Rural living - the reality check

[Marshall Tucker]

Trying to give you a little bit different perspective, I grew up in a small town (about 10k; damn few people that i didn't know or didn't know our family). probably very close to NCSkirs compound. Relatively speaking. My buddy's family owned the local paper, they had about 100 acres I beleive about 10 miles or so from the "city" limit. His mom had horses. He always felt pretty isolated with very, very few kids around his age. It was a boaring as fuck place but then we didn't have winter sports or snow. Nearest real "city" (100k or so) was 40 miles away. did I say yet it was boaring? jusus christ it was. NOTHING ever happened and nothing to do. and NO anonymity. ANYTHING that happened, everyone knew. period. example. me and mah buddy dwayne are 14 get on our bikes peddle 5 miles out to the country store, I try to buy beer with his father's ID. Guy behind the counter looks at me, "ewe John Jones son, I know yo daddie. ahma call him right now." I couldn't get outta that town quick enough and have NEVER looked back. Live in the burbs in a massive city now with NO regrets.

give this some thought. No concerts. No baseball game, no pro sports, nothin. Nothin ever happens. There is a subtle point in NCSki's response. note that he VISITS the property. doesn't live there. Those are two very, very different things.

YMMV. Just remember, this involves your kids too.

[iceman]

I've been living in the same area for 30 years, it was very rural when we moved here and has suburbanified but still seems pretty rural because ~70% of the land around us is parkland. Well, septic, generator, check. A way to deal with snow. Some chainsaw skills come in very handy even if you're not heating with wood - we used to, it got to be too much of a hassle after about 10 years.

There's too much to go over in a single post but water, septic, and heat in an emergency are the paramount concerns. Control over your pets is right up there, people will definitely shoot dogs that harass livestock, and hunters don't like dogs that chase game. One of our dogs was old and had cancer, the vet did an xray to see how bad it was and I was standing there when he looked at the film. "Who shot your dog?" he asked. Nobody, I said. He said yeah they did, look. And clear as day you could see the bullet in his chest cavity. Tough dog, we never even knew it. Vet said sometimes the wound closes up behind the bullet and it barely bleeds, I guess that's what happened.

When we first moved here there were hunters in the woods behind the house, very close. I yelled at them to get lost and they put a bullet right over my head. We stuck around though, and it's been good but we're thinking about moving into town more. Living rural there's a lot of shit to do, it's mostly good shit but it never stops.

[ThreeRidges]

Perk test. You are going to need a larger septic system and you will be hosed if the site can’t manage it.

[Benny Profane]

Looks like you should grow your own too, and we're not talking weed.

Farm Country Feeds America, but Just Try Buying Groceries There https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/05/u...rm-market.html

[farmguy]

Ive lived "outside" of town, 15 miles, for all my life and that town is only 5 k pop. First, dont get animals unless you have a backup plan to feed them otherwise you are going to need to be there for them every fucking day, remember, they eat, breath and die. It is WAY cheaper to find a local farmer who grows beef/pig etc, then but a 1/2 when needed. Chickens are a stinking mess, eggs are cheap. Learn to stock a pantry/freezer, mostly dry goods if power is known to go out. In the cold months we have set food outside until things were turned back on. Never come home with a gas tank at 1/4! Make friends with your neighbors, you will need them or they might need you. Stock up on band aids and gauze.

[ill-advised strategy]

This is a tgr thread with a lot of really good answers.

One thing I hadn’t seen is access...sometimes the property depends on rural roads with problematic stuff like iffy bridges or the thing turns to swamp every spring, or a big chunk of access is through your very own road you have to maintain.

I mention this part after several experiences with these things. My folks are 10 mins out of town, but when a flood took out a bridge they were 4 hours out for like a week and a half. Our neighborhood near Taos got nearly impassible sometimes for weeks in mud season. An accident on the highway or construction can totally change that “10 minutes” construct...and a lot of those rural situations are really dependent on one road like that.

