Thanks for the replies. They have given me food for thought and I appreciate both the pros and cons. As I said, we live in a fringe area so provider choice is limited. We have been with Verizon and its predecessors since the beginning. US Cellular also has a decent signal in our area but not so much so when we are traveling.
At this time, it looks like I will stay with android. One of the convincing factors is you can get more phone for the money. And I like the option to add a memory card and switch out the battery if needed.