Country Mouse or City Rat?

Packerjohn

Packerjohn

Packerjohn
Location
Canada
After a year & 3/4 I'm moving from the city to a small town. After a year & 3/4 of coughing & wheezing from the car exhaust fumes, putting up with traffic congestion, listening to leaf blowers & noisy Bobcats removing snow in front of my window, I'm getting out. Don't need the shopping malls at my age. Got a lovely apartment to rent in a small town with a view toward the setting sun with trees in front & no noise. Man, am I glad to be going. City life ain't for me. I laugh sometimes that dogs live better than city commuters.

Now, I know that the vast majority of the world live in large cities. Many live in monster cities of millions of people. That is good for them but I have a change to escape so I am escaping the rat race. They say if you win the rat race you are still a rat. Just wondering if anyone else has felt like me & taken off for "God's country" or are you contented with the rat race; good or bad?
 

I was born and raised in the city... I love the city, and I'd love to live there again, but in my heart I know the noise, and the car exhaust fumes and the crime level would get to me.

I live in the countryside and have done for the better part of 40 years.. . It's a rural village close to 2 small towns , and just 20 miles from London... so I want for nothing really in location, although the one thing I have never got used to is the small town mentality .

Do you already know the town you're moving to..or anyone there? Is it far from where you live now ?...It might take you a little while to bed in, but you'll love it I'm sure... :giggle:
 
Aunt Bea said:
Each has its advantages and disadvantages but I prefer the convenience and anonymity of living in the city.

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That's what I miss the most about the city...the Anonymity first and foremost ( everyone thinks they know your business out here,, you can't blink except be judged ) ..and yes the complete convenience of everything, and no need in uk cities to own a car because the public transport is simply brilliant.. it's one thing we do extremely well in our cities
 
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hollydolly said:
That's what I miss the most about the city...the Anonymity first and foremost ( everyone thinks they know your business out here,, you can't blink except be judged ) ..and yes the complete convenience of everything, and no need in uk cities to own a car because the public transport is simply brilliant.. it's one thing we do extremely well in our cities
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I am a Townie/City girl and lived in London until I wed in 1964. Moved to another county not far from London and liked the transition as my Hubby was a country but with London roots. I like the country and rural life and prefer semi rural towns to very rural villages. I liked the anonymity of the London streets where one can walk along not be noticed. but this was back then. It is called unfriendly but I don't think it is that just folk going about their business in the hustle and bustle.
 
I've always been a 'small town' boy although through necessity, I've worked in cities. Some cities I liked, others I hated. The large Hampshire village where we lived for the greatest time was gradually being swallowed up by 'urban sprawl' and was rapidly losing its appeal.

We packed up and headed north and through chance, ended up in a tiny village surrounded by farmland, but only a few miles from the sea. The village dates from 1765 (a few houses from that period still stand) and into the second half of the 1900's was a thriving self-contained community. Now all that's gone - the church, the school, the shops,the garage and the pub.

Still, as long as you have transport, it remains a nice, quiet place to live. Yes, most people know each other, but they are there for each other. We have city breaks each year round the UK and Europe, but we would never want to live in a city. Perhaps in the future if the need arises, we will move nearer town. Till then I'm happy to chase the neighbour's chickens (and occasionally sheep) out of my garden, and watch the sun go down from my lounge window.
 
Packerjohn, I made a similar move about a year ago for same reasons. About small town gossip and noisy neighbors - consider that you are doing a public service, giving otherwise bored people something to think and talk about.

Loudest noise in neighborhood is the occasional growl of the dumpster being emptied. Close enough to an orange grove that from my porch I can see color when fruit is ripe. Lots of local wildlife of the big bird variety - cranes, herons, ibis and egrets.

I love it.
 
I never cared for big cities. Just watching movies about New York makes me feel like a sardine. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to live in a small town where everybody wants to or thinks they know your business. Where I live it's part of Tucson but it's a few miles from the city limits, so it's just what I want and need. Close enough to the city for conveniences, but far enough for a country feel.
 
Packerjohn said:
Just wondering if anyone else has felt like me & taken off for "God's country" or are you contented with the rat race; good or bad?
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After spending most of our working lives in crowded cities, we moved to the boondocks 17 years ago. That has been a blessing....especially to our health. Noise and pollution are virtually non-existent here, and maintaining a nice yard, garden, flower beds, etc., gives us both plenty of outdoor activities to keep us fairly fit. We have a nice small town about 3 miles away with all the basics, and larger stores/towns within 25 or 30 miles. I'm sure the day will come when we have to move closer to hospitals, etc., but I hope that day is still years away.
 
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We've got the best of both worlds...beautiful nature privacy yet not far away from conveniences and medical care. Been here for 40 years, hope to be in for he duration. Enjoy Packer...treasure each golden hour. We can all learn from nature and from the lowliest of creatures.
 
If finances allow, folks should try and live where they're most comfortable. city, suburbs, or country. They all have their virtues and vices. Take your choice.

I've lived on a couple of acres on the outskirts of a city of 90,000 all of my life and am still in the house that I was born in back in 1933. Never had a reason to leave and never wanted to. Many of the fields and wooded areas that I played in as a child, now contain residences but the area is zoned for residence only so no businesses have crept in.

Hospital, shopping, doctor's, etc., all within 10-15 minute drive. Know some of the neighbors but don't socialize with any of them. Our choice. Large part of our family nearby.

Hopefully, life will end here (or in a medical facility) same as it did for my folks and grandparents.
 
I've always lived in a small town and I love it. Farmland nearby, wildlife all around and mountains I can see from my front window. Lakes I can easily get to. NYC is about 2 hours away but I have no desire to go.
The last time I was in the city was a couple of years ago when my daughter and family wanted to see Rockefeller center at Christmas.

