1. I know my neighbors. And they’re the kind of people who have your back, if you KWIM. They may be a bit “redneck” conservative, but I’m a non-white person who hasn’t experienced any blatant racism.

2. I feel safe. Average number of homicides in my town equals 1 per year, almost always a result of a domestic dispute or bar fight.

3. Farmer stands and markets are abundant, providing me with a wide variety of locally grown foods.

Sure, we lack some cultural benefits. But D.C. is only a 2-hour drive–an easy day trip. My biggest regret is the poor selection of decent restaurants, but cooking at home is cheaper anyway.

With regard to the financial aspect, we purchased our 8-year-old 3BR home on 1/3 acre for $100,000 (4 years ago). So I don’t see a financial disadvantage to rural living either (Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart and such are all within a short driving distance.). Hubby works in an industry (medicine) that offers plenty of career opportunities in surrounding cities (within a 30 minute commute), and I’m a freelance writer (my income would be the same regardless of geography).

Overall, rural living benefits us. Though I agree that it’s great there are differing opinions. If everyone came to my town to live, it wouldn’t be so rural! :)

I do admit I LOVE the weather here, and I like the proximity of the ocean….but a lot of people who live here are busy with their high stress, time intensive jobs a lot of the time….so many are not spending as much time on the beach or in other outdoor pursuits as some might think. And unless you live and work in San Francisco proper, you are going to have to drive everywhere. People tend to scatter all around the area, and it seems friends and attractions are always a 45 minute drive away.

Another interesting observation is that people in cheaper areas seem more capable of doing fun things that don’t involve spending a lot of money. In places like the Bay Area, every social activity seems to revolve around spending.

Real estate here truly is horribly overpriced. If you’re going to raise kids here, make sure your income is in excess of 100K a year. Otherwise, move to Iowa.

As a gay man living in the SF Bay Area, I hate to agree with any aspect of Tyler’s redneck attitude….but many people here in the Bay Area, and San Francisco, in particular, ARE RUDE, arrogant, and smug “know it alls”. They think they have the answers to everything because they have graduate degrees or went to Stanford, etc. Unfortunately, the San Francisco brand of “liberalism” is as intolerant as Tyler’s redneck conservatism.

The Value of Living by a University

Ride Sharing Board – you can find out who needs to get home this weekend, and if it’s a place you’d like to visit, you can share gas expenses

Dumpster Diving – when the spring semester ends and the dorms are vacated, often a treasure trove of furniture is left behind

Surplus and Salvage Barns – colleges are often getting rid of old desks, chairs, and computers – and if you don’t like dumpster diving, look here instead

Great entertainments at discount prices – from music to theater to guest speakers – it’s all right there

Culture…for Free!
The universities where I live all have multiple lecture series, films, music programs, etc., which are open to the public and, in most cases, free. We can see everything from almost first-run films to historically important cinema just for the cost of driving out there and paying to park. There are also lecture series catering to various professional groups and senior citizens

1. We’re rare Silicon Valley natives. Our family is here.

2. In SV, you can drive relatively short distances and go to any number of wonderful rural areas for walks, hikes, etc. The beach is close, and ski areas and Yosemite are weekend trips.

3. We’re too used to having Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, several types of Chinese, Korean, Mexican, and other food within walking distance or a short drive.

4. Money can be saved by living here if you know how to do it. The ethnic grocery stores are great places for deals, even if Safeway is expensive. And we also have all the usual suspects for big-box shopping.

5. Sure, houses are small, but there are money-saving advantages to small houses. One thing I didn’t like when I was briefly looking at moving was that you pretty much had to buy a big, newer house with a big plot of land if you wanted to live in a good school district in the Midwest. Small houses on small pieces of land tended to be in really bad areas.

We’re perfectly happy in our 1300 square foot place and can’t imagine needing more than 1750 or so even when we have kids, and I could never get into a world where you need to buy farm equipment to maintain a lawn.

6. Overseas travel is extremely convenient. Since I go to China and Japan fairly frequently, this is important.

Even though I am rarely on the Ocean. Regularly seeing large bodies of water is somehow peaceful and calming.