Small Towns + Water for the Win!
If you are in your twenties, maybe a huge city suits you best? But what if you are older, with a family to raise, or even older? Where is a great place to live?
Beware of lists!
We have all seen the lists… best states, best cities. But an entire state is not a homogeneous experience. Best cities? After you reach the time in your life when nightlife means less, is there a better choice? Besides, America is not Europe. Those marvelous overseas choices largely don’t exist here.
Try this!
Take one good thing… small towns… and add another good thing… water. Hurray! You have a small town beach community.
No to US Cities
Why say “no” to a large city? Cost of living, crowding, crime, decaying social services, traffic, noise, stress! Rats in a cage living! I could go on and on, but this is not a anti-city rant.
Not all are horror shows. Not all cities need a “rat czar”. Some are fairly livable. But we are searching for “best places to live in America”. If you are not twenty something, we can do better!
Small town negatives
Certainly some small towns have huge crime, corruption and economic problems making them mostly unlivable. I know of a few in Iowa (of all places).
Add in dirty, dusty, poor and extreme heat (or cold) and it is no wonder why people dont want to live there.
Some small towns, like cities, have inferior schools. (But many small towns have fantastic schools)
And also, lets not forget… small towns can be so boring!
Small town miracles
Then you have the small towns in less desirable places that landed one successful company, or had some resource fall into their laps.
People will come for the jobs. Great! But you want to have a life too, right? We can do better in our search for best places to live.
Just add water!
Did you know that people who live very close to water tend to be happier? And live longer? “Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do” by Wallace J. Nichols is a great read. But hey, just reading the long title gifts you with its ultimate truth.
Water is good! Put a small town on the shore of a large body of water and you have an excellent chance of it being a great place to live.
Make it unsalted water, even better!
We have unlimited fresh water where I live. Water shortage. Never! Six quadrillion gallons of beautiful clean, blue fresh water.
Still want to live in a dusty small town in the desert Southwest? Have your water trucked in? Enjoy your 3 minute showers? And reuse your bath towel for a week’s worth of showers? Err… gross!
Can you believe way more than 1/2 of Americans reuse their bath towels for a week or more. Gross… and unhealthy. Only 7% wash their towels after each use. (Stunning result to me. My family has always been use it and wash it believers.) But reusing bath towels is maybe normal for you… if you live where water is a scarce resource?
Advantages of a “good” small town
- Lower cost of living
- Safe, low crime
- Quiet
- Slower pace
- Connection to the “village”
- Good schools
- Less pollution
- Better mental health
Advantages of living near water
- Stress reduction
- Better health
- Live longer
- Fresh air
- Close to nature
- Recreation opportunities
- Higher overall happiness
- And if it is fresh water… no rationing
Water and small town living can be strong contributors to a healthy brain, body and overall well being. Bonus if you have nearby access to a city. A short drive to a Costco, museum, zoo or ball game is a crowd pleaser.
Even if you have to work for a living, living near water gives you beach sunsets and lunch on the water for instant stress relief.
Where would you live? We found ours on the shores of Lake Michigan.. with Grand Rapids only 25 miles away. The number of small towns on the water in America is in the thousands. Perhaps one is right for you?