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I grew up in a rural area. I don't think rural america really has more kayakers and hikers. Guns, fishing and ATVs, sure.
Kayaking and hiking was for the "gay" weekenders from the city.
Like I said I think we have different definitions of rural, I consider rural a small town with no immediate metro area around it. I can also clearly tell you are older with your term "gay" to refer to outdoor interests that involve using your own power rather than machines. I guess powerlifting, biking, and running is "gay" too. Man all those sports I played in HS it was just me being "gay".
Montana Griz, you did it right. I know your area and it is close to heaven and beautiful. It is the folks that are sitting in the middle of Iowa or Kansas or Nebraska that amaze me. I could not imagine living in the middle of miles and miles and miles are farms and ranches.
I'm very glad that you could not imagine living where I live. Because I can not imagine the he11 that is living in a city. I have spent maybe 1 year of my life (a week at a time) in all the major cities in the US, LA, NYC, Chicago, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, ETC., over my professional career. Several of these cities I would spend a month or two every year there.
I'm retired now with no desire to move from my acreage with farm fields on all sides. From my house, I can not see any of my neighbors. When I read retirement articles, they always list urban areas as the worst places to retire, NYC being the number one worst.
Is small town America that unpopular that few people want to live there anymore?
Someone should tell the Texas county property appraisers out here on the rural South Plains or the ones in Albuquerque. My South Plains farm value has been holding its own for the past six years while my Albuquerque city home is worth a little less than what I gave for it 20 years ago (allowing for inflation).
I think a lot of it has to do with what people find entertaining. People that enjoy nature and outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, etc. will like small town/rural areas. People that like shows, restaurants, museums etc. will like large cities. I'm more of the former, but my friends that live in NYC and DC are definitely the latter.
Personally, I like ALL those things. Fortunately, I don't have to choose between them. I simply live about an hour from both the White House and the Blue Ridge. Lots of people like me live around here. And around lots of other small and large cities all across the country.
I think a lot of it has to do with what people find entertaining. People that enjoy nature and outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, etc. will like small town/rural areas. People that like shows, restaurants, museums etc. will like large cities. I'm more of the former, but my friends that live in NYC and DC are definitely the latter.
This is true. My personal quandary is that I prefer to be around people who prefer museums, the symphony, the ballet and so forth. I myself am too parsimonious and too busy to partake of very many cultural functions, so urban amenities might be lost on me.
I've made my peace with living in the countryside, and in many regards have come to appreciate its charms. But there is very little that I have in common with my neighbors, or with the populace of this region in general. So whereas I can enjoy rural pursuits and vistas, I don't enjoy being around people who share such enjoyment.
I live in a rural area and my commute to work is only 2 miles and takes 6 minutes. Living in a big metro area where you have to deal with a commute of 30 or more minutes back and forth each way is not what I would call living close to amenities.
Personally I'd rather take the 55 mile drive to Sioux Falls on my days off (a nice relaxing interstate drive mind you) versus having to deal with a long commute every single day... plus no state income tax, good wage where I work.. I'm satisfied here.
I do say I miss the more sophisticated people that live in the city... all people do around here is go to the bars, fish, or watch sports. That's alright though I'm an introvert. I can't imagine I'd be more social in a large city than I do around here.. I'd still be introverted and make less money, have higher costs of living, have to pay state income tax, etc.
Job opportunity and dating opportunity are the biggest downsides of a rural area. My high school cohort that refused to leave home had a heck of a time getting a job better than manager of the circle K. When a teaching job opened up literally everyone from my high school class that got a college degree but then went back home applied for it. All of them.
In a rural town there are probably 1 or 2 age appropriate dating partners available for you at any given time.
It's why you find more older people in rural towns - they do not need those things.
I live in a rural area and my commute to work is only 2 miles and takes 6 minutes. Living in a big metro area where you have to deal with a commute of 30 or more minutes back and forth each way is not what I would call living close to amenities.
Personally I'd rather take the 55 mile drive to Sioux Falls on my days off (a nice relaxing interstate drive mind you) versus having to deal with a long commute every single day... plus no state income tax, good wage where I work.. I'm satisfied here.
I do say I miss the more sophisticated people that live in the city... all people do around here is go to the bars, fish, or watch sports. That's alright though I'm an introvert. I can't imagine I'd be more social in a large city than I do around here.. I'd still be introverted and make less money, have higher costs of living, have to pay state income tax, etc.
Excellent points. If you can get a job in or near town, your commute time and mileage is virtually nil. This makes the longer drives for amenities more bearable.
You hit on something that is worth considering when discussing rural vs. urban: being an introvert or extrovert. My initial guess would be that introverts would be more likely drawn to rural areas and extroverts drawn to big cities. OTOH, you could make the argument that the nature of small towns would punish introverts more than big cities would since you can be invisible in a big city if you so choose. It is estimated that 60-70% of the population is extroverted, so that supports the extroverts go to the cities theory.
Job opportunity and dating opportunity are the biggest downsides of a rural area. My high school cohort that refused to leave home had a heck of a time getting a job better than manager of the circle K. When a teaching job opened up literally everyone from my high school class that got a college degree but then went back home applied for it. All of them.
In a rural town there are probably 1 or 2 age appropriate dating partners available for you at any given time.
It's why you find more older people in rural towns - they do not need those things.
Fewer people have grown up in a rural area these days - and usually people who've grown up in urban or suburban areas have a hard time adjusting to rural life.
I think this is correct. I am amazed at how many people on this forum are looking to retire to expensive major metro areas. If you need a job, then yeah thats the place to be. But it seems to me that traditionally the place where people would consider to retire to would be a cheaper rural area with lots of recreational activities. But that doesn't seem to be a consideration for most people these days. I guess it's just too hard for them to imagine living in a peaceful, quiet, little town with limited traffic.
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