Considering Moving to a Small Town

[MagnusLucra]

I've been living on the edge of big cities for the majority of my life and just dealing with a long commute.
With 2020 being as disruptive as it was, my work has transitioned to be 100% remote.
So I've been thinking of getting a piece of land, and moving out deep into the woods, and become more self sufficient.

However, I feel like this conflicts with my desire in getting more involved in the furry fandom since there are a lot of furries in cities.

So I'm curious if there are any country furs out there with experiences being a furry in small towns?

 

[The_biscuits_532]

I live in a town of approx. 14,000 - one of the largest in the Scottish far south, only really beaten by Dumfries. I study in Liverpool and I grew up on the outskirts of Preston, Lancashire.

+ Scenery is nice
+ It's quiet as fuck
+ Houses seem fancier on average
+ You'll bump into people you know more often
+ Lots of weird local shops
+ Cool farm animals everywhere

- People tend to be cold and xenophobic
- Good luck doing any niche hobbies.
- If you want anything not in town you gotta travel like 50 miles or you'll have to order online.
- There's probably a reason nobody lives there. For us it's because it's cold af (although I like that) and the terrain is super hilly)
- Good luck getting a job
- If you're a student you're kinda restricted for choice.
- Yeah there ain't gonna be any conventions
- Public transport may suck so you might need a car.

 

[Mambi]

I've been living on the edge of big cities for the majority of my life and just dealing with a long commute.
With 2020 being as disruptive as it was, my work has transitioned to be 100% remote.
So I've been thinking of getting a piece of land, and moving out deep into the woods, and become more self sufficient.

However, I feel like this conflicts with my desire in getting more involved in the furry fandom since there are a lot of furries in cities.

So I'm curious if there are any country furs out there with experiences being a furry in small towns?

May I direct you to this thread that asked and answered the same question?

https://forums.furaffinity.net/threads/people-who-live-rural-whats-it-like.1671647/

 

[Saokymo]

Another point to consider: rural broadband services (at least in the US) are practically nonexistent, and any providers who do serve those areas tend to be stupid expensive. You’ll have to learn to make do with crappy internet, or be prepared to pay through the nose for slightly-less-than-crappy internet.

Sauce: living in a ~2,000 population town in rural North Texas

 

[JacobFloofWoof]

I've been living on the edge of big cities for the majority of my life and just dealing with a long commute.
With 2020 being as disruptive as it was, my work has transitioned to be 100% remote.
So I've been thinking of getting a piece of land, and moving out deep into the woods, and become more self sufficient.

However, I feel like this conflicts with my desire in getting more involved in the furry fandom since there are a lot of furries in cities.

So I'm curious if there are any country furs out there with experiences being a furry in small towns?

I think you are making the right choice, however, I am not very well versed in geographical areas that are great for remote living. Having lived in small towns for years, I do recommend them, they are not very exciting, but are rather homey with smaller populations, and if you live remotely from a town where there is some action, that is a bonus, unless you want to be almost completely isolated?

 

[MagnusLucra]

I live in a town of approx. 14,000 - one of the largest in the Scottish far south, only really beaten by Dumfries. I study in Liverpool and I grew up on the outskirts of Preston, Lancashire.

+ Scenery is nice
+ It's quiet as fuck
+ Houses seem fancier on average
+ You'll bump into people you know more often
+ Lots of weird local shops
+ Cool farm animals everywhere

- People tend to be cold and xenophobic
- Good luck doing any niche hobbies.
- If you want anything not in town you gotta travel like 50 miles or you'll have to order online.
- There's probably a reason nobody lives there. For us it's because it's cold af (although I like that) and the terrain is super hilly)
- Good luck getting a job
- If you're a student you're kinda restricted for choice.
- Yeah there ain't gonna be any conventions
- Public transport may suck so you might need a car.

Excellent list! I think the only cons I'd be concerned about would be the people, and a lack of niche hobbies might be hard.

May I direct you to this thread that asked and answered the same question?

https://forums.furaffinity.net/threads/people-who-live-rural-whats-it-like.1671647/

Will definitely give this a read, based on the first few posts seems like exactly what I was looking for.

Another point to consider: rural broadband services (at least in the US) are practically nonexistent, and any providers who do serve those areas tend to be stupid expensive. You’ll have to learn to make do with crappy internet, or be prepared to pay through the nose for slightly-less-than-crappy internet.

