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Old 10-17-2009, 10:32 AM
 
29 posts, read 73,836 times
Reputation: 29

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Quote:
Originally Posted by wendygrace View Post
Thanks for your concern. You are right. I am trying to be upbeat about it. It will be a shock. I nearly cried when I heard the nearest Target is 1 1/2 hours away. I have three that I am a regular around here and at least 7 within an easy drive. Walmarts around here are Supercenters and I have 4 nearby! It will be a shock. I can't even find a consignment store, goodwill or resale shop!

I know making friends will be hard and that is one concern. My dh will get along just fine with the "good ole boy" network. I, otoh, am a bit different then most. Finding friends here was hard enough. I'm sure I'll have a very tough time out there.

Any good "artsy" coffee shops?
Artsy coffee shops in Sydney, NE? lol lol lol You're killing me!... Are you sure you ain't confused with Sydney, Australia?

You talking about Walmart's and Target's, let's me believe that you don't actually live in the city of Chicago, but the suburbs instead. True city people never rant an rave about Walmarts or Targets. And the actual city of Chicago, has just got both Target and Walmart over the last few years. Who gets that excited over saving a few pennies on toilet paper or shampoo?

The city population of Chicago is over 2.8 million, and the metro area is over 9 million. You're going to a town that has a population of 5,000. Mistake is too small of a word to describe what you're thinking about doing. Think about it, 1 1/2 drive, doing 70 miles an hour with no traffic, just to reach a lousy Target!
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Old 10-17-2009, 10:59 AM
 
18 posts, read 60,073 times
Reputation: 14
Yes, we are currently suburbanites. I have lived in Chicago but I wasn't going to ask if Sidney has world class museums or a lake front. I can do some research. I have lived in Utah so I know a teeny tiny bit about the West but I was in a pretty populated area, relatively speaking. The town I lived in had a few apartment buildings so it sounds even bigger than Sidney.

Yes, I know it is a huge change but living in Chicago isn't all its cracked up to be. Kids spend most of the day inside and/or in scheduled activities. Its now how we want to live. I want them to be able to play in the backyard without me having to worry about the local perp or the cars screaming down the street at 40mph on a side street in the 'burbs when the school with a posted 20mph is completely ignored.

Will I be happy? That's on me and not the city. Will it be a huge adjustment. Sure. Will we move to Sidney? Who knows?

But we do want something different. Fresh air, local farmers to buy from, a place to put a garden, and space for the kids to run and play and be kids.

Am I naive? Maybe. But I love to travel and try new things.

I do appreciate your thoughts though. I know it sounds crazy that a city-folk or even a big city suburbanite would like to move into a small town. You must see lots of people want to try something like this and then complain about the town. We're trying to go in this with our eyes wide open. Thanks for your candid thoughts.

As for the coffee shop...yes, I was kidding.
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Old 10-17-2009, 11:17 AM
 
Location: Northeast NE
696 posts, read 1,725,895 times
Reputation: 289
Actually health care in Nebraska is top notch.
Though you may have to drive to it sometimes, in Nebraska
a 40 mile drive is 40 minutes.
In a major city a 40 mile drive can take hours.
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Old 10-17-2009, 11:23 AM
 
29 posts, read 73,836 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wendygrace View Post
Yes, we are currently suburbanites. I have lived in Chicago but I wasn't going to ask if Sidney has world class museums or a lake front. I can do some research. I have lived in Utah so I know a teeny tiny bit about the West but I was in a pretty populated area, relatively speaking. The town I lived in had a few apartment buildings so it sounds even bigger than Sidney.

Yes, I know it is a huge change but living in Chicago isn't all its cracked up to be. Kids spend most of the day inside and/or in scheduled activities. Its now how we want to live. I want them to be able to play in the backyard without me having to worry about the local perp or the cars screaming down the street at 40mph on a side street in the 'burbs when the school with a posted 20mph is completely ignored.

Will I be happy? That's on me and not the city. Will it be a huge adjustment. Sure. Will we move to Sidney? Who knows?

But we do want something different. Fresh air, local farmers to buy from, a place to put a garden, and space for the kids to run and play and be kids.

Am I naive? Maybe. But I love to travel and try new things.

I do appreciate your thoughts though. I know it sounds crazy that a city-folk or even a big city suburbanite would like to move into a small town. You must see lots of people want to try something like this and then complain about the town. We're trying to go in this with our eyes wide open. Thanks for your candid thoughts.

As for the coffee shop...yes, I was kidding.
First of all, boots on the ground exploring is a lot different than doing so thru cyberspace. I've been thru Sydney (even stopped in your beloved Walmart), I'm telling you firsthand, don't do it!

You don't live in Chicago, you live in the suburbs. And depending on what suburbs, the experience can be WAY different from actually living in the city of Chicago. Nobody says you have to stay in the Chicago burbs, but the extreme you're going from, to the extreme you're going to, it's way too big of a change! I'm telling you I really don't believe that even 1 in 1 million people could pull it off!

Going from the 3rd largest metro in the country, to a town that's barely even on the map, or barely a town for that matter, I think is undoable.

I can tell by the way you talk that you grew up in a town instead of a city. City people don't use words like "City-folk". But still, whether you realize this or not, you will miss Chicagoland a lot. Going to a smaller area is doable, but not one that's a "one red light kinda town".

