Frank and Dave are unabashed fans of small-town life. Both say moving their families out of the big city was the best move they ever made. But their book also makes a promise worth keeping: "We have tried to be honest in the book with the drawbacks as well as the benefits."
So here are twelve honest questions to answer before you call a moving company. If you can say yes to most of them, a small town may be a great fit. If a few make you wince, that's worth knowing now.
1. Where will your income come from?
If you're keeping a city job or working remotely, your paycheck may go much further; our income tool shows how far. If you'll need a local job, find out what's actually available and what it pays before you move. The book's experience is that in small towns, many people hold two or three jobs, and there's no stigma in doing what it takes to pay the bills.
2. How far is the specialist you'd need?
A small town may have a clinic and a small hospital, but the nearest specialist could be a long drive away. The book is plain about this: if you're older, health care access matters, so make sure there's a decent hospital nearby. Look up hospitals and doctors on Medicare's Care Compare, and think about who in your family sees a specialist now.
3. Are you ready to drive for almost everything?
Measure the drive to everything on your family's must-have list, in miles and in speed limits. As the book says, 30 miles at 75 miles per hour is a lot different than 30 miles at 30. Be honest with yourself, and don't cheat on the distance or the time it takes.
4. Can you live with fewer stores and restaurants?
You'll have fewer places to shop and eat, and a fancy dinner out may mean a drive. The book's fixes are simple: shop online, and make a weekly family trip to the city to knock out the errands. Some people find they like the change. One of our archive pieces calls the near absence of pushy retail "a silence you cannot buy at any price in the city."
5. Are you okay with everyone knowing your business?
In a small town, people notice. The book says your neighbors will know when you leave town and when you get back, and that city people often mistake this for nosiness when it's really neighbors watching for a chance to help. Frank tells the story of a neighbor who saw his daughter come home from school unexpectedly, invited her over and called the family. You can read it in Mayberry does exist.
The same goes for the rules. The book warns that small-town police can seem unforgiving to city people, and that speeding and driving under the influence won't be tolerated. If you value anonymity, think hard about this one.
6. Do you want a slower pace?
Small-town life is quieter. The book says conversations turn to people and ideas instead of things, and spending slows down. Some newcomers love that from the first week; others miss the buzz. Ask yourself which you'd be on a quiet Tuesday night in February.
7. Can you handle the winters, or the summers?
Weather you shrug off on a short visit can wear on you over a whole season, especially if you drive country roads to get anywhere. Visit in the season you'd dread most before you decide. Our article on visiting a small town before you move explains how.
8. Will you put in the effort to make friends?
The book's experience is that newcomers get invited to everything, so much that you'll think you're the most popular family in town. But some towns are friendlier than others. The book describes the "solid but exclusive" town, prosperous but slow to let outsiders in, where it can take decades to break into the social circle. Either way, friendship takes showing up. See how to make friends in a small town.
9. What kind of small town do you want?
The book names six kinds of small towns: tourist towns, college towns, "gated community" towns, dying towns, solid but exclusive towns and boom towns. Each has real pros and cons. The book is blunt that a dying town is one to avoid, however cheap the houses, and that a boom town may not stay small for long. Our town type quiz can help you find your match.
10. What will your kids do?
The book's view is that small towns are great for kids, partly because there are so few people to go around that everyone who wants to play makes the team. But not every activity exists in every town. When Frank's daughter wanted riding lessons, he couldn't find a stable in the phone book or online, so he asked at the local feed stores and found the perfect one about 20 minutes from home. Make a list of what each child loves, then go looking.
11. Is your partner really on board?
The book is honest that even one dissenter can cause serious problems, and that most families have at least one holdout. Talk it through early. Find out what would make the move exciting for each person; the book suggests a little old-fashioned bargaining, whether that's a dog for your son or a horse for your daughter. Our guide to getting your family on board has more ideas.
12. Will you miss the city?
Be honest about what you'd miss: pro sports, live theater, a favorite restaurant, your old friends. If big-city amenities matter to you, the book suggests looking at towns within 60 miles or so of a city. If you have no regrets about leaving, you can go farther out, where the book says density and home prices both drop.
If you said yes to most of these
Then it's time to start looking. Our guide to researching a small town online will help you size up a town in a single evening.
Frank and Dave's free book answers many of these questions from their own moves, the good parts and the hard ones. Get your copy here.