Sauce: living in a ~2,000 population town in rural North Texas

I have a secret weapon for this

I think you are making the right choice, however, I am not very well versed in geographical areas that are great for remote living. Having lived in small towns for years, I do recommend them, they are not very exciting, but are rather homey with smaller populations, and if you live remotely from a town where there is some action, that is a bonus, unless you want to be almost completely isolated?

Glad to know you've had a good experience. I personally want to be about 30 minutes from the nearest bar, but I think most would consider that isolated. I think something I'm wanting in a small town is festivals. I saw a place in Colorado that race skiers towed by horses down a frozen main street. Stuff like that seems wild.

 

[Kuuro]

Biscuits pretty much said it how it is. If furries is a concern I can definitely say good luck finding any locals. I've mostly lived in sub-20k populated cities and if I hunted for them online I could sometimes find one or two, and at that rate they were usually just looking for a hookup. My city now is about 80k people and it's marginally better, but I find it difficult to have common interests with them.

 

[JacobFloofWoof]

Excellent list! I think the only cons I'd be concerned about would be the people, and a lack of niche hobbies might be hard.


Will definitely give this a read, based on the first few posts seems like exactly what I was looking for.


I have a secret weapon for this


Glad to know you've had a good experience. I personally want to be about 30 minutes from the nearest bar, but I think most would consider that isolated. I think something I'm wanting in a small town is festivals. I saw a place in Colorado that race skiers towed by horses down a frozen main street. Stuff like that seems wild.

Towns are just a good mix of company and remoteness without the overpopulation of a big city.

 

[MagnusLucra]

Biscuits pretty much said it how it is. If furries is a concern I can definitely say good luck finding any locals. I've mostly lived in sub-20k populated cities and if I hunted for them online I could sometimes find one or two, and at that rate they were usually just looking for a hookup. My city now is about 80k people and it's marginally better, but I find it difficult to have common interests with them.

Wow, that's pretty bad. A lot of the places I'm looking at are less than 20k population, so thats a good thing to know. Might be best to stay within 2 hours of a larger city if possible.

 

[Kellan Meig'h]

I moved from the S.F. Bay Area in 2018, having lived there over ninety percent of my life. The town my parents were living in when I was born was population 13,000 and was mostly agricultural. Fast forward sixty-one years and the city it has become is one-hundred percent suburban, population (unofficial) is 350,000. Most of these people work in Silicon Valley so their wages reflect on where we live on the other side of the bay. Every square inch is being covered by "Stack 'em and Pack 'em" single family homes with common walls or townhomes/condos built in the same manner. Gentrification has began, taking out the older, one hundred year old neighborhoods for said crackerboxes. By the way, those crackerboxes are going for $1M or more.

The wife unit, my younger daughter and I moved to Central Indiana in 2018 to a city about 2/3 the size of my old home town. Population is 56,000 and we have corn growing on some of the main roads around downtown. I live two blocks from downtown and it's quiet, as it should be.

Pros-

• It's quiet - we hear the sirens from the fire, police and ambulances but we lived around the corner from a fire station in California. NO big deal for us.
• Traffic is light. I can go five miles and it takes fifteen minutes, not an hour of more.
• Land values are still reasonable. $100k will get you a very nice home, move-in ready. I gave $35k for mine, it needed a little work. Still does.
• You actually get to know your neighbors. People here are nice.
• Food, gasoline and utility costs are low, as are property taxes. My property taxes are $700 a year on 3,500 sq ft home and 5,200 sq ft lot.
• The Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400 are in your back yard. Shopping in Chicago is an overnight trip. Nashville is not that far away, either.
• this is a "Shall Issue" state for concealed carry and we don't see those stupid Cali prices, either.
• We have a roller rink, a bowling alley (a nice one!) and several indoor shooting ranges. We also have a horse track and a casino.

