Moving From the Big City to a Small Town – Top 5 Things to Consider Before you Get Away From it All

Having recently moved from Los Angeles to Durango, Colorado- a mid-sizedrural town of 15,000 people with the nearest “large town” being an hour awayand the nearest city being 3.5 hours away- I have definitely run into a fewbumps. Being prepared for the changes can make all the difference. Here arefive major areas of concern you should research prior to making the bigmove.

Economy: Job opportunities in rural areas can be quite limited. And whatjobs are available may be low paying. Get a copy of the classifieds section ofthe town you’re planning to move to. Are there lots of jobs available? Whatindustries are hiring? What is the pay? These are all questions you need toconsider. Also, the cost of living in small towns- especially when it comes toshopping- may be more than you’re used to, simply due to the shipping costsinvolved in getting products to out of the way areas. And definitely considerthe real estate market as well. If you have to move from your small town, howlong can you expect your house to be on the market? Many areas have upwards ofa one year average for a home to sell.

Schools: If you have children, your primary concern when considering movingto a rural area should be education. Many rural school districts- such asDurango- have excellent schools, but many don’t. It is important to throughlyresearch the performance of the schools before deciding to make your move.Because once you’re there, you are generally limited to the public schoolsystem, as private options are rarely available.

Travel: Most rural areas will have a small airport that services the region.But if you are a frequent traveler, this can present a few different problems.For someone coming from a larger city, you’re probably used to being able toget direct flights to almost anywhere. Not so from rural airports. You willgenerally have to make at least one connection to get to anywhere. And you willpay a higher price for this inconvienince. For example, a roundtrip ticket frommy home in Durango, Colorado to Houston, Texas averages upwards of $600- with aconnection. We generally opt to drive 3.5 hours to Albuquerque so we can get adirect flight for $250. Also, fewer airlines service small airports, whichmeans if you have a ton of frequent flyer miles saved up on your favoriteairline, you may find that they are unusable.

Shopping: Coming from a large city, you are used to having most anything youwant or need at your fingertips. If that is important to you, you definitelywant to research the shopping options in the rural area you are planning tomove to. Be prepared to have to drive quite a distance to get to a mall or anyof the “big box” retail chains. Shopping online is another option for thoseitems that can’t be found in your area. And be aware that fresh produce may bean issue. Produce normally has to be trucked in to rural areas, and can be agedand damaged by the time it reaches the local grocery store. I’ve found thatmost of the produce in Durango is either over ripe or under ripe, and typicallyis bruised. Farmer’s markets and local merchants that carry regionally grownproduce are excellent alternatives and are highly recommended.

Arts & Entertainment: Durango is a college town and a tourist town, so Iam fortunate enough to have a decent variety of local entertainment to choosefrom. We have two small movie theaters, a college with a concert hall thatoffers cultural arts, a few museums with changing exhibits, and many venuesthat offer live music from area musicians. If entertainment is important toyou, make sure you do a little research and see what is offered in the areayou’re planning to move to. Depending on the size of the town, there may noteven be a movie theater!

Leaving behind the big city for a rural area definitely has its advantages,but you do need to be aware of some of the potential pit falls and prepareyourself and your family. Hopefully this article has given you something tothink about before you start packing!