How important is my choice of town?

In Harvest Moon: A Tale of Two Towns, you have to decide between, well, two towns. The town of Bluebell believes livestock is the heart of farming. Konohana, on the other hand, thinks growing crops is the most important.

Clearly they are both right, and should put aside their differences to work together for the sake of all farming, buuuuuuut, instead they make me choose one of their towns to call my home. But, if I choose Bluebell, can I not grow crops? If I choose Konohana, can I not raise cute baby sheep?

Just what impact does this decision have on my game?

Solution 1:

There are quite a few differences between the towns. They have completely different festivals, for example.

They also have different shops. Bluebell has more shops relating to Animals, and Konohana has more shops relating to growing crops.

Also, there are some things you can only have in certain towns. In Bluebell Village, you can have Bee Hives, a Cheese Maker, Yarn Maker, Drink Maker and a Pet Playpen. In Konohana Village, you can have Rice Paddies, a Seed Maker, Flour Mill, Fermenter and Fish Pond.

As for growing crops:

If you live in Konohana, you will learn how to grow Crops when you accept your first Request from Ina and you will be given 3 Bags of Turnip Seeds and 3 Bags of Potato Seeds. If you live in Bluebell, you must wait until 10 Spring to receive your instructions as well as your basic tools, although you can purchase Seeds in Konohana prior to this.

And taking care of animals:

If you choose Bluebell Village as your first Residence, Animal Husbandry will be the focus and your first Tutorial will be in this subject. As with Ina's Crop Growing Tutorial, the Tutorial will be part of a Request by Rutger. In the course of it, you will meet Jessica and be given your first Adult Chicken and Cow.

Also, it is important to note that since Konohana is more concentrated on growing crops you will only be allowed to have a very limited amount of animals.

The maximum amount you can have is 4 live stock and 2 chickens. There are no upgrades for the animal barn in Konohana. Also, in Bluebell, you are given a lot less space to grow crops, as the focus is on your animals.

However, do note that you will be able to move from town to town.

The option to move towns is available each season from the 23rd to the 31st. If you choose to move towns, talk to the mayor of the town you currently are living in. Rudger or Ina have to be working behind the counter at the Town Hall in order to give you the option to move. Rudger does not work at the Bluebell Town Hall on Mondays and Ina does not work at the Konohana Town Hall on Thursdays. The weather can't be stormy on the day of your move.

You will need to pay 3000 G to move towns. After confirming with the mayor that you want to move, you will be greeted by the other town's mayor at your new house. You will then be prompted to go to bed and given the chance to save your game. Once you save, you can't move back to your old town until the 23rd of the next season. All board requests you have accepted will be cancelled once the move has been completed.

After you move to the next town, the horse cart, house statues, pets, kitchen utensils, and farm animals will appear on your new farm. All of your pets will be transported to your new farmhouse but there will be restrictions on the number of livestock and poultry animals you can keep, depending on where you are going to live.