Cons-

• It is cold in the winter here. currently 28° at 11:30pm and we expect snow overnight.
• cars rust here. Got to wash them in the winter to keep the salt off of them.
• We have Lowes, Menards and a True Value hardware store. Not good pickings. Wally*Mart or Hobby Lobby for crafts. Anything else, gotta drive 15 miles for them.
• guitar Center, Sam Ash, Several Artist Supply places are about twenty minutes away by I-69 & The Loop (465)
• We have a opioid addiction problem here, as well as a homeless problem exacerbated by a "Christian Outreach Program" that keeps them nearby by feeding them but the program won't house them.
• The homeless break into empty homes and squat in them. This sometimes leads to fires when it's cold as the homeless try to stay warm.
• If you buy an old home, it might have knob and tube wiring. Just sayin'

So yeah, the short list. I like it here because it really reminds me of my old home town in the '70's. YMMV.

 

[MagnusLucra]

I moved from the S.F. Bay Area in 2018, having lived there over ninety percent of my life. The town my parents were living in when I was born was population 13,000 and was mostly agricultural. Fast forward sixty-one years and the city it has become is one-hundred percent suburban, population (unofficial) is 350,000. Most of these people work in Silicon Valley so their wages reflect on where we live on the other side of the bay. Every square inch is being covered by "Stack 'em and Pack 'em" single family homes with common walls or townhomes/condos built in the same manner. Gentrification has began, taking out the older, one hundred year old neighborhoods for said crackerboxes. By the way, those crackerboxes are going for $1M or more.

The wife unit, my younger daughter and I moved to Central Indiana in 2018 to a city about 2/3 the size of my old home town. Population is 56,000 and we have corn growing on some of the main roads around downtown. I live two blocks from downtown and it's quiet, as it should be.

Pros-

• It's quiet - we hear the sirens from the fire, police and ambulances but we lived around the corner from a fire station in California. NO big deal for us.
• Traffic is light. I can go five miles and it takes fifteen minutes, not an hour of more.
• Land values are still reasonable. $100k will get you a very nice home, move-in ready. I gave $35k for mine, it needed a little work. Still does.
• You actually get to know your neighbors. People here are nice.
• Food, gasoline and utility costs are low, as are property taxes. My property taxes are $700 a year on 3,500 sq ft home and 5,200 sq ft lot.
• The Indy 500 and the Brickyard 400 are in your back yard. Shopping in Chicago is an overnight trip. Nashville is not that far away, either.
• this is a "Shall Issue" state for concealed carry and we don't see those stupid Cali prices, either.
• We have a roller rink, a bowling alley (a nice one!) and several indoor shooting ranges. We also have a horse track and a casino.

Cons-

• It is cold in the winter here. currently 28° at 11:30pm and we expect snow overnight.
• cars rust here. Got to wash them in the winter to keep the salt off of them.
• We have Lowes, Menards and a True Value hardware store. Not good pickings. Wally*Mart or Hobby Lobby for crafts. Anything else, gotta drive 15 miles for them.
• guitar Center, Sam Ash, Several Artist Supply places are about twenty minutes away by I-69 & The Loop (465)
• We have a opioid addiction problem here, as well as a homeless problem exacerbated by a "Christian Outreach Program" that keeps them nearby by feeding them but the program won't house them.
• The homeless break into empty homes and squat in them. This sometimes leads to fires when it's cold as the homeless try to stay warm.
• If you buy an old home, it might have knob and tube wiring. Just sayin'

So yeah, the short list. I like it here because it really reminds me of my old home town in the '70's. YMMV.

Similar situation is happening around where I live. Companies are coming over from Seattle, the cost of living is starting to increase drastically. A lot of my friends are going into debt just trying to live here, and I'm not about that. But it seems like those are some challenging cons. Unfortunetly homelessness and drug addiction are pretty universal across the US, but I will definitely be wary when buying a house.

 

[Kellan Meig'h]

Similar situation is happening around where I live. Companies are coming over from Seattle, the cost of living is starting to increase drastically. A lot of my friends are going into debt just trying to live here, and I'm not about that. But it seems like those are some challenging cons. Unfortunetly homelessness and drug addiction are pretty universal across the US, but I will definitely be wary when buying a house.

Yeah, we thought the cons were challenging the first winter we were here. We arrived in early October and the weather was nice. A week later, there's snow on the ground. This is our third winter here so we're old hands at this. You learn to layer up, buy good gloves and toboggan caps and keep your feet dry. Always keep the gasoline at 1/2 tank or more, don't let snow turn into ice on your windshield.

