Articles on small town living
Practical pieces on the money, the houses, the schools and the people, plus a few classics from the original SmallTownGuide.com.
- How to make friends in a small townOctober 5, 2026
Say yes to invitations, volunteer, lean on your kids' activities, join a church or civic group, show up for town events, and avoid one common trap.
- How to research a small town online in one eveningOctober 5, 2026
A step-by-step evening plan using free government tools for people, prices, crime, schools, hospitals, internet, flood risk, taxes and local news.
- How to visit a small town before you move thereOctober 5, 2026
Plan the trip like a first date, ask the right locals, then go back to see the town at night, on a weekday and in the season you'd dread most.
- Is a small town right for you? 12 honest questions to ask firstOctober 5, 2026
Twelve honest questions about work, doctors, driving, shopping, privacy, pace, weather, friends, kids and family to answer before you move.
- Retiring to a small town on a fixed income: a planning checklistOctober 5, 2026
A practical checklist for retirees: hospitals and Medicare, property tax breaks, winter driving, airports, housing options and real price data.
- Small town, suburb or exurb: which do you actually want?October 5, 2026
Plain definitions of urban, rural, metro and micro areas, Frank Rolfe's take on exurbs and super-commuters, and how to pick what fits you.
- What to check before buying a house in a small townOctober 5, 2026
The book's four cautions plus a practical checklist covering inspections, well and septic, flood maps, internet, property taxes, surveys and zoning.
- What your paycheck is worth in a small townOctober 5, 2026
Government price data shows how far a $75,000 income stretches in the rural part of a state, with six worked examples and the fine print.
- Working remotely from a small townOctober 5, 2026
How to check internet at a specific address, plan a backup, find a place to work, handle office days and time zones, and rethink your career.
- The financial benefits to living in a small townFrank Rolfe
Frank Rolfe's short list of where small-town living saves money: housing, school tuition, recreation and keeping up with the Joneses.
- Don't get too close to the repairmanJuly 1, 2013
Contractors are often the first people you get to know after a move, but here's why they shouldn't become your circle of friends.
- My small town storyPerry Burget
Perry Burget on leaving Denver for the small town he grew up in, the rough first years, and why his family stayed.
- City living, a culture of bad value empowermentDecember 5, 2009
Why the near absence of pushy retail is one of the quiet luxuries of small-town life, for your kids and for your budget.
- Want to build an estate your heirs can afford to keep for generations to come?December 5, 2009
Why a family home meant to last for generations is easier for heirs to afford, and to keep, in a small town than in a big city.
- Mayberry does exist, and I live in itFrank Rolfe
Frank Rolfe on moving from a big city to a small town and finding that the friendly, look-out-for-each-other Mayberry is real.