Are You Thinking About Moving to a Small Town?
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Articles > Self Improvement and MotivationAre You Thinking About Moving to a Small Town?
by: Susan Dunn, MA
One of the fun things about midlife is we often have the opportunity to move for the first time in a long time. Maybe the kids have finally left home, or youre retiring from a job or career, or planning to start your own Internet business so can finally live anywhere.
Whatever your reasons for longing for a small town, here are some assumptions to check out before you make the big move:
IT'S CHEAPER TO LIVE IN A SMALL TOWN. Well if its Daphne, Alabama, yes, but if its Grapevine, Keller, or Fredericksburg, Texas, no. Go here to check out house prices all over the country:
http://houseandhome.msn.com/homes/homesoverview.aspx. And remember, low housing costs generally mean lower incomes.
THE SCHOOLS WILL BE BETTER. Or safer, more disciplined, or less drugs. Do a reality-check. Some rural schools are poorly funded. And if your children are out of school, you may still be expecting the sort of excellent community education you had back home. When the schools are bad, the libraries usually are too. Does this matter to you?
'RURAL' MEANS 'PARADISE'. The Chamber of Commerce in one rural community in the Midwest provides scratchnsniffs of manure for people considering moving there. Theyre tired of people complaining once they move there about two things common to farming communities animal smells, and people revving up their tractors at daybreak.
JUST LIKE WHERE YOU LIVE NOW ONLY SMALLER? In Lillian, Alabama, population 4800+, the median age is 56.6.
IT'S SAFER. Look up the crime statistics here: http://houseandhome.msn.com/pickaplace/nfOverview.aspx. Talk with someone who lives thereand not a member of the Chamber. Crime stats need interpretation. The crime rate in San Antonio, Tx is high, for instance, but localized mainly in one part of the town.
THE TRAFFIC WILL BE BETTER. This is a favorite fantasy that needs a hard knock on the head. In semi-resort Baldwin County, Alabama, suddenly youre on a county road with a 35mph speed limit, stuck behind a tractor with no passing lane. If its a burgeoning retirement area, road construction may not have kept up, and those charming dirt roads well imagine them during hurricane season thats right, hurricane season. Think like a resident, not a tourist.
One couple I know whos looking books a motel in each location theyre investigating and stays 2-3 days to really get the feel of life there, not just visiting.
I WANT TO LIVE IN A RESORT TOWN. My clients who retired to Hilton Head Island, SC lasted 5 years. Tourism has grown every year and it didnt remain such a small town for long.
THE PACE WILL BE SLOWER. And youre thinking this is a good thing, until you need new flooring and the only person in the county who lays tile is booked for months. Moseying down the main street with a stop sign on every corner is charming the first two times, and try waiting 2 days to get a toilet fixed. Dont forget to check on cable too; it isnt available in some rural locations, and cell phones iffy.
THE PEOPLE WILL BE FRIENDLIER. Not necessarily. Small towns can be cliquish. And suffocatingthe same 30 people at the church, at the football game, and roaming around main street. How long can you go without meeting someone new? And, as my Grandmother used to say, Everyone knows your business in a small town."
SHOPPING. You may be taking it for granted theres a convenience store on the corner and an office dept a mile down the road. If youre really out in the country, it may take you 20 minutes to go pick up a gallon of milk, and you may have to drive to the next big town for a WalMart. Will the Internet do for shopping? Supplies can be over-priced in small towns, and services limited.
HOW CLOSE IS THE AIRPORT? If you move to Rockdale, Texas, pop. 4000, its an hour to Austin, a peripheral airport, and 2+ hours to San Antonio International.
HEALTH FACILITIES. When my in-laws were in their 70s they moved off the Lake in the country theyd been living on for 10 years because the nearest ER was 70 miles away, and the phones went dead every time it rained.
IS IT JUST A PRETTY FACE? Youll be most satisfied if you give the decision time and look beneath the surface. When I asked my friend who moved to Bermuda for a change of scene how things are in paradise, she says, Close, small stifling, and those hurricanes They wouldve been happier remaining in Montreal and traveling to the Caribbean, she says. Also being allowed to work there isnt a given, so check that out too. Her husband found a new job there, but she hasnt been able to.
ROOTS. Be particularly observant if youre returning to your roots. My client who moved from Malibu, Ca to Comfort, Tx, where hed grown up, was out of there in a year. The Nubian goats on his ranch were no longer making up for Malibu?? v. Comfort, Tx?? What was he thinking? Often we find we cant go home again because it was the people, not the place, that made it home.
THE JOYS OF COUNTRY LIVING. Perhaps youre expecting less lawn care and that may be true, but my client who lives in Jamul, California is sick of the dirt, bees and fires, and my client who moved to Keller, Texas is alarmed at the web worms, Nile-fever-carrying mosquitoes, maggots, and other Texas country critters.
THE CHOICE: Many people move happily to small towns and are pleased; others are surprised and unhappy. If you do the research, you can avoid being in the latter group! Use your Emotional intelligence to feel out the situation and make a good decision.
About The Author
© Susan Dunn, MA, cEQc, The EQ Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc. Bringing the power of Emotional Intelligence to YOUR life through coaching, eBooks, and distance learning. Midlife, retirement and transition coaching, career and relationships. Email for free EQ ezine. Want to be a certified EQ Coach? Email for information on this fast, affordable, comprehensive, no-residency program. Products available for licensing to build your practice. Visit the best ebook library on the Internet - http://www.webstrategies.cc/ebooklibrary.html.
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