@cstross @utopiarte @pluralistic @Oggie @tierranietos
Lucky. I live out-county, outside Houston. A 15 minute walk would get me to a dollar store &a few gas stations either direction. Hell, I'd have to DRIVE about 15 minutes to even get basic groceries either direction, too. I'm so far out in the sticks I can't get pizza or grocery delivery, and Uber would be crazy costly (if any wanted to even come out this far).
I swear my small town basically grew up around some churches and gas stations, just a pass-through place where some folks decided to live instead of move on. And taxes go up because they're trying to "keep it small", and we don't even have an urgent care clinic or ER while other towns around us have 2 or 3 each. I like living out county because I can plant what I want in my yard & no HOA to breathe down my neck, & town is boring as hell without much opportunity. The worst trade-off, though, is if I don't have a working car, I'm stranded.