Could You Move to a Small Town

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

All the Texas cities have gotten so much bigger in my lifetime. In now takes about 90 minutes to escape from Houston's gravitational pull, the DFW burbs chew up more and more old blackland cotton fields every year, and Austin can no longer cope with its growth, and it's a damn shame, because unlike Houston and DFW, they are fucking up pretty hills and shit with the onward march of McMansions and tract homes.

 

Traffic out the ass and boring chain stores everywhere...If your job would allow it, would you move permanently to a small town or deep in the sticks? If so, where?

[Leeroy Jenkins 2409]

I already did. The only thing I really miss is a much larger choice of restaurants.

I don’t miss the traffic at all.

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

Yeah. I’d love to live in Southern Utah, but the shitty beer laws might make pick northern Arizona or SW Colorado instead. Colorado has shitty beer laws but they are slowly fixing them, at least.

[SubliminalHorn 6811]

No I couldn’t move to a small town. Would be boring as fuck

[YChang 3460]

Probably not and probably not very diverse population... yet. 

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

7 minutes ago, Leeroy Jenkins said:

I already did. The only thing I really miss is a much larger choice of restaurants.

I don’t miss the traffic at all.

Where did you move?

[Beau Vine 54342]

Hi.

Will never ever ever leave this town.

My daughter, during her senior year in HS, actually thanked me for deciding to live here. 

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2738]

Yes.  Looking into it now.  

[DanRydell 799]

Not in Texas but I would move to smaller college town elsewhere (Boulder, Madison, Charlottesville, Chapel Hill, Bloomington, Columbia, Lawrence, Eugene, etc.). 

[Beau Vine 54342]

1 minute ago, DanRydell said:

Not in Texas but I would move to smaller college town elsewhere (Boulder, Madison, Charlottesville, Chapel Hill, Bloomington, Columbia, Lawrence, Eugene, etc.). 

Madison has over a quarter million residents.

Boulder, Eugene, Columbia have over 100K.  Pretty sure Lawrence and Bloomington are close to that.  

Chapel Hill is about as much of a small town as Grapevine or Sugar Land are.

I don't think you understand what a small town is. 

 

[Sbbruin 21866]

I have thought about this a lot.  I have lived in L.A. my whole life.  L.A. is what is generally considered a big city.  I am used to it, and can navigate it with the best of them.  But man it gets old sometimes.  Traffic is the biggest killer of course.  But the cost of living and the ineptitude of local and state government really make me stop and ask myself if it is worth it.  Problem for me is that the industry I work in really ties me to the city.  So any move would have to happen when I'm ready to retire, or take a major pay cut to start something new late in life.  Not sure I'm up for that.  And I would absolutely NEED to be near some coast, and the COL in most of those places is going to be tough anyway.  So I guess I could, but I really can't. 

[deadshank 24653]

7 minutes ago, Sbbruin said:

I have thought about this a lot.  I have lived in L.A. my whole life.  L.A. is what is generally considered a big city.  I am used to it, and can navigate it with the best of them.  But man it gets old sometimes.  Traffic is the biggest killer of course.  But the cost of living and the ineptitude of local and state government really make me stop and ask myself if it is worth it.  Problem for me is that the industry I work in really ties me to the city.  So any move would have to happen when I'm ready to retire, or take a major pay cut to start something new late in life.  Not sure I'm up for that.  And I would absolutely NEED to be near some coast, and the COL in most of those places is going to be tough anyway.  So I guess I could, but I really can't. 

"LA is what is generally considered a big city" like Vic Mackey's cholas are generally considered fat disgusting pigs?

Edited April 9, 2018 by deadshank

[South Austin 52546]

When we're on a road trip the wife and I talk about where we would go if we had to move to a small town.  Places like Llano, La Grange, Blanco and Boerne get thrown around (although the latter one is turning into a San Antonio suburb).  I say "if we had to move," because it's just fantasy talk and none of us has the urge to leave Austin, as we still love it here and everything a big town has to offer, even accepting the traffic and other bullshit of urban life. 

