Location of the property Acceptable distances in everyday life?

Hello everyone.

I have been looking for a plot of land for a while now, and so far we have mostly only thought about the distance or travel time to work.
We both grew up in a big city ([Köln]). The daily routes are therefore comparatively short. The public transport system is well developed.

Now we have found an interesting plot of land that is a bit outside, with a village-like character. The routes and travel times to work are still acceptable.
Nevertheless, we are now wondering how things look with everyday matters, also with regard to children.

The nearest bus stop is about 10 minutes away. The bus only runs once an hour and only during peak hours.
Kindergarten and primary school are in the neighboring town.
The secondary school in the next larger town is about 30 minutes away by bus.
The nearest supermarket is 3 km away.
If you want to go to [Köln], it takes about 50-60 minutes with a transfer—if the bus is still running.

No question, we both want to get out of the city. Nevertheless, we are now wondering if all these distances are still acceptable, or if it could get annoying in the long run if we really had to do everything by car. Or do you get used to it over time?

How about the children? 30 minutes by bus to school. If they want to go out in the evenings, they can’t leave here quickly. The travel time to university might also be too long later, so they might have to move away just for that reason?
We also don’t want to raise unhappy teenagers who just want to get out of here as quickly as possible.
Or are we being too critical about all this with regard to children?

What do you think? Or, what are your experiences?

We lived the first 10 years in a Koog, so directly behind the dike on the North Sea, bus service was practically zero, the next small town with 5000 inhabitants was 20 km away, Hamburg 1.5 hours, Kiel similar. Hospital 35 km away, that's where our kids were born, both near high tide, as the midwife predicted, And yet. They had ultra-happy childhoods. There were no locked doors, already at kindergarten age they roamed the village as they wished, we played in the mud at low tide, bathed in the tidal creek at high tide, TV was almost unknown, entertainment consisted of watching seals. So don’t blame the kids, they will grow up happy if you adults don’t complain and transfer that onto the kids. - I was then able to develop professionally, and we moved to the current seaside resort on the Baltic Sea, where we still live. That one is still rural, too, for secondary school our son also had to take the bus for 30 minutes, for university he of course moved out, to Rostock, why should he stay at home? What kind of studying is that, mama’s boy? Also from here it is far to the next bigger urban centers, Kiel 1 hour, Lübeck likewise, Hamburg 1.5–2 hours, depending on where you want to go. There is practically no train, yes a bus, but max once an hour and until 8 p.m., then that’s it. So please – I wouldn’t want to live any other way, my wife, originally from agriculture, certainly not, our children... Daughter still lives here, turns tourists around, shakes their pockets out and then sends them back to Cologne and so on, son lives in Austria, but he often flies to us to see his old "paradise" again. And to meet the friends. Think about it. Can you live rurally? It won’t be a problem for the children. Karsten

How many inhabitants does the place have? Is there prospectively a youth village life or will they be the only ones their age? Are there clubs where they can feel at home (youth fire brigade, forest youth, scouts? They usually know how to party well)? 30 minutes to school is completely unproblematic if you are not the only one. However, you should mentally prepare for the moped driving license. 3 km to the supermarket is great, you sometimes don't have that in the city and it's definitely doable by bike. In my opinion, one should move out for university anyway.

This is the problem with the "Speckgürtel" of large cities: Where good infrastructure (schools, hospital, transport connections, ÖPNV) is available, land prices are almost as high as in the city center, and away from these development axes, small towns and villages degenerate into mere dormitory towns without their own infrastructure. At the centers of the Speckgürtel, besides land prices, the MIV also rises to immeasurable levels and the quality of life suffers there as well. Since no change is in sight in the medium term, I would not want to put up with either.

Either move straight into the big city and take advantage of all its pros and cons or move to a medium-sized center / small town outside the catchment areas of the large cities or look for work there and then move there.

We grew up like that and lacked nothing. My sister and I both moved to the respective cities for university/training, now we are orienting ourselves back towards the countryside.

I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

If the parents are happy, then the children certainly are too.

I can only agree with Nordlys there.

I can only agree with Nordlys. It doesn't hurt teenagers to move away sometimes and be away from mom. Even if you live in the middle of a big city, that doesn't necessarily mean you also attend university there.

With a toddler/child, rural areas are great. I see it like my niece from Cologne getting excited. Running, romping, no "quiet for the neighbors." Many teenagers don't even want to move away, so it has to be possible. Yes, the nightlife is not the same as in the city, but they find their solutions too. Of course, I thought it was great to move to the big city in my early 20s, but eventually the appeal fades. Many from my generation moved back with children. Everything we don't have here is delivered free the next day by a large mail-order company. In return, the countryside has many things you can't buy.

Whether countryside, city, or suburban belt, only you can decide. Find a spot where schools, hospitals, doctors, and jobs are reachable within 30 minutes and where there's a supermarket on the way.