A poll,, sort of

[AlwaysSmiling]

Wonder what happened to GREATBASINGUIDE? He had WONDERFUL insight and great posts.
Anyone heard from him?

[Curmudgeon]

We spent six years living in the burbs. We found them dull and uninspiring; consisting of houses, strip malls and little else. So we moved to the inner city. It was singularly more vital and interesting with loads of character. However, the trade-offs were traffic noise, sirens, more crime, wandering homeless, getto birds, close-by neighbors, etc. There were more amenities and we could walk to work, shopping, restaurants and the like but as with most cities anymore, the criminal element began to make it a less than ideal place to be after dark. Besides, I'd heard enough gun shots while overseas in the 60s to last me a lifetime and hearing them near our home, a few short blocks from the state Capitol, was not confidence inducing.

Now we live in the boonies, 18 miles from any shopping. The trade off is a bit of property, peace, quiet and solitude when we want it, safety and most of the sounds we hear are those of nature. Neighbors take care of one another and there's a real sense of community. Add a lake view, green space, tons of "critters" and birds, a very pedestrian area and for us it's the best of all venues.

[jbunniii]

Originally Posted by greatbasinguide

As I read through the various posts, it appears that each person seeks a home in a city/town. I am curious as to why. Other than easy access to a job, although that can be iffy, if you llive on one side of town and your job is on the other.

For you, what is the draw to living in a town?

Maybe I am just a hick, but if I can see my neighbor's house, he is too close.

The desire for living in town, I find curious.. So,, why?

I can't speak for the rest of the country, but in California it's not practical for most people to live in the countryside.

First, most of the jobs are concentrated in the various urban centers. There isn't much rural land that is within even two hours' one-way commute of most jobs, in part because "rural" generally means "accessed by slow, winding mountain roads." Those roads become treacherous or even impassable during inclement weather or fire season.

Also, there isn't much land that isn't already in private hands or under government protection. And that land which isn't already owned/developed often cannot be developed because there is no water supply.

[Winston Smith]

Originally Posted by jbunniii

I can't speak for the rest of the country, but in California it's not practical for most people to live in the countryside.

First, most of the jobs are concentrated in the various urban centers. There isn't much rural land that is within even two hours' one-way commute of most jobs, in part because "rural" generally means "accessed by slow, winding mountain roads." Those roads become treacherous or even impassable during inclement weather or fire season.

Also, there isn't much land that isn't already in private hands or under government protection. And that land which isn't already owned/developed often cannot be developed because there is no water supply.

I've heard many stories of people who moved out of L.A. or the greater Bay Area to some supposed "rural" spot in the San Joaquin or Sacramento Valleys, only to find noise, dust and bad smells from 24-hour truck traffic, combines harvesting, crop dusting and other nuisances (necessities) of industrial farming. Far from the bucolic ideas we usually have in mind as "rural."

[Clarks]

An answer to the three essentials for the rural dweller.

The 3 essentials of life...
Proximity to:
1. Trader Joe's The Schwan man SCHWAN'S®: Time Saving Food, Online Grocery Shopping & Home Delivery Service
2. Starbuck's a capaccino machine
3. Ethnic restaurants, cookbooks

[Clarks]

Not sure I agree with this;

can't speak for the rest of the country, but in California it's not practical for most people to live in the countryside.

First, most of the jobs are concentrated in the various urban centers. There isn't much rural land that is within even two hours' one-way commute of most jobs, in part because "rural" generally means "accessed by slow, winding mountain roads." Those roads become treacherous or even impassable during inclement weather or fire season.

Also, there isn't much land that isn't already in private hands or under government protection. And that land which isn't already owned/developed often cannot be developed because there is no water supply.

In California there are about 65,000 square miles of rural private land, or about 4 million acres of rural private land. You can indeed find your pied a terre.

Those roads become treacherous or even impassable during inclement weather or fire season.

I am not sure what treacherous means. If a road is wet, it is wet, if it has snow on it, it has snow on it, not a big problem, you haven't lived till you have chained up all four wheels on a four wheel drive, not that that happens much, Cal Trans does a great job. During fire season a road in the fire area may be closed, but there are plenty of roads.

And that land which isn't already owned/developed often cannot be developed because there is no water supply

There are very few places where there is insufficient water for residential purposes

can't speak for the rest of the country, but in California it's not practical for most people to live in the countryside.

If most people lived in the countryside, it would not be the countryside.