[deadshank 24653]

Just now, South Austin said:

When we're on a road trip the wife and I talk about where we would go if we had to move to a small town.  Places like Llano, La Grange, Blanco and Boerne get thrown around (although the latter one is turning into a San Antonio suburb).  I say "if we had to move," because it's just fantasy talk and none of us has the urge to leave Austin, as we still love it here and everything a big town has to offer, even accepting the traffic and other bullshit of urban life. 

I passed through Boerne on the way from Bergheim to Uvalde on Friday at 5 pm.

HELL NO.  

Nice town but way too many people and too much traffic on the main surface street (Hwy. 46).  It took me 45 minutes to get from one side of Boerne and over I-10 to the other side and on to Bandera. 

[Sbbruin 21866]

2 minutes ago, deadshank said:

"LA is what is generally considered a big city" like Vic Mackey's cholas are generally considered fat disgusting pigs?

Generally.

[Guest]

I've lived 5 miles from a town of 440. I now live in one of the biggest metros in America.

 

There are pluses and minuses for anywhere you live.

 

Yes, I could absolutely live in a small town again, but it would need to be within about 60 minutes of a major metro so I could see major sports when i wanted to.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

Fargos got a metro population of 250k...probably climbing to 300k in the next 10 yrs. The infrastructure is getting too small in some areas for that kinda stuff but I still never have to wait twice at a traffic light ever, no traffic Jams on the interstate unless ice, restaurants I frequent are no shorter than a 12 min drive to anywhere in town..


I wouldn't ever live in a city bigger than this. Don't have the patience.

[Errestaurants 2570]

i own a cattle ranch with my FIL thats about an hour or so southeast of Dallas ,in and around the Cedar Creek Lake area. The problem with living small town country are the public schools and limited options of good private education being available. Have to drive back in to Dallas or over to Tyler.  Of course that's if you have kids. Where we are at there are two decent public schools--Mabank and Malakoff with Eustace being drop off third.  From there it can get bad. I own land in Kemp and make hay there but I would never send my daughter to school there.  I will say it a great location to live in from a recreational and offers a lot in getting away from keeping up with the "joneses"  but still very close to big city amenities. Also important in moving to a smaller environment is proximity to good medical care, especially in retirement age. 

[South Austin 52546]

3 minutes ago, deadshank said:

I passed through Boerne on the way from Bergheim to Uvalde on Friday at 5 pm.

HELL NO.  

Nice town but way too many people and too much traffic on the main surface street (Hwy. 46).  It took me 45 minutes to get from one side of Boerne and over I-10 to the other side and on to Bandera. 

I get that, and understand that the locals bitch about how big it's getting.  We have a fondness for Boerne since we always stop for lunch and beers at the Dodging Duck on the way back from our annual family camping trip at Garner State Park. 

[Knoxtnhorn 6065]

Absolutely.  Hell, I’d live in a cabin in the mountains if it wasn’t for my wife and her need of a Target, Aldi, Trader Joe’s, etc.

[Beau Vine 54342]

4 minutes ago, South Austin said:

I get that, and understand that the locals bitch about how big it's getting.  We have a fondness for Boerne since we always stop for lunch and beers at the Dodging Duck on the way back from our annual family camping trip at Garner State Park. 

Boerne has two high schools.

One public high school is a necessary (but not sufficient) condition for being a small town.

[South Austin 52546]

I see.  Didn't now about the two high schools.  So cross Boerne off the list.

[deadshank 24653]

Given the opportunity to make as much money as I do now (not saying its a lot of money) I would move to a small town in a heart beat.

Hendersonville or Saluda, NC or another part of western North Carolina.

Or I could stay in Texas and live around Uvalde or some other spot in that area.

[HenryJames 66144]

Would this small town have a Dairy Queen?

