It is not necessarily the case that one gives up good med care in rural America. I live in a suburb of an 8000 person city (town?) and med care is top notch.

It is not necessarily the case that one gives up good med care in rural America. I live in a suburb of an 8000 person city (town?) and med care is top notch. I do believe that anywhere one chooses to live there are compromises. Those compromises, if you do your homework, are up to you. We have zero violent crime, and no fear of our neighbors. However, there are raccoons. Restaurants exist, but they are exceptionally mediocre. We have grocery stores, however, and one learns to cook. A car is indeed a necessity. The terrain is hilly and a bike riding is exhausting. Children are free roaming. Bicycle gangs of laughing children invade day napping. The unstated pressure to maintain one's lawn is intense, ridiculous and mildly fascist. I comply grudgingly. One has fish and game on speed dial in the event wild animals misbehave. Strangers may wave at you from their cars if you are walking. It is unsettling. There is a smaller pool of craftsmen and tradesmen to fix your shit and they will stick it to you. People would rather talk about weather than politics. It is difficult to identify those who deserve to be politically shunned, so one must instead judge their diligence regarding lawn care. One can lead a life of quiet desperation, or enjoyment, in either the city or the country.