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I travel so much that it's not a deal killer if the local grocery shopping isn't very good. I've wintered at a ski resort in Vermont a bunch of years. It's really lousy there. I do my major grocery shops out of state.
My crisis is that the owner of the local farmstand is in jail on Federal embezzlement charges for using city bus employees on his farm. The local source for corn, tomatoes, all kinds of lettuce, etc has been closed for 4 years. They drilled open a few safe deposit boxes and found several million in undisclosed cash. Unlikely that business will ever re-open. The farmer's market is right around the corner from me and I have a CSA nearby but they don't even come close. It's July 18th and I haven't had native corn or native tomatoes yet.
I've never lived in a place that didn't have good food stores and currently live in a fairly small FL town which has a 2 big food stores and a small saver-type one. No Whole Foods, no Trader Joe's but would not base a move on whether those 2 were nearby.
My favorite is Publix because they carry organic veggies and meat. The local farmer's markets here are not appealing because there are no local farmers and the veggies for sale are the same international produce available at the grocery store.
If local economy is below average then food stores will be below average, no demand for higher quality if people are just trying to break even.
What I really miss in my small town is Asian restaurants. Only boring Chinese available and we love fresh Vietnamese and Thai. So when we travel to the nearest big city we either eat out or order "to go" and bring it home for dinner. I cook often but these cuisines are better eaten out, they know secrets I don't.
I lived near Hilo, Hawaii for 12 years. There isn't a lot of good shopping there. We had a Wal-Mart, and it was front-page news when Target opened a few years ago. Neither are super stores. A few grocery stores, nothing special. No TJs, no Whole Foods, not even a dollar store. Nearest shopping alternative is Kona, three hours away. They're pretty much the same, but have a Costco, too.
Just moved to the Midwest. Two super Wal-Marts, two super Targets, Costco, Aldis, several HyVees, Trader Joe's, and a bunch of stores I never heard of...all within a half hour drive from anywhere in town. At least five good thrift stores, a couple dollar stores, both Michaels and Hobby Lobby. Shopping heaven.
And really good health care, too.
Shopping isn't why I moved here, but it was part of why I left Hilo.
We currently live in Guadalajara, Mexico. There are a couple of big box retailers (Soriana and Walmart) that dominate this area, and they're fine because they have groceries, regular hypermart type stuff, and things like cafes, delis, imported food section, etc.
There are also markets where fresh fruits and veggies are sold, those are nice because can get lunch there too on the cheap tacos etc. Carnicerias are the equivalent of a butcher, which is something you don't see in USA quite as much anymore. They are good because are in neighborhoods so sometimes more convenient than going to big box store.
Finally there are Mom&pop type places which are kind of like convenience stores except they tend to have more cooking items and a selection of fruits/veggies, as opposed to the walls lined with coolers of drinks and stuff like chain convenience stores Oxxo and 7-11.
Wow. I never realized how some areas have so few choices. Guess i took it for granted. Live in NJ, within 5 miles I have 4 grocery stores -- 3 are nice, one kind of run down. Within 10 miles, that number jumps to 14. Farmers markets, within 10 miles, 4. 2 are really really nice.
None of what I listed is a Walmart or Target. Regular grocery stores. We do have Walmart & Targets, but no reason to really grocery shop there.....
I look for the smaller independent local iga grocery stores. or meat markets ...people to talk to ask questions and they still do most things on site- from making sausage to bread..
im partial to grain finished beef
I dont get caught up in the organics or grass fed beef... too rich for my blood and im not drinking the kool aid..
There are a million options within a 20-30 minute drive and quite a few options within a 15 minute drive but nothing within a 10 minute drive. Our area is referred to as a “grocery desert”.
Luckily the Kroger Marketplace that is 15 minutes from my house is also along my commute.
For me, neither has any importance. 90% of the fare is brand name stuff found everywhere. I've lived in three of the major agricultural states and can't get local produce at the big brand stores. Here in SoCal you've got to travel miles to catch the weekly few hours a farmers' market is open.
Far more important, IMHO, is climate, mountain/desert views and, for some of us lucky ones, family.
I wouldn't want to live in an area with only one supermarket or grocery option. When I was a kid, my mother went to a supermarket every month or so. There was another one on the other side of town, but it wasn't convenient. We did have a butcher shop, poultry shop, at least half a dozen small grocery stores, two bakeries, and a deli. All of this was within 4 blocks of the house.
This may seem like a dumb thing to focus on, but here goes.
Food is not a dumb thing to focus on. The quality of food you can buy determines your health.
Food is medicine.
As far as Tennessee goes, I have a relative who has asked their employer to transfer them there when they get an office for the Nashville area. They would be looking at the Franklin, TN area, which seems to have everything you want. There's no coincidence that Franklin is also in the healthiest county in Tennessee.
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