[deadshank 24653]

23 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

Would this small town have a Dairy Queen?

Well, Subliminal Horn said he wouldn't move to a small town so maybe not.

Edited April 9, 2018 by deadshank

[Hate 20130]

I could in a heartbeat.  I lived in the Boerne area growing up (Fair Oaks) and loved it.  It was still a small town then.  There were no fast food chain restaurants or even an HEB when I lived there.  My wife, on the other hand, has to have access to Target and shoe stores quickly and conveniently.  

Edited April 9, 2018 by Hate

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

1 hour ago, Anton Chigurh said:

Yeah. I’d love to live in Southern Utah, but the shitty beer laws might make pick northern Arizona or SW Colorado instead. Colorado has shitty beer laws but they are slowly fixing them, at least.

Ex-wife's parents lived in St. George. I'd rather take a kick to the balls than live there.

[Johnny Sack 8397]

One day I plan to live in a small hill country town during hunting season and a small mountain town in Colorado or Wyoming the rest of the year.  I have zero desire to live in a big city forever.

[Zepol87 9189]

Nope. Not right now at least. I have done a year in Denton I do not enjoy it. Mom lives in Decatur and that place blows. No way I could live there

[elfenix 34331]

[llanoflash 151]

4 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Nope. Not right now at least. I have done a year in Denton I do not enjoy it. Mom lives in Decatur and that place blows. No way I could live there

I had to stay in Decatur for a fucking month last year.. the gottdam restaurants allow smoking. Gotta be the only place in the world with that shit..

[Sbbruin 21866]

23 minutes ago, HenryJames said:

Would this small town have a Dairy Queen?

 

[El Diablo 4232]

It's been mentioned already but the two things you are likely to give up in small town living are education and medical. I lived in very rural North Carolina for 5 or so years and loved it for all the freedom in the great outdoors and slow pace of life it offered. Durham was less than an hour away if we needed "big city" stuff. The local schools and county hospital were for shit though.

[NoRagrets 1125]

1 hour ago, DanRydell said:

Not in Texas but I would move to smaller college town elsewhere (Boulder, Madison, Charlottesville, Chapel Hill, Bloomington, Columbia, Lawrence, Eugene, etc.). 

Just don't say lubbock

[DFWTexEx 277]

I dream of living in small town in Mexico, maybe by or near a beach.

But, I could never do it in Texas and probably not in the US.  I'd want a village like experience, not a place where the Dairy Queen is the center of social activity , however much I may like my Blizzards.

[South Austin 52546]

I wish we could all live in the mountains at high altitude. That's where I see myself in five years.

[Biff Tannen 45697]

Just now, South Austin said:

I wish we could all live in the mountains at high altitude. That's where I see myself in five years.

Sweet vermouth, rocks, with a twist.

[NoRagrets 1125]

Small town, no. Have you ever seen footloose?

Small cities with a decent college on the other hand, absolutely. But it also has to be a short drive to major metro and fun outdoor stuff (mountain, lake, or ocean).

I hope to never live In a mega metro ever again. The more people there, the more disparate and thus lack of community there is.

Edited April 9, 2018 by NoRagrets

[Dr. Teeth 5845]

Well I was born in a small town, and I live in a small town. Probably die in a small town. Oh, those small communities.

[Beau Vine 54342]

7 minutes ago, El Diablo said:

It's been mentioned already but the two things you are likely to give up in small town living are education and medical.

For education, it can really vary.  We get some pretty spectacular teachers who are here for the same reason the rest of us are; I think I can count on one hand how many bad/mediocre teachers my daughter had K-12.  In her senior year, something like 60-70% of the students who took AP exams in world history and calculus got 5's (national average is in the 20%s).  I wouldn't say the kids who took regular classes got a great education, though. 

[Ogie Ogilthorpe 639]

Moved to Naples from Houston. So not real small but definitely smaller - the population is overstated because of the snowbirds claiming Florida residence to avoid state income tax.

