Employment is the most common reason people relocate, but love also plays an important role. Studies show that those who move from larger cities to rural areas often cite closeness to nature, family ties, lower housing costs, a calmer pace of life, and better conditions for raising children.

Josefine Johansson is one of those who made that choice. She traded city life in Örebro for Marås, a small and scenic community. As one of Sweden’s top-ranked disc golfers, the decision was driven by a combination of professional opportunity and personal life. Knowing there was a local nine-hole disc golf course where she could continue parts of her training helped make the move easier.

A Driven Competitor

We meet Josefine on one of the football fields near Töllstorpshallen on a windy afternoon, with near-storm conditions. Earlier that day, she finished her shift at the Bra Liv health center in Gnosjö, where she works as a physiotherapist.

“It wasn’t difficult to leave Örebro for Marås, even though I was quite spoiled there,” she says. “Örebro had two 18-hole disc golf courses. Here there’s only a nine-hole course. It was important for me to secure a job before moving, and I did. It’s a pleasant workplace with great colleagues, which makes it feel right.”

Training and competition have long been central to Josefine’s life. The presence of a disc golf course nearby significantly lowered the threshold for relocating.

On the field, she demonstrates proper grip technique—how to hold the disc to ensure control and stability in flight. Disc golf requires precision and technical skill, and as a member of Sweden’s elite in the sport, she is among the country’s most accomplished players.

“I love sports, and I’m extremely competitive,” she says. “I have a lot of energy that I need to channel somewhere. Being able to come here and train after work is invaluable. I’ve previously played football and handball. I started playing disc golf in 2019, and my first competition was in 2021.”

The Gnosjö Spirit in Practice

Last midsummer, Josefine moved in with her partner Sebastian. It was primarily for him that she chose to leave Örebro. The two met by chance while she was passing through Jönköping on her way to a disc golf competition in Finland, and the connection was immediate.

She describes a mindset in Gnosjö that sets the area apart.

“You can really sense that the mentality here is different,” she says. “People are very enterprising. If there’s something to be done, they do it—without hesitation. That made the move feel natural.”

She grew up in Hallsberg Municipality, which has around 16,000 residents, with approximately 10,000 in the town itself—spread out in a way that feels familiar.

“In that sense, Gnosjö feels like home,” she says.