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Ask HN: How to find a small town to relocate for remote work?

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Re: Ask HN: How to find a small town to relocate for remote work?

#301

Post by jason-phillips »

2Gkashmiri wrote: post #133
throwaway787544 wrote: post #119

I live in the outskirts of a poor rural town in NY. We have 2 bars, some restaurants, a coffee shop, a fast food chain, some dollar stores, a grocery store, hardware store, antiques, gas stations, etc, Library and a little theater, farmers market on weekends. River runs nearby with a put-in for kayaks and fishing. Biggest town/city nearby with big box stores is about 45 minutes. They have fiber internet here but it's…

I'm curious, how do you people deal with medical emergencies? I live in a city and I have 3 24x7 hospitals within walking distance. I have gone dozens of times on foot at 3 in the morning to get medicine.

> I'm curious, how do you people deal with medical emergencies?

Be healthy. Also be able to survive a 60 minute wait and ambulance ride to the nearest hospital. I'm totally serious, unfortunately. Locals tend to look healthier for a reason.

Re: Ask HN: How to find a small town to relocate for remote work?

#302

Post by pc86 »

ryanmercer wrote: post #229
78124781 wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow, Pine Bluff is quite a place to move to out the blue. Still, there's good interstate access and a local state U. Curious why the city is so reluctant to support new businesses. You might try Jonesboro, Fort Smith, or Hot Springs if you're looking for cheap nearby places. North Little Rock or someplace in NW Arkansas too would have more nearby amenities, albeit at higher (though still quite affordable nationally)…

>Curious why the city is so reluctant to support new businesses. I'm guessing the town wants him to do very basic stuff to get the property up to code, and he doesn't want to. Anther person pointed out in a comment that comment chain OPs twitter had posts about about holding somebody at gunpoint in apparent frustration. To me it sounds like OP knew absolutely nothing about commercial real-estate, absolutely nothing a…

It took me about 4 minutes to find out that he was robbed for the ~15th time, called the police, and held the criminal at gunpoint for less than ten minutes until the police arrived. Quite a bit different than "holding somebody at gunpoint in apparent frustration," and with how quickly I found out what actually happened I can only assume you're intentionally misrepresenting the facts.

Re: Ask HN: How to find a small town to relocate for remote work?

#303

Post by rr888 »

sneak wrote: post #52

Without a symphony/opera, theater, decent concert venue, and some art museums, life is going to get real boring, real fast. I did a stint in a cheap culture wasteland through covid. It may be economically cheaper but the toll it takes on your soul is real.

Yeah I agree with this. I like a good remote vacation and not talk to anyone for two weeks. But you can't live like this forever, esp with kids. A medium sized city has a lot of benefits.

Re: Ask HN: How to find a small town to relocate for remote work?

#304

Post by amoghs »

rlawson wrote: post #288

Let me give you the scoop on the Carolina's. I'm a developer living in the upstate of SC. I am an agnostic liberal which makes me a rarity but I was born here so I can go under the radar thanks to my deep melodious southern accent. Pros - Great climate 10 out of 12 months - Friendly people - Lots of outdoor activities - Beautiful beaches (Fripp Island and Kiawah especially) - Low cost housing (altho going up rapidly)…

Curious, do you actively hide your agnostic liberal views?

Re: Ask HN: How to find a small town to relocate for remote work?

#305

Post by pc86 »

newshorts wrote: post #146
tacitusarc wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m sure you didn’t intend it this way, but this comment comes across as incredibly arrogant and unfeeling.

Was going to say something similar. Having grown up in a small idyllic town, there was beauty in the slow struggle to live there. OP would do well to try and learn the culture before seeking to change it. There’s value beyond “cheaper houses” and “craft beer” in these places.

I grew up in a small town, too. Some are better than others. There doesn't seem to be any redeeming quality to Pine Bluff.

Re: Ask HN: How to find a small town to relocate for remote work?

#306

Post by analog31 »

cortesoft wrote: post #41
rswerve wrote: post #4

College towns. Pick some states, and go visit towns with colleges in them. They'll have restaurants and groceries, and those faculty kids have to go to school somewhere. Internet should be passable, too. They won't be the cheapest small town option, but houses should come in well below a million bucks. The one town you mention, Lancaster, PA, is a model of the type.

It really depends on the atmosphere you want. College towns are great in many ways, with lots of interesting things to do and a lot of cultural events. However, a lot of people move to college towns and don't realize/remember what college kids are like... they will be noisy at night, sometimes destroy property, throw parties, do stupid pranks... it isn't for everybody

It's easy to recognize and avoid the student neighborhoods. Find out where the professors and doctors live. Or even the graduate students -- not as wealthy but tend to be quite well behaved. Many are raising families while in grad school.

I live in a college town -- mid sized city in the shadow of a major university in the Midwest. It has everything the OP wants, walking distance to supermarket and shops, easy to get around by bike, enough of an economy thanks to the university and hospitals.

Re: Ask HN: How to find a small town to relocate for remote work?

#307

Post by JackFr »

Just from what I know anecdotally, you’re going to do best in college towns or vacation spots. And while that doesn’t preclude affordable homes, it means you might not get the pick of the litter.

The economics of supporting a walkable downtown are just real tough in many places.

Re: Ask HN: How to find a small town to relocate for remote work?

#308

Post by rlawson »

amoghs wrote: post #304
rlawson wrote: post #288

Let me give you the scoop on the Carolina's. I'm a developer living in the upstate of SC. I am an agnostic liberal which makes me a rarity but I was born here so I can go under the radar thanks to my deep melodious southern accent. Pros - Great climate 10 out of 12 months - Friendly people - Lots of outdoor activities - Beautiful beaches (Fripp Island and Kiawah especially) - Low cost housing (altho going up rapidly)…

Curious, do you actively hide your agnostic liberal views?

I don't lie if directly asked but I don't volunteer unless I know the person. Have definitely been told I'm going to hell, etc

Re: Ask HN: How to find a small town to relocate for remote work?

#310

Post by UncleMeat »

amoghs wrote: post #304
rlawson wrote: post #288

Let me give you the scoop on the Carolina's. I'm a developer living in the upstate of SC. I am an agnostic liberal which makes me a rarity but I was born here so I can go under the radar thanks to my deep melodious southern accent. Pros - Great climate 10 out of 12 months - Friendly people - Lots of outdoor activities - Beautiful beaches (Fripp Island and Kiawah especially) - Low cost housing (altho going up rapidly)…

Curious, do you actively hide your agnostic liberal views?

My parents are retired in SC. Other than "no guns at our house" they hide their liberal views and end up finding left wing friends through weird whisper networks. The huge majority of their friends and neighbors are red (they live in a very white and quite wealthy area).
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