Discussions

Trying to convince hubby to move outside the city limits. Thinking max of 20 minutes from the city.  
 
What are the pros and cons of living outside the city?  
 
I grew up in a small town, he has always been in Brandon. I love the small town feel, he is not sure the drive is worth it.

Well I know I wouldn't. Are you thinking like Rivers, Rapid City, middle of nowhere on a chunk of land? Seems taxes have crept up to be comparable to places in Brandon. How many friends do you have in Brandon? Not too many people will visit regularly to someone out of town. Drinking? Cabs may not be able to drive your buddies home. Can you afford the highways to be closed in the winter? You will see your vehicle costs go up.

I grew up in the country and loved it. I will some day return to country living, even if it's not as "country" as I lived (literally middle of no where lol). Maybe try a place like Forest? It's only 15or so minutes from Brandon. I would consider moving there for sure. I don't like city living

I’ve lived outside the city for a few years. I found the cheaper housing made up for the added fuel charges. I burned 100.00 a week in fuel and that was still far less then what I’d have paid with the added cost of housing in Brandon.  
 
The shopping is not what I’d consider economical. But if your in town during the week you can get your main things at the larger stores anyway. Entertainment is lacking, there isn’t as much to do, but the quiet and safer feeling from living in a small town makes up for it.  
 
Scope out the towns around Brandon, and see what you think fits your families needs. Souris is a great little community with the option of 2 good highways to choose from in the winter when the roads aren’t so good.

I live out by shilo and have 7 acres, my taxes are under 1800.00 for the year. I have garbage pick up, school bus route and plowed first thing in the morning as a result. I work in Brandon. drive is good. 20 plus years and only snowed in 3 times. Do not pay for water( well). Even with gas cost find it much cheaper than living in Brandon! Cons : friends do stop coming around, feel it is to far to drive.

We live in Alexander and love it we've been here for 20 years now and to get into your car after work and to have that 15 min drive to relax and let things go you feel great by the time you get home. I wouldn't change it for the world.

I agree Alexander is a great place to live. It has a wonderful school, and a couple of shops. Your dollar also goes a lot further when buying a home. Our house with our large yard would of easily been $75,000 more just 15 minutes up the road in Brandon. It's also has great access to the City, north, by #1, middle, 1A, and south Richmond, goes straight to Alexander.

I was bored and felt isolated living out of the city, mainly during the winter. There is also the concern about your paycheck during the winter.. unless you work from home then you are expected to show up for work on time every day. Choosing to move out of town isn't your boss' concern so you would need to stockpile your holidays for road closure days. I spent just as much on fuel and vehicle maintenance as the savings on mortgage and taxes so it was a write off in that aspect.  
 
On the other hand, I have known a few people that love the small town life and the simplicity it offers.  
 
Good luck in your decision!

Sorry, have to agree with your husband - the drive is not worth it.  
Here we are - not even the end of October and have already heard on CKLQ from people who set off to work in Brandon this a.m. and turned around because of whiteout conditions. Imagine 6 months (or more) of that stress.  
Also, some small towns are great - others are cliquey and lack basic services eg. doctor shortages and emergency room closures.

GwennyS said "Trying to convince hubby to move outside the city limits. Thinking max of 20 minutes from the city.     What are the pros and cons of living outside the city?     I grew up in a small town, he has always been in Brandon. I love the small town feel, he is not sure the drive is worth it. "

If you want to live 20 minutes outside the tiny city of Brandon, then its highly worth it.  
You have to realize that thousands of people live outside of Brandon and travel into Brandon for work and supplies too! If it was not worth the commute, why would they do it?  
It really depends if you want the fresh air and open space with peace and quiet! or noise, pollution and congestion and everything else you get with highly populated places! Mind you Brandon is not what I would class as a real City compared to other cities around the world. Its more like a town in my opinion. A 20 minute drive is short if you had to commute within a real City like Winnipeg, Toronto or New York!  
 
Does the weather impact driveabilty? Sometimes, but rarely does the highway close! If the weather was that bad 6 months a year, how would Brandon get its supplies!!  
 
Edited by (vette)mech, 2017-10-26 09:19:07

I would never ever live in big cities again once I found my home outside of one. I lived in Niverville which is 17 minutes from the perimeter south wpg. The drive was easy and since I worked in the south St Vital area it was no big issue. Hell driving one end of a city in rush hour traffic or getting caught in construction or someone in an accident can take over an hour just to get home. Sure we had bad snow days but hey call in and go back to bed. Many employers understand the dangers of driving during storms and if not they are dicks. Your life is more important. Taxes are better, you don't have to chain and cement everything down to prevent theft from the lowlifes in Brandon. If you have children and get into a country school it is way way better for them, they get more one on one time and learn. People are friendly and watch out for you and your property. They care more it seems. The drive home was also a great time to decompress and reflect on the days events.

