Grew up in this town of 1,500, back then, (still here but now 47,000) farms, ponds, creeks, livestock, hunting, fishing and lots of "spur of the moment camping". We felt "remote", but Dallas was only 14 miles away.
South of us was nothing but farmland. I could ride my mini-bike/dirtbike for miles without ever touching a road.
We're now a big city and it feels like it, which I don't particularly enjoy. If I didn't have a nature preserve for a backyard, I'd move on.
The early years, mom and dad, shaped my love and "comfort level" for the outdoors, for which I feel blessed.