Only things I miss are good tex-mex food, and international airport.

The traffic is next to nothing, especially in the summer when the seasonal people leave.

Don't know if I could move back to a big city.

Edited April 9, 2018 by Ogie Ogilthorpe

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

8 minutes ago, South Austin said:

I wish we could all live in the mountains at high altitude. That's where I see myself in five years.

Sorry, you cannot add any more reactions today

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

49 minutes ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

Absolutely.  Hell, I’d live in a cabin in the mountains if it wasn’t for my wife and her need of a Target, Aldi, Trader Joe’s, etc.

Talked to a guy who moved to Alpine decades ago a couple of nights ago...He's seen many couples move there, and most of them leave because the woman misses that kind of shit.  

As for Alpine, specifically, I don't know if I could live there, either. The local supermarket is ass. If they got even a small HEB I might consider it. 

[Anton Chigurh 3319]

Ex-wife's parents lived in St. George. I'd rather take a kick to the balls than live there.

St. George has like 150k in the metro area.

I mean living in a cabin in the Dixie National Forest, or in a town near Zion like Hurricane, La Verkin, or Toquerville.

I realize most people still wouldn’t want to live there, but I enjoy all the recreation available.

[South Austin 52546]

Like a few others here, the small towns I'm throwing around are general Central Texas/Hill Country.  The seem the most tolerable and close enough to the San Antonio/Austin urban areas.  I don't know shit about the panhandle or West Texas, but they don't seem appealing.  My parents lived in Harlingen for about 17 years (thankfully after I had already left home for college), so fuck any place south of San Antonio.  And having spent enough time in East Texas where my in-laws are from, fuck that entire region as a place to actually have to live throughout the year. 

[MaybeACoordinator 8349]

I'm kind of astonished Lockhart hasn't been ruined yet. I was just there for a couple of days and it has a lot of charm and very, very easy access to downtown Austin, even if you ignore the toll road. 

Downsides are there's not much to eat besides BBQ and Tex-Mex, the schools are mediocre, and the HEB is smallish. 

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4976]

16 minutes ago, DFWTexEx said:

I dream of living in small town in Mexico, maybe by or near a beach.

But, I could never do it in Texas and probably not in the US.  I'd want a village like experience, not a place where the Dairy Queen is the center of social activity , however much I may like my Blizzards.

My I laws just built a house on my FIL's family land and bought the other house on the land from his brothers son in a small village in Guanajuato. If it weren't for grandchildren and family, I would save up and retire young there. Well that and access to quality medical care. Maybe we will buy a place there too and just live there part of the year.

[Schulz2.0 29001]

36 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Nope. Not right now at least. I have done a year in Denton I do not enjoy it. Mom lives in Decatur and that place blows. No way I could live there

My brother lived just outside of Chico and loved it. His wife made him move to Decatur to get closer to civilization.

I live in Denver but can’t wait for my house to increase in value enough to sell and GTFO. Traffic and people suck. But we’re rednecks.

[Cheeseweasel 26438]

1 minute ago, Anton Chigurh said:

 

St. George has like 150k in the metro area.

I mean living in a cabin in the Dixie National Forest, or in a town near Zion like Hurricane, La Verkin, or Toquerville.

I realize most people still wouldn’t want to live there, but I enjoy all the recreation available.

 

When I went there (Mid 80's), it was pretty small (25k?). Everyone old. Everyone white. Everyone pissed off.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4976]

3 minutes ago, Anton Chigurh said:

 

St. George has like 150k in the metro area.

I mean living in a cabin in the Dixie National Forest, or in a town near Zion like Hurricane, La Verkin, or Toquerville.

I realize most people still wouldn’t want to live there, but I enjoy all the recreation available.

 

Drove through the Dixie National Forest a couple years ago and would love to spend more time there. Seems like the kind of area where the dollar store is where you end up buying a lot of groceries, though. I'm not sure I could go that rural with small children.