DH and I live near (not in) a small town on the remote Olympic Peninsula of Washington State whose population is about the same as my Brooklyn high school. It’s a pretty little town that attracts lots of retirees, many of whom volunteer to maintain gardens all around town. Also a little art museum, a little theater, a little Boys and Girls Club, a YMCA (with a large swimming pool), an orchestra that plays in the band shell, and several little parks. The quiet ambience, proximity to Olympic National Park, and beautiful summer climate (cool, low humidity) attract many tourists.
With the advent of the pandemic, many people have moved out of crowded, expensive cities and to low-cost small towns all around the U.S. The low cost of living results in a higher standard of living even for those without a college degree.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/12/business/economy/small-to…
**Far From the Big City, New Economic Life**
**Incomes are low in small-town Tennessee, but so is the cost of living. That attraction could be a key to reviving many rural areas.**
**By Eduardo Porter, The New York Times, Feb. 12, 2022**
**...**
**Economists have long voiced fear that rural places are being left behind as manufacturing jobs disappear. But the newcomers are fueling a boomlet in the area, based on a simple economic proposition: It is pretty, and it is cheap. While Jackson County’s typical household makes $35,207 a year, just over half the national average, the low cost of living allows residents to punch far above their weight in economic terms....**
**An exodus of workers fleeing the cost of living in big cities. And the pandemic has only added to the trend, by encouraging workers to leave congested and expensive urban hubs and work remotely from small towns. If remote work remains widespread, their counties could benefit from a decisive price advantage... Workers without a four-year college degree earn little in the Cookeville, TN commuting zone — their income puts them among the poorest 10 percent of households in hundreds of commuting zones across the country. After adjusting for the local cost of living, however, their purchasing power rises to the top 10 percent....** [end quote]
When high-speed internet is available, Zoom and other technologies make the rest of the world seem accessible. Apart from actually traveling the world (like Jeff), I don’t feel more isolated than the average city or suburban resident on a day-to-day basis. In fact, I feel more connected since the small-town neighbors and small, do-it-yourself organizations are more personally involving.
The Macroeconomic trend of movement away from cities and toward small towns could reverse the declines that caused so much tragedy over the past 30 years. It’s certainly more relaxing to live in a small town. (Though not as exciting as a city.)
The only downside is that property values are skyrocketing due to increased demand from newcomers. That’s bad for the locals.
Wendy