I’m not a frequent poster as I just like to read and learn, but I have done something similar. I couldn’t stand living in MoCo for many of your stated reasons and moved out to Mountain Lake Park (Garrett County) due in no small part that I love snow and just wanted a slower pace. While certainly not completely off the grid, I found myself saying “I need to go to into town…” and just smiled. I got 1.6” of upslope yesterday and loved every flake. Glad to hear you took the plunge and all the best to you and your wife. Keep the pictures coming of your progress.