[k2skier112]

I would never live rurally unless I had enough acerage to protect myself from the ex cons, registered sex offenders and people that seem to migrate out there to live off disability. There are exceptions of course, but you really have to choose your spot wisely.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

holy fuck I couldn't stand being so paranoid going thru life, it must suck hard

[BCMtnHound]

Comox valley, eh? Sorry, not true rural in my opinion, but that's neither here nor there. Is you property of interest in the ALR? That might restrict options to make money off your place in the future. As others said, water, septic and power are the big ones; I suspect you have either DSL or cable for internet there. You can make the property as much or as little work as you wish, but if you work it, it will take investment in iron - either yours or someone else's. And yes, good fences make good neighbours.
Best of luck!

[evasive_MT]

I have good friends who live about 35 minutes out of town. It’s an awesome place when you’re onsite, but getting there and back adds up. Once they’re home, they aren’t going out again that day. But that’s not uncommon for a lot of people with a commute.

Another point I didn’t see above is snow removal. They are 2 miles up an unimproved natural surface road. It’s rough. He has an old F-250 as a dedicated plow vehicle, and he’s had to take up to 3 days off work to plow out after a big dump.

[bagtagley]

Kids are the big factor for us. Without kids, we'd be living on some land somewhere...but we have kids.

We're semi-rural in that we don't live in "the city", but we live in a neighborhood in a smaller town. We went back and forth forever, but are happy with our decision for a lot of reasons, convenience being one, but friends being the biggest. The kids can shoot out the door and play with friends, ride to town to hang with friends, ride to the library to study with friends. Us boozy parents can walk to most get-togethers, and if not it's a short drive for us to hang with friends. Neighbors step up and help out when the routine gets wacky. Access to sports is huge. The kids can walk to practice in a lot of cases, shorter drives otherwise. School functions, sick kids, etc.

We have several friends that live on property outside of town. Their kids roamed and played when they were younger, but now that they're older, they're constantly in the car driving them to places that older kids need to go.

[Rideski]

You should get the over under from the locals on what’s required to get a toilet wax ring seal zoning permit approval in your neck of the woods.

[dunfree]

memory from growing up semi-rural was people being shuttled everywhere until they get a drivers license. school, sports, pool, library, doctor, playdates with friends. none of that was nearby. might be why I grew up to hate commuting.

[TAFKALVS]

I lived rural for 9 years as an adult and my entire life as a kiddo.

I’m now living in a small house in town, although many mags would probably consider my town rural.

True Rural living takes away radically from ski/bike/hike time I’ve learned... you know when the ski area gets a fat dump and you’re stoked to get up to the hill? I guess you better be ready to plow the driveway first... and get your neighbor unstuck who’s blocking the road.

You know those killer spring days where the weather is finally nice and you can’t wait to go ride? Looks like you’re on the excavator digging up that waterline that leaked all winter and now the ground is soft enough to dig.

Oh and summer, awesome time to climb right? Well it’s also an awesome time to get a jump on that new roof on the barn.

Hmm, fall, wow leaves are changing, finally damp... guess it’s time to burn all the brush piles you made all year before they are totally snowed in...

There was a lot of good fun stuff living rural too, but I guess I’m just saying don’t let the romance override the reality of hobby farms or owning property. It’s a big responsibility. Think home ownership x1000


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[plugboots]

You’ll be fine.

[skaredshtles]

Spent most of my youth growing up rural. NFW I'd go back to that. I'm way too lazy for all that shit that comes along with owning property in the sticks.

[hawkgt]

I want some rural land, not live on it, just go to it. Camp, screw around, maybe build a shop, septic, water, etc... not committed to full time. Really get something to pass on to the kids someday.

Who knows, maybe I would like rural, I can sit in silence, love to do projects and general do shitter around the house. I lived out in the sand dunes of western Nebraska when younger. Dad handed me a .22 and box full of shells, learned out to shoot. Drove tractors all over the place helping out on chores. I did not know anything different though.

[gravitylover]

I've been looking for places that are "edge of the burbs rural". IOW at the edge of town bordering on undevelopable forest. Someplace where I can have just a bit of land and the quiet that comes with that without being out in the stix to the point where it's a hassle. I want to be able to open the door and ride a bike to do things as well as ride the mt bike out the door and onto trails. Social life stuff that's not too far would be nice, I won't expect a neighborhood bar within stumbling distance but a place that gets decent shows within an hour would be good. As mentioned in the OP, 10 minutes out, is probably ok but I bet there are times where that can be 30, it's probably outside town limits so noise ordinances and pet containment probably isn't a thing and if it's off the school bus routes could present a big hassle. How often does the plow get the road in the winter, how well is it maintained the rest of the year, how consistent is the electricity, is there a fire hydrant close or are you on your own if the shit hits the fan...?

