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I thought I would start a thread about the disadvantages of moving to your "dream" area. I will not list the things that "everyone knows" (for example, not to move to a new area and negatively compare it to the place you left and trying to change things), but about things I have not encountered in any other threads about moving to a new place.
Overall, I am VERY happy that we did move to our retirement dream place three years ago, but there are some disadvantages that we did not expect and did not read about anywhere, so as a "be aware" sort of warning, these are the things we have encountered to being new year-round residents in a lovely "small town-ish" tourist area:
1. Year-round residents might not be really welcoming to new year-round residents. They are very friendly on the surface, but we have not made any actual friends here. I think that most year-round residents of small towns have 'roots' going back for at least two or three generations, and so although my fellow residents have not been rude, we still do not feel part of the community after our first attempt to volunteer for a local organization was rebuffed (ignored), and so even though we have lived here for slightly more than three years, we still feel like outsiders, despite going to town meetings, shopping at the local market, and participating in off-season community events.
2. Moving to a "tourist area", I was shocked to discover that most business and local government leaders are more concerned about pleasing summer tourists and mostly wealthy summer residents than they are about the needs of the mostly working- and middle-class year-round residents.
3. Be aware that City Data and some other sites can be misleading for some low-population towns and areas. For example, when I was researching our area before we decided to move here, as a moderate, I was thrilled that our county voted almost exactly even for Trump and Biden, but then when I moved here, I found that about 90% of the northern half voted for Biden and about 90% of the rural southern half voted for Trump. When towns are so small, it seems that City Data just lumps all of the individual towns under "county". (I have noticed this for other areas in other states, too.)
What else can you add to the list above?
Again, we are VERY happy we moved here, but the above is something that I was completely unprepared for. It is just a good thing that my husband and I are basically introverts, or we would probably be unhappy now.
P.S. I was not sure whether to post this in the Retirement or Rural and Small Town Living forums, but I thought this thread might meet with less hostility in this forum, plus I think it would be of more interest to people who are just considering where they might want to move or retire.
Last edited by katharsis; 12-13-2023 at 09:57 PM..
One definite disadvantage I can think of (depending on how small the town is, I'm using a town I grew up in of less than 500 people) everyone seems to know everyone's business. The fact of the matter is, there is very little to nothing to do in a small town so people tend to talk about each other, to be fair this can cut both ways, but I heard about more gossip than anything.
As an aside, the population was sub-500 in the off season, summer time is was probably several thousand (fishing season)
If tourism is a major industry then it keeps many residents employed, so of course they will be catering to the tourists and the businesses that serve them. I would expect that in most any coastal town, or towns by ski resort areas, etc.
Potentially less adequate hospitals and health specialists; fewer amenities; fewer specialist appliance repairpeople and contractors; fewer avenues for meeting people; potentially less (or no) rideshares. I'm not complaining, just pointing out things that I know about in my own area.
I moved from a big city to a small town of about 15k people for a job. The town was hardly my dream but I found that I liked small town life.
Small town life drawbacks:
Few health care specialists and no airport.
Not much to do if you dont like outdoor adventure sports activities (skiing, hiking, etc..).
No good restaurants.
Retirement community with no young people and no energy.
No good auto mechanics.
Katharsis, I lived in a small town once so your experience isn’t a surprise to me. I never understood how people can not be open to making new friends.
No matter where you live, it's much harder making new friends when you are an adult, especially if you don't work where you see the same people everyday.
Good thread. I opened this because I think I need to move but have no idea where to go. I have had friends (we are all retired) move to a small town only to relocate to be closer to medical facilities.
Of course I understand the provincial thinking one would encounter in a small town. I'm Californian to the bone from the surfer age and I lived in AL for a year. Man did I get flack. The only thing worse would have been if I had moved down from New England. A doctor from Ohio seemed to be doing OK, but he was needed. I was not.
Moving anywhere from CA is asking for pushback so I guess I'll stay. How to downsize here is very tough. It basically means stepping down the financial/cultural ladder. That is not meant to be offensive.
In order to make friends in a new place you're going to have to find a group you fit into that has social or volunteer activities.
Might take multiple efforts, multiple volunteer efforts but eventually there will be someplace to get a foot in the door.
Pickleball? Library volunteer? Meals-On-Wheels volunteer? Take a class? Be a hospital voluneer? Volunteer at an animal shelter? There are a hundred more possibilities.
We moved to a not-small town 4 years ago and do not have a circle of friends but have nearby family.
Luckily we too are introverts, well I am, husband is undeclared.
No matter where you live, it's much harder making new friends when you are an adult, especially if you don't work where you see the same people everyday.
I disagree with your first sentence. In some places it may be hard especially in a small town where everyone grew up together. But in a large 55+ such as The Villages or the original Sun City making friends is a breeze.
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