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We've had rural property and it was a LOT of work. Just keeping the blackberry bushes at bay was a full time job. Also scary were the local meth-heads. We always worried when we left the house if our wiring would still be there when we returned.
We live in a development of hundreds of other houses now. I would prefer to live in downtown, in a condo or apartment if I could. Tried that in WA and husband hated it.
We moved to a rural location, designed a house and huge shop that was perfect for us.
Loved the house (and the radiant heat floors), loved the mountain and lake views, loved being on the Pacific Flyway and the changing groups of migrating birds. Loved the quiet and the peace. Loved my garden and my chickens - although I eventually scaled the garden back to less than half the original size.
Got very tired of the hour drive into town, the upkeep required for the acreage, plowing ourselves (and the neighbors who relied on us) out after the occasional big snow storm. Once the snow starts really falling, you can't just say "well, I will deal with it tomorrow morning" because the plow attachment on the truck will only handle so much snow.
Once the 2007 crash hit we had zero sheriff or fire response and the petty crime started creeping in. The slowly progressing eye problem I had turned in to a rapidly progressing eye problem and being that far out and not being able to drive felt like a bad idea. The downturn meant that a lot of the quality things that we relied on in town closed and the owners moved to greener pastures.
So we did, too, after some pretty agonizing discussions.
Living in a town (still a small town, not a big city) means we have a lot more contact with many different groups of varying ages, the spouse started a small word-of-mouth-only business that is pretty successful, we're out of the house more often and around other people, which for two "happy to live in their own heads" people is probably good. Much happier with the grocery stores here, the farmer's market runs beginning of March to end of November and I don't even bother with a garden here.
Define rural. We live in a rural/small town area. It is a retirement destination. The core town of 4500 has good restaurants, two live theater venues, a tenplex movie theater a Safeway and other supermarkets, and a good regional hospital. Most escaped the city rat race and love nature.
Define rural. We live in a rural/small town area. It is a retirement destination. The core town of 4500 has good restaurants, two live theater venues, a tenplex movie theater a Safeway and other supermarkets, and a good regional hospital. Most escaped the city rat race and love nature.
This is about twenty to thirty minutes from a town of 6,000 on steep mountain terrain.
Healthcare needs can change rapidly. What seems unimportant at 65 can become a serious issue 10 years or more later. It is not just some issue with ageing gracefully and becoming "frail". More serious issues arise: cardiac disease, aneurisms, strokes, macular degeneration, and on and on. Those more serious issues can require surgeries, sophisticated procedures, and ongoing care. Even if you are satisfied going to an average or below average physicians, those rural clinics and hospitals often cannot provide the needed scope of healthcare services.
This.
I’ve known of too many old people who have unexpected health crises. I really do want full service health availability fairly close to me.
We had no idea DH had glaucoma till it was found at an annual eye exam. Luckily for us, he had access to fine eye care in nearby Portland.
And if one of us has an emergency, a full service hospital is reasonably close. And since there are two hospitals in our community, there are plenty of doctors here.
Depends on their health and physical activity level. If they are in poorer health, with cardiovascular issues, or other major concerns, probably a non-starter. If they are in good health and don't mind the driving, fine until they start to have issues. I know many in their mid 70's who would have no problem. I also know people in their 50's who are in such poor health that they should live closer to a hospital. I wouldn't make a blanket statement, it's just depends on the individual.
^^^^^This
We don't live quite as far from civilization as the folks the OP describes but we do live on a quiet one lane farm road that some people have commented we should have a radio playing music from "Deliverance" as they start up the hill, lollol
We are 70, have two remaining horses, and maintenance every inch of our 25 acres ourselves because most of the younger generations are too stylin' to actually do hard manual labor and get dirt under their fingernails. The only young person we have found that actually works, has a full time job and is not always available on the weekends.
I still muck stalls every day and spend a couple hours daily with my horses, until mowing & bushogging season starts.
Neither of our health is tip-top but we keep going because keepin' on makes more sense than the alternative, and we love what we do.
DH still works a full time job because he is hyper-tensive Type A and his skinny self doesn't know how to slow down, even after having had a big heart attack. Nothing scarier than seeing the life flight helicopter take your mate from the local hospital to Vanderbilt ---it's a helpless feeling for someone who isn't used to feeling helpless.
We both agree that, if we could plop ourselves in the middle of 300 acres, we still would do that but that would mean we hit the big lottery and would be able to afford to hire full time help, lollol
That was the point. They’re young and can do the work required. A senior may not have the same stamina.
Your post doesn't say their ages. I also know many retirees who live in rural areas who are very active. Life is what you make it. Some folks live in rural areas until they die. Others move to a city to be near medical care or family or grocery stores or whatever.
We moved here to rural Maine 4 years ago, into a house I built myself. We have 33 acres, large gardens, and raise chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and pigs. We love it. There are no sidewalks here, and no street lights. Totally calm and peaceful. I have a plow blade on the truck, and 3 German Shepherds who love to ride with me, even if I'm not going anywhere. My brother, and my wife's brother, also live here in their own cabins. So there are 4 of us here, all over age 68, and all urban refugees.
The trouble with all this, "I have to live near a hospital" stuff is that people of any age can be sickly, and people of any age can die. If you spent your youth smoking and drinking and tsking drugs, not eating as well or exercising as much as you should have, and you know who you are, don't complain.
That said, some people are just more comfortable in some settings than others. If you are more comfortable in the city, then stay there and enjoy it. But don't say it's because of the doctors or the hospitals or the Walmarts or the Starbucks. It isn't. It's because that's where you're comfortable.
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