[KQ]

give this some thought. No concerts. No baseball game, no pro sports, nothin. Nothin ever happens. There is a subtle point in NCSki's response. note that he VISITS the property. doesn't live there. Those are two very, very different things.

YMMV. Just remember, this involves your kids too.

Not the case here and not the case where he is moving. 45K population and:

Culture
In 2007 the area was designated one of Canada's "Cultural Capitals" by Canadian Heritage.[10] A number of music and arts events are undertaken in the region.[citation needed] The community also has a number of volunteer and non-profit organizations devoted to cultural pursuits.

The Valley is known as "The Valley of Festivals". Events include the Art & Bloom Festival, North Island Hot Jazz Festival, Comox Valley Shellfish Festival, About Town!, Marina Park Main Event, CYMC Summer School & Festival, Vancouver Island MusicFest, Hornby Island Festival, Filberg Festival, Comox Nautical Days, Showcase Festival, Comox Valley Exhibition Fall Fair[11] and the Big Time Out.

[skaredshtles]

Not the case here and not the case where he is moving. 45K population

That's a goddam'd BIG CITY, there, lady!

[neckdeep]

I want some rural land, not live on it, just go to it.

Most of the intermountain West is government land. 75% in Idaho. Why buy a cow when milk is free? Why limit yourself to just one view? Buy a fifth wheel RV and you can enjoy millions of acres of land without all the expense and work. You can put a RV on federal lands at no cost for up to two weeks at a time. Pretty common thing to do around here. Lots of folks around here live in or near town for conveniences sake but own a fifth wheel, sometimes two.

maybe build a shop, septic, water, etc... not committed to full time

Once the meth heads figure out that you aren't on your land except for occasional weekends, they will strip anything of value off of it, including your well pump. Cono isn't being an alarmist on that one. Growing up, I had a friend whose family had a second home/hunting property out in the boonies west of Nashville. They couldn't even keep billiard balls for the pool table out there. After the third set was stolen, they had to take them back to town along with the TV and the boom box. They had to pay someone to cut their grass because a lawn mower left out there wouldn't last a month.

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

The sound of the country: Chainsaws and dogs barking.

[Cono Este]

LOL! You don't think cities have those in spades if not more so?

My neighbors out here in rural Washington are far nicer and more considerate and always willing to jump in and lend a helping hand than any I had in the city.

When I moved here and was setting up pastures working late neighbors saw and came to help without being asked.

One night after working late in the cold a neighbor greeted me with a tray of homemade soup and biscuits as I walked up the drive.

When one of my horses died unexpectedly shortly after I moved here another neighbor 2 miles down the road gave up their plan to go hunting and immediately came down with a backhoe to help bury him and offered to lend me another to keep my other horse company.

When it snows out here neighbors routinely drive around in their big 4x4 tractors and plow drives without even being asked.

Those are the kind of rural neighbors I have.

Like I said, it depends where you are. When I run insurance appts in rural Illinois it is clean, etc. but in Mo. there are abandoned trailers on lots all over the place.

But I’ve learnt, that if you’re on disability, ($1650 a month), the money goes further in these post apocalyptic, Midwest towns. The main streets look cute, but they are abandoned. And yes, I’ve gotten home before, looked up someone’s address and there you go, sex offender.

If your taking West Virginia, the Carolinas, be prepared to be called up to read your neighbor his mail.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[bagtagley]

I want some rural land, not live on it, just go to it. Camp, screw around, maybe build a shop, septic, water, etc... not committed to full time. Really get something to pass on to the kids someday.

This x1000. Something on a river would be nice. Just gotta get the wife on board.

[Benny Profane]

The sound of the country: Chainsaws and dogs barking.

Sound of the burbs: leaf blowers and beer can exhausts.

[Danno]

It's funny how everyone thinks "rural living" = their experience with rural living.