deal with the hassles and traffic anymore on a daily basis! While we both really loved our time that we lived in cities, we also now love our life in rural America more - you couldn't pay us to go back!

[lovemykids]

I am a city girl at heart. When I was a younger adult I felt I really thrived in the city. Since being married, we have lived in either small towns or more rural suburb areas. I feel a deep sense of peace and a small sense of security that I am sure would not exist if I lived in the city with our children. There was even a time when I wanted to move a little further out and have chickens, and a goat or two (but that’s not me). On a personal level though, I miss the city. After all of these years, I have not fully adjusted to smallish towns. I am comfortable, but not all of the time, if that makes any sense. I think I would prefer to move to a different suburb, perhaps a (small) college town or something similar (for diversity and to be with like-minded people). My dh feels the same way..

 

I guess you never really know unless you try. Do your research first, and try visiting the many places that you will frequent. If you can, visit the local place of worship, the homeschool group, the stores, talk to the neighbors, etc. I think it all helps in the process.

 

Some people have a better time adjusting than others, I suppose. So it also depends on what type of person you are.... :)

 

Best wishes!

[Parrothead]

Yes. I've been drug kicking and screaming to a bunch of small rural towns all over the country thanks to dh's job. Oh, what I wouldn't give to be in a large metropolitan area. I visit Boston every chance I get.

[ThisIsTheDay]

have gone rural? Or more small town?

 

Part of me really wants to live a more secluded lifestyle. Maybe even have some chickens, even a pig, and horses one day. I wonder how realistic this is. Can a city girl adjust, or do we always have to stay in the city?

 

At the moment I live in a somewhat big city, lots of traffic, and my neighbors are nearly on top of me. I wouldn't even mind a little cabin with neighbors only walking distance away, but not arms length.

 

Danielle

 

We did it. Went from the suburbs of a metro area of 1+million, first to a nearby area of 350,000; then we moved 1500 miles away to a county of 50,000. The county seat (pop. 4000) was 20 mins. away, with a Walmart and Kroger, McDonalds and Applebees. The nearest city (pop. 200,000) was about an hour away.

 

Everything we did was in the city. Oh, we grocery shopped in town, and I worked there, but everything else we did was in the city. All homeschool events/sports were in the city, and we went to church there. We were driving there a minimum of three times a week, but typically we drove five or six times a week--at least once a day, sometimes twice.

 

I loved our little spot in the woods. We had a brand new house in a small development of newer homes that were each of 5+ wooded acres. It was secluded, quiet, private. The isolation gave our family the opportunity to bond that never would have been possible otherwise.

 

I didn't like how far we were from any emergency help. And the driving got very, very old. (Driving in snow in the city is nothing compared to driving in snow in the country.)

 

After three years, we moved back to suburbia. We call those three years "The Lost Years." I am grateful EVERY DAY to live close to the grocery store, the highway, the gas station, civilization, every activity we do (hey, at this point, a 30 minute drive is nothing). I'm not crazy about hearing barking dogs again, and I'm not wild about paying a water bill (but it's a whole lot simpler than being on a well).

 

I think my dh could have stayed in the country forever. My kids and I though are very happy to be back in suburbia.

[BillieBoy]

I did it. Not only was I raised very urban, but very jet-set and international. I loved it, was fairy adapt, and I learned a lot, but I mostly learned that I enjoy being more self-sufficient.

 

Now we do it all. We live on twenty VERY secluded acres. We have a horse, goats, chickens, ducks and soon a milk cow. We raise pigs and meat birds (turkeys and chickens) seasonally. I have a huge garden, too. We grow and raise anywhere from 80-90% of our own food.

 

Twenty years ago I had no idea how to can a jar of preserves, now I process and preserve everything. I read A LOT, and taught myself. I couldn't imagine life being different. My family was weirded out at first, now they are pretty impressed.

 

There are some days I think back to some of the convenience, but it's a fleeting thought when I look around and see my child safe and healthy and having the time of her life. :001_smile:

[elegantlion]

Dh and I grew up in surburbia, shopping, traffic, close to a major downtown area. We now live in a small country town. Not tiny, but small. Our previous home was a suburb-like and nothing was in walkable distance. The one major road was not safe for walking or bike riding, so we had to drive everywhere. I hated it, I felt secluded, even though it was the further suburbs.

