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The Goldilocks of population: rural areas have too few people, while Metropolitan areas have too many people.
There's no Micropolitan forum on City-Data, and probably not enough interest to sustain one.
The problem with Micropolitan areas is that they have to be conterminous with counties.
Particularly in the west where the counties are large, distant smaller cities/towns (<50K) are considered part of a metropolitan area, even though the only thing in common with it is that they share a county.
Examples off the top of my head:
-Ridgecrest, CA, 30K (in the Bakersfield MSA even though it's separated by 100 miles and a mountain range).
-Barstow, CA, 23K (70 miles and over a stretch of desert and a range of mountains from San Bernardino).
-Blythe, CA, 22K (170 miles from its county seat of Riverside)
-Mesquite and Laughlin, NV in Clark County
-Bullhead City, Kingman, and Lake Havasu City, AZ in Mohave County.
The Census has another thing called an Urbanized Area or Urban Cluster, which puts these towns on their own.
I can't imagine that. Since as a 9 year old kid, I've lived in a small town with traffic lights at downtown corners with more and more traffic lights put up as the town grew and grew from 25,000 to 50,000 now
Except to me that sounds like a major city. I'd have to drive over 150 miles to reach a city that large.
Except to me that sounds like a major city. I'd have to drive over 150 miles to reach a city that large.
I would agree.
We have a big city [Bangor with 31k pop] about half-hour from our small town. They are the third largest city in the state. They serve is a nexus for over 2/3 of the state, with multiple hospitals, international airport, big box stores, banking, heavy equipment rentals. For most of the state if you need any of those things, that is the city you drive to.
Rural living is a good thing for people who were raised there and never moved away. People looking for an escape from city crime and congestion can also find a good fit.
When you have horses, it’s rural or nothing. Love those horses, although I miss good shopping, city restaurants and getting together with friends for a drink after work. Small towns can be nosey and friendly or not, depending on which town you choose.
Keeping up a farm is work and there is plenty of that to stay busy. It does make you have an appreciation for farmers. Rural life is good for the right person, but being isolated isn’t for everyone, and spending half your day driving is a waste of time.
Most of the summer is spent battling grass, weeds, and repainting or replacing rotted pasture wood boards. Keeping the property clear of all the fallen branches is another task. My spouse won’t hire work done, because locals are known to overcharge and he doesn’t want to pay since we can do the job for free. Constant rain and all this wood makes for continuous upkeep though.
Living in a small town with only an acre or two might be relaxing with time for leisurely walks in the woods. Many people on this thread are happy with their rural life, so good for them. It’s mostly the right person landing in the right place.
We have a big city [Bangor with 31k pop] about half-hour from our small town. They are the third largest city in the state. They serve is a nexus for over 2/3 of the state, with multiple hospitals, international airport, big box stores, banking, heavy equipment rentals. For most of the state if you need any of those things, that is the city you drive to.
I do not think I enjoy towns over 300 people.
The smaller the better, my county has so few people that the phonebook for the region contains maps that show everyone's house and listing their names on the map. Of course with only 2000 people you can do that.
I grew up in the country, three miles from a town of maybe 3,000. My wife grew up in one of the largest cities in the world, São Paulo Brazil and the only place she’s lived in the US has around 5M.
Hopefully, next year, we’ll move to a wide spot in the road that has a population of 120. Luckily, it’s only 20 min from two larger towns and a major southern university.
It appears that we settled on a house plan today, I retire in 50 days and my wife will explore WFH options next year. It’s about to get real!
Oh yeah, I admire you homeschooldad! I was fortunate to visit my cousin in Buffalo WY last Sept and took a couple of days to visit Mt Rushmore and North Dakota. The Dakotas were the last two states I needed for all 50 which only took me a bit over 60 years to achieve. I did have a chance to be stationed at Minot back in the 70’s. After seeing your beautiful state, I almost regret not taking that assignment. Almost. Lol
My top 10 list is summed up as:
1. Friendlier people. Not so busy that they don’t make time to get to know you
2. Tend to respect your privacy but still willing to help when needed
3. Stronger sense of community; smaller area means more people that know families and appreciate what they have
4. Usually better land prices
5. Due to number 4, better bang for your buck to have space to breathe and have more privacy
6. Usually not as restrictive as suburbia with HOA’s and restrictions or neighbors telling you what color you have to paint your house or a group of people charging you money to tell you what you can do on your property that you are spending your hard earned money on
7. Because of not being in a #6, there’s a greater opportunity to be resourceful and have your own chickens or bees (current neighbors have complained to our city about both of these and sent out code enforcement even though they couldn’t site us because we weren’t breaking any ordinances as we live on ag zoned land in a city (only 50 houses this way and ours is one of them))
8. Don’t feel the pressure of “keeping up it’s the Joneses”
9. Because of not doing #8, you don’t spend your free time to maintain what you obtain.
10. Cleaner air, lesser light pollution and the splendor of nature in its environment sans the concrete jungle.
Hello, I am a person who loves the city and I am curious about what you like about small towns and rural areas. Thanks!
10 years ago we moved from the Seattle area to a rural community of 500. People are nice but clannish. It can take a long time to integrate into the community. I like having a lot of acreage for hiking with my dog but miss all the activities, excellent medical and dental care in a big city. Driving 75 miles for groceries gets old fast.
10 years ago we moved from the Seattle area to a rural community of 500. People are nice but clannish. It can take a long time to integrate into the community. I like having a lot of acreage for hiking with my dog but miss all the activities, excellent medical and dental care in a big city. Driving 75 miles for groceries gets old fast.
You can always stock up at a Costco or Sam's Club if there is one around.
You can always stock up at a Costco or Sam's Club if there is one around.
Once we move, our plan is to drive 55 miles or so to Costco once every 4-5 weeks for bulk items to stock our pantry. We’ll use local stores, 15 to 20 min away, for fruits and vegetables that we don’t or can’t can or freeze during the summer season.
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