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Have you ever found yourself yearning for something different – maybe a slower pace of life, more folks like you, closer to family, more access to what you like to do, or simply more stars at night?
Americans are blessed with the space to move to something different when they get an itch. Moving to a small town or rural living, say, on a farm could be the refreshing change you’re looking for. Whether it’s the appeal of a close-knit community, the lure of affordable living, or the chance to live surrounded by nature, small-town life or rural living can offer any number of benefits that big cities just can’t match.
I turned 30 on a Friday and walked in on Monday and quit my ad job in New York City. I was a bachelor with a VW Campervan. I didn’t know where I would go; I just knew I didn’t want to start a family in NYC. Now, I am thinking about doing it again. But differently.
AN online search of ‘best small town to live in’ will bring up a lot of sites with ‘tree-lined streets, brick-faced stores, great restaurants,’ etc. But none seem to help you decide which small town is best for you. This post steps back to give you a framework and guide to help you find your best small town to live in.
These are the criteria I’m asking myself. I hope you find them useful. By the way, I’m writing this for Bellhop Movers, experts at local and long-distance moves. I’ll use them for my next move.
What’s So Great about Rural Living in a Small Town – 2024

Like the myth of the American cowboy there are a lot of romantic notions of small-town life and rural living:
- People are happier
- No one locks their doors
- Life is safer, quieter, simpler
- If you were hard, you can make it
- It costs less to live than in big cities
- It’s healthier living in small towns.
In fact, small town life can be very different. Residents in rural America tends to be older, Whiter, and have less income. Many more have never left and feel misunderstood by city types. The opioid crisis has a strong foothold and contributes to a more pessimistic attitude about the future. There can be resentment toward remote workers who have moved in and driven up the price of housing. There is less job mobility as work opportunities are fewer.
So, should you not move to a small town? Yes, you should if you know why and what you are looking for. Let’s step back now and create that checklist to narrow your search. There is no recommended answer for any of these factors. It’s about knowing you and that means asking…
Why Are You Moving to a Small Town?
Maybe it’s to find the cheapest places to live, or boredom, or discrimination. Do you know?
Adventure
Let’s Try Something Totally Different!
Your decision to move may be based on a need to adventure – like Bilbo Baggins leaving the Shire. Covid made it OK to move to other major cities or even smaller, ‘cool’ metro areas – like Bozeman and Asheville. But to a small town or worse: rural living?! Your friends most likely won’t understand, but… so what?
Adventuring means small towns in the entire country are in your sights. I know of two French sisters who picked a small town in Arizona by blindfolding and pinning a needle in a map. They opened a French restaurant and thrived.
You may not like that method, so let’s narrow down your search.
A Checklist for Finding the Best Small Town in America
What Are Your Priorities?
What excites you when you wake up, or long for in spare time? What are your necessities?
Begin by identifying what matters most to you in your daily life. Do you prioritize proximity to work, access to good schools, or the availability of healthcare services? Perhaps you value a strong sense of community or being close to nature. Clarifying your priorities will help you narrow down potential towns that align with your lifestyle goals. Here’s a checklist to ponder.
Family
This factor can limit your choices. You’re not alone. According to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey, more than half of American adults (55%) live within an hour’s drive of some of their extended family members. Your friends most likely will understand this move. An hour drive gives you lots of options in terms of small town choices.
Looking for My ‘Flock’
‘Birds of a feather, flock together.’
While America is becoming more racially diverse, census and voting data say we are becoming more homogeneous politically. Rural America is more White than urban areas and votes more Republican. Recent statewide laws enacted on abortion and LGBTQ rights have provided incentives to relocate. So did Covid rules and a run-up in housing prices; think Californians moving to Texas for cheaper homes and no income tax.
If the opinions of your neighbors matter, consider the following: “In the 2020 presidential election, Joe Biden won 91% of the country’s most populous counties, while Donald Trump took more than 2,500 of the remaining 3,000 counties.” That’s 75% of non-urban counties.
That doesn’t mean a Democrat can’t be happy in Montana, or Republican in California. We’ve written about liberal ‘blue’ towns in deeply-red, Republican Florida and Texas. This just means you have to research deeper in certain states. Hamilton, Montana is very ‘blue’, located near Missoula’s airport and sits in what many call Montana’s Banana Belt.
Healthcare
Probably the most important and most overlooked criteria is your healthcare choices. Small-town America is losing hospitals, or the hospitals are being forced to curtail elective services to cut costs. Check to see if a state accepts federal Medicaid; for-profit small town hospitals appear to be doing better in states that do.
