Small Town Living??

[TheJason]

I think the biggest question is does the small town life fit you? Some folks embrace it, others hate it.

I've lived in a pretty wide range of city sizes, from Seattle to Colstrip. My wife loved Seattle and loved Colstrip. I hated Seattle and loved Colstrip.

Don't kid yourself, the same bad shit that goes on in a big city high school goes on in a small town high school. You may or may not find out about it sooner, depending on the town. Some small towns are great, others are ratholes. Sometimes a good small town turns into a rathole and vice versa.

Look hard at the quality of schools. We live in a pretty big city, and the high schools are 12-1600 students. The quality of education is excellent. As Bart said, it's tougher on the athletic side. Lots of good athletes and cuts happen.

Life what you make of it, where ever you are. I would not move to a small town right now, but after my girls are off to college I would do it in a heartbeat if it were the right situation. I also wouldn't hesitate to stay in the bigger city so long as that situation was right too.

 

[roadhunter]

Another nice thing is they generally have a low crime rate. Its nice to not lock car doors or leave for the weekend without worrying about coming home to an empty house.

This^^.

The big thing I notice is the neighbors. Small town folks will do just about anything for a neighbor.

The thing I most appreciate is not wasting my time sitting in traffic, in line, waiting, etc... I wasted too many hours of my life sitting in North Texas traffic.

 

[hank4elk]

This^^.

The big thing I notice is the neighbors. Small town folks will do just about anything for a neighbor.

The thing I most appreciate is not wasting my time sitting in traffic, in line, waiting, etc... I wasted too many hours of my life sitting in North Texas traffic.

Everyone here watches out for each other. Takes care of each other.
County ordinance that all households WILL have a firearm for protection.
The school quality thing is a big thing to notice in a small place.
The kids here say yes sir.No sir.
There is 1 flashing yellow in the whole county.....

 

[Djfan]

We moved from the So Cal hell (after trying the "outskirts" for years), to the beauty of Cheyenne,.WY. I love it, wifey doesn't. I have a good job, we have a great house in a great neighborhood, our boy is in a great school, we go to a great church. I travel 13 minutes to work, and see friends everywhere.

Many will say that Cheyenne is not a small town, which is why I posted. Maybe a mid-sized town (ours is about 55k) is for you. I love it here, and will only leave to move to a smaller town when the wife can't stand it anymore and leaves me. (just kidding!).

Use www.findyourspot.com and www.city-data.com to research. It will help you a lot.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Everybody knows your business...

This is true. Always nosey neighbors looking out the window. Plus the small town where I live nothing gets done because if you're not one of the "good old boys" none of the town buisness is taken care of. Too much infighting among the town board members.
Also the small mom and pop buisneses do things at their own pace never mind what the hours are that are posted on the door. Those are the drawbacks.
On the plus side no traffic, quiet at night, no street lights, get to hear the coyotes, no pollution.

 

[RobG]

Of course it depends on the city, but I'd disagree about the crime rate, at least compared to Bozeman. The odds of a crime being committed in the particular town may be smaller, but that is just because there are less people. That is to say, the odds of having a crime committed against you is the same. Trust me, in Bigfork 30 years ago there was plenty of mischief going on. In MT we played hard with alcohol - not a lot else to do - and I doubt if that has changed. There was even a murder by some local teenagers; seems a guy did wrong to someone's mom. The local cop (Fast Eddie) turned out to be a pedophile. And really small towns have problems too. A kid in Harrison was recently suspended for bringing two loaded handguns to school (their high school has 46 students)... Then you have the nutcases passing though (Jordan, MT)... or moving their problem child to the country for a fresh start. At least you won't have the drunk college students entering your house thinking it is theirs and having sex on your couch, but maybe you don't think that is a bad thing.

I also think the advanced level educational opportunities and highly educated role models in Bozeman are going to be hard to beat. The town is still small enough that a motivated person can make a difference and be known by everyone.

 

[sagebrush]

I live in an area so sparsely populated its not even a town but a "census area". We have a post office, a convenience store and a gas station. Its 16 miles to the fringe of the big city and the nearest grocery store. We love it and hope the "big city" doesn't grow in our direction. Nice to have the conveniences when you want them.

The only concern I would have in your shoes is children in the same age group as yours in the immediate vicinity. We are empty nesters, so not a problem for us. The children in our area are fortunate enough to have a pretty good number in their peer groups. They hang out together all the time and are a lot like siblings rather than neighbors.

I agree with what others have said about the positives small town life. Nice to know my neighbors have my back and it really makes you feel good inside when you can do something for someone else.

 

[Big Sky]

For the past 30 years I have lived in small towns. The largest was around 5000 people and the smallest 700-800. Obviously I prefer them to large cities or I wouldn't have lived in small towns most of my adult life. However; the person that said this is spot on:
You are the "new family" for a couple of decades and if you voice a strong opinion then "you just do not understand how we do things here in Hooterville."
If that is hard for you to accept either move to another town or stay in the big city otherwise it will drive you crazy.

 

[RobG]

For the past 30 years I have lived in small towns. The largest was around 5000 people and the smallest 700-800. Obviously I prefer them to large cities or I wouldn't have lived in small towns most of my adult life. However; the person that said this is spot on:
You are the "new family" for a couple of decades and if you voice a strong opinion then "you just do not understand how we do things here in Hooterville."
If that is hard for you to accept either move to another town or stay in the big city otherwise it will drive you crazy.

Tell me about this Hooterville... Nevermind, probably named for the hooterites.

 

[hank4elk]

Tell me about this Hooterville... Nevermind, probably named for the hooterites.

I have heard of this small sect of Utah women who escaped.......



they din't settle here.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Tell me about this Hooterville... Nevermind, probably named for the hooterites.

Isn't that where the hooters girls live?