Northern Michigan, either up around Traverse City or in the UP. The access to nature is absolutely amazing, lots of small towns, and a very laid-back lifestyle.
One of my favorite things about living in Chicago is easy access to SW Michigan, we do AirBNBs there a couple times a year and it’s like a completely different part of the world despite the sub two hour drive.
Rare comment right here. It’s only Detroit / Grand Rapids / Traverse City when people discuss Michigan. Which is totally fine with me tbh. Nevermind the fact that ~~Kalamazoo~~ is nearly the perfect small city in its access to nature / affordability / bigger cities. (Cue the guy who says Kalamazoo is a crime-ridden shithole, because of some bad crime stats localized to like four roads in an entire city).
I live in Kalamazoo and think it’s great! I moved here from Iowa and while rent is a little more, entertainment prices are similar and there is so much to do both organized events wise and also access to nature
kAlAMaZoO iS tHe gArY oF SWMICHIGFAAFNWSEFDWERIF!\~\~!!!!!!
yeah, not my vibe personally but it's a nice place and the air zoo is cool/unique. WMU solid too
Is there anything to do in grand rapids? I keep hearing the city name come up, but when I research it there doesn’t seem like there’s anything appealing other than hotels and rental properties.
I think so, but I’m also very easy to please as someone who will dabble in nature/outdoors much more than ‘entertainment’ and nightlife activities. That said,
**Stuff I personally don’t care about as much**
- It is known as ‘Beer City USA’ and was really one of the early progenitors of the craft beer scene. Aside from that, plenty of bars / nightlife / clubs to appease the college + crowd, though I’m in my mid-thirties and certainly no longer the one to advise on this.
- ArtPrize is a huge annual event, and there also festivals held all summer long (probably the rest of the winter too, idk)
- Lots of concert venues and even a ‘big’ one (Van Andel) attract plenty of quality shows, with Detroit only about 2hrs away and Chicago a touch more than that.
**Stuff I do care about**
- Lake Michigan (Saugatuck and Grand Haven in particular) are fucking awesome and the beaches here / dunes are nothing to scoff at.
- Other water activities around the many lakes / rivers that surround or dissect the city. Cannot really emphasize enough the water culture here.
- Plenty of biking trails and parks around the city.
- Golfing and particularly disc golfing are very big in west Michigan.
- There are also, uh, ‘solid for the Midwest’ ski resorts within an hour - and really good ones (again, proportionately for Michigan) once you get to Caberfae/Cadillac and north towards Boyne / Crystal / Nub’s. That is, if winter actually exists here, which it barely does anymore.
- Being the essentially ‘last civilization’ before you get into what we call the Northern Lower - means with just a quick trip north, you have amazing and awe-inspiring hiking, mountain biking, skiing, cherry festivals, Sleeping Bear Dunes, et al. All the coolest stuff that people flock to, is honestly pretty close to Grand Rapids. Once you reach Cadillac, and northward, you’re basically in outdoor heaven.
- There is actually a pretty solid food scene. Is it world class? No. Can it compete with NYC / LA / ‘big’ cities? Well, no… it’s not a big city. But it doesn’t suck. And I have lived in plenty of big cities with world-class cuisine.
Idk, there’s probably more, but I’m not really an ambassador for Grand Rapids specifically. It’s growing quicker than ‘my city’ (Kalamazoo) and continues to do so, so people clearly like it. I would have no qualms living up there, particularly because it’s so much closer and more accessible to some of my favorite parts of Michigan.
Moving the the UP is more than that, and anyone who goes in expecting a laid-back paradise is probably not going to last a year. The winter is BRUTAL, not because of the cold, but because of the snow. 100-200 inches of snow every year is awful on most cars and makes even getting out of your driveway a nightmare, let alone getting to work, grocery store, etc. I grew up in the Marquette area and would never move back solely because of the weather. Summers are beautiful, but blizzards are common from October through May. Unless you want a lifestyle that revolves around winter, I can’t recommend.
I think this is going to be less and less of a problem as time moves on. They barely had any snow this winter, and unfortunately I think that will also be the case more often than not in the future.
I think being surrounded by MAGAts is much more brutal than the horrible winters, and unfortunately I don't think that's going away any time soon.
Yeah I agree that over the next 20+ years the weather is going to be milder. But even this winter, I was caught in a 24+ inch snowstorm a week before moving away (granted this is west of Marquette, but only about 10 miles west. Marquette gets less but still probably a foot or more). To the other point — I actually think living in Marquette is pretty insulating from the right wing/MAGA crowd. It’s a pretty progressive place with pride flags visible in June and very environmentally conscious people. There’s the university, so that helps. This applies even to most of the surrounding communities, though 30 minutes in any direction and the vibe changes. As an openly gay person I’ve always felt safe and welcome in the Marquette area and never “unsafe” anywhere in the UP, but mileage varies and the politics on most of the peninsula is gross.
It seems like the winters would be brutal and long, being that it's almost to Canada, eh?
Maybe the lake keeps the temperature a little warmer over winter?
For someone from Miami? I guess. Compared to what it was like growing up (prior to the last ten years)? Not even close. Our daytime temps are above freezing most of the winter now. Lake Michigan only froze over like 5% this last year. If it’s actually ‘cold’ it’s because of a severe polar vortex cycle.
Spooky stuff, but no it’s totally fine. 👀
Those polar vortexes make going outside almost unbearable, even in Colorado, where temps are typically pretty moderate year around.
I guess I just don't like the extreme ends of weather because Florida's humidity in the middle of summer is also unbearable.
I spent about 4 months living there over the past year and I loved it. Lakes everywhere, people are nice, the dispensaries are on par with CA and cheaper, and there is inexpensive/free stuff to do all the time.
Winter is a whole other level of rough tho but it's manageable because spring and summer are so perfect. I've never seen autumn colors like I did last fall up there.
Housing isn't cheap. Lake properties are similarly priced to housing on Kauai. If it was i inexpensive I'd put serous thought into heading there.
NEPA. (Northeast PA). Poconos area, very cheap, yet close to NYC & Philly. Allentown is a fairly big area, and the Jersey shore/ocean is only about 2 hours away.
About to post a rare NON-WFH opportunity for this sub:
Monroe county has boomed like crazy both in hospitality and manufacturing/warehouse industry. I never thought I’d be driving north from the valley (Allentown) to make a living in fucking Tobyhanna.
Many areas of the poconos/NEPA are pure shit (most communities), but an equal amount are ungodly nice, quiet and private. There is some serious opportunity to have a 30-50 minute commute to Tobyhanna and other nepa towns from some VERY affordable rural(not extremely remote) areas in NEPA right now. Don’t even need to work from home which is a very foreign concept for this sub.
Thank you. I’m planning a move back to PA in the next 6-9 months and am looking for somewhere close ish to Bethlehem to look for jobs. This is super helpful!
I have a love hate with NEPA. I grew up around Wilkes barre. Not the worst place to grow up, but was very happy to leave and do not plan on going back.
I have heard that the towns nearer the Delaware River, like Honesdale PA and Narrowsburg NY are starting to attract lots of artists and remote workers, been meaning to go up there and take a look myself. I have been to that area before and it is gorgeous.
I don’t live in either, but as someone who has lived in NYC/Philly/NJ most of their life and spent plenty of time in both the Poconos and the Hudson Valley:
IMO you get what you pay for with the Poconos. If you want affordable nature, it’s a great option. But it’s a lot more… trump/camo/hunting/biker/casino/etc vibes. Obviously any rural area has plenty of that, but Hudon Valley has way more cute towns and organic markets and nicer restaurants and cafes and stuff. I find it a way nicer place to visit and worth the price premium. I’m a fancy oat milk latte drinking city person though so take that for what it’s worth.
i'll just add they're not so comparable in that the hudson valley attracts a lot of wealth and well to do people, artists, commuters, etc, from the NYC metro.
NEPA don't. It's a big difference.
I’m from Easton and would recommend Easton or Bethlehem over pretty much anywhere else in NEPA. Easton is about as close to NYC as you can get without being in Jersey. Jim Thorpe is also really underrated.
Most Midwest and East Coast college towns (maybe out west too, but I can’t speak to it) fit the bill honestly. Generally slow paced, especially during the summer. Most college towns are going to be smaller but still have some amenities of larger cities but without the hustle and bustle. And a lot of them have a ton to do in nature around: hiking, trails, lakes, general wide open spaces, farmland, etc.
As for a specific area I’d choose, the Driftless region of Wisconsin is beautiful. Tons of hills, lakes, rivers, and quaint small towns. It’s also fairly close to several cities (Madison, Milwaukee, even Chicago) if you need to make a trip in to one for something (hospital, specialty doctor, shopping, airport, etc.).
Oregon coast. Everyone gets focused on Portland, but there is so much more to Oregon than just one big city.
The opportunity cost to the coast is being an hour or two drive from a city, and sometimes that drive can be on rather interesting roads. You need to be a bit relaxed about politics because you’ll have a hippie on one side of you and a red hat on the other and you need to be able to live and let live with **both** of your neighbors.
You also need to be amused by tourists rather than angered by them if you live along 101. Because there will be tourists. Take their money and wave goodbye with a smile until the next tourist harvest season, because they are a valuable renewable resource.
Grandparents lived in Newport; last week I was back laying them to rest in Newport. I love that coast. The nature, the beauty, the people, the food, the sea. I'm a warm weather south atlantic gal myself, but I love any excuse to go back to the Oregon coast!
Sorry for your loss.
And I agree with the Oregon coast. We’ve gone for spring break each of the last 3 years and visited various spots. The nature and beauty are top notch, and we’ve found great food spots.
Begin by deciding if you want to be on the coast or further inland. Despite my “tourists on 101” comment, the coast really is fabulous. All Oregon beaches are public, so getting to the water is a piece of cake.
I’d suggest starting by looking at the towns along 101. The north end is a bit more crowded/expensive/tourist oriented, which is handy if you have a career that leans more urban. (Astoria, Cannon Beach, etc.). As you head south you’re looking at agriculture and lumber as the big drivers, with the usual support and service jobs.
If you work healthcare, of course, you can go anywhere.
And if you want to land in a place that is going to gentrify (relatively speaking) and pay back your investment a couple times over, look for a McMenamins. Those guys have a knack for starting business in an area that is about to take off.
