I grew up on a farm in rural Washington across the road from my grandparents.  When they passed away, my parents moved into the farmhouse and my husband and I moved into the home of my childhood. We lived there for ten years until hubby's job brought us to the Willamette Valley of Oregon.  We always talked about moving away from the farm, but never really had a concrete plan to make that happen.  It was so comfortable there for me.  It was home!  The job change forced us out of our comfort zone (rut).

We LOVE it here.  When people ask why we love it so much I tell them that we are at the hub of all things good here.  We have the beach (Oregon Coast) to the west, the mountains to the east (Mt Hood), the urban amenities of Portland to the North, and the state capitol to the South.  I prefer to live and raise my children in a rural/semi-rural area, that is not too far from an urban area.  ~Truly the best of both worlds.

If, however, I could live anywhere; it would be in middle/eastern Tennessee.  That is the only place I have ever been that was not my home, but felt like home.  I know it sounds odd, but there is something there that calls to my heart to come home. 

Ivy, what I've learned from living remote from an urban center most of my life is that you have to plan more carefully...you can't just run a five-minute errand to the store if you've forgotten toothpaste (although you can make your own with baking soda and salt).  Your social life will be more limited unless you really work at it...what was impromptu or impulsive must become planned.  You must be more self-sufficient; services you took for granted (like babysitting) may not be available.  OTOH, you'll be able to be more independent in some ways, such as growing your own food (my priority for this year -- create raised planting beds!).

IMO, it's worth the extra time and effort to live off the beaten path, where I don't have to worry nearly so much about crime or noise or pollution, and where I can work with power tools in the shop at 2 AM and no one will care.  Whether the tradeoff is right for you is a lifestyle decision you'll have to make from your perspective now, and try to project that a few years in the future to be sure it will continue to work for you.

We were tired of our native NJ.  We were done with the constant family "drop-in"s.  We needed at least a phone call to hide the pizza boxes and disguise our displeasure.  Weary of toll booths and smoke stacks, nuclear waste jokes and pharm/chem company recruiters.  Hubby went job hunting having heard a rumor his company might tank.  We looked far and wide (East Coast driven) and happened upon Pennsylvania.  The job, sublime, we sought out new digs.  Our current locale in Montgommery County brings us memories of our childhood "Garden State", pre-overdevelopment.  It's lovely here.  We dig.  But it's not forever. 

Big Bonus- Prices are affordable here.  Twice the house, half the money of Jersey.  Woo woo. 

Ivy...

If it was me, I would go for it...it is definitely a difference, but I think its worth it...but thats me.....

i live in albuquerque, new mexico. 

it seems like i spent the first 10 (adolescent) years here wishing to be anywhere else, based on my assessment of it as a cultural wasteland.  (the truth is that i was just unappreciative of the traditional culture that it *does* offer -- no taste for chile or the other trappings of new mexicana, i guess.)  and so i left, repeatedly,  first to france (montpellier), then to denver, and finally to chicago, for about a year each time, but i was always drawn back here.  i don't know if it is just some combination of the familiarity, comfort, and just easiness of being here -- in which case i guess any hometown would have done it to me -- or if it is actually special.  i hope it is actually special, because if it's not, that makes my choice to stay here just lazy more than anything else.

sometimes i feel the nomadic pull that caused me move so frequently in my "youth," thinking that an austin or portland or vancouver might have more to offer me, but the truth is, my decision to put down roots (read: "buy a house") in humble albuquerque was probably the best one i could have made.  i say this not only because the real-estate values have shot up in my neighborhood, but because in the last 10 years, the city has really grown up.  lots of the big city amenities have moved in, the city gov't is making progress on issues that matter to me, and our nascent film industry is giving hollywood a run for its money.  i was floored to learn that forbes magazine even rated it the #1 place to do business in the country.  every other week there's some article out about the influx of "creative types" and albuquerque's burgeoning arts scene.

it seems like just about the same time i stopped looking for a great place to live, my hometown turned into one. 

I think I can answer your question, BBI.

Not really from my perspective. If a lot of your life is centered around Nashville, keep in mind the commute. BUT, there is something special about small towns (is that what you are thinking?)

It's a trade off. I can walk in to a restaurant and the waiter's know me by name and have me a cup of coffee ready to go, (or a beer at the local watering hole) but people can be busy bodies too and that gets old.

It's weird and just a matter of perspective, I think although I agree with Sonia. I can see the sky at night and there is something to be said about that.

This is all very interesting. One of the reasons I asked is because I recently found a house that suits all my needs (built in 1923- I'm a sucker for historic homes- a bungalow, 4 bedrooms) for half what my house is worth. The problem? It's out in the STICKS. I mean WAY out in the middle of nowhere- it's about an hour and a half from Nashville.

I keep wondering if the tradeoff from city to country life would be worth it.  

Northernstar, there is a lot to be said about the community of a living in a rural area and the cost is much less than in an urban environment. I do miss the "culture" of living in the city.

So much to think about. 

I live in northwest Tennessee. I think if I wasn't so enmeshed in my community, I would return to an urban environment. If I could AFFORD to live anywhere in the world, I would return to Amsterdam where I lived for a year.

Good question.