彼は遠くの町に引っ越した。
He moved to a distant town.
long ago; far back; far into the future
Temporal use, often in somewhat written or formal phrasing, meaning far back in time or extending far ahead into later times.
この寺の歴史は遠く奈良時代にさかのぼる。
The history of this temple goes back as far as the Nara period.
その影響は遠く後世にまで及んだ。
Its influence extended far into later generations.
by far; far and away; nowhere near
Intensifying adverb for comparison, especially in set-like phrases such as 遠く及ばない, meaning to fall far short, and with verbs such as 上回る.
See also: 遠く及ばない
私の実力は彼には遠く及ばない。
My ability is nowhere near his.
新記録は従来の記録を遠く上回った。
The new record far surpassed the previous one.
You can see mountains in the distance.
This custom goes back as far as the Edo period.
Sales far exceeded the target.
He came from far away.
My grandmother lives in a distant town.
遠く means 'far away', the direct opposite of すぐそば, which means 'right beside' or 'very close'.