Now that the dust has settled, after living in a remote small town surrounded by world class outdoors and the downtown core of a big city, I hate to say it but city life is better. Life in nature, though beautiful and peaceful, is a lonely journey towards ego death. Turn off your brain and climb this mountain, or get drunk in the same backyard. Those are your options. I say this as a so-called outdoors enthusiast, with many alpine hikes under my belt. Eventually you will feel dead and disconnected, perhaps this is why alcoholism is so prevalent in small towns. Perhaps this can be a good thing, but humans did not evolve to be isolated from each other. Cities are natural and the byproduct of human desires, they provide a sense of belonging, this is what the human soul actually craves