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Considered to be the hub for all things entertainment, Hollywood often serves as the homestead to many actors and musicians — if not for convenience, then for the culture. However, despite their chosen professions, some stars find the need to take a breather from the continuous spotlight.
Whether it's to raise a family outside the big city or simply to enjoy some quiet time, some celebrities opt to forego the stress of urban living. From big-name couples like Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds to country natives like Blake Shelton, The Hollywood Reporter takes a look at some of the stars who have put roots down outside Los Angeles.
Read on for more on where some of Hollywood's top names have elected to live.
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Blake Shelton
Despite his girlfriend Gwen Stefani's residence in Los Angeles, Blake Shelton evidently prefers the country lifestyle. The country singer spends a portion of each year in Hollywood to film NBC's hit reality show The Voice, but Shelton always makes sure to return to his 1,200-acre home in the small town of Tishomingo, Okla.
On American Country Countdown, the Oklahoma native outwardly expressed his discomfort in a "trapped' city environment ("I feel a little bit like I'm in detention").
And Stefani seems to understand Shelton's nature-loving tendencies. In an interview with The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon last year, the singer claimed that "he's quite miserable when he's not in the woods or somewhere in camo."
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Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively
As one of Hollywood's A-list couples, it would seem natural for Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds and Gossip Girl's Blake Lively to settle their young family in Lively's hometown of Los Angeles. However, Reynolds and Lively elected to move away from the limelight of Hollywood in 2012, long before kids were in the picture.
Now settled in a $2 million farmhouse in the town of Bedford, N.Y., the Lively-Reynolds couple raise their two children in the upscale neighborhood in order to provide a "normal" upbringing.
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Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban
Australian-born actress Nicole Kidman and country singer Keith Urban ditched the L.A. lifestyle to settle their family in Urban's preferred city of Nashville (although the country star originally hails from New Zealand).
In addition to their Nashville home, the couple also have residences in New York City, Australia and Beverly Hills. However, the pair primarily raise their two daughters at their 12,000-square-foot Southern estate. The family also boast a 35-acre farm about 30 minutes south of Nashville in the rural town of Franklin.
And Kidman says she can't get enough of that community-oriented, Southern lifestyle. In an interview to People, the acclaimed actress expressed her love for Nashville, stating that she was "meant to go there."
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Mark Ruffalo
Like any other rising actor, Ruffalo got his start living in the heart of the entertainment industry — Los Angeles. However, in an attempt to escape the city life, Ruffalo and his wife of nearly 20 years, Sunrise Coigney, permanently relocated to the rural countryside of upstate New York about 10 years ago.
Today, the couple still remain in the relaxed town of Callicoon, N.Y., on a 50-acre plot of land where they raise their three children. Coigney even recently opened her own shop, Sunny's Callicoon Pop, where she sells a unique assortment of clothing and home goods.
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Chris Hemsworth
Thor star Chris Hemsworth, along with fellow actress and wife Elsa Pataky, left their Los Angeles residency to escape the hustle and bustle of a Hollywood environment in 2014. Today, the couple raise their three children on the coast of Hemsworth's homeland of Australia.
In an interview with Modern Luxury, the God of Thunder described Hollywood living as "a bit suffocating."
"We were living shoulder to shoulder in the suburbs and thought that's not how we want our kids to grow up," Hemsworth continued. "Moving to a kind of farm setup back here on the coast in Australia has been the best thing."
As for their day-to-day lifestyle, the Hemsworths seem to live amidst a quiet paradise. The actor said: "Here, we just walk out the door and head to the beach down the street. It's a much more simple life."
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Sandra Bullock
When she's not promoting a film or recent project, Sandra Bullock prefers to live away from the spotlight. The Oscar-winning actress, who has been open about her distaste for social media, splits her time between various properties all over the country from Austin, Texas; Georgia; New York City ;and even Los Angeles.
However, the actress prefers to claim a more permanent residence in New Orleans, where she lives with her two kids and boyfriend Bryan Randall. The couple boast a beautiful, Victorian home in the Southern city.
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Jeff Daniels
Not long after getting his start in Hollywood, Jeff Daniels ditched the glamour to move back to his hometown of Chelsea, Mich., in 1986.
For Daniels, family always came first. So for him and his high school sweetheart Kathleen Rosemary Treado, leaving Hollywood was a no-brainer. The award-winning actor remained in Chelsea to raise his family of now three fully grown children.
The Dumb and Dumber star is set to portay Atticus Finch in Aaron Sorkin's 2018 stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird later this year.
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John Mayer
Although he has since returned to La La Land, John Mayer left his Hollywood haven in 2013 following a throat surgery. The singer-songwriter relocated to Paradise Valley, Mont., where he recuperated from his surgery and lived a quieter life.
The experience away must have made an impact on the Grammy winner, as Mayer soon after titled his next album, Paradise Valley, after the town.
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Elijah Wood
Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood found comfort outside of the Hollywood sphere, opting to settle himself in Austin, Texas.
In an interview with Indie Wire, Wood explained that he's "always been treated like a local" in Austin, where he enjoys a more relaxed lifestyle. Since venturing away from his identity as Frodo from Middle Earth, Wood has kept busy with not only his acting career, but a budding DJ career and various charity work.
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Julia Roberts
Over the course of her career, Julia Roberts has created a household name for herself. Since her breakout in performance in Pretty Woman (1990), Roberts went on to become one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.
Although her massive stardom may have once called her to the hustle and bustle of Hollywood, Roberts has since settled far away from the spotlight on a ranch in Taos, N.M. Roberts and her husband, Danny Moder, chose this secluded spot to raise their three children, where the paparazzi are rarely an issue.
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Neve Campbell
In a recent interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Scream franchise star Neve Campbell discussed her decision to leave Hollywood and move across the globe, following her early career success in the '90s.
In search of complete anonymity away from the Hollywood scene, Campbell relocated to London.
"It's just very different there," the actress told Colbert of her British experience. "I literally did not get bothered once. People would ask me what I did for a living. I'd say, 'I act' and they go, 'Oh, OK.' It was so lovely."
Most recently, Campbell has returned to the Hollywood spotlight, appearing in summer blockbuster Skyscraper alongside Dwayne Johnson.
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Kyle Chandler
Raised as a "good Southern boy" (according to college pal Trent Bross), Friday Night Lights star Kyle Chandler prefers to keep his distance from Hollywood's narcissism.
So for the Emmy-winning actor, raising his family on his 33-acre estate just outside Austin, Texas, was a no-brainer. His family — wife Kathryn Chandler and their two daughters — also includes four dogs and five miniature donkeys that roam the property.
Prior to making the move to Texas, Chandler and his family resided in Los Angeles for nearly two decades. But that was before the Bloodline star's Southern roots came calling.
Next, Chandler is set to appear in Damien Chazelle's upcoming Neil Armstrong biopic First Man opposite Ryan Gosling.
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John Travolta
With a lifestyle like John Travolta, it would make sense to relocate to a place better suited to one's interests — that is, his interest in the Boeing 707 that sits parked in the yard of his Florida residence.
As a certified private pilot, Travolta owns five aircraft that he utilizes for both personal and work-related business. At the actor's home in Jumbolair, Fla., the property boasts two runways that lead right to his front door, making the home its own functional private airport.
In an interview with Australia's Today, Travolta described the thought-process behind his aircraft-friendly home.
"We designed the house for the jets and to have at our access the world at a moment's notice, and we succeeded at that," Travolta said.
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