Moving to a Small Town: A Guidebook for Moving from Urban to Rural America

Do you have the temperament to live in a small town? Are your needs and wants compatible with what is available in a small town? This book requires you to take off your rose-colored glasses and be honest with yourself. It also gives you the tools with which to answer these (and other) questions honestly. Once you have read this book, you will be able to conduct the comparisons and analyses that are so important in making the decision to move from an urban to a small-town environment. Or...the decision not to. Highly recommend this book!

The authors are a couple who lived in Los Angeles and moved to a town in North Carolina that has a population of around 7,000. They are both career writers, but also bought an apple orchard. They discuss issues like: Are you right for small-town life? Scouting a new location; calculating the costs; making the move; recasting your career; and making a place for yourself in your new community.MOVING TO A SMALL TOWN has been a godsend for my husband and me, as we are planning on moving from Santa Barbara, California, in the next year. (We'd like to buy a home, and it's not going to happen here!) For people who have lived in medium to large cities their whole lives, this book gives a serious introduction to what's different in small towns, like decreased anonymity and increased expectations for community involvement. We learned some helpful ideas for choosing where to live and some new ways to think about making a living. Much of this information can be used by someone thinking of moving to a larger city, as well--one still has to scout locations, think about work, and move. This book is a must for anyone thinking about relocating.(and now that we finally have moved to a town of 8,500 -- a town very unlike Southern California towns, thank goodness! -- we love it even more than expected)Kimberly Borrowdale - Under the Covers Book Reviews

As urbanites who returned to the man's family orchard, this writing team is fully aware of the pleasures and pitfalls of moving to a small town. Written with sensitivity, humor, and many examples and interviews with others who have done the same, this is a full-bodied book that MUST be read by anyone thinking of moving to a small town!