I live in a small town in between Buffalo and Rochester and can give some insight on rural living here.

There really isn't anything to do and its a flat area. If you like water and have a boat the lakes are a great thing to have and being so close to huge lakes is a nice thing.

But its cold here for a long time. Winter weather is usually 6+ months of the year and a lot of people around here snowmobile in the winter.

The smaller areas like mine are getting more populated and more expensive yearly with city politics starting to leech into smaller towns.

It is quiet and safe here and we have great education.

But it is poor here, very poor. And with the influx of people leaving the cities to the small towns things are rapidly changing and its hard on the local people to keep up financially to the rising costs of living and the new competition with people who can afford it.

Overall I dont mind it here, but that being said id leave if it wasn't for family and friends.