All the things you listed are available in areas that ain't as dead or isolated as Sydney, NE. Do some more reseach, better yet, take a trip to Sydney and you'll see what I'm talking about. They got a new Motel 6 right off the interstate there. Stay there for a couple days and you'll see what I mean.
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Old 10-17-2009, 11:30 AM
 
29 posts, read 73,836 times
Reputation: 29
Quote:
Originally Posted by JustMe_T3K View Post
Actually health care in Nebraska is top notch.
Though you may have to drive to it sometimes, in Nebraska
a 40 mile drive is 40 minutes.
In a major city a 40 mile drive can take hours.
In a major city, you'd NEVER have to drive more than several miles to find a hospital. Come on, you really believe someone having a heart attack in Chicago sits in an abulance for hours waiting to get to a hospital?..

The comment about "Though you might have to drive it" says all that there is to say about that small town life, especially a town that isolated. Having a heart attack and driving yourself 40 miles to a hospital?.......
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Old 10-17-2009, 12:30 PM
 
18 posts, read 60,073 times
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I'd love to learn more about Nebraska's health care. Could you give me more info?

We will be in Sidney by this time tomorrow if all goes well. I shall see with my own eyes. I know my dh won't have any problems as he grew up in a town with no "red lights" at all. I will have to adjust. No, I didn't grow up in the city but I did live in the city for many years. As well as several others. Yes, I will miss Chicago a lot. Its my hometown. Anyways, I'm not even sure why I'm arguing with you. LOL I may hate Sidney on sight. I'll let you guys know when I get back. We'll be at the Holiday Inn if anyone's interested.

Any of you guys here actually live in Sidney now?
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Old 10-17-2009, 07:29 PM
 
370 posts, read 1,356,383 times
Reputation: 195
Don't take to seriously somebody's opinion of a town when they can't spell it correctly. J/K

Sidney has a hospital with a 24 Hour ER, probably even Level II trauma center. You just might need a 30 minute helicopter ride to get to a Level I (Scottsbluff or Greeley). I think they can even treat heart attacks there!

I don't live in Sidney. I live about an hour away in an even smaller town. Love it. Totally different than living in the city, and I like it that way. I can hop on I-80, be in Denver in 2.5 hours, and spend a weekend in the "big city" then come home to a town where my kids can walk to school, walk to the pool and library, I can drive across town to any store in less than 10 minutes and have everything I need, including health care services.

It isn't just Sidney, Nebraska. You could pick any rural midwest, west, southern or New England town of 6,000 people and it would be a culture shock to transition there from suburban Chicago. Probably even plenty of rural towns in southern Illinois that would be a culture shock coming from Chicagoland...

Make no mistake, it will be completely different. You, and only you, will have to decide if you will like the completely different lifestyle.
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Old 10-17-2009, 07:54 PM
 
Location: Nebraska
4,176 posts, read 10,683,581 times
Reputation: 9646
Very important - if someone stops you and asks you how you are, or waves at you, don't ignore them or try to sidle past them! They are not some crazy homeless person trying to scam you - they are just being friendly!! LOL

I live a "fur piece" from Sidney - but our high school band just traveled 200 miles to play in their Oktoberfest parade. Don't discount the entertainment factor there completely...
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Old 10-18-2009, 12:12 AM
 
29 posts, read 73,836 times
Reputation: 29
Quote:
Originally Posted by IsThisOneTaken? View Post
Don't take to seriously somebody's opinion of a town when they can't spell it correctly. J/K

Sidney has a hospital with a 24 Hour ER, probably even Level II trauma center. You just might need a 30 minute helicopter ride to get to a Level I (Scottsbluff or Greeley). I think they can even treat heart attacks there!

I don't live in Sidney. I live about an hour away in an even smaller town. Love it. Totally different than living in the city, and I like it that way. I can hop on I-80, be in Denver in 2.5 hours, and spend a weekend in the "big city" then come home to a town where my kids can walk to school, walk to the pool and library, I can drive across town to any store in less than 10 minutes and have everything I need, including health care services.

It isn't just Sidney, Nebraska. You could pick any rural midwest, west, southern or New England town of 6,000 people and it would be a culture shock to transition there from suburban Chicago. Probably even plenty of rural towns in southern Illinois that would be a culture shock coming from Chicagoland...

Make no mistake, it will be completely different. You, and only you, will have to decide if you will like the completely different lifestyle.
You're SOOOOOOOOO wrong about this it ain't funny. Have you ever been to a quaint small New England town? Some of them look like they're right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. A lot of colleges up in New England also. So a lot of times you have a highly educated populace that you normally would find in such small towns.

Plus there's no comparison in the isolated factor like in "Sidney" (hope my spelling is right). Portland, Maine city poplution is only 60,000, but it's the most sophisticated town I've ever seen with that small of a population.
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Old 10-19-2009, 08:22 AM
 
370 posts, read 1,356,383 times
Reputation: 195
I stand by my opinion: The culture shock of moving from a metro of 9 million to a town of 6,000 is going to be the same, regardless of whether it is in western Nebraska, rural Maine, southern Illinois or west Texas. It doesn't matter how quaint or educated the town is. It will be a completely different lifestyle. Yes, the lifestyle may be different in Sidney, Nebraska, compared to smalltown New England, but the point you are missing is that it will be completely different from Chicagoland, no matter what small town in what region of the country she goes to.

Besides, comparing a town of 6,000 to a town of 60,000 is apples to oranges to the pomengrantes of Chicagoland.

It is up to the OP to decide what she wants in life.

I'll be interested to hear what she thought of it there.
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