“Just a small-town girl, living in a lonely world”
– Journey, Don’t Stop Believing
Journey offers a bleak description of living in a small town, but the band gets a lot wrong.
Small-towners dream of escaping their provincial lives and embarking on an adventure in the big city. But no one tells you everyone has these dreams—suburbanites, city dwellers, and small-town folk all hope to escape their lot and do something different.
I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, and even there, I longed to escape in pursuit of adventure elsewhere. I believe many people share this desire regardless of where they’re from. It’s not about escaping the small town; it’s about leaving the nest and setting out on your own.
Sometimes, that means running to a small town instead of away from it.
The Benefits of Living in a Small Town
No one ever talks about how refreshing small-town life can be.
I’m a city girl. As I said, I grew up in Chicago’s suburbs and then lived in Los Angeles for the first ten years of my adult life. Next, I moved to the small city of Savannah, and from there, I moved to a tiny little town in rural (ish) Pennsylvania.
Although it’s not perfect, living in a small town has its benefits.
Affordability
I moved to a small town to save money. I wanted to find a place with a low cost of living so I could achieve my financial goals.
When a great job opportunity opened up in rural Pennsylvania, I jumped on it.
Home prices in there average $100k. I bought a fixer-upper for half of that.
I purchased the home with cash and eliminated a mortgage payment from my budget.
Of course, most people can’t afford to drop 50K on a home, but a 100K mortgage is more manageable than a mortgage or even rent in larger cities.
Walkable
Everything I need is only a few blocks away. I can walk to the small grocery store, post office, the local bar, a pizza place, and a Chinese take-out joint. If I didn’t have to work, I wouldn’t need a car at all.
The resources nearby will vary based on where you choose to settle in. For example, I regret not finding a town with a local coffee shop. However, most will have at least a few places nearby where you can get your basic needs met.
Supporting Local
Most of the amenities within walking distance are locally owned and operated. The pizza shop across the street and the restaurant down the block are small businesses community members own.
Even the grocery store is a Pennsylvania company and not a national franchise.
Knowing I’m putting money directly into the local economy every time I go to one of these places makes me happy.
Low Crime
Small towns typically have less crime than big cities. People feel safe walking down the streets at night (though I never recommend leaving the doors unlocked, no matter how secure you feel!).
Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Although my area is lovely, many of the small towns near me were hit hard by the opioid epidemic. Homes are falling apart, and crime is rampant.
If you are considering moving to a small town to escape the crime of the big city, do your homework. Make sure the town you move to has a thriving main street and isn’t falling apart.
Friendly Neighbors
Do you remember those television shows where residents greet their new neighbors with homemade pie? I’ve moved around a lot and always thought this was a myth or a remnant of a bygone era.
But it happened when I moved to Pennsylvania. During my first week here, my neighbors stopped by to welcome me to the neighborhood with fresh baked goods in a lovely “welcome to the neighborhood” basket.
However, it is also true that the locals are cautious of visitors and newcomers. It took a while for the customer service workers at the local restaurants and stores to warm up to us. But now that we’ve been here for a while and have established that we’re regulars, they are much more comfortable with us.
Close to Nature
Living in a small town forces you to live closer to nature. Whether nestled near small forests or in the great plains, most small towns are surrounded by farmland, trees, fields, and the quiet of rural life.
The type of nature greatly depends on the geographic location of the small town. In the Midwest, you may be close to cornfields and pastures, while small towns up north likely have more forests nearby. If you head to the Southwest, your little village may be surrounded by desert.
Regardless, there are usually many outdoor activities, state and county parks, and local wilderness areas nearby.
Should I Move to a Small Town?
Although these six benefits make living in a small town worthwhile, they aren’t the only things to consider when deciding where you want to live.
Before moving to a small town, you must consider other aspects of your life.
Do I Rely on City Life Amenities?
As a city girl, I couldn’t imagine surviving in a town just a few blocks long. There are far fewer options than I’m used to, and they’re all open for shorter periods.
How will I enjoy all the things I’ve come to rely on living in big cities, like ordering food at all hours, enjoying nightlife, and doing whatever I want whenever I want?
I soon realized that I never actually cared about those things. I prefer a walkable town where I must adjust my schedule to a large city where I must drive 30 minutes to get anywhere.
However, your needs may vary. If you work the night shift and rely on that 24-hour pizza joint or love painting the town red every weekend, you might prefer staying in a bigger city.
How Do People Make Money Living in a Small Town?
Small towns remain small and affordable because they lack decent jobs. Although you can find work in these smaller areas, you’re probably limited to low-paying service positions or manufacturing work.
However, a few sectors generally have jobs available in or near any small town – healthcare, education, and sales, to name a few.
Additionally, some folks choose to live in small towns that are within commuting distance to larger cities. I live about 45 minutes from both Harrisburg and Reading, cities with far more industries and employment options.
With the increase in remote working opportunities, the idea that jobs are only available in cities might be changing.
Explore remote work if you want to move to a small town to save money. Many industries, like information technology, graphic design, and even teaching, have remote opportunities.
What is the Best Small Town to Live in?
Thousands of articles are trying to sell you which small towns are the best places to live.
In reality, the answer will differ for everyone, depending on your unique needs. And let’s be honest, we know those reporters did not visit every small town in the country to come up with their list – they sourced their “best” from the internet and from towns actively seeking new residents.
