My small city has it all. I'm really lucky. It has stores and restaurants, nice architecture, parks, beaches, and a few beautiful cycling options, which I'm content riding over and over again. Most of this is driven by tourism, which has its drawbacks, but at this time of the year, it's pretty serene. Neither my bf nor I work in this city, but it's halfway for each of us to our jobs, and he takes public transportation to his, so we get by on one car.

I wouldn't go back to big city life. It was too stressful, and I wouldn't be happy cycling in that kind of traffic. DBF would go back in a heartbeat. It's been a big loss to him that we moved. He especially misses the entertainment, and I admit, being able to walk or subway to the see our favorite bands, or the ballet, was really great.