Gimme a cabin in the foothills a general store, and neighbors I know.
Some folks are satisfied with that. Not me and I lived the first 18 yrs of my life in a small town (5,000) and I had a fabulously happy childhood. Never in a million years would I go back there would have been nothing for me there except working in the mills. My kids profited by being raised in the big city and their lives reflect the increased opportunities they were given.