Awhile back, I wrote a post about regarding the cost of living in a big city versus a small town (or city). I also wondered if I could be happy living in a smaller community when I was used to living in large cities all my life. Even moving from a city of 5 million residents to one of less than half a million creates some angst for me, despite numerous Hollywood movies such as Doc Hollywood, Baby Boom and the recently released New in Town promoting stories of high-powered city executives and professionals finding refuge and love in smaller towns and cities. A Canadian survey conducted a few years ago stated that the happiest people in Canada could be found in the small New Brunswick city of Saint John. Having spent some time traveling in smaller cities and towns in Eastern Canada, there is a noticeable decrease in the level of pace of life, as well as stress and anxiety.
What exactly contributes to my happiness if I change locales? Will I miss having so much variety and diversity at my doorstep? I know I will miss the excellent library facilities, competitive prices in supermarkets, gas stations and retailers. I will miss easy access to good sushi. Will I get bored in a smaller community? Friends of mine believe so, especially since I am single and love to socialize. What of job opportunities - will I be content with the smaller pool of career opportunities?
What I won't miss, I think, is the noise and traffic of a big city, accompanied by drivers, commuters and transit users with short fuses. When I was visiting Newfoundland earlier this year, I noticed that many roads (even main thoroughfares) have a maximum speed of 50km or 60km, and it was not unusual to see someone contentedly driving 30km per hour! I am content to never see huge armies of obnoxious, pretentious and self-centered individuals. I won't miss the price gouging on things such as parking, garbage collection as well as constantly rising property taxes and user fees. Not to mention sky-high property prices.
If I do make the move, I need to be confident that it is a lasting happiness. I just finished reading an interesting book called The How to Happiness which claims that 50% of your happiness can be attributed to your genetic make-up, 10% by your current circumstances, and the remaining 40% within your control. The book backs this up with scientific data and research. It also says that a major change in your situation (new relationship, moving somewhere, new job etc.) only provides a temporary boost to your happiness, with a subsequent shift back to your mean/set point of happiness levels. So, I continue to ponder and research such a move.
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