~patches~ wrote:

> I really like small communities. I think they are so much nicer than
> larger ones and we can always drive if need be. We are close to the US
> too so we can shop there as well. For our basics - meats, eggs, poultry
> most bought from farmers, fruite/veggies either home grown or bought
> from orchards, u-picks and stands - we're have more than enough local
> resources. We really have to drive if I want special sauces, oils, and
> some ethnic items. Still we wouldn't change where we live.

It's nice to have the best of both worlds. I live in a rural area. It's less than
10 minutes to drive to town, or 10 minutes to the adjacent city, and 25 minutes
to two other cities, an hour to "the big city". I get to enjoy the peace an
quiet of the country, access to fresh fruit, vegetables and eggs. and it is not a
major trek to go to a city for special items.

There are a lot of advantages to living an hour from "the big city". You can
scoot in and spend a day, or an evening, and then turn around and be home in a
little more than an hour. You get to enjoy the sights and the shops without
having to endure the negatives, like congestion and high cost of property.

My wife went to school in the city and we used to go back for parties with her old
classmates. One time someone asked us how we could stand being so far from the
city and didn't we miss the theatre, the galleries, museums, downtown shopping and
restaurants. So I asked the group a few questions. We used to go into the city
every 2-3 weeks. We had an out of town membership to the museum and used it as out
meeting place. We had a membership to the local art gallery that got us into the
art gallery for free. It turned out that we had been to their art gallery and
museum , their theatres and shopping in downtown in their city more often than
they did.