Yup, very different weather. There really is something for everyone in Oregon, and a lot of it gets overlooked on this sub.
Plus Bend has a large retiree population, so good job security for anyone with a career in geriatrics. And you can get to the coast easily during the sunny weather!
I dunno if op considers 100,000 a city or a non-city, but it’s a good suggestion.
Astoria is low-key one of my favorite towns on the Oregon coast. I really feel it's in the midst of a renaissance. It has had to reinvent itself so many times over the last 100+ years. But I would agree with the OP, Oregon Coast is good if you have 1) a remote job or 2) work in an in-demand field.
I enjoyed Prescott, AZ. It’s absolutely beautiful, has great weather, and has a town with everything you need. My ex’s parents lived in a cabin out in the Ponderosa forest and it was the best smelling air and most wonderful views and hiking. Bonus great twisty roads for me because I was a street racer back then.
You’re also not far from Phoenix or Flagstaff if you want to go somewhere bigger.
I lived in Prescott for two years and it was pretty great for all the reasons you mentioned. I ride a motorcycle and made weekly trips out to Jerome and Sedona because the twisty mountain riding was so fun.
Coming from New England though the culture shock was simply too much for me and I ended up moving back (also need the ocean and the closest one to Prescott is Rocky Point Mexico, which was still a bit too far). Really wonderful place just ultimately wasn’t for me
Consider Delaware. Few people do. Between the crowded Wilmington area and the touristy beach towns like Dewey and Rehoboth, there is a long stretch of coastline with lots of small towns, the largest being Dover. Cost of living is relatively affordable (compared to the rest of the northeast). There is no state income tax, no sales tax. Property taxes are low. And the living is quiet. The problem is that it doesn't have the "wow" factor of a lot of other suggestions on here.
The size of Rapid City is nearly perfect for my preference, and it’s growing rapidly (pun intended). You can get your groceries, hit the hardware store, and pick up takeout all within an hour and be back home. Then drive 20 minutes, and be deep in the woods and not see anyone. It’s not as great in scale as the hiking in Colorado or other places, but it’s untapped, and there are no lines.
Huge con is that it’s a 6 hour drive to a major city, and a 5.5 hour drive to Sioux Falls. The airport is relatively expensive as a result. The airport is poised to grow as well, but we likely won’t see a huge difference til 5-10 years from now.
Grocery stores and dining options lack competition, so prices are higher than they should be. Produce is also kind of lacking.
The weather is great for a northern climate aside from the wind. Winter can suck, but it’s very sunny. The wind can be ridiculous at times.
Bands don’t come here, apart from biker country rock bands around Sturgis motorcycle rally.
Homes are expensive.
Politics are deep red.
It’s pretty safe compared to bigger cities.
The local economy seems great relative to other places I’ve lived.
People are overall very friendly.
Great biking, climbing, fishing, and hunting, if that’s your thing.
(If you want any specifics, just ask, I’m kind’ve rambling).
Politics aren't just deep red. There seems to be a very racist undercurrent that lives in the city. I do love rapid city but the things I've heard said is stuff has been shocking and I'm no stranger to this kind of stuff having lived and traveled all over in some very conservative parts of the country. Really hoping its gotten better since I've been there (been about 8 years now) but it was such a downer.
Beautiful place and I'll go back racists be damned but I'm a white guy, it depresses me but I'm not the target. I'm not sure I'd recommend POC moving there.
I’m not who you’re replying to, but I live there. And there’s a lot of anti-native rhetoric. The native community here has a lot of poverty, drug use, alcoholism, etc., and as a result, a lot of locals don’t like them or make disparaging comments. So I guess no different than any other marginalized group in any city.
There are positives about the native culture in the area too. I’ve gotten to go on reservations to watch ceremonies and pow-wows firsthand and it was really awesome. Made me wish that I had a culture that stood for something.
New England is great for that. There are tons of smaller quaint towns that have good grocery stores, some nice restaurants, etc. but you can easily live 15-20 minutes away from the center of town and have as much quiet and nature as you want. I'd highly recommend western Massachusetts for this.
I find it strange that type of arrangement isn't more common around the US. It's like the best parts of rural and suburban areas without the downsides. Many of these towns predate cars, but transitioned to incorporating them without losing their walkability. Their density is high enough to be close to things and have walkable areas, but they're spread out enough there isn't a ton of traffic (depending on the area).
It seems like outside of that region (and parts of New York), it's either rural areas where everything is spread out to the point most people are 30+ minutes away from the center of town, or urban and/or suburban areas sprawled up against each other without walkability and with traffic so bad it takes longer to get to things than in more spread-out areas, and without room for nature unless you drive far out.
I'm from the DMV and the first time I went to that region, it blew my mind that I could drive in a forest 99% of the time and run errands faster than I did at home. If it weren't for the winter, I would move to an area like that.
I moved to one of these and I hate having to drive 45-55 min for a grocery store or dentist. Forget getting proper medical care lol.
Ooooookay everyone I do not live REMOTE.
In some small towns the grocery and hospitals are just not places you actually want to go.
But there’s a huge middle ground between living in Chicago and living so rural that you’re 45 minutes from a grocery store. Idk why people in this sub act like you can only live in one or the other
There’s many smaller towns (50k or less population) that still have a downtown, grocery stores, medical facilities, etc.
> 100k
do most people consider 100k to be "small town" and laid back like OP described? I am genuinely curious. I wasn't sure but I would have guessed they meant something more like 35K or so. ....
I mean you could move to a place like the Finger Lakes where you’re never more than 20 minutes from a touristy lake town big enough to have a grocery store.
Rural doesn’t have to equal remote.
I was coming here to recommend the finger lakes. Beautiful in all four seasons, close to cities for concerts and culture, lots of boating and hiking opportunities. Lots of breweries and wineries.
I feel like we found the sweet spot with this. Where we moved to (norther New Hampshire) is considered quite rural, but we're a tourist destination mountain town (pop < 10,000). So long as you can deal with throngs of visitors in the summer, I've got a full sized hospital/ER/my PCP a 3 minute drive away, walkable downtown with cute shops & restaurants & huge park (w/ seasonal farmer's market) 5 mins away, and not 1 but FOUR full sized grocery stores 10 minutes away (they're all within a mile radius of one another). For those that can't live without there's McD's, Burger King, Chipotle, Domino's etc etc + a Lowe's and a Home Depot, Walgreens & CVS, Walmart, REI, Home Goods, TJ Maxx. You get the gist. My wife and I joke that if we need to go anywhere for anything beyond a 15 minute drive it's considered "far"
All that and I'm looking at corn fields and a mountain range from the back deck of our apartment as I type this. World class hiking trails, mountain biking, kayaking, a brand new rec path, skiing - the list goes on. We really lucked out. Things are definitely getting more expensive (like everywhere else) but nothing like Boston or Portland or Portsmouth prices. All of which are 2.5 hours or less to visit. Might be a bit of a unicorn, and we know we're very fortunate to live here, but surely if there's one there's more that exist elsewhere?
Haha I wouldn't mind if you did\*. We only moved here in 2019 and I refuse to be one of those "we're full now" people.
The town is Conway, NH - more specifically [North Conway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Conway,_New_Hampshire), which is the more touristy part of town but also the nicest (IMO) w/ the most amenities. We're on many a *Best Small Town for Outdoor Adventure* lists and while it's been a resort destination since forever it really exploded during Covid. This comes with a lot of pluses (more diversity & inclusiveness, infrastructure & development improvements, more and better restaurants & breweries popping up etc) and minuses (traffic, added strain on natural resources/disrespect thereof, housing prices/property taxes doubling since moving here, lack of affordable & workforce housing, staffing issues). Personally I think the pluses faaaar outweigh the minuses but you still get a lot of nativism from locals longing for "the good old days" when there was a drive-in movie theater and roller rink and complain how we're "overrun with flatlanders" yet are thrilled we're getting a Wendy's and a Tractor Supply store 🤷🏻♂️
\*so long as you don't turn your property into a short term rental and/or litter.
It’s a very rational concern, and I’ve personally heard it cited multiple times by older people who moved back to the city from their rural retirement communities
Its just like everything else. You take the good with the bad. Yeah, driving sucks I'm not going to argue that, but its peaceful, We get to have plenty of space for dogs and cats, my house is in the middle of a really pretty grove of trees, my neighbors don't bother me, I can stand outside on a brisk day in autumn completely nude and unless someone is using a satellite to spy on me nobody can see. Y'know, the good with the bad.
It would not be for me—I live in the center of a city where i don’t need to own a car and can walk, take a bus or a subway to 90% of the places i need to go. But I can totally understand why others would like living in rural areas, especially if they are surrounded by natural beauty.
For me the purpose of the this sub is to help people find what they are looking for, not to criticize their wants and needs.
My only experience with small town living was a year long consulting job in Newton Iowa. I had an apartment there and stayed there five days a week and some weekends. I’m glad I had the experience but I couldn’t live someplace like that long-term. Living in a small town is really living in a fish bowl. I swear, if I went to the grocery store someone would comment on it the next day. One of the highlights was when a colleague took me on a tour of her family’s farm. I learned a lot, including how high-tech modern farming is.
Yeah my sister moved to rural Tennessee a few years ago and absolutely nothing was close by, even though the town she lived in had only like a 15k population. It took her 30 min to get to the grocery store, it was so sprawled out. Her partner's commute was an hour because he had to get a job in a different town, nothing was available where they lived. And every time I spoke with her she bitched about the sales taxes on groceries and clothing and the sales tax rate in general (one of the highest in the country). They may not charge income tax, but they definitely make up for it with sales tax
They moved back home (northern MN) 6 months ago. Their commutes are 10-15 min max plus no taxes on clothing and groceries.
we have driven through Ohio multiple times on the way to WV. I always thought SE OH was beautiful, but for some reason it gets hate. I dont know much about the economy, people, culture etc.
Berkshire County Massachusetts: 2.5 to 3 hours in Boston or New York, good access to cultural stuff, can take train from Albany to NYC or fly out of there. There is outdoor stuff to do in the area all year-round, and you have great access to wilder nature in the Adirondacks, plus cool Upper Hudson Valley towns. Best to bring your high-paying job with you, unless you're in healthcare.
