I agree, try to have the best of both worlds if possible. I also live near a smaller city/town with a population of ~10K, I live just outside the city limits an

I agree, try to have the best of both worlds if possible. I also live near a smaller city/town with a population of ~10K, I live just outside the city limits and have watched the services expand out to my property. I am very happy to say that I just got a fiberoptic connection which has 400Xed my internet speeds, provided my with 4K television service and reduced my Satellite TV and LTE Internet bill by $75! I can only imagine how much these new services have added to my property values, but I am certain it has made it easier to sell them if I chose to do so in the future. The smart play if You have the patience is to get "affordable" property on the fringes of a small city or town and benefit from it growing up around You. My property still doesn't have city water or sewer but expect that is coming in the near future, then the sub divisions will come, strip malls next, finally office buildings and condos....until eventually I'll pack up and move with my big bag of cash from selling and do it all again. I was lucky to have had parents who did this also so when I was looking to relocate from the big city, I visited a number of smaller towns and when I found my current hometown, it reminded me of my childhood one from ~40 years earlier. PS: Having a Walmart in or near the town if You are buying in is also a good thing IMO. I know lots of people feel they push out small businesses but IMO they keep the small town sharks honest and prevent gouging.