People of lemmy, would you live in a rural area? Why or why not?
Grew up in the middle of nowhere. No bus. No shop. No pub. It was hell. Left home for the city at the first opportunity and will never go back. I don’t want to be dependent on a car ever again.
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I’m torn between affordable land and going to ideological war with rural neighbors.
If you’re rural enough, there are no neighbors.
That was my thought too. I’m guessing you’re American. Rural Americans are especially bigoted for some reason. I’ve been to rural areas in other countries and they’re not this bad. People openly stare at you in rural America if you’re not white.
Not quite, but it’s very similar. I have an old friend that lived for a couple decades in a VERY progressive, urban area, recently moved closer to me in a smaller town, so I went to see him and, while we are definitely still friends, there were some very dangerous conversation topics covered (carbon climate, EVs which are easy to get me going on). It’s like a conservative brain worm infected him sometime in the past few months, very strange.
Could it be that he was finally exposed to alternative viewpoints after leaving, as you described it, a VERY progressive, urban area?
I wouldn’t call that a brain worm. If anything, he probably made a correction toward center after leaving an area saturated in blue.
Yeah, sure, he “corrected” towards believing more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is good and that “leftists” were responsible for starting a bunch of local wildfires.
Ahhh yes, the most galaxy brain of galaxy brain political ideologies.
Enlightened Centrism.
I would and do. It’s quiet and peaceful, I have forest all around me, no traffic, cost of living is lower.
I grew up rural, lived in a few cities as an adult, and currently live in the biggest town near the area I grew up. I can get to most anything I need within 10 minutes, with more options an hour away, and three major cities within two hours.
I was able to buy a three story (7 bedroom) house for less than 100k.
The biggest downside is that most people in my area are racist homophobic Christian Republicans. I can blend in well enough as a white man, but I can definitely see why many people would not feel welcome here.
Rural meaning wilderness, yes.
Rural meaning farming communities, no.
I currently live in a small city surrounded by wilderness. Transit could be better, but there’s tons of culture I can walk to and I can escape to solitude in 15 minutes and it’s divine.
I do and have for most of my life. I lived on an island where my SO and I were the only permanent residents for 8 years.
I have lived in the suburbs of a couple of large towns/small cities for some years too - and in the centre of an all-but-city and although there is some convenience in those, I’d choose rural any day. The peace, proximity to nature and the ease of getting out for enjoyable walks beats convenience every time for me.
I feel like “Would you move to a rural area?” and “Would you live on a private island?” are completely different questions. 😂
A) - it wasn’t private - it was a nature reserve and I was the warden and B) - I kinda intended this in an “…and I EVEN lived on an island…” way.
Absolutely. The beauty of nature is incredible, and being able to enjoy it is important to me. Not to mention there’s not as many people around to mess things up, make things loud/dirty, or be crowded by.
Moving to a rural/secluded area has been the best thing ever for my mental health. My commute is gorgeous and there’s nothing better than waltzing around outside naked in the sunshine.
there’s nothing better than waltzing around outside naked in the sunshine.
Oh my goose. It’s been so long since I did this but this brought back memories.
This weekend I’m going to PAX. Last week I saw Japanese Breakfast. Next week I’m seeing John Oliver do standup. Went to a Mariners game last week too. Got Sounders tix coming up, and hockey starts soon.
Rural is nice for a weekend. Urban is where the action is.
Sounds like urban is where the money’s spent 😋
Yes, I would, and I do. I’ve lived in a small rural town my entire life. I couldn’t imagine living in a big city, too many people, too much traffic. Where I live, I’m completely surrounded by woods, and I enjoy just going outside everyday and taking walks and enjoying nature. Also, I have no neighbors, which I really like.
The city has too much traffic but you like walking…
I don’t really get what you’re saying, but yes, I enjoy taking walks in the woods and enjoying nature, as I said in my comment. What does that have to do with traffic?
I live in a city (sf) and I’m usually walking or occasionally bus/train. Traffic rarely affects my day-to-day life.
I think that’s the connection they’re pointing out, anyway - colored with my own experience of course.
Even for not drivers traffic is anoying. It’s loud and takes way to much space. I like living in the city, but in the last few years I got realy anti cars. They have nothing to do in cities. If you live in rural areas ofcourse you need one, but the second there is a good public transport grid cars shouldn’t be allowed to drive there.
Oh by no means do I disagree.
I meant- in a practical sense, my travel is not impeded by car traffic.
No, I’ve done it before. It’s awful being dependent on a car to go anywhere, there’s less to do.
Prior to her posting at Fort Knox, my wife was stationed in Queens, NY. We spent 3.5 long years living in Long Island. We now live in a town of about 3K people, and it’s lovely and rural and I live it.
Just to clarify, I’m from a European country
Nah, I’d rather just live in towns that are well connected to cities (like bus stops going to that city) while also having rural areas not too far from there
In the US these would be suburbs that are shit holes of land management and zoning.
agree, the problem with the US equivalent how is much less walkable is, everything planned far appart, without sidewalks or bicycle lanes
Contingent on fiber internet and having a four-wheeel-drive vehicle, yes.
Snow’s a bitch and so is DSL. Other than that, the solitude would be rad.
The DSL thing is a bit of a myth nowadays. The rural area around where I live has better internet than the city.
Then you live in a pretty recently upgraded area. https://www.npr.org/2023/06/28/1184726217/rural-states-likely-to-benefit-the-most-from-funds-to-improve-broadband-access
And, you know, there’s a whole planet that exists outside of the US…
Just like the areas that exist outside your little rural area. It’s almost like either of us shouldn’t make blanket statements.
I already do, I live on a back road that sees maybe 20 cars a day. I have a beautiful view. I’m an hour away from a large town with everything in it, so I’m close enough to any of that when I want it, yet I’m far enough that my cost of living is low. The town with a school, grocery store, hardware store, bars, clinic, etc is less than 10 minutes. 4 bigger towns with more jobs and more store options are 30-35 minutes with hospitals as well.
I can walk out of my house and be in nature almost instantly. I don’t have to drive anywhere.
Yeah I can’t call and have food delivered and I can’t walk to any shops but I consider myself in the perfect balance of remote and having access to what I want/need. Unless I go to a nursing home, my only move from my current house will be from it to six feet under.
Give me good public transport and good internet on the country side and I’m all for it.
In a lot of places the internet is there, but realistically the public transport never will be. It would cost so much to provide a service in every rural area that 3 people use that its totally infeasible. I think this is the situation where cars make sense, for people where public transport isn’t a realistic option.
Cars make sense because the public transport hasn’t been built out. Trams could be used without the need to employ drivers until self-driving cars come around.
There’s a lot that can be done if the will were there.
Totally agree. Plenty of places outside the US that have decent rural public transport.
good public transport
HA! Good one!