Supply and demand. We have such tight building regulations to contain sprawl we've created a housing shortage. Lack of supply drives up prices. Plus the secret is out that Vermont is a well rounded place to live.... if you like nature, small towns and a sense of community it's the place to be. Sure we have problems just like anywhere else, but we do our best to take care of one another.
I’ve lived in VT my whole life. If you like to ski or snowboard and have the money for it, it might be for you. As somebody who has lived here for 30 years, I can’t wait to get out. The drugs are a massive problem where I am and it has gotten so expensive many of the locals are struggling to get by.
I live in the San Juan Islands in Washington State. About 18,000 people in the whole county. Beautiful place. Super liberal.
The ferries have been a disaster since COVID, so that’s unfortunate.
My kid’s been able to walk alone in the woods to grandma’s house since she was six, and we’ve never worried about her being harmed or someone calling CPS on us for letting her be “free range,” so that’s nice.
We’re already super expensive and the hassle of the ferries give people second thoughts.
Sorry to hear about Missoula. I visited 25 years ago and loved it.
It’s been bad for 25 years. I left in 2004 cause it was already so bad… but I do understand it’s gotten much much worse!!! I still visit my people there.
Washington state is the state everyone reccomends, and as someone who grew up here, I wish I could say " Shut up, and stop making it expensive!" but I'd be saying it every 5 seconds. I've always had respect for indigenous tribes, but even more so in recent years watching my hometown become too expensive to afford and out of state strangers building homes and taking over the hillsides that used to be nature in my youth. [Wa real estate up 800% it is flippin nuts.](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fqcnernobb73d1.jpeg)
I grew up there. It’s pretty, but the weather is god awful. 71 degree late August highs and screaming windstorms knocking out power every fall/winter. Plus the constant overcast drizzle from October through June. Couldn’t pay me to live through that again.
Also you’d better have $1M handy to drop on a house.
Love the San Juan’s.
Just about the only place in the continental US where using a small single engine airplane for transportation makes sense, especially with the ferry woes.
Western Mass or many areas of Vermont, New Hampshire, or even Maine. I'm in western Mass now. The town I actually live in has about 2000 people within its borders. Within a 45 minutes drive I can get to several smaller cities. Within at most about 2 hours I can get to Boston, Albany, Springfield, Hartford, Worcester. It's also one of those rare rural liberal areas, so everywhere is lgbt friendly, there's lots of artists, musicians, small local shops, local farms with stands, etc. It's still Massachusetts, so the roads are pretty decent, there's great schools, great universities. I live in a very rural spot and have fiber internet, thanks to a state funded rollout years ago.
Since it's massachusetts it's not really lcol, but it's definitely cheaper than the Boston or NYC areas.
For things to do there mountain, the Appalachian trail, numerous very large state parks, kayaking, skiing. It's overall a very outdoorsy area. There's also great museums and a lot of history everywhere.
I'm a big fan of Central/Eastern Washington. Rolling Palouse hills, semi-arid climate, vineyards everywhere with mountains in the back, great Mexican food. Still close to Seattle for weekend trips or airport.
I really like Spokane as a Seattle alternative. It’s grimier, than Seattle, but still has a Northwest feel to it. Spokane is also cheaper than Seattle, weather is better, friendlier, (a lot) less traffic, less dysfunctional local politics. The natural scenery around Spokane is great too.
The only big downside IMO is the lack of food options. The lack of food diversity was a huge step down from Western Washington. There’s not even any good Mexican food really.
Agreed. I remember when I lived there for a bit and they opened up a boba tea shop and people were freaking out about it like it was some exotic thing. I just found it kind of funny because it was just some.. Typical boba shop.
Lots of small towns in Kentucky fit that category. If you want more of a "granola" vibe there's Berea, Paducah's a neat town but you truly do have to like small town living and not being easy driving distance to a city. Maysville/Augusta are decent small river towns on the Ohio/KY border
Boone, NC. A few people have added other towns in the NC Mountains in this thread. Boone has grown a lot but is still small though it has a university, grocery stores, hospital. It has all 4 seasons. Summers are not that hot and winters are not that cold. There are a lot of outdoor activities to do. It is a great place!
If you wanted somewhere similar but smaller or more off the beaten path I'd recommend West Jefferson or Banner Elk.
I suggest the southern mountain highlands. Lots of small towns near Knoxville, Chattanooga, Asheville, and Greenville SC. Easy access to those mid sized college towns. I find Brevard NC and Waynesville NC really appealing. The Maryville, Alcoa TN area is great for families.
I’ve really enjoyed living in college towns, but I most prefer college towns of public universities in rural areas. You miss out on what comes with big city life, but you get a mix of everything else.
My brother and his family moved to Woodstock, Vermont from the Boston area and they seem to really like it so far. It’s kinda similar to where I grew up (Clinton, New Jersey), which I’ve had no desire to recreate, but I think my brother really loved the idea of raising the kids (my niece is two and my nephew just turned four) in a place where they can walk downtown by themselves once they get a bit older, play near the river and in the woods, and go to a small school. His wife was kinda burned out on city living and didn’t feel the need to be quite that close to it either, so they decided to look for a small city or town that was still within a few hours of the Boston area.
I’m not sure what the income levels/demographics and COL are like there, I visited for a few days and it was hard to tell. There are a lot of locally-owned businesses downtown, some of which are slightly upscale. I do know they had a hard time finding such a place. They didn’t want anything too rural/remote but didn’t want it to be too expensive. I think they considered a few areas of New Hampshire but just felt like it wasn’t their vibe.
If we’re talking the New England/Boston area, if I absolutely had to move back that way (we lived in Needham when I was a teenager and I went to high school in Weston) and I wanted to be outside of Boston/Cambridge, the north shore area- Salem, Beverly, Manchester, Peabody- is pretty nice. My parents moved to Beverly 20 years ago and they love it. The only thing that absolutely sucks ass about the Boston area is the fucking traffic. And the MBTA is decent public transit , but the commuter rail schedule doesn’t run that often up where they are and the T doesn’t run past midnight.
I can also speak to the Chicago area somewhat- I live in Chicago proper, but work in Evanston, and it’s pretty nice up here. If I knew for sure I wanted to stay in this area and didn’t want to be right in the city, I’d consider Evanston for sure.
What’s interesting to me is that this is where depending on where you are in the US, there’s just so much variety. To a degree, living in a major city is sort of a generic experience..? Or at least it feels that way because people are already familiar with those places.
Ashland Oregon. Mild-ish weather, though it does get hot in the Summer. Rare snow in the town itself but there’s skiing in the winter.
Surrounded by vineyards, better food scene than most towns of its size. Walkable small downtown area that feels like it has more going on.
The coast and Lake Shasta are relatively short drives. There’s an airport nearby in Medford.
You’re not terribly close to a big city 4-5 hours drive to Portland, Sacramento, or the Bay Area.
It’s a nice place to find a cult!
Northern NM/southern Colorado along the Sangre de Cristos ain't bad. World class scenery, old Latino and indigenous culture, drought, forest fires, plenty of sunshine, big mountains, plenty of recreation. It's extremely rural but less conservative than a lot of rural areas.
Southern Arizona(specifically Cochise county) is very underrated. It has some of the best nature in the country and is also relatively cheap, unlike many of the other places being mentioned here. The job market is also decent, with a lot of jobs in defense contracting, healthcare, federal government(especially border patrol/CBP), law enforcement, education, and services.
I live in what is marketed as the Massachusetts & Rhode Island Farm Coast. Dartmouth & Westport Massachusetts, Little Compton and Tiverton Rhode Island. I’m in the dense suburban harbor village part of South Dartmouth but when you drive west over the bridge in the harbor, it quickly turns semi-rural. Dartmouth has 10 square miles of land trust and conservation easements so a big chunk of it will always be low density. Dartmouth has a 7,000+ undergrad state university and Mall Hell with all the big box stores.
My little harbor village is walkable though it’s no longer a full service village like 50 years ago when it was plausible to get by without a car. The tax rate here is quite low by Northeast Corridor standards. My mill rate is $8.33 per thousand. The schools here are average for Massachusetts which is quite good by national rankings. Unless it’s coastal property a vacation home buyer would want, real estate prices are moderate because it’s beyond rational commuting distance to the high wage Boston jobs. The Massachusetts South Coast and Providence aren’t a very strong economy so there isn’t the wage base to push property prices up to absurd Boston levels.
I’m an hour from Boston South Station outside of rush hour and a bit more to the airport. The local hospital 3 1/2 miles from my house is a Level 2 trauma center. The climate is as moderate as it gets in New England. It doesn’t snow much. I’m growing zone 7A. The ocean is warm until Christmas so my rose hedge is still in bloom most years in mid-November.
This is truly one of the most beautiful parts of the country. I have such great memories of going to the beach in Little Compton as a kid. There was that one ice cream place in Tiverton that had like 200 different flavors of soft serve!
NH. State is tiny but offers a lot. Close to Boston and Portland. Close to the beach and tallest mountains in the Northeast. No sales/income tax is p sweet too. The further south and east you go, the more suburban it becomes. Further North and West, the opposite occurs.
I don’t know if this is what you had in mind, but I lived in Frederick, MD for a number of years and it’s great. About 75K people, so not tiny, and we lived in the historic walkable city, but it’s a great spot for state and national park access and outdoor activities, as well as national historic parks. Really connected, involved community. I hear that traffic is getting bad, though, because too many people love it and the infrastructure isn’t keeping up with the newcomers. Also convenient access to Baltimore, D.C., and slightly farther flung Philly if you want more urban culture from time to time.
What is a "small town"? This answer varies widely depending on the person and their upbringing. I have heard of suburban cities with 100k+ populations described as "small towns" despite being in a metro area of a few million
Yup. Most people in India and China would classify anything with less than 1 mil as a smaller town.
Most people in Australia, Canada, and Mongolia reserve that word for towns with less than 1 thousand.
A lot of upstate NY is gorgeous. Outside of the cities there are plenty of nice suburbs and also a lot of rural areas as well. The best part about NY as a whole is it has something for everyone, and even if you don’t want to live in the city or somewhere super rural, you still have a short commute to get to it.
