First of all, what do you mean by "Rural living"? Living in a town of 20k people? 10k? 500? Or on an acreage/cabin a half mile from neighbors? All of these are

First of all, what do you mean by "Rural living"? Living in a town of 20k people? 10k? 500? Or on an acreage/cabin a half mile from neighbors? All of these are pretty distinct experiences. Let's just say any town <20k people is considered rural. From what I've seen, it is almost unheard of for someone who was not raised in a rural area to successfully live long term in an area like this. I have plenty of anecdotal evidence of seeing retirees leave the city and try to live full time in a remote cabin on a recreational lake. None of them lasted more than a couple years. A surprising number of divorces. Growing up in a small town I have plenty of similar stories of families moving in from a larger city and leaving shortly after. I'm not exactly sure how to explain this but generally I think the challenges of rural living (weather, social, economic, isolation, etc.) are very difficult if someone isn't familiar. As you mention, people see the benefits (incredibly serene, peaceful place, etc) but I think many aren't expecting or prepared for the challenges.