The rural exodus accelerates (Plains: tech jobs, school, community college)

[talbet]

The news seems to show that this is a trend every where. People are moving to the cites. just before ww2 about 70% of the population lived on small family farms. After the war the creation of suburbia happened. People lived in the in-between life of this new creation, not city not country. It has grown ever since. But this life of commuting from job to home is starting to die. Some even took this practice to the absurd. Living in one part of the country and flying to work everyday. I know of one Dr. who would fly to work in New York over 900 miles a day. Practical life will now have to start to take precedence.

[itsMeFred]

Uh talbet, what you're talking about has nothing to do with rural out-migration... We aren't talking about those who live on "the outskirts" of cities. We mean actual, honest-to-goodness, rural areas.

Those areas of the country that raise vast percentages of our food supply, for example. It's not a luxury to live out here. Someone has to feed the rest of ya'll.

[pvlman]

Originally Posted by itsMeFred

that's entirely possible.
But what about those of us who live 150, 200 miles, or better, from a regional health center??

I really don't know. Especially if a community doesn't have the population to support a MD, and associated staff, assuming they could recruit MD to plant root's in their community.

[itsMeFred]

But see, that's what this topic is about. We don't have the population to support a lot of things. Yet, our country still wants to be fed. Which means, we still need those of us out here in the hinter lands to do so. But, how can we stay out here if we only have access to poor schools, health care, etc??
It's a vicious circle.

[AnywhereElse]

These areas may see an increase prior to December 21, 2012, the possible doomsday. A lot of smart people will take the precaution of being out of the bigger cities - think technology meltdown, even the possibility will have people looking to more rural areas. Seems like I heard that with a shut down just in transportation that there is about a two week supply at best of grocery items. In this town of 8,000, a little less, there are people moving here from other states, only God knows why but my theory is that people will be positioning themselves in some areas with space here shortly.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by AnywhereElse

These areas may see an increase prior to December 21, 2012, the possible doomsday. A lot of smart people will take the precaution of being out of the bigger cities - think technology meltdown, even the possibility will have people looking to more rural areas. Seems like I heard that with a shut down just in transportation that there is about a two week supply at best of grocery items. In this town of 8,000, a little less, there are people moving here from other states, only God knows why but my theory is that people will be positioning themselves in some areas with space here shortly.

I am surprised you are saying that people are moving to Ft. Scott? That does strike me as strange... People are definitely not moving to rural northwest Kansas, though. It is the empty quarter....

[thriftylefty]

Some cities are showing slight increases but I think it could be from people moving out of the county and in to the larger city in their county as things get worse, oddly enough in some rural areas the minority population is stable or slightly growing, maybe due to less affluent people are not able to leave.

[cp1969]

Originally Posted by AnywhereElse

These areas may see an increase prior to December 21, 2012, the possible doomsday.

I'm looking forward to it.

Seems like I heard that with a shut down just in transportation that there is about a two week supply at best of grocery items.

Better have your gas tank full to go chasing groceries (or heading for the country, for that matter) because most gas stations go dry in a couple days or less.

[chele123]

My town of less than a thousand people, in a county with less than 2500, has seen quite a few people move to it in the past few years. We seem to attract people from AZ and Florida. It seems one family will move in and then their extended family moves here too. One couple bought a building and opened a variety store, brought his Mom to town to work in it and then sold it to his brother whose wife now runs it while he works at the hospital. There are opportunities in small communities that some people from big cities seem to overlook.

[pvlman]

Originally Posted by southernnaturelover

Some of it is probably people not having as many kids. The majority of the houses for sale in my area belong to elderly people who either passed away or went into a nursing home. When you have a large elderly population and a younger generation who only have one or two kids (or none) you can expect a population decline.

A population maintained by more births can only be temporary. if the children are forced to move elsewhere to earn a living, that's why we are discussing the exodus, not the birth rate, I think.