 

When we were looking to move dh wanted country, I did not. We compromised with a small town. We actually live in the town, I can see town square from my windows. The town parades queue on our street. It's so nice. I can walk to my library. yesterday I finally got time to walk downtown when the shops are open. It feels great.

 

I don't think I could do country, country. I like to see people out during the day. We have a pear tree in our yard and may do a garden next year, but that's about as rural as I'm getting.

[regentrude]

Gone from city of half a million to small town.

I miss the opportunities I had in the city: museums, theatre, concerts, opera. All the educational activities my kids could take advantage of. Stores to buy really good food.

Even when I lived in the city, I was out in nature in 30-45 minutes and spent every weekend in the mountains.

 

I personally do not see a benefit from living in a small town, except that the commute to work is short. But other than that, I hate it.

It would be easier if the next city was closer - but two hours drive one way just means you don't go.

Edited December 30, 2011 by regentrude

[zaichiki]

We have done city to suburbs to country and I've found that a part of me stays in each place. I can never be completely happy in the city anymore. I can't be satisfied with the suburbs either. Unfortunately, even the country (where we currently live) doesn't float my boat entirely. Yes: it seems like, now that I've tried everything, I like everything and miss everything! Ack!

 

My solution is to visit the city and suburbs very regularly.

Not the best solution, but I can't give up my country lifestyle yet either.:lol:

[amy g.]

We moved from Houston to our little farm 5 years ago. I was worried about the adjustment, but I could never go back.

 

Miss Good has some farm pictures on her website

 

Dancingdogdairy.com

[zaichiki]

By "sticks" I mean the nearest Starbucks is half an hour away, we shop for food at Walmart, we haul our own trash to the dump, and we have well water. Oh, and we look out our windows at cows grazing.

 

We don't shop at Walmart, but other than that the above is also our situation. Our neighbors have beef cattle too.

 

We came from a large town of 100K people (suburbs). Now we're 10 minutes from a small city of 16K people and 30-ish minutes from a medium-sized city of just under a million. It's actually a convenient location. Still, it was an adjustment.

 

The best part about living rurally, for my dh, is the tractor and the chainsaw. :D The kids like the woods and room to run. I like the quiet, privacy, and fresh air.

[Veritaserum]

I'm a big city girl who married a rural boy and now lives in a small/medium city. Our neighbors have horses and chickens. That's as close as I'll ever get. :tongue_smilie:

 

I miss the big city. ;)

[Wildiris]

I grew up next to San Francisco and went to the city all the time. DH grew up in LA. Both of us have live down a long dirt road all of our adult lives. The older we get the more our younger city dwelling selves show.

 

What I miss most are the cultural happenings, good food close by--I need a break from cooking every once in a while, coffee house and book stores.

 

Over the years we've seen people in love with the idea of moving to the county, but they don't last long. Sure one can get TV access and internet but the amount of work to maintain daily living can be daunting. Fire wood and water, do-it-your-self electrical and plumbing, gardening, and building all necessitate a degree of doing without that most folks just don't want to do after a while.

[Maria from IN]

I've gone from suburb to small town to condo, and I think I want my suburb back. :001_smile:

 

Small town living isn't for me, that's clear. While I would enjoy the seclusion, I hate driving down lonely country roads in the winter (mostly because I'm so good at wrecking cars on the ice!).

 

Condo life, while fairly maintenance-free and full of lovely neighbors (it's more a retirement community and I'm one of the youngest to live here), is rather limiting. I would love to have a large garden to putter in all summer.

 

I'm happy for the moment being here, because it's a block away from my mother and easy to just pop over if she needs something; also, my husband's eye problems could get worse at any time, and things like lawn care and basic home maintenance would be very difficult.

 

All the same, I think I'm where I need to be for now...though I still dream of having a different sort of life.

[-M-]

We lived in Chicago (not far from Wrigley, for reference) for a decade before moving to the little house in the tiny woods on the prairie. After seven years of birds and trees and the rather odious commute into the city for every worthwhile museum, theater, and music adventure, I had thought they would leap (as I did) at the offer of a return to the city last year.

 

Um. No. Decidedly, emphatically, no.

 

One daughter was somewhat interested in the relocation but determined to support her best friend / big sister. My husband was game, but both us yielded to the girls.

 

Certainly, the cost of living is better here. But no fewer than four times a month, we drive into Chicago. And depending on the day of the week and the time of day, it can take for. ev. er.

