When I finished with my bachelor's degree in psychology, I worked in a credit union for about 6 months while I tried to figure out what I in fact wished to do with the rest of my life (I have not figured it out yet, honestly), then I chose to go to grad school and get a task in Cincinnati. I transferred to the city over Independence Day weekend in 2014. Ever since, I lived in 2 different communities within the city limitations. One was two miles outside of downtown in a trendy apartment or condo building a brief walk from an awesome park, and the other was seven miles from downtown in an extremely preferable neighborhood in an apartment or condo where I might hear my upstairs neighbor sneeze (to name a few, less innocent things * shudder *). Then I moved to a suburban location right outside the city limitations, in an apartment building right on the bike trail where I might ride into town to get an ice or a beer cream cone.
In autumn of 2017, my hubby and I bought our very first house in my little hometown-- a 50 minute drive to three significant cities (pick which direction you're in the state of mind to drive: north, south, or west), however certainly a rural area. The high school I went to was literally surrounded on all sides by cornfields. We live "in the area" now, but that isn't saying much. There are likewise cornfields in town.
THE PROS
I love our home. I love our backyard. One of my finest pals lives a block away, and there is an amazing homemade tough cider place that's lacked the basement of a family house, and there are a couple of terrific regional shops and restaurants. There are a lot of positives about where we live now. There were likewise a lot of tradeoffs involved with picking to move out of the city.
I'm going to start with the pros list, the terrific things about where we live and why we picked to move here. When I lived in the city in a really popular neighborhood, every time I walked my dog I would look up the details on any home I would see with a for sale sign out front. That's a huge savings from a mortgage in the city, and is considerably lower than our rent in the city or suburbs.
Another pro is that we live closer to family. We live in the exact same town as my moms and dads, and are a short drive from my in-laws and grandparents. We have much more outdoor space than we might have gotten in the city on our budget, including a big, fenced-in yard.
Creekin'
I grew up going "creekin,'" catching amphibians, riding 4 wheelers, and having the day of rest school for the very first day of hunting season. It was a truly excellent childhood.
THE CONS
There is certainly a cost to vacating here, too. For beginners, it seems like everyone knows everyone else! And in some cases I just wish to go to the grocery store in my sweats for red wine and cookie dough and find this not face among my previous instructors or good friends' parents, ya know ?? Bear with me as I go through these cons; I'm not trying to complain (much), but the reality is that there is a lot to consider when believing about moving from a city you enjoy to a lower expense of living location in order to conserve cash.
Possibly one of the most obvious failures of residing in a little, rural, low cost of living area is that it's far from things. A number of my pals live in or closer to the city, and it requires more planning and driving in order to see them. It's likewise further from entertainment; there is a little choice of good dining establishments nearby. When I was in the city I could stroll to numerous places and drive to an essentially unlimited list of restaurants and bars. Cincinnati is a really foodie-friendly city with an incredible brewery scene. I've stated this before and I'll state it forever: food is life. Places in my village also close previously. Now, I'm not much of a celebration animal anymore, however if I wish to be out later on than 11 p.m. there is really only one option here. And it's terrific, however in some cases I desire to be out at a bar where I'm not going to see any of my previous teachers, pals' parents, or anyone I went to high school with. Uber and Lyft aren't a thing here when it comes to getting house safely. You have to discover a good old fashioned designated chauffeur, or walk. (As soon as, my buddy who lives a block away and I got a bit toasted at the local white wine store and walked two miles to get see this to the difficult cider location. Thankfully we discovered a buddy from high school there with his moms and dads, who offered us a flight back. Pros and cons of knowing individuals all over you go.) When I resided in the city, an Uber would be readily available to select me up within minutes at any time of day, and it was a cheap ride anywhere, usually under $10.
If I were to get a different job in my field, I would have to drive to one of the significant cities, at least about 40 minutes each method. When I lived in the city, there were SO MANY alternatives for mental health jobs, as well as other resources including a number of grocery options, yoga studios, pet stores, etc. And not to sound too petty here, but the grocery store in my town doesn't sell the great brand of goat cheese that I like, and I have to drive 30 minutes to the closest Kroger that does.
I liked living in a city filled with variety and with a range of political and social views. There is a church on every corner, on your way into town no matter which path you take, and pretty much a stone's toss from any place you might take place to be standing in town. We went to a fantastic church in the city that I enjoyed, and finding something that compares is important to me however it's something I'm still searching for.
While I enjoy my home and there are a lot of things I enjoy about my town, I do miss out on living in the city. I do not see myself living in this town permanently, and right now moving back to the city is in the medium-term strategy.