I grew up in a fairly rural village that has since been stuffed to the gills with new housing estates, and then escaped to somewhere much more rural!
I love where I live. On finding out that I live here, a lot of people go wide-eyed and say, "I have driven past/been there once. How can you LIVE there? I didn't see any houses, and there's no phone or internet signal there!" OK, so phone reception isn't brilliant, but the internet is usually reasonable, as long as you are with BT, because nothing else works.
It is pure farmland around here. While we don't have pavements or street lights, we do have a spectacular show of stars every night of the year! It's quiet, occasionally smells of muck-spreading, and it's safe enough to leave your house unlocked. In any case, if you did get burgled, the neighbours would have spotted an unfamiliar vehicle and gone to investigate chat immediately, as everything gets noticed. You'd have to try very hard to keep a secret here! Summer highlights include the local sheep shearing competition, the vintage tractor run, or helping to move cattle to higher pasture. In winter, it's the Christmas Tractor Run, sledging, or attempting to ski down your hill of choice. If you want a pint of milk, milkshake or ice cream, there is a choice of dairy farms to choose from. You can also go foraging for sloes, gooseberries, raspberries, blackberries, rosehips, apples and wild garlic. If you want anything else, then it requires a drive of several miles to the nearest shop.
The nearest town is good for supermarkets, agricultural merchants and independent shops, but you have to venture into the nearest small city for anything as adventurous and mainstream as B&Q. Annual power-cuts are a three-day event, so we are well-stocked with camping equipment, winter wardrobes and open fires!
I will not be trading it in for a town or city at any point.