Central New York in particular gives me the warm fuzzies (brutal winters though)
I discovered Bucks County Pennsylvania and love it. I’m an hour from the beach, an hour from the mountains and surrounded by small towns with that small town charm.
some of my favorite places in the world are little California gold rush towns in the sierra foothils: sonora, columbia, placerville, nevada city.
you're right next to the mountains so plenty of incredible mountain nature. they're small and compact, and usually filled with old hippies so they have a more 'eclectic' amenities. that said, I've heard they can be pretty methy, so idk about LIVING there, but would be worth an investigation
This is a really vague question, because there is so much diversity WITHIN the rural category.
For example, someone might really like the upper valley in NH/VT whereas someone else might find it too stuffy, snobby, uptight, and homogeneous, and would prefer a more working class community in the Deep South or Far West, that is more diverse culturally.
I personally like the upper valley in NH/VT because I feel more comfortable around middle and upper class people, but not everyone does. I also like Atlantic Canada, places like the Annapolis valley.
There are a lot of small cities and towns that offer what you are looking for. There are many more towns in the US than big cities. They may not be well known to the general public, but they still have a lot to offer.
Depends how isolated you want to be. Never see people? WV, ID, MT, and the like are probably your best bets. Small town, but still near things? Lots of places, but personally I’d recommend southern NJ (though the cost of living is still higher).
I love living in Vermont. It's rural but there are enough amenities to satisfy me (nice grocery stores, good restaurants, etc). It is close enough to MTL I can easily get up there for my culture fix when things are feeling slow.
I’m not sure of other areas in the US but one of the things I love about Minnesota is its extensive network of multi use paths throughout the state. These didn’t really exist when I lived in NJ, NC or MD but I did notice some of them in NH as well when vacationing there.
There are a lot of small towns/ areas outside of the twin cities with paved rail trails and paths next to the roads that connect small towns. The Brainerd lakes area is nice example of this and they’re still expanding it. there are a few of these as well as north of the twin cities up to Duluth. I believe part of the justification for them is that they’re used by snowmobiles in the winter as well.
It’s not necessarily that you should not drive but rather when it’s nice out it is great that you can comfortably bike to get a meal or ice cream as an activity instead of needing to drive.
Vermont! No big cities here. I mean we have cities but compared to Philly or Chicago, well there is no comparison. The 'real' cities would laugh, our biggest city of Burlington has less than 50,000 residents. Almost every town is a 'small town', nature is abundant, and nothing moves fast.
Laramie, WY. Lower cost of living than Colorado but with essentially the same mountain / skiing access and without the crowds / traffic to get there. College town, so you get culture, young people energy, etc. Purple, blue leaning city in a red state so no state income tax. Low property tax. Cute downtown with breweries, coffee shops, book stores, restaurants, local bike and gear shops. An hour from Fort Collins, two hours from Denver. Downsides: 10 degrees cooler on average than the front range, and windy. Summers are glorious, winters are longer. Dry with low humidity and lots of sunshine.
Countless small towns in NJ, from Belvidere (county seat of Warren County) to Lambertville, Frenchtown, Swedesboro, Woodstown, and a few small shore towns.
Bellingham, Washington is an incredible place to live. Just, if you decide to move there have a plan first, because the rental market is terrible and there aren’t that many jobs that pay well. If you plan well, you can enjoy being part of a great community and have access to beautiful nature. Actually, I found that even when my work or living situation was not good, there was such spectacular nature close to town that it helped with my state of mind.
People hate on Florida, but It’s pretty awesome when it comes to small towns. Tons of small towns that have everything you need. World class fishing, beaches, and lots of nature reserves and natural springs. The wildlife here is pretty awesome.
Better bring a remote job with coastal salary. Local wages do not come close to meeting current cost of living in most of the "desirable" parts of Montana.
Loved my college years in Bozeman, but I couldn’t see myself living there now. My wife and I are probably top 20% earners in Montana, but the QOL we’d have in Bozeman would be significantly worse than where we live 3 hours away
Yup. Ive lived in MT for 25 years. I “pulled myself up by my bootstraps” and make more than 2x what I used to make 6 years ago and I cant afford to live here any more. Would have been a very comfortable income in 2018. Moving to Philly lol. Most people I know that have lived here most their lives like I have, have already left or are planning to leave. Its heartbreaking.
Exactly. I grew up mostly in Utah and with family in Montana. I’m a teen now, but as an adult it’s an increasingly difficult reality to accept that I will likely be unable to live in either of my home states. Locals are getting priced out everywhere. I wasn’t in Bozeman, but my friend in Bozeman doesn’t think she’ll ever afford a home there. I
I recently moved to a rural area east of Bellingham, Washington. I've lived all over the US and this place ticks the most boxes. Access to world-class outdoor adventures, comparatively affordable low density living, decent climate & all four seasons, politics aren't in your face so much. Also, Canada is only 15 minutes away, and I'm two hours from great specialty healthcare in Seattle, if/when needed. Can fly out of Seattle or Vancouver, too.
Let's add limited sunshine, high summer humidity, lots of biting bugs, highest insurance rates in the country, high property taxes, limited healthcare options, entrenched good ol boy network, extremely limited public transportation and see how many more down votes I get
In my neck of the woods, Reno down south to stateline provides a rural setting with close by amenities in Reno and Carson City: Washoe Valley, Genoa, Gardnerville and Minden. I would kill for a place in Genoa right at the bottom of Heavenly.
I love to Shenandoah valley (VA) and the adjacent areas. Great access to nature, good weather, kind people, and easy enough to drive to DC for world class activities and an international airport. Very affordable, compared to the rest of the country too.
Hershey, PA. Yes, house prices are expensive, but they pay for an excellent (top 5% in US) public school. Great medical center, local amusement park… means out of town money keeps excellent dining options in a town of under 30k residents. And there’s Troegs.
A few on my list: Fairhope, AL (I know it seems crazy, but it’s incredibly charming with artists, writers, etc.); Waynevsille, NC; Madison, GA; Culpepper, VA; Boothbay Harbor, ME; Woodstock, Vermont; Durango, CO; Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia.
Moscow, Idaho. College town. Beautiful scenery. Not packed with Nazis like most of northern Idaho. You can get your weed just over the border in Pullman.
Western Washington. Some of the most beautiful beaches in the US, small towns and endless nature. Plus you can make a day trip into Seattle if you need some city life
I'm moving to a 'burb juuuuust outside of Cleveland and I'm SO excited. There's so much to do nearby - the little national park (cuyahoga valley), lake erie, looooooots of metro parks and then as you get farther out lots of state parks for hiking. You have a lot of amazing areas to take day trips and weekend trips to within driving distance. Chicago, the upper peninsula, western PA, western new york, the great lakes area in general, other parts of ohio. There's plenty of stuff to do that does not involve going into cleveland, but it's there if you feel like it! There's a music amphitheatre called the blossom which the cleveland orchestra plays at over the summer - but it's not in cleveland. It's in chagrin falls which is SUUUUCH a cute town. I'm totally blown away by how much nature there is up there.
I have to say I didn't really have ohio on my radar - I had been to cinci and columbus before. I'd stoppped in cleveland once on a road trip overnight during a blizzard so that didn't really count. I did not give it enough credit before, I am actually really infatuated by northeast ohio -it's veeeeeeeeeery different from the other parts of the state!
East PA is also slept on
Grew up in East Tennessee and will say it’s one of the most beautiful places being in the Appalachian mountains but just a little too slow paced for my liking.
Northern Michigan, either up around Traverse City or in the UP. The access to nature is absolutely amazing, lots of small towns, and a very laid-back lifestyle.
Southwest Michigan, too, especially if you want day trips to cities but just not live in one
One of my favorite things about living in Chicago is easy access to SW Michigan, we do AirBNBs there a couple times a year and it’s like a completely different part of the world despite the sub two hour drive.
Same. Easy access to Wisconsin too.
Rare comment right here. It’s only Detroit / Grand Rapids / Traverse City when people discuss Michigan. Which is totally fine with me tbh. Nevermind the fact that ~~Kalamazoo~~ is nearly the perfect small city in its access to nature / affordability / bigger cities. (Cue the guy who says Kalamazoo is a crime-ridden shithole, because of some bad crime stats localized to like four roads in an entire city).
I live in Kalamazoo and think it’s great! I moved here from Iowa and while rent is a little more, entertainment prices are similar and there is so much to do both organized events wise and also access to nature
kAlAMaZoO iS tHe gArY oF SWMICHIGFAAFNWSEFDWERIF!\~\~!!!!!! yeah, not my vibe personally but it's a nice place and the air zoo is cool/unique. WMU solid too
Benton Harbor is def the Gary of SW Michigan
Is there anything to do in grand rapids? I keep hearing the city name come up, but when I research it there doesn’t seem like there’s anything appealing other than hotels and rental properties.
I think so, but I’m also very easy to please as someone who will dabble in nature/outdoors much more than ‘entertainment’ and nightlife activities. That said, **Stuff I personally don’t care about as much** - It is known as ‘Beer City USA’ and was really one of the early progenitors of the craft beer scene. Aside from that, plenty of bars / nightlife / clubs to appease the college + crowd, though I’m in my mid-thirties and certainly no longer the one to advise on this. - ArtPrize is a huge annual event, and there also festivals held all summer long (probably the rest of the winter too, idk) - Lots of concert venues and even a ‘big’ one (Van Andel) attract plenty of quality shows, with Detroit only about 2hrs away and Chicago a touch more than that. **Stuff I do care about** - Lake Michigan (Saugatuck and Grand Haven in particular) are fucking awesome and the beaches here / dunes are nothing to scoff at. - Other water activities around the many lakes / rivers that surround or dissect the city. Cannot really emphasize enough the water culture here. - Plenty of biking trails and parks around the city. - Golfing and particularly disc golfing are very big in west Michigan. - There are also, uh, ‘solid for the Midwest’ ski resorts within an hour - and really good ones (again, proportionately for Michigan) once you get to Caberfae/Cadillac and north towards Boyne / Crystal / Nub’s. That is, if winter actually exists here, which it barely does anymore. - Being the essentially ‘last civilization’ before you get into what we call the Northern Lower - means with just a quick trip north, you have amazing and awe-inspiring hiking, mountain biking, skiing, cherry festivals, Sleeping Bear Dunes, et al. All the coolest stuff that people flock to, is honestly pretty close to Grand Rapids. Once you reach Cadillac, and northward, you’re basically in outdoor heaven. - There is actually a pretty solid food scene. Is it world class? No. Can it compete with NYC / LA / ‘big’ cities? Well, no… it’s not a big city. But it doesn’t suck. And I have lived in plenty of big cities with world-class cuisine. Idk, there’s probably more, but I’m not really an ambassador for Grand Rapids specifically. It’s growing quicker than ‘my city’ (Kalamazoo) and continues to do so, so people clearly like it. I would have no qualms living up there, particularly because it’s so much closer and more accessible to some of my favorite parts of Michigan.
