An Island Life for Me??

After spending the week with the BF's Mom out on the island where he grew up, Islesboro, we spent much of drive home discussing whether or not we would ever want to live full time on an island again. We both grew up on islands, but then we both went away to college and have lived near cities ever since. We went back and forth and didn't really reach a consensus because our list of things we like about living in Portland about balances the list of things we liked about living on an island.

Things I would miss most about living in Portland:
-Access to multiple fully equipped gyms and yoga studios. This is absolutely #1 on my list. I love being able to take a variety of classes and mix up my workouts with the plethora of equipment at the gym.

so many options....

-Ability to go a store whenever I want and have access to nearly everything I could need. Here if I have a late night craving or I am in the middle of making something and realize I forgot some exotic ingredient, no prob. I can run to the store. And there is no island mark-up, so I am not stuck paying $6 for a box of cereal.

-Being able to come and go as I want/need. If I am running 5 minutes late, it isn't a huge issue. I won't miss the ferry. If I make good time, great, I'll get home early, instead of being stuck waiting for the next boat to get home.

-Ethnic food, art, and music. I love being able to eat Japanese, Thai, Mexican, etc whenever I want. I can go to a different art exhibit, and have my choice of live music every night.

mmmmmm El Rayo

Things I miss most about living on the Island:
-Being more self sufficient. When you can't go buy what you need cheaply and easily, it makes you grow or make a lot more of what you need. There is a huge satisfaction in growing or making much of your food yourself, and of course it is a lot healthier.

- Living a slower paced life. The lack of restaurants, malls, movie theaters, and other things to do leaves people with more time to do things like actually talk to each other or develop hobbies. People slow down to talk when they pass on the road, go to community events, or get together to play games or music. I used to be able to amuse myself at home for weeks at a time. Now I feel like I need constant entertainment.

who needs TV when you have this view?

-Being part of a tight knit community. When you live on an island with 500 people you know everyone and everyone knows you. At times the rumor mill can get old, but for the most part this is wonderful. When someone is need, everyone steps in to help. Everyone helps to look after kids. I always felt like I had people supporting me.

If you live someplace urban, can you imagine yourself living somewhere rural? If you live in a rural environment, can you imagine yourself living in a city? What would you miss most about where you live now?