To determine the best small town for you, assess your motivations for moving and your needs.
If you’re solely interested in saving money, your most significant consideration should be median home values. However, if you still need a big city nearby for career opportunities, you must find something with a reasonable commute.
Don’t fall in love with an area based on aesthetics. Many of the most charming small towns in the country are just as expensive as major cities. However, if you’re not worried about money but want to be close to nature in a lovely small village, these towns are the perfect choice.
Disadvantages of Small-Town Living
Living in a small town isn’t all rainbows and butterflies. There are plenty of disadvantages, and before deciding to move, you should weigh both sides.
Food
As a foodie, it hurts that I can’t get any food I want.
Living in Las Angeles spoiled me. I could get any cuisine I wanted within a 20-mile radius. Now, if I wish to eat Indian or Vietnamese food, I must drive to Harrisburg or Philadelphia. The food scene here is severely lacking.
Thankfully, my small town has a Japanese restaurant, so I can at least get Hibachi and sushi. But besides that and the Chinese place, there aren’t any ethnic restaurants nearby.
There aren’t many other options, either. The town has three restaurants and a handful of fast-food joints. If I want something different, I have to drive an hour.
Culture Shock
The culture and values of people living in small towns tend to differ from those in a city. As a person who has lived in cities my whole life, this was quite a shock.
Most people are friendly and neighborly, but even after living here for a few years, I still often feel like an outsider.
The town I moved to is very religious, and as a non-theist, I didn’t join any local churches. Unfortunately, this is where most people congregate and make friends. People notice when you don’t join the church group and either try to convert you or become distrustful of you.
Thankfully, most people have been outwardly kind, but you can feel the exclusion from the sense of community the locals share.
The Potential for a Worse Experience
I can only speak to my experiences as a white person.
Although I can’t know for sure, I feel that if I were a person of color, my experiences here might be vastly different.
No one has said or done anything racist, but of course they wouldn’t because I’m white. I blend in.
I’ve seen enough flags on enough houses to deeply question how some of my neighbors would behave if I were a person of color. I didn’t realize this when I moved here, and it’s the top reason why I don’t want to stay. I don’t want to live in a place long-term where I can’t trust most of my neighbors to treat every human with dignity.
On the plus side, there is an Indivisible Chapter working in my county, which gives me hope. Some people here want things to change and are working hard to make progress.
Opportunities
Although some industries always have openings regardless of where you work, they are limited. If you cannot find remote work, your job opportunities will be sparse.
Retirees looking to downsize to a cheaper cost-of-living area and folks in high-demand industries with remote work potential may not have to worry, but others must consider whether their industry is available in the area they want to move.
Schools
Public schools in small towns don’t receive as much funding as big cities. If you have kids, you must be careful about where you move.
That’s not to say that all small towns have terrible schools. Some have much better schools than you will find in certain suburbs.
When my cousins moved to Central Illinois, they had a much better schooling experience than in Chicago. There’s a small town near me with one of the top-rated school districts in the state! It’s no coincidence that it’s also the most expensive small town in the county.
However, not all small towns are created equal. If you have children who will go to public school, do your research on the school districts before committing to any particular town.
Enjoying my Small Town Time
I’ve lived in many places. Although I won’t say that the small town I live in now is the best place to live, it has its advantages. I’m glad I moved here, despite some of my issues with it. I’m saving a ton of money, getting fresh air when I walk to the store, and enjoying a lot of nature I didn’t get when I lived in California (though I miss living on the coast!).
Small-town life has its charms. It’s also not all that different from city life if you think about it. As John Mellencamp (who, by the way, also sings the hit song “Small Town”) says:
“Well then, there, Diane, we ought to run off to the city,” Diane says. “Baby, you ain’t missing nothing”
If you aren’t a nightlife person and aren’t in a career that is only available in big cities, you won’t miss much by living in a small town. And because you can save so much money, it’s worth considering.
Note: I lived in the rural town from 2018 until 2021, when I moved to Austin, Texas. Although I enjoyed living in a small town, I couldn’t turn down the career opportunity that allowed me to move closer to family.
She lost me when she expressed fear that the people in a small town with American flags might be racist all because they had US flags. Being afraid someone is racist simply for flying a US flag is in itself racist. The author is a real racist pretending she is not. Try not assuming people are racist because that is wrong.
Interesting comment. I actually didn’t say “American flags”. I said “flags”. There are plenty of flags with racist undertones, and although I didn’t specify all the different types of flags I see in my neighborhood, I can assure you that I wasn’t talking about the traditional American flag.
I think your take is very regional, which of course aligns with your experience. In the South many small towns are not walkable, they cover much larger areas because the population density is so much lower. Also much of the population around small southern towns lives outside the city limits. They also are not bicycle friendly as a general rule. But on the other hand many of them have high paying jobs, I made up to mid six figure wages in my small town career as an engineer and as you said, housing costs were so low as to be insignificant. Nice to see someone pointing out the good parts of small town life! As far as racism, I think you may be correct. Small town people have less experience with varied cultures, that often leads to fear of other cultures which leads to prejudice. I see racial signaling by the Confederate flags flying here. But it’s a very small minority of the population.