When I was in the Air Force, we had the storm of '77 dump several feet on Denver and the surrounding communities. A few years later, went to Keflavik Air Base, Iceland in February for a tdy assignment. More good training. You do get used to the cold, btw.

 

[MagnusLucra]

Yeah, we thought the cons were challenging the first winter we were here. We arrived in early October and the weather was nice. A week later, there's snow on the ground. This is our third winter here so we're old hands at this. You learn to layer up, buy good gloves and toboggan caps and keep your feet dry. Always keep the gasoline at 1/2 tank or more, don't let snow turn into ice on your windshield.

When I was in the Air Force, we had the storm of '77 dump several feet on Denver and the surrounding communities. A few years later, went to Keflavik Air Base, Iceland in February for a tdy assignment. More good training. You do get used to the cold, btw.

I'm used to cold. My dad raised me on the back side of a mountain in a cabin on a small lake, and we had some challenging winters. But I love the survival aspect of it. I don't think my wife is ready. She's tough, but lacks she patience. So I think that will be the hardest part. xD

 

[The_biscuits_532]

Another point to consider: rural broadband services (at least in the US) are practically nonexistent, and any providers who do serve those areas tend to be stupid expensive. You’ll have to learn to make do with crappy internet, or be prepared to pay through the nose for slightly-less-than-crappy internet.

Sauce: living in a ~2,000 population town in rural North Texas

Oh definitely.

Biscuits pretty much said it how it is. If furries is a concern I can definitely say good luck finding any locals. I've mostly lived in sub-20k populated cities and if I hunted for them online I could sometimes find one or two, and at that rate they were usually just looking for a hookup. My city now is about 80k people and it's marginally better, but I find it difficult to have common interests with them.

I've only met two others irl, both in the same 45k town in Derbyshire, England.

 

[Simo]

One other option might be moving to a small, but 'artsy'/college town/city. You just might have the best of both worlds, in or near such a place; freedom from traffic, and nature close at hand, while still having some of the cultural benefits/diversity that cities offer.|

Here's some places that come to mind:

Burlington, Vermont
Traverse City, Michigan
Portsmouth, NH
Asheville/Black Mountain, NC
Portland, Maine (bit bigger)

...there's probably more such places, but it's something to consider.

Good luck!

(Just moved out of a big city, and to just such a place : ))

 

[Raever]

As someone who also works 100% remote for a company, and who has lived in both cities and small towns...I gotta say it really depends on what you personally prefer lifestyle-wise. For me, while I enjoy the scenery of small towns I often find myself having extreme wanderlust for things that they lack; mainly certain stores, environments, events, and so on. I also find that my personality and energy tends to be taken better in big cities where people are often on the move and focused on their own day to day experiences. I'm not a huge people person irl, I'm too caught up in projects to socialize while on the go - so when small town friendliness is shown to me I'm often taken off guard by it, and depending on the "severity" it can come across as a little creepy. Though others might adore the familial setting, it's just not for me.

I do love to vacation to small town areas though. It's such a relaxing break from day to day life, and I think that's what makes it special.

 

[Raever]

Asheville/Black Mountain, NC

NC is actually one of the states I've lived in (Raleigh, Burlington, and Graham, but I vacationed in Asheville as well for a bit). Asheville is definitely one of the picturesque places when it comes to living a secluded and comfortable lifestyle, but many residents often complain that it's being overcrowded by "outsiders". On top of that, it's a very politically charged area with strong opinions, and lots of elderly. So take that as you will - you might find the environment (while beautiful) to be a bit stuffy. 'Course, a lot could have changed in a handful of years. So take this with a grain of salt.

Personally speaking, I think that Downtown Covington or Blue Ridge in Georgia are both pretty towns with something to offer. I've visited both and really appreciated the charm they had. Plus, Blue Ridge had an awesome scenic railway, and it's not often you get to go on one of those these days.

 

[The_biscuits_532]

One other option might be moving to a small, but 'artsy'/college town/city. You just might have the best of both worlds, in or near such a place; freedom from traffic, and nature close at hand, while still having some of the cultural benefits/diversity that cities offer.|

Here's some places that come to mind:

Burlington, Vermont
Traverse City, Michigan
Portsmouth, NH
Asheville/Black Mountain, NC
Portland, Maine (bit bigger)

...there's probably more such places, but it's something to consider.

