I was living in a suburban condo that I adored and my man was living in an apartment in St-Roch, out in the country. Both of us loved where we were living, but it was taking a toll on our relationship and we spent all our time trying to decide where to move. In the end, I decided I would give country living a try! I told my boyfriend that if I ended up liking St-Roch, we could look into buying a land together in the area.
However, on the day I was set to move, the land my boyfriend had his eye on for several years (as well as the only vacant one in the region!) went up for sale. The demand for such a land was high and we had to move quickly. And that’s why, before even getting the chance to see if I liked the country, I found myself the proud owner of a piece of land in St-Roch Ouest!
My mom was very surprised when I told her the news. St-Roch Ouest is a small town with just 180 inhabitants, located next to St-Roch de l'Achigan . . . and it’s now the place that I call home!
After two years of living here, I feel I can safely list the pros and cons of small-town living.
What I loved most about living in the city was how close everything was: shops, grocery stores, and neighbours (if you like seeing people on the daily!). Plus, my family and friends all live in the city, so that’s a huge bonus.
Also, there are several things we take for granted when living in the city that just aren’t as easy to come by in the country. For example, you have to invest in heavy machinery seeing as generally, there are no aqueducts or water treatment plants. Also there are no sewers and you need to have a septic tank installed.
However, there are a ton of advantages to living in the country. First: your neighbours are few and far between (we actually can’t even see our closest neighbour from our backyard!), and you get to see lots of fields and cows! We can have big get-togethers and never worry about disturbing our neighbours.
Second: the lands are huge! In fact, our land measures 90,000 square feet, which would have been completely unthinkable in the city. But because St-Roch is a remote agricultural region, the cost per square foot was really affordable, which means we get more for less!
I also love that my boyfriend’s family owns a cheese factory that’s located close by, plus there are loads of local producers here, which means we have access to fresh products year-round! And we get to encourage the local economy by buying delicious honey, maple syrup, and fruits and vegetables.
Then there’s the peace and quiet, the breath-taking scenery, and the huge garden I get to harvest this summer! We have the space and the land is very fertile, so it’s perfect! We also plan on spending our nights outside by the fire, instead of sitting in front of the TV, our days fishing in our backyard, and someday watching our kids run through the surrounding fields.
And finally, although it may not have been my original plan, I can’t wait to watch my children grow up in the beautiful countryside. It might not be perfect, but nothing—and nowhere—is. Although I can’t promise I’ll stay here my whole life, for the moment I really love taking advantage of everything the country has to offer!
