re: Return to small town Louisiana vs staying in the big city rat race

If you can make your nut in a rural area its a no brainer. Most people can't but technology is making it more reasonable to do so.

Family is great but family can also be a pain in the arse. Depends on the family but most families have a few pains in the arse.

Shallow and phony people are less aggravating to me than ignorant people and its easier to avoid people in big cities than it is in rural areas....unless you are talking about seriously isolated areas. You can easily spend a week in Houston and never speak to a soul. You will see bunches of people, if you speak to them that's your decision. This ain't so in rural areas.....folks will talk and they are liable to think you and they agree that the earth is flat and there are lizard people in charge of everything.

I have lived in Atlanta, not as big as Houston but pretty comparable in most things other than shear population...traffic, stress, fast pace etc. I have lived in a smallish town in New Mexico - 20,000 people BUT I could go 15 minutes in any direction from my house and not see a soul if I wanted to avoid seeing one. I have lived in small towns in Georgia and rural areas and mid sized city......and I have been pretty satisfied in all of them. I did not care for Charleston or the PNW, Charleston because of the people, and it wasn't those from South Carolina, and the PNW because of the weather....the wind never stopped blowing. Outside of those 2 areas I have been satisfied because I am pretty happy wherever I am. If I wasn't I remedied it right quick. Sounds like you're not happy and ought to remedy it right quick.

One word of caution...it isn't a big deal when you are young and healthy BUT living in rural areas as an aging person is damn near impossible. If you ever live long enough to be unsafe driving you will have to depend on others to do it for you and as much as they and you may like to pretend this won't be a problem it is for most people. Driving 30-45 minutes one way 3-4 times a week for doctors appointments is a lot like commuting without the paycheck. My fathers dream was to move to the country from Atlanta and he did when he was in his late 40s and it was great for him but he started losing his ability to drive in in his early 60s and lived until the age of 84 so about 22 years of counting on someone else to take him to the doctor and get groceries for him. He wasn't happy about it all. He lived with us the last 14 of those years and it was better but still not great because we live in a middle sized city with almost no services for seniors. I am sure that is not an issue for you now but with any kind of luck you will live to be old and it can be hard to do in rural areas.