We live in Bryson City, NC. Population 1,600. Yup, life here is small town living at its best. I often get asked, WTF do you even do? Some friends are surprised we don’t get bored. It’s slow living for sure, but that was part of our goal moving here. I love waking up in the morning to the sound of The Smoky Mountain Railroad and our neighbor’s rooster, who I’m convinced has a malfunction in his internal clock as he crows throughout the entire day. But I love it, I appreciate its charm!
A Video on our life in Bryson City, NC
Weekday life
Our weekdays are spent much like everyone else’s. We wake up, have coffee and work from home. It’s a big perk, but honestly, it does take discipline and getting used to. Once we finish up the day, we either head to the gym or on a short hike with Bo. This is one of the best parts of living near such natural beauty, it’s accessible to us every day. We also do a ton of home projects like any new home owner. Many of our afternoons are spent painting, fixing and researching… or watching Chip and Jo for some inspiration.
Creative pursuits & hobbies
Also, I write and bake! I’ve always been into hobbies. My mind doesn’t work as well if i’m not learning something new. Often, these hobbies are phases. I’ll get really into a subject or creative medium for a time and sometimes it passes or settles itself into my regular life. Baking has been a joyful creativity I discovered recently. So has making videos for our Youtube channel. At any given moment, i’m definitely into something. This hasn’t stopped since moving to a small town, actually, I have way more time and space to pursue curiosities like this.
Weekends
Our weekends are fun and usually we opt to get out on account of working from home all week. Often, we’ll wake up slow and indulge in a really long coffee ritual talking about the upcoming week and what we want to accomplish. Then, we’ll either work on our house some more (we have A LOT to do!) or we’ll go to a brewery with friends. We see friends a lot. It’s one of the best parts of living here. The people are amazing! Also, we have a lot to explore nearby. In Miami, not very much was driving distance as far as day trips. In Western North Carolina, there are so many little towns and hikes we can explore with a relatively short drive.
Biggest differences between city life and small town living
The biggest difference living in a small town is the pace. Things here are slow. Sometimes that can be frustrating, but most of the time it’s a welcome pace I enjoy. I’ve tolerated a fast-paced life but it was never sustainable for me.
Now, let’s talk about amenities. Oh boy, I can live with so much less available to me than I thought! Don’t get me wrong, in a world of online shopping and Amazon Prime, I don’t suffer too much. But I don’t have a mall anywhere near me, or even a Wholefoods, those are things we to do in Asheville, NC, our nearest city. I don’t mind it at all. Actually, it gives me the context to focus on what’s important and leaves the possibility to plan ahead for the luxuries I enjoy every so often.
There are no distractions with small town life. At the beginning, when I felt lost, this was not fun. Being in a small town without direction feels like a death sentence. However, with a purpose anchoring me, slow living feels like the best way to be present to life.
I wouldn’t trade our life for anything! Are you considering moving to a small town? Or visiting us in The Smokies? Leave a comment