Secondly, political factors have weighed in to influence women’s and teen gender-related healthcare services on a statewide basis. An unintended consequence is loss of services. Young families and older residents may now have to drive long distances for non-emergency services.
If you have good healthcare benefits currently where you live, maybe consider moving to a nearby small town to maintain the same plan and access to the professionals you have. Many major cities have these smaller town choices nearby. The housing cost may not be that much less, but the small-town lifestyle does exist. Near Seattle we have small towns like Mount Vernon and North Bend. Near Atlanta consider 25,000+ Cartersville. Bellhop’s guide to affordable suburbs in the greater Atlanta area can help.
Owning a Home
Yes, you can buy ‘more house’ in small towns.
Yet that’s true for most cities in the South and many in Texas if you’re moving from high-priced areas like the Northeast and West Coast. You don’t have to ‘go small town’ if your choice is just about home ownership. Look at Raleigh and Dallas in these Bellhop guides that feature affordable neighborhoods with good schools.
Bellhop can also help you move long-distance to Raleigh, or Dallas, if you’re ready.
What these suburban choices have over small towns is a good supply of housing to choose from. With greater supply the condition of the homes may be better than what you may find in a small town at a comparable price.
Home Insurance Is No Longer Cheap – Anywhere
Consider cost of home insurance and the choice of home insurers where you to want to move to. California and Florida had to create special insurance pools as private insurers backed out after hurricanes and fires in rural areas. A special coverage rider for natural disasters, if you can get it, may break your monthly budget or add points to your mortgage.
That being said, moving cross-country to the LA area does have a certain appeal that’s hard to put a price on.
Remodeling
You don’t want to order a 4×8’ plywood panel on Amazon. With the Internet you can research and compare local remodeling supplies prices for different towns. How far away is a Home Depot? What are the local prices?
Mortgage Fine-Print: Who Will Own the Mineral Rights Under Your Dream Home?
The fine-print of many Western-state home mortgages may disclose that you do not own the mineral rights on your intended property. Someone else (mining or oil) may. I once nearly bought a hilly property near Durango until I read that the quarry company on the other side of the hill owned my mineral rights and could widen their hole underneath mine.
Zoning Loopholes Can Be Problematic
Living how you want on your land is viewed as a right in America. Yet anything can happen when zoning has no guard rails in your neighborhood. Fracking for natural gas extraction brings with it 24-hour, high-decibel noise and demands for ground water that can make your well run dry.
Utility Prices and Choices
Utility costs are another area where small towns may come out ahead. But if the idea of a propane tank in your backyard is a turnoff, going very rural may not be for you.
Water
Research drinking water quality for any town choice. Aquifers are running dry (or worse, polluted). Stories abound about the need for deeper wells, denial of building permits for lack of water (greater Phoenix), or groundwater contamination (farming communities everywhere). Texas publishes an interactive map to check for pending contamination cases, suggesting this is a broader issue. The Southwest is in a long-term drought that is upending long-held practices for farmers and developers.
Infrastructure / Internet Connectivity
Rural living has been handicapped by lack of broadband access. That’s changing with the Biden Infrastructure investment of $65B. It’s still pricey to connect. New options like Starlink are possible.
Education Considerations
If you have children, the quality of education is likely at the top of your list when considering a move. Small towns can have excellent schools, with smaller class sizes that allow for more individualized attention. We recommend you spend time researching schools, not just the choice but also the pool to choose from in any small-town move. Niche.com is a good source listing public schools and private academies.
Spending on students varies widely by state. School boards are wrestling with declining enrollment and less federal funding (after Covid). It’s not uncommon for school districts to have to close schools. Research this before you move. Home schooling can be a viable option, but not necessarily for all.
Employment Opportunities
Remote work has made the move easier. If you like mixing with fellow industry types, the smaller pool may be a turnoff. What happens if your company eliminates full remote work? Could you find employment in the town? Indeed.com and LinkedIN.com can help you get a sense of job mobility by searching: ‘state and federal jobs in’ any town.
Hack: Find Thriving Small Towns with a Large, Stable Employer
Small towns today need a steady employment and tax base. Many rely on tourism. Though manufacturing has declined across America, here’s an idea. In the South auto and aerospace manufacturers have setup assembly plants employing hundreds. These are ‘anchors’ for steady employment, vital to healthy small towns. Do a search for ‘Honda assembly manufacturing in South Carolina,’ for example to find nearby small towns and look them over as possible candidates for living. Honda ‘employs more than 1,000 associates’ near Timmonsville, SC.
