2 penneth worth from me.

I've lived in some pretty big cities, and I have now (1 year ago) bought a house in Embrach (north or Zurich). It's fantastic. I can't imagine ever moving back into a city again. The quiet relaxed atmosphere has grown on me really quick. Here's a quick list of main advantages/disadvantages I've noticed:

Advantages:

More space
Own garden
Quiet
Great neigbours
"Community Feel" - bit wishy washy this one, but everyone seems to be interested in everyone else - they look out for each other.
Country side on your doorstep
Able to paint stuff and drill holes wherever you like
Overall investment - property prices on the up (this was not a consideration in our case but is valid nonetheless).

Neutral:

Overall monthly outlay neutral
Lower mortgage than rent, but higher heating/water bills.

Disadvantages:

Longer drive to work - 20 mins rather 30 min walk/7 minute drive
Public transport not so convenient, but still pretty bloody good compared to other places I've been!
"Country Smells" - I'm not so keen on that!
Further from the "big" shops
Large capital outlay


Finally, we found it was not so easy to even get a place in the various villages we looked at. It seems most properties change hands without being published on homegate. We also found, that those places we were able to put an offer on, went VERY quickly. So there has to be something good about these villages .

Best of luck!!!