Both myself and my partner grew up in rural areas. After 10+ years being in the city we'd had enough. The noise, the vandalism, zero respect for personal property and the lack of privacy became too disheartening. (And we lived in a "good" area of town.)  
When moving out of town look for a few things, outside of RM of Cornwallis (lower taxes), water source (many areas north are now being hooked up to municipal water from Alexander) and distance you are willing to travel.  
Be patient when looking, we were looking for 2 years before we even found a place that suited us enough to even go look at.  
As far as weather/highways go last year I was storm stayed at home only 3-4 days and that was an abnormally unpleasant winter.  
The only other cons so far are having to buy a snow blower to move large amounts of snow off the lane. Some people might say having to take your own garbage/recycling and having more grass to mow are con's but the pro's far outweigh any cons for us.

if I could go back 30 years ,I would not live in Brandon,a small acrerage 10- 15 minutes would be perfect,last 10 years the prices in Brandon are stupid ,taxed to death,water bill went up 90.00 in july,and will go up again next summer.snow removal is a joke unless you live near a school,or are close to vic or 18th st.streets are terrible if you leave main ones.ect ect ect

Growing up on a farm, moving to an acreage was like moving back home. However, most acreages are not connected to municipal water or sewage. This means that you will have a well and a sewage system on your property (your cost). If it has problems, you have to fix it yourself or get someone to fix it. If the power goes out, you don't have water as the pump won't run. Also, the sewage pump won't pump out the tank either. The sewage tank needs to be cleaned out every year or so.  
 
You usually don't make a trip to the store for something. You plan your trips and do several things at once.  
 
If there is a storm coming, you stock up before hand. If you can't make it out for a few days, enjoy the rest.  
 
We don't need a cottage/cabin. This is it, and only one place to take care of. Staying home is a treat.

Living is freedom to do what you feel like doing. No congested noisy traffic and very peaceful. Con: battling winter storms.

ArtS said "Growing up on a farm, moving to an acreage was like moving back home. However, most acreages are not connected to municipal water or sewage. This means that you will have a well and a sewage system on your property (your cost). If it has problems, you have to fix it yourself or get someone to fix it. If the power goes out, you don't have water as the pump won't run. Also, the sewage pump won't pump out the tank either. The sewage tank needs to be cleaned out every year or so.     You usually don't make a trip to the store for something. You plan your trips and do several things at once.     If there is a storm coming, you stock up before hand. If you can't make it out for a few days, enjoy the rest.     We don't need a cottage/cabin. This is it, and only one place to take care of. Staying home is a treat. "

Back up generator is a must for the days without power.  
 
Just enough to run the pumps and basic utilities.  
Luckily power does not always go out too long! You get outages in Cities too! :-)  
 
Yes sewer pump out is at your expense of around $90 to $100 per time in rural locations  
 
Sewer and water repairs within your lot/land up to the city connection are at your expense even in the city if you own the property.  
 
I get my sewer tank pumped every year. That is all it needs. Concrete tank, so its good for a long time.  
 
Unfortunately only a handful will put their experiences on here out of the all of the area's of Brandon and surrounding, but you will get some idea!  
 
its worth while remembering that even Brandon is right in the middle of nowhere and is still very small.  
 
I have lived in very big cities of over 1 million and very small towns as small as 50 people!  
 
Edited by (vette)mech, 2017-10-26 11:35:36

20 min out of Brandon and have no intention of living in town until I am too old and feeble to be out on the "farm". Taxes are much cheaper here and we still get the servixes-snow clearing, garbage collection, school buses. Big plus-very low crime rate. I can leave my cars unlocked and they don't get anyone going through them at night. I can go out at night with no concern of being robbed or harassed-I cannot say the same about Brandon. Shoppimg-you combine trips-if you or hubby work in town then shop on lunch break or right after work. Drive a vehicle that is good on gas and even daily commuting doesnt cost all that much. I can make 6 trips to town and back for $20-$25 in gas.

There are options in Brandon too. I live on the edge of 34th, very quite and serene nature, well kept yards as everyone enjoys gardening, right opposite to a school, it's a cul-de-sac, so neighbors know each other and look out for everyone living around, our kids go on rampage all around the circle without fear or any complaints of parents not watching (whoever's home is closer usually keeps an eye), I get fresh eggs, veges and cheese from a farmer who delivers twice a week and yes, when the roads were closed last Christmas, all the homes sent 1-2 persons out and our circle was driveable by late afternoon, however the town didn't clean the school road so we were still stuck lol. Homes here are 2plots each too. Yes, I have to drive on the other end of the city that takes me 10 mins. but I do enjoy a partly country style living. The only con if you consider it is neighbors come by anytime and say hello.  
And there's a home for sale over here too. PM me if you need the address