Fandom – Big City Draws
Small towns with universities are cultural draws and can satisfy an itch for the arts. If you are an opera buff with season tickets, a die-hard home-team football fan, or special restaurant buff, moving to a small town near you may be the best choice. Otherwise, develop a thick skin when you wear that team jersey on game day to a neighborhood get-together.
Community
Finding a group to hang out with is human nature. To research churches go here. I look up coffee shops and bookstores as community-building places. If your family has non-typical health needs or diverse lifestyle interests (LGBTQ), how welcome do local shop owners make you feel? It’s only funny on Schitt’s Creek.
Airport Travel
If you travel frequently for pleasure, business or family, moving to a small town can add considerably to costs and travel time. In some situations, you may have to fly from a regional airport to a major hub, adding costs and possibly a day of travel, not to mention the uncertainty that comes with bad weather, etc. Many small towns try to counter this with a shuttle service.
If frequent travel is a necessity or pleasure, your best small-town move may be to a small town nearby a major city. Lawrence, Kansas, a university town, is a good example — 44 minutes to the Kansas City airport. Or consider these small towns outside Atlanta (Redan and Morrow) Bellhop has covered.
Let’s Talk About the Weather
Both what you want and what you want to avoid. The weather is getting crazier to the point where you have to pick which natural disaster you can live with – earthquake, tornado, forest fire, hurricane. My mom adamantly refused to move to ‘Tornado Alley.’
Two years after I bought 80 acres near Cortez, Colorado, it was burned over in an afternoon lightening strike. Shit happens. Take precautions like a metal roof and a large clearing if you decide on rural living. They saved our cabin.
FEMA has recently updated its flood maps to reflect new climate-driven events. Insurance companies are using them to update their rates. You can use them too to find less flood-prone areas.
What Are the Town’s Long-term Growth Plans?
Think about how the town may change over time. Is it growing, or is it likely to remain the same size? Consider whether the town and county have long-term planning that could affect you. Maybe no long-term plan is a bad thing.
What Are Your Long-Term Goals?
Reflect on your plans. The average American will move eight times. If this is your last move, take the time to make it the right move.
6 Steps for Finding the Best Small Town for You
Don’t rush this. Snap decisions make a good movie, but you don’t need the added drama. The time you spend will be worth it, confirming your excellent choice or saving you thousands of dollars and misery when you up and leave later after a disastrous experience.
Research Online
Start your search by exploring potential towns online. Look for community websites, local news, newspapers, and social media groups that can give you insights into the town’s culture, events, and lifestyle. Websites like City-Data, Niche, and local real estate listings can provide valuable information, though likely to be very pro-move.
Rural living can vary widely. Hamilton, Montana is a bit warmer with more frost-free days than the state average. Mountain passes can be problematic in winter and with deer / elk / moose / bear hazards at night all year.
Join local online groups
Join any Facebook groups, Zoom attend city meetings, planning discussions, newspapers, etc. If there is a healthy discussion around local topics, are your views in the majority, or will you be one of the ‘grousing newcomers’? Pay attention to discussion about down-sizing by key ‘anchor’ employers: schools, state and federal agencies, hospitals.
Visit in Person
There’s no substitute for experiencing a place in person. Explore, talk to locals, and observe daily life. Visit the schools, healthcare facilities, and shop locally. Encourage gossip. If you need a weekly dose of fresh Dim Sung, maybe the town is not for you.
Talk to Residents
Engage with current residents to hear firsthand what life is like in the town. Ask about the pros and cons, how the community interacts, and what they love, or wish were different. Residents can provide insights that you won’t find online, like mineral rights on local home mortgages.
Vacation There Several Times
Go in high tourist season (if there is one) and the flip side: the lousy weather season.
Buyer Beware! Decide Slowly.
Small towns need new residents. Most folks you talk to will be very positive. Realtors will stress the urgency to sign because of competing interest.
Stay True to Your Nature
Change is hard but you have a say in how much and when to change. Are you comfortable upsetting the apple cart? Or more likely to make small adjustments? Look back on other major decisions and how you chose. Pursue the move to a small town the same way. You don’t have to move all the way across the country or go ‘very rural.’ If you are by nature cautious, a nearby small town may be best for you.
Take your time, trust your instincts, and choose a place where you can truly see yourself thriving.
Consider Bellhop for that Life-Affirming Move
We’ve covered a lot of topics here. Some may have sounded negative about a rural living. We want you simply to be well informed. When you’re ready to move, consider Bellhop Movers to get you there, even if it’s just to a nearby small town. We excel at worry-free, inexpensive moves. We can do the same for you.
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