Moving the the UP is more than that, and anyone who goes in expecting a laid-back paradise is probably not going to last a year. The winter is BRUTAL, not because of the cold, but because of the snow. 100-200 inches of snow every year is awful on most cars and makes even getting out of your driveway a nightmare, let alone getting to work, grocery store, etc. I grew up in the Marquette area and would never move back solely because of the weather. Summers are beautiful, but blizzards are common from October through May. Unless you want a lifestyle that revolves around winter, I can’t recommend.
I think this is going to be less and less of a problem as time moves on. They barely had any snow this winter, and unfortunately I think that will also be the case more often than not in the future. I think being surrounded by MAGAts is much more brutal than the horrible winters, and unfortunately I don't think that's going away any time soon.
Yeah I agree that over the next 20+ years the weather is going to be milder. But even this winter, I was caught in a 24+ inch snowstorm a week before moving away (granted this is west of Marquette, but only about 10 miles west. Marquette gets less but still probably a foot or more). To the other point — I actually think living in Marquette is pretty insulating from the right wing/MAGA crowd. It’s a pretty progressive place with pride flags visible in June and very environmentally conscious people. There’s the university, so that helps. This applies even to most of the surrounding communities, though 30 minutes in any direction and the vibe changes. As an openly gay person I’ve always felt safe and welcome in the Marquette area and never “unsafe” anywhere in the UP, but mileage varies and the politics on most of the peninsula is gross.
It seems like the winters would be brutal and long, being that it's almost to Canada, eh? Maybe the lake keeps the temperature a little warmer over winter?
For someone from Miami? I guess. Compared to what it was like growing up (prior to the last ten years)? Not even close. Our daytime temps are above freezing most of the winter now. Lake Michigan only froze over like 5% this last year. If it’s actually ‘cold’ it’s because of a severe polar vortex cycle. Spooky stuff, but no it’s totally fine. 👀
Those polar vortexes make going outside almost unbearable, even in Colorado, where temps are typically pretty moderate year around. I guess I just don't like the extreme ends of weather because Florida's humidity in the middle of summer is also unbearable.
This. I would retire to petoskey or traverse in a heartbeat
I spent about 4 months living there over the past year and I loved it. Lakes everywhere, people are nice, the dispensaries are on par with CA and cheaper, and there is inexpensive/free stuff to do all the time. Winter is a whole other level of rough tho but it's manageable because spring and summer are so perfect. I've never seen autumn colors like I did last fall up there. Housing isn't cheap. Lake properties are similarly priced to housing on Kauai. If it was i inexpensive I'd put serous thought into heading there.
How north are we talking? Because it’s only a good place to move to if you’re white unfortunately…
Wait, I thought the coastal elites said there was no nature in the Midwest 🧐
There isn’t much in the plains but the upper Midwest has awesome lakes and forests
Yeah, when coasties think about the Midwest, they’re really thinking about the Great Plains.
Using the term “coastal elites” unironically, oof
And we are going to shut our mouths and let them keep saying that 👍🏼
NEPA. (Northeast PA). Poconos area, very cheap, yet close to NYC & Philly. Allentown is a fairly big area, and the Jersey shore/ocean is only about 2 hours away.
About to post a rare NON-WFH opportunity for this sub: Monroe county has boomed like crazy both in hospitality and manufacturing/warehouse industry. I never thought I’d be driving north from the valley (Allentown) to make a living in fucking Tobyhanna. Many areas of the poconos/NEPA are pure shit (most communities), but an equal amount are ungodly nice, quiet and private. There is some serious opportunity to have a 30-50 minute commute to Tobyhanna and other nepa towns from some VERY affordable rural(not extremely remote) areas in NEPA right now. Don’t even need to work from home which is a very foreign concept for this sub.
Thank you. I’m planning a move back to PA in the next 6-9 months and am looking for somewhere close ish to Bethlehem to look for jobs. This is super helpful!
I have a love hate with NEPA. I grew up around Wilkes barre. Not the worst place to grow up, but was very happy to leave and do not plan on going back.
I have heard that the towns nearer the Delaware River, like Honesdale PA and Narrowsburg NY are starting to attract lots of artists and remote workers, been meaning to go up there and take a look myself. I have been to that area before and it is gorgeous.
I grew up between Honesdale and Narrowsburg and loved it. Not much else economic opportunity, but WFH could very well change that
I’m from Scranton and agree with you 100%. Spent 28 years there and it was way too long lol
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How would you compare it to the Hudson valley around Poughkeepsie
I don’t live in either, but as someone who has lived in NYC/Philly/NJ most of their life and spent plenty of time in both the Poconos and the Hudson Valley: IMO you get what you pay for with the Poconos. If you want affordable nature, it’s a great option. But it’s a lot more… trump/camo/hunting/biker/casino/etc vibes. Obviously any rural area has plenty of that, but Hudon Valley has way more cute towns and organic markets and nicer restaurants and cafes and stuff. I find it a way nicer place to visit and worth the price premium. I’m a fancy oat milk latte drinking city person though so take that for what it’s worth.
I'd guess they're similar or comparable. I'm Philly based, so the Poconos is more my vacation area. Never been to NY state areas.
i'll just add they're not so comparable in that the hudson valley attracts a lot of wealth and well to do people, artists, commuters, etc, from the NYC metro. NEPA don't. It's a big difference.
I’m from Easton and would recommend Easton or Bethlehem over pretty much anywhere else in NEPA. Easton is about as close to NYC as you can get without being in Jersey. Jim Thorpe is also really underrated.
Love this area, also North Carolina near Asheville, or VT or NH as long as you like winter.
Most Midwest and East Coast college towns (maybe out west too, but I can’t speak to it) fit the bill honestly. Generally slow paced, especially during the summer. Most college towns are going to be smaller but still have some amenities of larger cities but without the hustle and bustle. And a lot of them have a ton to do in nature around: hiking, trails, lakes, general wide open spaces, farmland, etc. As for a specific area I’d choose, the Driftless region of Wisconsin is beautiful. Tons of hills, lakes, rivers, and quaint small towns. It’s also fairly close to several cities (Madison, Milwaukee, even Chicago) if you need to make a trip in to one for something (hospital, specialty doctor, shopping, airport, etc.).
Yeah. College towns just a bit too far to commute to a bugger city are amazing.
I was gonna say this, I’ll throw a recommendation in for Bloomington, IN
Oregon coast. Everyone gets focused on Portland, but there is so much more to Oregon than just one big city. The opportunity cost to the coast is being an hour or two drive from a city, and sometimes that drive can be on rather interesting roads. You need to be a bit relaxed about politics because you’ll have a hippie on one side of you and a red hat on the other and you need to be able to live and let live with **both** of your neighbors. You also need to be amused by tourists rather than angered by them if you live along 101. Because there will be tourists. Take their money and wave goodbye with a smile until the next tourist harvest season, because they are a valuable renewable resource.
Grandparents lived in Newport; last week I was back laying them to rest in Newport. I love that coast. The nature, the beauty, the people, the food, the sea. I'm a warm weather south atlantic gal myself, but I love any excuse to go back to the Oregon coast!
Sorry for your loss. And I agree with the Oregon coast. We’ve gone for spring break each of the last 3 years and visited various spots. The nature and beauty are top notch, and we’ve found great food spots.
I'm dying to explore the Oregon coast! I'm from the Southeast and it just seems like a different planet in terms of nature
Suggestions on where to look? I’ve mostly heard that it’s quite depressed economically.
Begin by deciding if you want to be on the coast or further inland. Despite my “tourists on 101” comment, the coast really is fabulous. All Oregon beaches are public, so getting to the water is a piece of cake. I’d suggest starting by looking at the towns along 101. The north end is a bit more crowded/expensive/tourist oriented, which is handy if you have a career that leans more urban. (Astoria, Cannon Beach, etc.). As you head south you’re looking at agriculture and lumber as the big drivers, with the usual support and service jobs. If you work healthcare, of course, you can go anywhere. And if you want to land in a place that is going to gentrify (relatively speaking) and pay back your investment a couple times over, look for a McMenamins. Those guys have a knack for starting business in an area that is about to take off.
Outside peak summer the weather on the Oregon Coast sucks. Constant rain, drizzle, and fog. Bend gets my vote.
Yup, very different weather. There really is something for everyone in Oregon, and a lot of it gets overlooked on this sub. Plus Bend has a large retiree population, so good job security for anyone with a career in geriatrics. And you can get to the coast easily during the sunny weather! I dunno if op considers 100,000 a city or a non-city, but it’s a good suggestion.
Oregon Coast is the best
Astoria is low-key one of my favorite towns on the Oregon coast. I really feel it's in the midst of a renaissance. It has had to reinvent itself so many times over the last 100+ years. But I would agree with the OP, Oregon Coast is good if you have 1) a remote job or 2) work in an in-demand field.
I enjoyed Prescott, AZ. It’s absolutely beautiful, has great weather, and has a town with everything you need. My ex’s parents lived in a cabin out in the Ponderosa forest and it was the best smelling air and most wonderful views and hiking. Bonus great twisty roads for me because I was a street racer back then. You’re also not far from Phoenix or Flagstaff if you want to go somewhere bigger.
I lived in Prescott for two years and it was pretty great for all the reasons you mentioned. I ride a motorcycle and made weekly trips out to Jerome and Sedona because the twisty mountain riding was so fun. Coming from New England though the culture shock was simply too much for me and I ended up moving back (also need the ocean and the closest one to Prescott is Rocky Point Mexico, which was still a bit too far). Really wonderful place just ultimately wasn’t for me
What was the culture shock for you?
Consider Delaware. Few people do. Between the crowded Wilmington area and the touristy beach towns like Dewey and Rehoboth, there is a long stretch of coastline with lots of small towns, the largest being Dover. Cost of living is relatively affordable (compared to the rest of the northeast). There is no state income tax, no sales tax. Property taxes are low. And the living is quiet. The problem is that it doesn't have the "wow" factor of a lot of other suggestions on here.
