YIKES! I have to go along with the "culture shock" theory.
I moved from Houston to a smallish community right after I married. (NOW, I'm in a larger town 3 miles out). My sister moved here from Dallas after her divorce. (In all those years, she JUST found someone to share the rest of her life with...slim pickins) I had to join a crappy all girls baseball team because THAT'S what the ladies DID.
A small town is a great place to raise a family, but it kind of stinks if you're young and single and lets face it...can I say I think you have a wild streak? Oh honey, no way was I anywhere as free spirited as you, but by THESE peoples' definition I just might have been! There are so many aspect of this smaller community that really grate on my nerves. Almost everyone who moves here through the plants hate it becuse it's like living in a fishbowl! Plus, if you are a fish from another pond, it can be hard to crack the establishment.
Now, let me WHINE for your parents. PLEASE DON'T MOVE THAT FAR! Take a look at the map and figure about a 3-4 (OK...6 if you MUST) hour drive.
If there is ever a need, on EITHER side-illness, babies,weddings, LONELY, "SOL", a doable distance for a one day drive is reassuring for both parent and child.
As a side note-my daughter talks like she will move very far away
when the time comes. She soooooo wants to live up North because she likes the climate, the pace and the numerous people she has met. It WILL break my heart, but I won't try to hold her.