My daughter lives on the outskirts of Washington DC. Way to congested in that area for my taste.

We have quite a few doctors and a hospital in our area,nice selection of little restaurants, a medium size mall about a half hour away.
 
I live in the sticks. This morning I had squirrels and deer in my yard. That's cool. But it's not like I'm living in the wilderness, either. I have cable TV, the internet, AC, etc. Both urban and rural home lifestyles have adavntages and disadvantages, it just depends what you want out of life.
 
hollydolly said:
I was born and raised in the city... I love the city, and I'd love to live there again, but in my heart I know the noise, and the car exhaust fumes and the crime level would get to me.

I live in the countryside and have done for the better part of 40 years.. . It's a rural village close to 2 small towns , and just 20 miles from London... so I want for nothing really in location, although the one thing I have never got used to is the small town mentality .

Do you already know the town you're moving to..or anyone there? Is it far from where you live now ?...It might take you a little while to bed in, but you'll love it I'm sure... :giggle:
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No, it's not far. Just 15 minutes by car. Just came back from there. It is very, very quiet. The air is fresher too. The stress, pressure, noise & crowds seem to disappear the further I go from the city perimeter. LOL I sort of like to leave it to the young people. Good luck to them because they have to earn a wage (as I did one time).
 
Packerjohn said:
No, it's not far. Just 15 minutes by car. Just came back from there. It is very, very quiet. The air is fresher too. The stress, pressure, noise & crowds seem to disappear the further I go from the city perimeter. LOL I sort of like to leave it to the young people. Good luck to them because they have to earn a wage (as I did one time).
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That's the very first thing I notice, after I've spent the day in London...it's 15 minutes to North London... and just 20 miles to central London from here, but the difference in the quality of the air, is amazing. If I take the train and the tubes , I can feel the difference in the air the minute we pull back into our local station, ...and if driving, you can feel you're whole body visibly relaxing the further out of the city, and into the countryside you get.

I love the city, but it does have those drawbacks ..so as much as I miss, the readily available entertainment, and the ease of access to everything .. I will stay out in the rural shires..
 
Lived my whole life in cities or exurbs, always dreamed of moving to the country. Did that upon retirement. Now I'm dreaming of moving to the city, where there's at least a choice of restaurants and maybe even a movie theater.
 
Small town or country for me. We live on 25 acres just out of the city limits of Clarksville ( population less than 10,000). I grew up in a small city ( Population about 80,000 now). I hope I never have to live there again.
The only thing we don't have here are medical specialists.
 
hollydolly said:
That's the very first thing I notice, after I've spent the day in London...it's 15 minutes to North London... and just 20 miles to central London from here, but the difference in the quality of the air, is amazing. If I take the train and the tubes , I can feel the difference in the air the minute we pull back into our local station, ...and if driving, you can feel you're whole body visibly relaxing the further out of the city, and into the countryside you get.

I love the city, but it does have those drawbacks ..so as much as I miss, the readily available entertainment, and the ease of access to everything .. I will stay out in the rural shires..
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Good morning Holly, I think I mentioned before that I also live about 20 miles from London
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London,_Arkansas
 
Liberty said:
We've got the best of both worlds...beautiful nature privacy yet not far away from conveniences and medical care. Been here for 40 years, hope to be in for he duration. Enjoy Packer...treasure each golden hour. We can all learn from nature and from the lowliest of creatures.
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Sounds perfect. I live in the suburbs, it’s okay, but I’d rather be on a bit of private wooded property, in a warm climate.
 
Gardenlover said:
Sounds perfect. I live in the suburbs, it’s okay, but I’d rather be on a bit of private wooded property, in a warm climate.
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We used to go for a month vacation each year in the Ft. Myers/ Naples beach area. It got so crowded it finally wasn't "value received" anymore. We live in the Texas Gulf Coast area, but have an abundance of trees so our world is mostly warm and wooded!
 
>>I live in the sticks. This morning I had squirrels and deer in my yard >>

This made me chuckle! Not meanly, just amusing. Many animals have adapted quite well to city life. The raccoons in San Francisco CA are the size of medium-sized DOGS. They stroll down neighborhood sidewalks at night like they own the place, LOL.

Deer are everywhere (wire-fence those rosebushes!). Coyotes live in Golden Gate Park, not to mention in every state and county park I can think of. Joggers in the Peninsula hills (near the SFO airport) have to beware of mountain lions; a couple of people have been attacked over recent years.

I live in a coastal CA city 15 miles from San Francisco. It has 425K people and we love it here. Quite a bit smaller - and more scenic - than the city of 5M in the Midwest I grew up in. We're 20 min from SF, but we're retired so we don't care what the commute looks like. It's not a suburb; it's considered a "big city" in its own right since it's geographically much bigger than SF (which is a very tiny "big city" compared to almost anywhere but Hong Kong).

Small house, big lot, great neighbors. Love the diversity - our best friends are LGBTX - and the convenience of alternative medical practitioners to choose from, to supplement the standard Western medical HMO. Tired of gardening a large property so looking to downsize to a more convenient apt or condo. I've seen all the opossums, 'coons, deer, roof rats, squirrels, and Canadian geese I want to deal with - they don't migrate any longer, did you know that? Living in the city is Paradise to them so they just stay and poop all over everything!

I do get frustrated because personally I think deer and geese were intended for eating, and I'd have no trouble shooting them to thin the herd/gaggle.

When we move out of here I will miss our spectacular hillside view, no curtains needed. But views are pretty much everywhere in the SFBA, along with great weather. It's in the low 60's today; sunny and cheerful.

I'll be a city rat forever.
 

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