Good luck!

(Just moved out of a big city, and to just such a place : ))

Oh definitely. My town has a history in Textiles so we have our own full-sized University despite our relatively small size.

 

[Kuuro]

Wow, that's pretty bad. A lot of the places I'm looking at are less than 20k population, so thats a good thing to know. Might be best to stay within 2 hours of a larger city if possible.

Remote, quiet places are nice. But yeah, I usually prefer to have a large city somewhat nearby for all the novelties

 

[The_biscuits_532]

Remote, quiet places are nice. But yeah, I usually prefer to have a large city somewhat nearby for all the novelties

Same tbh. I'm about an hour out from Edinburgh so if I really need anything I can just go there

 

[Raever]

Remote, quiet places are nice. But yeah, I usually prefer to have a large city somewhat nearby for all the novelties

I feel the same way, I'll be going back to Burlington for a bit (a "smaller" town right outside of Raleigh - NC's capital) so I'm excited to get that "old aesthetic town" air while at the same time heading into the artistic bustle that is Raleigh's city center. It's a pretty fun combination of places if you don't mind the southern mentality. Plus, pirate history....nuff' said.

Might make a Pirate Fursona JUST for the fun of it. She or He will be a bat. A nocturnal pirate. ;D
Okay I'm being adhd and getting off track. Point being - if a quiet life is your goal, but you like the city, finding towns close to the city is a no-brainer.

 

[Pomorek]

Not an American so probably not relatable, but I'm gonna vent slightly. I'm from a 20,000-ish town and dislike it a lot. People there are very close-minded and stuck in their ways. Good luck connecting with anyone on the basis of any interests different than tv, sports or going to a bar... The furry fandom, as little presence as it has in my country, exists only in bigger cities. Over the years I met literally only 3 other fandom members in person, and in all of these cases we really had to go out of our way for this.

But why I'm being there - well, it's cheap, can't deny that this is decisive factor... Not much choice with my country's economy being one big s**t, corona or not.

 

[Flamingo]

There's a lot of charm in living in a small town. I've lived many places in my line of work, but few made me as happy as waking up to a scene like this.

 

[fernshiine]

Small towns tend to be cheaper. People are wary at first, yes, because they are in tightly knit communities, but if you are a kind and decent person they'll probably begin to warm up to you as time goes by, likely ignoring or just teasing you about any of your quirks. You often get hooked up with, say, the local mechanic or whatever for a great deal. I don't drive or anything, lol, this is just my parent's experience with our vehicle here. I hate driving, gosh...

The furry fandom isn't gonna be common around rural areas, sadly, but there's still tons of stuff to do online! A lot of small towns have places you can volunteer at. I used to go to youth and volunteer at a church, for example.

I think it's the perfect place for a homebody, really, in my opinion. Less people, less pain, is literally my saying. But in all honesty, it takes a special type of introvert to appreciate the fineness of living in the middle of nowhere. I can do it because I'm an aspiring housewife and writer, so if my partner and I decide to live rurally it doesn't affect me in any way and, if anything, makes my job as a housewife and writer a bit easier due to the silence. I've experienced that type of living before.


If you want a mix of urban and rural, try living in a house out in the country that's very close to an urban city or suburban town...or perhaps directly between the two. These are tricky to find oftentimes but they're worth it. That way you get the nice country living without the noise and clutter of people while being close enough to a city to do things. I used to live like that and it was awesome.

 

[fernshiine]

As someone who also works 100% remote for a company, and who has lived in both cities and small towns...I gotta say it really depends on what you personally prefer lifestyle-wise. For me, while I enjoy the scenery of small towns I often find myself having extreme wanderlust for things that they lack; mainly certain stores, environments, events, and so on. I also find that my personality and energy tends to be taken better in big cities where people are often on the move and focused on their own day to day experiences. I'm not a huge people person irl, I'm too caught up in projects to socialize while on the go - so when small town friendliness is shown to me I'm often taken off guard by it, and depending on the "severity" it can come across as a little creepy. Though others might adore the familial setting, it's just not for me.

I do love to vacation to small town areas though. It's such a relaxing break from day to day life, and I think that's what makes it special.

I agree that it depends on personalities. I'm 100% opposite of you lol