Is small-town life for me? I grew up in New York City and knew from a very young age that the hustle and bustle of city life just wasn’t for me. The people, the noise, and the constant rush weren’t appealing. After finishing college at NYU, I moved to Maryland with my best friend, lived there for two years then went back to NY to be with my family. From there I moved to Florida, met my husband and we’ve been moving every 2-3 years trying to find the right fit.

Well, during spring break of 2023, we decided to visit his family in a rural town in North Florida. As soon as we drove through the town, I fell in love. The trees & the wide open spaces gave me a sense of calm. I knew I wanted to live in this quaint little town and luckily, my husband did, too! As the title suggests, there are 3 important factors that are leading us on this path to rural life.

Rural road with trees and grass.

Reason 1: Affordability

My husband and I dreamed of starting a homestead and living a more sustainable life. We wanted to grow our own crops and get chickens so we could have our own eggs, too! While we do have a garden where we grow plenty of crops, life in Central Florida wasn’t conducive to a true homestead lifestyle. Honestly, we didn’t even think buying 5 acres and starting a small homestead was attainable until visiting his family. We spent the week there and on a whim began to look at land prices, we realized that it wasn’t as expensive as we thought. So, we decided to visit a local home builder to get an idea of what it would cost to build a home. To our surprise it was attainable, so we stopped at the local bank to get more information about construction loans. From there, the decision was made… We’re Moving!

We purchased 5 acres for $50,000 and we are quoted to build a 4 bedroom 1664 square foot home for $243,000. Considering the skyrocketing prices of homes in Central Florida and across America, we knew this was a GREAT deal on the path to rural life and our own homestead.

Reason 2: Community

My husband and I had several meals at the local diner downtown. We sat outside because we had our Toy Poodle, Ginger with us. As people walked passed us, they said hello or stopped to chat with my husband and me. The waitress sparked a conversation with us and we told her our big plan to move! She seemed genuinely excited for us, gave us a few tips, and said she was looking forward to seeing us again.

A week later, we went back for the weekend to attend church and spend time with my husband’s family. The church service was inspirational, the music lead me to tears, and after service, everyone was so welcoming. They sparked conversations and asked questions, & it felt like a warm hug. It’s a little difficult to explain. Bottom line, it felt good, it felt like home, & it felt like a church I wanted to be a part of.

Reason 3: Peace & Quiet

I’m an introvert, so I live my life in avoidance of people. Our current neighborhood is filled with neighbors that know our name, know our dog’s name, and always want to stop my husband and me while we walk Ginger to engage in my so despised small talk. Moving to a rural town means… No Neighbors! Well, we will have neighbors, but they will be acres away and we will walk our beloved Ginger on our property away from people and small talk.

There isn’t any traffic, there are trees for miles, and like mentioned earlier a sense of calm. Our current town has so much traffic, new homes and apartments being built, & way too many people for me.

We just sold our home & I am truly looking forward to our new homestead and rural life!

Don’t worry, I will keep you updated on our home build & design choices. Thanks for stopping by!

Rebecca Jeanette