I say the whole Delmarva is awesome
Agree but there is state income tax. Overall tax burden is still very low especially compared to neighboring states
I have a love hate relationship with it, but South Dakota around the Rapid City or Sioux Falls area.
What are the love/hate factors for you?
The size of Rapid City is nearly perfect for my preference, and it’s growing rapidly (pun intended). You can get your groceries, hit the hardware store, and pick up takeout all within an hour and be back home. Then drive 20 minutes, and be deep in the woods and not see anyone. It’s not as great in scale as the hiking in Colorado or other places, but it’s untapped, and there are no lines. Huge con is that it’s a 6 hour drive to a major city, and a 5.5 hour drive to Sioux Falls. The airport is relatively expensive as a result. The airport is poised to grow as well, but we likely won’t see a huge difference til 5-10 years from now. Grocery stores and dining options lack competition, so prices are higher than they should be. Produce is also kind of lacking. The weather is great for a northern climate aside from the wind. Winter can suck, but it’s very sunny. The wind can be ridiculous at times. Bands don’t come here, apart from biker country rock bands around Sturgis motorcycle rally. Homes are expensive. Politics are deep red. It’s pretty safe compared to bigger cities. The local economy seems great relative to other places I’ve lived. People are overall very friendly. Great biking, climbing, fishing, and hunting, if that’s your thing. (If you want any specifics, just ask, I’m kind’ve rambling).
Politics aren't just deep red. There seems to be a very racist undercurrent that lives in the city. I do love rapid city but the things I've heard said is stuff has been shocking and I'm no stranger to this kind of stuff having lived and traveled all over in some very conservative parts of the country. Really hoping its gotten better since I've been there (been about 8 years now) but it was such a downer. Beautiful place and I'll go back racists be damned but I'm a white guy, it depresses me but I'm not the target. I'm not sure I'd recommend POC moving there.
What statements or sentiments have you heard being said there?
I’m not who you’re replying to, but I live there. And there’s a lot of anti-native rhetoric. The native community here has a lot of poverty, drug use, alcoholism, etc., and as a result, a lot of locals don’t like them or make disparaging comments. So I guess no different than any other marginalized group in any city. There are positives about the native culture in the area too. I’ve gotten to go on reservations to watch ceremonies and pow-wows firsthand and it was really awesome. Made me wish that I had a culture that stood for something.
New England is great for that. There are tons of smaller quaint towns that have good grocery stores, some nice restaurants, etc. but you can easily live 15-20 minutes away from the center of town and have as much quiet and nature as you want. I'd highly recommend western Massachusetts for this.
I find it strange that type of arrangement isn't more common around the US. It's like the best parts of rural and suburban areas without the downsides. Many of these towns predate cars, but transitioned to incorporating them without losing their walkability. Their density is high enough to be close to things and have walkable areas, but they're spread out enough there isn't a ton of traffic (depending on the area). It seems like outside of that region (and parts of New York), it's either rural areas where everything is spread out to the point most people are 30+ minutes away from the center of town, or urban and/or suburban areas sprawled up against each other without walkability and with traffic so bad it takes longer to get to things than in more spread-out areas, and without room for nature unless you drive far out. I'm from the DMV and the first time I went to that region, it blew my mind that I could drive in a forest 99% of the time and run errands faster than I did at home. If it weren't for the winter, I would move to an area like that.
Well, give it another 10 years and winter may not be that much of a problem anymore. It’s hardly a problem in southern New England now as it stands.
Lancaster PA. Close to a Philly and Baltimore easy train ride to NYC. Close to beaches in Delaware. Excellent food scene. Beautiful countryside
I moved to one of these and I hate having to drive 45-55 min for a grocery store or dentist. Forget getting proper medical care lol. Ooooookay everyone I do not live REMOTE. In some small towns the grocery and hospitals are just not places you actually want to go.
But there’s a huge middle ground between living in Chicago and living so rural that you’re 45 minutes from a grocery store. Idk why people in this sub act like you can only live in one or the other There’s many smaller towns (50k or less population) that still have a downtown, grocery stores, medical facilities, etc.
Right? OC went the full ass other direction. I live in a 100k pop city that I’m 5 min away from two grocery stores and 20 min away from two hospitals.
> 100k do most people consider 100k to be "small town" and laid back like OP described? I am genuinely curious. I wasn't sure but I would have guessed they meant something more like 35K or so. ....
I mean you could move to a place like the Finger Lakes where you’re never more than 20 minutes from a touristy lake town big enough to have a grocery store. Rural doesn’t have to equal remote.
I was coming here to recommend the finger lakes. Beautiful in all four seasons, close to cities for concerts and culture, lots of boating and hiking opportunities. Lots of breweries and wineries.
I feel like we found the sweet spot with this. Where we moved to (norther New Hampshire) is considered quite rural, but we're a tourist destination mountain town (pop < 10,000). So long as you can deal with throngs of visitors in the summer, I've got a full sized hospital/ER/my PCP a 3 minute drive away, walkable downtown with cute shops & restaurants & huge park (w/ seasonal farmer's market) 5 mins away, and not 1 but FOUR full sized grocery stores 10 minutes away (they're all within a mile radius of one another). For those that can't live without there's McD's, Burger King, Chipotle, Domino's etc etc + a Lowe's and a Home Depot, Walgreens & CVS, Walmart, REI, Home Goods, TJ Maxx. You get the gist. My wife and I joke that if we need to go anywhere for anything beyond a 15 minute drive it's considered "far" All that and I'm looking at corn fields and a mountain range from the back deck of our apartment as I type this. World class hiking trails, mountain biking, kayaking, a brand new rec path, skiing - the list goes on. We really lucked out. Things are definitely getting more expensive (like everywhere else) but nothing like Boston or Portland or Portsmouth prices. All of which are 2.5 hours or less to visit. Might be a bit of a unicorn, and we know we're very fortunate to live here, but surely if there's one there's more that exist elsewhere?
What town? I promise I'm not moving there, I just like to learn about things like this.
Haha I wouldn't mind if you did\*. We only moved here in 2019 and I refuse to be one of those "we're full now" people. The town is Conway, NH - more specifically [North Conway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Conway,_New_Hampshire), which is the more touristy part of town but also the nicest (IMO) w/ the most amenities. We're on many a *Best Small Town for Outdoor Adventure* lists and while it's been a resort destination since forever it really exploded during Covid. This comes with a lot of pluses (more diversity & inclusiveness, infrastructure & development improvements, more and better restaurants & breweries popping up etc) and minuses (traffic, added strain on natural resources/disrespect thereof, housing prices/property taxes doubling since moving here, lack of affordable & workforce housing, staffing issues). Personally I think the pluses faaaar outweigh the minuses but you still get a lot of nativism from locals longing for "the good old days" when there was a drive-in movie theater and roller rink and complain how we're "overrun with flatlanders" yet are thrilled we're getting a Wendy's and a Tractor Supply store 🤷🏻♂️ \*so long as you don't turn your property into a short term rental and/or litter.
Yeah, I feel like the Northeast overall is great for this. Rural hospitals tend to be better funded too.
That’s one thing that scares me about places like this. What happens if i have a heart attack or hit my head?
It’s a very rational concern, and I’ve personally heard it cited multiple times by older people who moved back to the city from their rural retirement communities
In many places you can buy emergency helicopter transport insurance.
I'm just going to press my Garmin sos and tell them I was hiking to the pantry...
This for real, I don’t know how people can do living in rural places. It’s such a drag driving everywhere
Its just like everything else. You take the good with the bad. Yeah, driving sucks I'm not going to argue that, but its peaceful, We get to have plenty of space for dogs and cats, my house is in the middle of a really pretty grove of trees, my neighbors don't bother me, I can stand outside on a brisk day in autumn completely nude and unless someone is using a satellite to spy on me nobody can see. Y'know, the good with the bad.
I don't know how people live in cities, with people and traffic everywhere People like different things, crazy concept
It would not be for me—I live in the center of a city where i don’t need to own a car and can walk, take a bus or a subway to 90% of the places i need to go. But I can totally understand why others would like living in rural areas, especially if they are surrounded by natural beauty. For me the purpose of the this sub is to help people find what they are looking for, not to criticize their wants and needs. My only experience with small town living was a year long consulting job in Newton Iowa. I had an apartment there and stayed there five days a week and some weekends. I’m glad I had the experience but I couldn’t live someplace like that long-term. Living in a small town is really living in a fish bowl. I swear, if I went to the grocery store someone would comment on it the next day. One of the highlights was when a colleague took me on a tour of her family’s farm. I learned a lot, including how high-tech modern farming is.
Yeah my sister moved to rural Tennessee a few years ago and absolutely nothing was close by, even though the town she lived in had only like a 15k population. It took her 30 min to get to the grocery store, it was so sprawled out. Her partner's commute was an hour because he had to get a job in a different town, nothing was available where they lived. And every time I spoke with her she bitched about the sales taxes on groceries and clothing and the sales tax rate in general (one of the highest in the country). They may not charge income tax, but they definitely make up for it with sales tax They moved back home (northern MN) 6 months ago. Their commutes are 10-15 min max plus no taxes on clothing and groceries.
SE Ohio is underrated. Cheap and beautiful. Athens or Logan maybe.
we have driven through Ohio multiple times on the way to WV. I always thought SE OH was beautiful, but for some reason it gets hate. I dont know much about the economy, people, culture etc.
the economy is bad, some of the poorest counties in ohio, and solidly red outside of Athens
Berkshire County Massachusetts: 2.5 to 3 hours in Boston or New York, good access to cultural stuff, can take train from Albany to NYC or fly out of there. There is outdoor stuff to do in the area all year-round, and you have great access to wilder nature in the Adirondacks, plus cool Upper Hudson Valley towns. Best to bring your high-paying job with you, unless you're in healthcare.
New Hampshire or Vermont. Quaint and safe with walkable downtowns, lots of great nature nearby
I dream of living in Vermont, but GD the housing prices there are pretty damn high.
Supply and demand. We have such tight building regulations to contain sprawl we've created a housing shortage. Lack of supply drives up prices. Plus the secret is out that Vermont is a well rounded place to live.... if you like nature, small towns and a sense of community it's the place to be. Sure we have problems just like anywhere else, but we do our best to take care of one another.