There are options in Brandon too. I live on the edge of 34th, very quite and serene nature, well kept yards as everyone enjoys gardening, right opposite to a school, it's a cul-de-sac, so neighbors know each other and look out for everyone living around, our kids go on rampage all around the circle without fear or any complaints of parents not watching (whoever's home is closer usually keeps an eye), I get fresh eggs, veges and cheese from a farmer who delivers twice a week and yes, when the roads were closed last Christmas, all the homes sent 1-2 persons out and our circle was driveable by late afternoon, however the town didn't clean the school road so we were still stuck lol. Homes here are 2plots each too. Yes, I have to drive on the other end of the city that takes me 10 mins. but I do enjoy a partly country style living. The only con if you consider it is neighbors come by anytime and say hello.  
And there's a home for sale over here too. PM me if you need the address

It really depends on your lifestyle and personality. I have lived both, and loved both for different reasons.  
 
Do you have kids with activities? You'll notice that 20 minute drive to and from a lot more if you're busy doing things in and around Brandon a lot on your evenings and weekends. Do you enjoy yard work? The quiet that comes with living away from others? What is the most important to you? Do you want animals that you can't have in the city?  
 
The city does have high taxes, but you get something for those taxes (I'm not starting a debate about whether or not the PRICE is right, but you do get things) You get garbage/recycling/green bin pickup, water service, sewage service (which don't seem like that big of a deal until you have to deal with pumps and clogs - blech and power outages) and of course driving in the city is great compared to out of town.  
 
And, if you find yourself in between on some of these items, maybe a small town like Alexander, Rivers, Souris etc would be up your alley because many of these still have some of the amenities with lower taxes, and sometimes even a grocery store.  
 
So, if you hate driving. Don't do it. If you aren't one for the work that comes with an acreage, then don't move to a large lot. If you don't like being alone at night with no one around, stay either in Brandon or in a small town. If you need things delivered or repaired be prepared to pay mileage. No more delivery. If the quiet and space means more to you than anything, you have your answer.  
 
Personally, for me as long as you're in the right neighborhood for you, Brandon has a lot to offer, but yes, a bigger price tag. As another commenter mentioned, living in some of the quiet outskirts neighborhoods can be very quiet, and give you the benefits of the city without the commute!  
 
Whatever your decision, good luck.

I love it. However the driving in the winter sucks. Definitely one of the bigger cons.

I grew up on the farm my wife not so much born in brandon. About 6 years ago we moved to Alexander. It was tough for her the first two years as she has had her group of friends since high school and never got to see them as much anymore, now she wants to build a brand new house out there she loves it!!! Savings on the mortgage aside the saving on the taxes is about 1500 for a similar house in the west end. All in all it’s personal choice what you want to wake up to. Good luck!!

To do research on the cost of insurance and age of septic field. Living in the country has many perks, but like anything else, problems too. While taxes can be quite lower, that cost will be made up by cost of insurance, as there are no fire hydrants located nearby. And make sure the septic field appears to be in working order and the "pill" the septic flows from has been emptied yearly. A failed septic field can be a good $20,000 to replace. Also, invest in a good securuty system. Rural houses are becoming bigger targets for theft.  
Best advice: if you do buy into country living: relax and enjoy the view. It is so beautiful and quiet!  
 
Edited by Mr.BDS, 2017-10-28 07:04:49

I love living in a small town! I work in town so I don’t commute but my husband works almost 20 minutes away, he rarely has to stay home in the winter due to bad roads (and he has to drive a bit great highway). I typically go to Brandon every other week to stock up on stuff. We have a great school and a few activities for kids throughout the year (sports, after school activities etc). Our ER isn’t always open but the hospital in another town usually has an ER when we don’t. Lower taxes here and we have sewer and garbage/recycling pick up. It did take a couple years to feel like part of the community since neither of us are from here but now I go to the coop and they know my number, go to the bank and they greet me by name and know I never remember my account number! I have friends and know all my neighbors. Once my oldest started doing some activities I got to know other parents and that made a big difference. I doubt we will ever move back to Brandon!

As someone who has done it, there are pros and cons. Driving into Brandon in bad weather, road closures, greater distances from fire hall and ambulance, no fire hydrants in the smallest communities. If you live in one of the smallest towns or villages, you won't have a public sewer system and may not have a public water system either, although some do have water now. In the past, you had a septic system, but thanks to legislation passed by the NDP a few years back, if your septic system fails and needs to be replaced, your only option is now a holding tank. This means that instead of pumping out your tank once per year, you will now be pumping out eight to twelve times per year. So, that yearly cost of $100 now is increased to $800 to $1200 per year. This probably doesn't apply to acreages, at least not over five acres anyway. Also, even though you won't have the services offered in the city, you will probably face every bit as much red tape every time you want to do something. You'll also face the same restrictive bylaws as you do in the city. Country life is nowhere near as free and easy as it used to be. I could go on, but...