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I would not get so hung up on the population number. 40K people is not going to look the same in every county. Lots of factors can impact quality of life in a community, no matter how rural. Zero in on other live-ability factors that define 'country' to her. Is farming important? Church? politics? amenities? Medical services? Social opportunities? A public library? She is going to have to be more specific.
It's the craziest thing. The years I spent in the mid-south made me intensely dislike the heat. Now I'm in the Mojave Desert, temps in the triple digits much/most of the summer.There are people in their 70s running ultras, hiking 20 miles/day, etc. We have more sunshine than probably anywhere. I'm staying until I retire then figuring out where to go from here.
Of course no fleas and very few mosquitos is a huge plus for me.
OP I'd say make a short list and go visit. Sounds like fun!
Well, there are medications for arthritis. It doesn't have to simply be "live here and be fine" or "live there and suffer".
Not all of them are effective. It will probably get worse no matter where she lives.
Moving to North Carolina can be a surprise. So many people have discovered they are allergic to stuff in the South. Pine pollen is a scourge in the Spring and mold is high year round. If I knew about these problems (we visited many times) I’d have fought harder to stay in Illinois.
Carolinas have hurricanes and they seem to be getting more damaging.
Not all of them are effective. It will probably get worse no matter where she lives.
Arthritis is a wear and tear disease, so there’s no “probably” about it. She should be where she can have treatment options and that’s unlikely to be a small town.
Not all of them are effective. It will probably get worse no matter where she lives.
Moving to North Carolina can be a surprise. So many people have discovered they are allergic to stuff in the South. Pine pollen is a scourge in the Spring and mold is high year round. If I knew about these problems (we visited many times) I’d have fought harder to stay in Illinois.
Carolinas have hurricanes and they seem to be getting more damaging.
I hope you can find a good compromise.
Great point. I am a Floridian living in Illinois now. I am allergic to dust and oak and more dust than anything. That said, my mom said she heard my first allergist (who must be 80 now) on the radio fairly recently talking about how many types of oaks there are and how they pollinate year round. In IL, we have about 2-3 months. I lived in N FL for 7 years and they get north and south plants. In Tallahassee, people would literally be taking sick days because their eyes would be stuck together when they woke up. I took sick day regularly there due to allergies.
Allergies are a big contributor to inflammation and joint pain. Dust has been at the extreme level recently and I have been so achy and feeling kind of blah.
Arthritis is a wear and tear disease, so there’s no “probably” about it. She should be where she can have treatment options and that’s unlikely to be a small town.
This is why we're thinking perhaps we should live somewhere closer to a large or even a medium size city.
Three years ago, she was walking up the steps to her parents house when her knee buckled and collapsed. It put her in a lot of pain, and she can tolerate pain and discomfort. Like she had one sick day in 20 years of work. But when we went to the ER and specialist around where we live, they couldn't find anything and shrugged their shoulders. I wonder if doctors in a larger area might have been more helpful.
I haven't checked out too many places and lived in Minnesota most of my life. When I visited Arizona, I was shocked to find my arthritis did not bother me.
I moved there and have since decided to travel to other places so am currently back in Minnesota visiting family. It's been quite rainy recently and I'd forgotten how bad my arthritis is here. Due to a car accident my back is bad. The moisture in the air makes it worse.
I love my family but look forward to going back west in September to get some of that heat on my back.
I was thinking what goldenlove said... someone mentioned TN... Maybe... if you're up in the Smokies at a higher elevation. Like you, I don't like the heat all that much but here I sit in N. Alabama because that's where most of my immediate family is right now (we were originally from CT). It's HOT. But, there are a lot of very rural places just outside of larger cities. Less than an hour drive. I would imagine if you go a little north from here and into a higher elevation you might find what you're looking (dreaming) for. I would actually like the same eventually but it's going to still not be what I want. One daughter and family live in MN (colder than I want), the other in GA (hotter than here). But there are a lot of places throughout the SE where you can be rural and still quite close to all of the amenities. Maybe somewhere like Knoxville or some such. A bit cooler than here (not by a lot tho). The Kingsport area and into NC is absolutely beautiful. But the higher the elevation in that area, the closer to what you're looking for. Also, TN has no personal state income tax.
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