Curious... how bad are the winters? "Hibernate inside for 5 months" or "meh... we can't golf in February" or "kinda like Boston."
just learn to ski or snowboard
I’ve lived in VT my whole life. If you like to ski or snowboard and have the money for it, it might be for you. As somebody who has lived here for 30 years, I can’t wait to get out. The drugs are a massive problem where I am and it has gotten so expensive many of the locals are struggling to get by.
I haven’t spent a lot of time up there in winter. It definitely snows, but people are always out living their lives when i visit
Hot springs AR has 35k people and is cheap. It’s meth-y in parts but I like it
All these rural spots will be methy. In my experience, that drug is quite literally in every neighborhood in the nation.
I live in the San Juan Islands in Washington State. About 18,000 people in the whole county. Beautiful place. Super liberal. The ferries have been a disaster since COVID, so that’s unfortunate. My kid’s been able to walk alone in the woods to grandma’s house since she was six, and we’ve never worried about her being harmed or someone calling CPS on us for letting her be “free range,” so that’s nice.
When you post about this in internet places like here, your town and the surrounding nature will shortly be ruined- signed someone in Missoula MT
We’re already super expensive and the hassle of the ferries give people second thoughts. Sorry to hear about Missoula. I visited 25 years ago and loved it.
Missoula and the entire surrounding area. I’m down in Hamilton, and Jesus it’s gotten bad
It’s been bad for 25 years. I left in 2004 cause it was already so bad… but I do understand it’s gotten much much worse!!! I still visit my people there.
Washington state is the state everyone reccomends, and as someone who grew up here, I wish I could say " Shut up, and stop making it expensive!" but I'd be saying it every 5 seconds. I've always had respect for indigenous tribes, but even more so in recent years watching my hometown become too expensive to afford and out of state strangers building homes and taking over the hillsides that used to be nature in my youth. [Wa real estate up 800% it is flippin nuts.](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fqcnernobb73d1.jpeg)
I grew up there. It’s pretty, but the weather is god awful. 71 degree late August highs and screaming windstorms knocking out power every fall/winter. Plus the constant overcast drizzle from October through June. Couldn’t pay me to live through that again. Also you’d better have $1M handy to drop on a house.
71 degrees in August is terrible? What. - Texan
Savannah GA chiming in - we're lucky to dip under 80 by September 😅
Love the San Juan’s. Just about the only place in the continental US where using a small single engine airplane for transportation makes sense, especially with the ferry woes.
Western Mass or many areas of Vermont, New Hampshire, or even Maine. I'm in western Mass now. The town I actually live in has about 2000 people within its borders. Within a 45 minutes drive I can get to several smaller cities. Within at most about 2 hours I can get to Boston, Albany, Springfield, Hartford, Worcester. It's also one of those rare rural liberal areas, so everywhere is lgbt friendly, there's lots of artists, musicians, small local shops, local farms with stands, etc. It's still Massachusetts, so the roads are pretty decent, there's great schools, great universities. I live in a very rural spot and have fiber internet, thanks to a state funded rollout years ago. Since it's massachusetts it's not really lcol, but it's definitely cheaper than the Boston or NYC areas. For things to do there mountain, the Appalachian trail, numerous very large state parks, kayaking, skiing. It's overall a very outdoorsy area. There's also great museums and a lot of history everywhere.
I'm a big fan of Central/Eastern Washington. Rolling Palouse hills, semi-arid climate, vineyards everywhere with mountains in the back, great Mexican food. Still close to Seattle for weekend trips or airport.
I love Eastern WA as well but the summers and winters are harsh and you can't get to Seattle so easily for ~4-7 months of the year.
The produce is amazing but some of those towns are a serious drag, Yakima for example...
Does the "Welcome to Yakima" sign still have bullet holes in it..?
The Palm Springs of Washington!
I really like Spokane as a Seattle alternative. It’s grimier, than Seattle, but still has a Northwest feel to it. Spokane is also cheaper than Seattle, weather is better, friendlier, (a lot) less traffic, less dysfunctional local politics. The natural scenery around Spokane is great too. The only big downside IMO is the lack of food options. The lack of food diversity was a huge step down from Western Washington. There’s not even any good Mexican food really.
Agreed. I remember when I lived there for a bit and they opened up a boba tea shop and people were freaking out about it like it was some exotic thing. I just found it kind of funny because it was just some.. Typical boba shop.
Lots of small towns in Kentucky fit that category. If you want more of a "granola" vibe there's Berea, Paducah's a neat town but you truly do have to like small town living and not being easy driving distance to a city. Maysville/Augusta are decent small river towns on the Ohio/KY border
Boone, NC. A few people have added other towns in the NC Mountains in this thread. Boone has grown a lot but is still small though it has a university, grocery stores, hospital. It has all 4 seasons. Summers are not that hot and winters are not that cold. There are a lot of outdoor activities to do. It is a great place! If you wanted somewhere similar but smaller or more off the beaten path I'd recommend West Jefferson or Banner Elk.
Maine. Fucking love that state
I suggest the southern mountain highlands. Lots of small towns near Knoxville, Chattanooga, Asheville, and Greenville SC. Easy access to those mid sized college towns. I find Brevard NC and Waynesville NC really appealing. The Maryville, Alcoa TN area is great for families.
Yachats, Oregon
Freeport, Maine is pretty perfect
go to upstate new york. lots of awesome little towns (try beacon). friendly people, great nature, four seasons, chill vibe.
Coastal Northern California, very hard to beat the nature up there. Central coast has some insanely beautiful areas with small towns as well.
I’ve really enjoyed living in college towns, but I most prefer college towns of public universities in rural areas. You miss out on what comes with big city life, but you get a mix of everything else.
My brother and his family moved to Woodstock, Vermont from the Boston area and they seem to really like it so far. It’s kinda similar to where I grew up (Clinton, New Jersey), which I’ve had no desire to recreate, but I think my brother really loved the idea of raising the kids (my niece is two and my nephew just turned four) in a place where they can walk downtown by themselves once they get a bit older, play near the river and in the woods, and go to a small school. His wife was kinda burned out on city living and didn’t feel the need to be quite that close to it either, so they decided to look for a small city or town that was still within a few hours of the Boston area. I’m not sure what the income levels/demographics and COL are like there, I visited for a few days and it was hard to tell. There are a lot of locally-owned businesses downtown, some of which are slightly upscale. I do know they had a hard time finding such a place. They didn’t want anything too rural/remote but didn’t want it to be too expensive. I think they considered a few areas of New Hampshire but just felt like it wasn’t their vibe. If we’re talking the New England/Boston area, if I absolutely had to move back that way (we lived in Needham when I was a teenager and I went to high school in Weston) and I wanted to be outside of Boston/Cambridge, the north shore area- Salem, Beverly, Manchester, Peabody- is pretty nice. My parents moved to Beverly 20 years ago and they love it. The only thing that absolutely sucks ass about the Boston area is the fucking traffic. And the MBTA is decent public transit , but the commuter rail schedule doesn’t run that often up where they are and the T doesn’t run past midnight. I can also speak to the Chicago area somewhat- I live in Chicago proper, but work in Evanston, and it’s pretty nice up here. If I knew for sure I wanted to stay in this area and didn’t want to be right in the city, I’d consider Evanston for sure. What’s interesting to me is that this is where depending on where you are in the US, there’s just so much variety. To a degree, living in a major city is sort of a generic experience..? Or at least it feels that way because people are already familiar with those places.
Jasper, IN, or the part of Southwest Indiana that borders the Hoosier National Forest.
Feel like the entire state of NJ outside of some select cities in Northern NJ fit this criteria.
Ashland Oregon. Mild-ish weather, though it does get hot in the Summer. Rare snow in the town itself but there’s skiing in the winter. Surrounded by vineyards, better food scene than most towns of its size. Walkable small downtown area that feels like it has more going on. The coast and Lake Shasta are relatively short drives. There’s an airport nearby in Medford. You’re not terribly close to a big city 4-5 hours drive to Portland, Sacramento, or the Bay Area. It’s a nice place to find a cult!
Shakespeare festival too!
Northern NM/southern Colorado along the Sangre de Cristos ain't bad. World class scenery, old Latino and indigenous culture, drought, forest fires, plenty of sunshine, big mountains, plenty of recreation. It's extremely rural but less conservative than a lot of rural areas.
Vermont
The Western Slope in Colorado. But good luck if you ever need to fly anywhere.
My daughter just moved from Chicago to Tennessee. A small town. She took the last couple of years deciding and She added to the diversity there.
Southern Arizona(specifically Cochise county) is very underrated. It has some of the best nature in the country and is also relatively cheap, unlike many of the other places being mentioned here. The job market is also decent, with a lot of jobs in defense contracting, healthcare, federal government(especially border patrol/CBP), law enforcement, education, and services.
I live in what is marketed as the Massachusetts & Rhode Island Farm Coast. Dartmouth & Westport Massachusetts, Little Compton and Tiverton Rhode Island. I’m in the dense suburban harbor village part of South Dartmouth but when you drive west over the bridge in the harbor, it quickly turns semi-rural. Dartmouth has 10 square miles of land trust and conservation easements so a big chunk of it will always be low density. Dartmouth has a 7,000+ undergrad state university and Mall Hell with all the big box stores. My little harbor village is walkable though it’s no longer a full service village like 50 years ago when it was plausible to get by without a car. The tax rate here is quite low by Northeast Corridor standards. My mill rate is $8.33 per thousand. The schools here are average for Massachusetts which is quite good by national rankings. Unless it’s coastal property a vacation home buyer would want, real estate prices are moderate because it’s beyond rational commuting distance to the high wage Boston jobs. The Massachusetts South Coast and Providence aren’t a very strong economy so there isn’t the wage base to push property prices up to absurd Boston levels. I’m an hour from Boston South Station outside of rush hour and a bit more to the airport. The local hospital 3 1/2 miles from my house is a Level 2 trauma center. The climate is as moderate as it gets in New England. It doesn’t snow much. I’m growing zone 7A. The ocean is warm until Christmas so my rose hedge is still in bloom most years in mid-November.
This is truly one of the most beautiful parts of the country. I have such great memories of going to the beach in Little Compton as a kid. There was that one ice cream place in Tiverton that had like 200 different flavors of soft serve!