 

Still, I love the forever home on the prairie. LOVE it. And let's face it: Getting into Chicago is, really, not a big problem.

 

So, yeah, I think that city folk can make the transitions to small towns and / or rural living.

[Laura Corin]

We live on the edge of a village - the nearest neighbours are across a field - about five minute's walk. It's five miles to the nearest town and over an hour to the nearest city. We all love it. My eldest can take the bus into town to see friends, whilst my youngest can roam through the local woods (not owned by us, but Scotland has right-to-roam legislation). We had previously only lived in cities, but we have adapted well.

 

We have three acres but only one acre is productive: we have woodland which we manage in order to heat half the house in winter.

 

Laura

[goldberry]

We did it. We love it and would never go back.

 

BUT, lots of families don't do as well. In the 6 years since we have lived here, there have been several families "in and out". They like the ideal of rural living but don't like the reality. Unfortunately, some are "stuck" here now due to the housing market downturn.

 

You have to really think about what's involved and what is most important to you. You definitely give up alot of conveniences.

[KungFuPanda]

I grew up in the sticks and now live in what is technically a city, but is laid out to feel like a suburb. There are two major cities nearby. I'm the kind of person who is happy to live anywhere once I make good friends to chatter with. However, I don't see DH or me ever becoming enamored with manual labor. Country living is WORK and we don't wanna. I may have to apply for a

community garden plot because not having a vegetable garden is my one big city regret. (I have woods . . . and paved paths through them :D) My own yard is too shady for a decent garden and it seems silly to spend thousands taking down trees to grow some tomatoes.

[Tarreymere]

We did it. Who knew tree frogs could be so loud? And that there are actually places in the USA that don't have a Starbucks for over fifty miles? Hunting season still makes me nervous, the gunshots really sound close and loud.

 

Been here fifteen years now. I don't miss the traffic, but I would die without the internet and online shopping. The only store we have around here is Walmart. And I do get tired of the same six or eight restuarants (I think that's why I starting getting more into cooking). I really really miss good thai food.

 

We live in a small trailer park in the woods, with a small fishing lake. It is about five miles in to a small town. Not exactly timbuktoo, but for a person who grew up in a city it is a bit different. We don't have farm animals or a big property to maintain. We'll be here forever, DH won't budge.

[zaichiki]

We did it. Who knew tree frogs could be so loud? And that there are actually places in the USA that don't have a Starbucks for over fifty miles? Hunting season still makes me nervous, the gunshots really sound close and loud.

 

 

I'm with you on the tree frogs AND the hunting. Our property backs up to hundreds of acres of woods that is apparently accessed by numerous hunters. We've even found (and taken down!) tree stands up in our trees (a few hundred feet behind the pasture). I do sometimes tell the kids not to go out back... especially when I hear those gunshots. :glare: I'm a nervous Nellie.

 

The cute thing about those frogs (we have to close windows/doors in the evenings sometimes b/c they're so loud) is the great photos you can get from the inside when they climb up on the windows. Truly cute.

[ma23peas]

Atlanta, Memphis, Seattle.....rural Alabama

 

 

Three horses, two dogs, ridiculous amt of dropped cats and barn cats

 

Love it! Would not want it any other way...no one delivers out where we live except Amazon of course...just no food.

 

Quiet, sights like no others...have seen 30 wild turkey behind us, caught 8 deer out grazing with my horses...saw a rare fox squirrel try to sneak into my barn, huge old blue heron stops in our pond daily...have had hummingbirds rest on my finger and lick sugar water off them, get about 30 goldfinches every year, red tailed hawk has babies every year outside my daughter's window...just amazing experiences...

[Dustybug]

I am! I grew up about 40 minutes south of D.C. near Quantico Marine Base. I moved to NC for college, met my DH, we married and now I live across the street from a cow pasture! lol

 

I actually enjoy it for the most part. I love how quiet it is and how everyone here is so friendly. One of the biggest culture shocks for me was that strangers waved at me. :tongue_smilie: Where I grew up, you didn't do that. At all.

 

My DH is an avid hunter, so I've slowly grown accustomed to that sort of thing. In fact, my oldest DD is counting down the days until she gets her very own bow to go hunting with Daddy. :)

 

The only thing that really bugs me is the lack of diversity in my area. I do miss the city every once in awhile, like when I have to drive 30 minutes just to meet up with a friend, but other than that, I'm happy.