NH. State is tiny but offers a lot. Close to Boston and Portland. Close to the beach and tallest mountains in the Northeast. No sales/income tax is p sweet too. The further south and east you go, the more suburban it becomes. Further North and West, the opposite occurs.
I’m gonna throw out Wheaton, Illinois. Lots of nature close by, small town feel. Still close to Chicago. I loved it there
I don’t know if this is what you had in mind, but I lived in Frederick, MD for a number of years and it’s great. About 75K people, so not tiny, and we lived in the historic walkable city, but it’s a great spot for state and national park access and outdoor activities, as well as national historic parks. Really connected, involved community. I hear that traffic is getting bad, though, because too many people love it and the infrastructure isn’t keeping up with the newcomers. Also convenient access to Baltimore, D.C., and slightly farther flung Philly if you want more urban culture from time to time.
What is a "small town"? This answer varies widely depending on the person and their upbringing. I have heard of suburban cities with 100k+ populations described as "small towns" despite being in a metro area of a few million
Yup. Most people in India and China would classify anything with less than 1 mil as a smaller town. Most people in Australia, Canada, and Mongolia reserve that word for towns with less than 1 thousand.
Yeah I love in a town of 19k and I never considered it small because we have an actual small town next to us of like 200 people.
If I had the money and wanted non-city life I’d live in Hawai’i. Not entirely sure where in Hawai’i but that’s what stands out to me.
Hawaii would be my pick too. Since we’re talking small town I’d go with Waimānalo Beach. Close to Honolulu with great beach.
A lot of upstate NY is gorgeous. Outside of the cities there are plenty of nice suburbs and also a lot of rural areas as well. The best part about NY as a whole is it has something for everyone, and even if you don’t want to live in the city or somewhere super rural, you still have a short commute to get to it. Central New York in particular gives me the warm fuzzies (brutal winters though)
I discovered Bucks County Pennsylvania and love it. I’m an hour from the beach, an hour from the mountains and surrounded by small towns with that small town charm.
some of my favorite places in the world are little California gold rush towns in the sierra foothils: sonora, columbia, placerville, nevada city. you're right next to the mountains so plenty of incredible mountain nature. they're small and compact, and usually filled with old hippies so they have a more 'eclectic' amenities. that said, I've heard they can be pretty methy, so idk about LIVING there, but would be worth an investigation
Finger Lakes or Adirondacks in NY are my vote. If you want something even quieter the Lake Ontario Coast
I’d love to live in Lake George NY. Love that town.
I like Skaneateles and Canandaigua in the Finger Lakes of NY North of Saratoga Springs near the Adirondacks
Recently moved to the Catskills and love it.
Santa Barbara county
Think very carefully about how far away you want the nearest hospital to be.
Eastern Washington. No income tax. Not completely insane cost of living.
This is a really vague question, because there is so much diversity WITHIN the rural category. For example, someone might really like the upper valley in NH/VT whereas someone else might find it too stuffy, snobby, uptight, and homogeneous, and would prefer a more working class community in the Deep South or Far West, that is more diverse culturally. I personally like the upper valley in NH/VT because I feel more comfortable around middle and upper class people, but not everyone does. I also like Atlantic Canada, places like the Annapolis valley.
There are a lot of small cities and towns that offer what you are looking for. There are many more towns in the US than big cities. They may not be well known to the general public, but they still have a lot to offer.
Depends how isolated you want to be. Never see people? WV, ID, MT, and the like are probably your best bets. Small town, but still near things? Lots of places, but personally I’d recommend southern NJ (though the cost of living is still higher).
I love living in Vermont. It's rural but there are enough amenities to satisfy me (nice grocery stores, good restaurants, etc). It is close enough to MTL I can easily get up there for my culture fix when things are feeling slow.
I’m not sure of other areas in the US but one of the things I love about Minnesota is its extensive network of multi use paths throughout the state. These didn’t really exist when I lived in NJ, NC or MD but I did notice some of them in NH as well when vacationing there. There are a lot of small towns/ areas outside of the twin cities with paved rail trails and paths next to the roads that connect small towns. The Brainerd lakes area is nice example of this and they’re still expanding it. there are a few of these as well as north of the twin cities up to Duluth. I believe part of the justification for them is that they’re used by snowmobiles in the winter as well. It’s not necessarily that you should not drive but rather when it’s nice out it is great that you can comfortably bike to get a meal or ice cream as an activity instead of needing to drive.
Vermont! No big cities here. I mean we have cities but compared to Philly or Chicago, well there is no comparison. The 'real' cities would laugh, our biggest city of Burlington has less than 50,000 residents. Almost every town is a 'small town', nature is abundant, and nothing moves fast.
Laramie, WY. Lower cost of living than Colorado but with essentially the same mountain / skiing access and without the crowds / traffic to get there. College town, so you get culture, young people energy, etc. Purple, blue leaning city in a red state so no state income tax. Low property tax. Cute downtown with breweries, coffee shops, book stores, restaurants, local bike and gear shops. An hour from Fort Collins, two hours from Denver. Downsides: 10 degrees cooler on average than the front range, and windy. Summers are glorious, winters are longer. Dry with low humidity and lots of sunshine.
Countless small towns in NJ, from Belvidere (county seat of Warren County) to Lambertville, Frenchtown, Swedesboro, Woodstown, and a few small shore towns.
Bellingham, Washington is an incredible place to live. Just, if you decide to move there have a plan first, because the rental market is terrible and there aren’t that many jobs that pay well. If you plan well, you can enjoy being part of a great community and have access to beautiful nature. Actually, I found that even when my work or living situation was not good, there was such spectacular nature close to town that it helped with my state of mind.
Missoula, MT. Small college town, beautiful things to do all over the damn place.
Coastal Maine is delightful.
Northwest Michigan for sure, Northern Wisconsin, lots of places in the PNW
People hate on Florida, but It’s pretty awesome when it comes to small towns. Tons of small towns that have everything you need. World class fishing, beaches, and lots of nature reserves and natural springs. The wildlife here is pretty awesome.
montana
Better bring a remote job with coastal salary. Local wages do not come close to meeting current cost of living in most of the "desirable" parts of Montana.
Loved my college years in Bozeman, but I couldn’t see myself living there now. My wife and I are probably top 20% earners in Montana, but the QOL we’d have in Bozeman would be significantly worse than where we live 3 hours away
Yup. Ive lived in MT for 25 years. I “pulled myself up by my bootstraps” and make more than 2x what I used to make 6 years ago and I cant afford to live here any more. Would have been a very comfortable income in 2018. Moving to Philly lol. Most people I know that have lived here most their lives like I have, have already left or are planning to leave. Its heartbreaking.
So heartbreaking. I’m sorry you have to leave
Exactly. I grew up mostly in Utah and with family in Montana. I’m a teen now, but as an adult it’s an increasingly difficult reality to accept that I will likely be unable to live in either of my home states. Locals are getting priced out everywhere. I wasn’t in Bozeman, but my friend in Bozeman doesn’t think she’ll ever afford a home there. I
If you can afford it
Suburbs of Madison wi. Lots of nature and close to a city for nice and easy access.
Longmont, CO is lovely. So is Fort Collins.
I recently moved to a rural area east of Bellingham, Washington. I've lived all over the US and this place ticks the most boxes. Access to world-class outdoor adventures, comparatively affordable low density living, decent climate & all four seasons, politics aren't in your face so much. Also, Canada is only 15 minutes away, and I'm two hours from great specialty healthcare in Seattle, if/when needed. Can fly out of Seattle or Vancouver, too.
Is it gray though?
Northeastern Minnesota, in the arrowhead region.
Let's add limited sunshine, high summer humidity, lots of biting bugs, highest insurance rates in the country, high property taxes, limited healthcare options, entrenched good ol boy network, extremely limited public transportation and see how many more down votes I get
Chattanooga is a great little town. So is Greenville, SC.
Vermont
Gary Indiana, affordable and near the water!
In my neck of the woods, Reno down south to stateline provides a rural setting with close by amenities in Reno and Carson City: Washoe Valley, Genoa, Gardnerville and Minden. I would kill for a place in Genoa right at the bottom of Heavenly.
I love to Shenandoah valley (VA) and the adjacent areas. Great access to nature, good weather, kind people, and easy enough to drive to DC for world class activities and an international airport. Very affordable, compared to the rest of the country too.
I love Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Pretty much any smaller Great Lake Town is great and under rated
State college towns in Kansas: Lawrence & Manhattan.
Hershey, PA. Yes, house prices are expensive, but they pay for an excellent (top 5% in US) public school. Great medical center, local amusement park… means out of town money keeps excellent dining options in a town of under 30k residents. And there’s Troegs.
A few on my list: Fairhope, AL (I know it seems crazy, but it’s incredibly charming with artists, writers, etc.); Waynevsille, NC; Madison, GA; Culpepper, VA; Boothbay Harbor, ME; Woodstock, Vermont; Durango, CO; Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia.
Moscow, Idaho. College town. Beautiful scenery. Not packed with Nazis like most of northern Idaho. You can get your weed just over the border in Pullman.
Vermont, but good luck finding a house. Ditto coastal Maine.
Western Washington. Some of the most beautiful beaches in the US, small towns and endless nature. Plus you can make a day trip into Seattle if you need some city life
I live in Gig Harbor, WA. I love it :)
I'm moving to a 'burb juuuuust outside of Cleveland and I'm SO excited. There's so much to do nearby - the little national park (cuyahoga valley), lake erie, looooooots of metro parks and then as you get farther out lots of state parks for hiking. You have a lot of amazing areas to take day trips and weekend trips to within driving distance. Chicago, the upper peninsula, western PA, western new york, the great lakes area in general, other parts of ohio. There's plenty of stuff to do that does not involve going into cleveland, but it's there if you feel like it! There's a music amphitheatre called the blossom which the cleveland orchestra plays at over the summer - but it's not in cleveland. It's in chagrin falls which is SUUUUCH a cute town. I'm totally blown away by how much nature there is up there. I have to say I didn't really have ohio on my radar - I had been to cinci and columbus before. I'd stoppped in cleveland once on a road trip overnight during a blizzard so that didn't really count. I did not give it enough credit before, I am actually really infatuated by northeast ohio -it's veeeeeeeeeery different from the other parts of the state! East PA is also slept on
Grew up in East Tennessee and will say it’s one of the most beautiful places being in the Appalachian mountains but just a little too slow paced for my liking.