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I lived in a really small town of 200 people in WA in the mountains. There were a few large dairies in the community. Some people moved into the area and then complained about the smell of the dairies. We used to joke about the smell when the wind would waft it into town and say "Ah, can you smell Joseph's money today?" (Joseph being a big dairy farmer in town).
But, some new people moved to town who had never lived in a rural community before and they tried to get laws passed regarding the smells, blah blah. It was just irritating and they didn't get their way. But, the main point is to try to fit in. If you move into a farming community that stinks part of the year because of fertilizing or turning under stinky crops that rot, etc., just see how the rest of the locals handle it.
This wouldn't actually apply to you, but I had a property that was right on the main two-lane highway to the national forest, and city people from Portland, OR would drive up to the forest for the day or weekend, and they'd bring their humanely-trapped mice with them to set free in the country.
What they didn't realize, was that when they pulled into the far road of my property, thinking they're in the country now, they'd get out of their cars on my property to let their mice loose on my property!! I can't tell you how many times I ran screaming at them like a banshee asking them if they want me to round up all of my critters and drop them on their front lawn! Or at least take them all the way into the dang national forest!
Basically, just think about what you do and how it might affect other people. And accept that people kill critters, and for good reason - they multiply. You'll soon learn to let go of loving mice and rats and squirrels and raccoons, etc., when they move into your house and your walls and your roof, etc., etc. And people also hunt for their food. And during deer or elk season, they may drive around with the dead head of their trophy on the front of their truck.
Just don't be quick to judge and observe how others behave. If they see you're not going to start complaining about stuff, and you're a good neighbor, they'll probably accept you just fine.
The other thing that people can get testy about in rural communities, is the property values going up because of people moving in who are retired or just have more money. What happens is, the locals get priced out of being able to buy local properties, and they can get upset about that and take it out on the new people who bought at inflated prices.
Sound advice about being considerate. However, there are some “conventions” that people make excuses for by saying, “My granddad used to...” Dumping those carcasses and guts anywhere NOT on your own property is just plain nasty rude, not to mention illegal. So drive around with the trophy kill on your truck but don’t put the unwanted parts on someone else’s property—this includes roadsides and government lands, not just yards.
Besides the obvious things like outright rudeness, driving aggressively, and having a superior attitude (either about themselves or the place they came from), what do city dwellers or suburbanites do that irritate you when they visit or move to your town?
I have reed several comments on this forum about how annoying some "outsiders" can be, and so I am wondering what newcomers and visitors should or shouldn't do when they are in rural areas. My husband and I have not encountered anyone who wasn't friendly and pleasant on our many driving trips and vacations to rural areas, but when we lived in rural Maine for three years, we didn't develop any friendships, either. So now that we have bought a lot in rural Wisconsin on which to build our retirement home in a couple of years, we just don't want to start off on the wrong foot by doing something that would offend or annoy our neighbors -- so thanks in advance for any advice!
Btw, we are friendly introverts, so the lack of friends didn't bother us a dozen years ago, but I do think that it would be nice to have at least some "friendly acquaintances" in our senior years.
P.S. The place we are moving to is a small town rather than a spread-out farming community or "a lot of nothing" kind of place; and it is middle-class, fairly affluent, and evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
It sounds like an average town and you don't have to do anything special. I'll bet the neighbors will be friendlier than in Maine though. Otherwise join stuff in town, and find out who is the big cheese (since its Wisconsin) in town and don't step on their toes. And try not to irritate people when you are doing construction. Some locals hate to see new houses being built in their town.
I think the biggie is don't come in with all kinds of things you want to see changed. Country people are pretty tolerant if you want to be different, but they don't want you telling them what they need to change.
THIS!.
And especially don't ask when are they coming out of the dark ages and putting up street lights
Besides the obvious things like outright rudeness, driving aggressively, and having a superior attitude (either about themselves or the place they came from), what do city dwellers or suburbanites do that irritate you when they visit or move to your town?
I have reed several comments on this forum about how annoying some "outsiders" can be, and so I am wondering what newcomers and visitors should or shouldn't do when they are in rural areas. My husband and I have not encountered anyone who wasn't friendly and pleasant on our many driving trips and vacations to rural areas, but when we lived in rural Maine for three years, we didn't develop any friendships, either. So now that we have bought a lot in rural Wisconsin on which to build our retirement home in a couple of years, we just don't want to start off on the wrong foot by doing something that would offend or annoy our neighbors -- so thanks in advance for any advice!
Btw, we are friendly introverts, so the lack of friends didn't bother us a dozen years ago, but I do think that it would be nice to have at least some "friendly acquaintances" in our senior years.
P.S. The place we are moving to is a small town rather than a spread-out farming community or "a lot of nothing" kind of place; and it is middle-class, fairly affluent, and evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
I wasn't aware a low self worth was a requirement of living in a rural area. I'll keep that in mind when choosing a place to land as I get carried out by the tide of urban sprawl.
I wasn't aware a low self worth was a requirement of living in a rural area. I'll keep that in mind when choosing a place to land as I get carried out by the tide of urban sprawl.
I remember reading a couple of posts saying that some newcomers moved to their town, and then spent a lot of time complaining about how things were so much better where they came from, and I also remember reading about how some "city slickers" would basically make fun of something they encountered -- that's all I meant.
Besides the obvious things like outright rudeness, driving aggressively, and having a superior attitude (either about themselves or the place they came from), what do city dwellers or suburbanites do that irritate you when they visit or move to your town?
I have reed several comments on this forum about how annoying some "outsiders" can be, and so I am wondering what newcomers and visitors should or shouldn't do when they are in rural areas. My husband and I have not encountered anyone who wasn't friendly and pleasant on our many driving trips and vacations to rural areas, but when we lived in rural Maine for three years, we didn't develop any friendships, either. So now that we have bought a lot in rural Wisconsin on which to build our retirement home in a couple of years, we just don't want to start off on the wrong foot by doing something that would offend or annoy our neighbors -- so thanks in advance for any advice!
Btw, we are friendly introverts, so the lack of friends didn't bother us a dozen years ago, but I do think that it would be nice to have at least some "friendly acquaintances" in our senior years.
P.S. The place we are moving to is a small town rather than a spread-out farming community or "a lot of nothing" kind of place; and it is middle-class, fairly affluent, and evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
I think the suggestions already listed are good points. I grew up in the UP of Michigan and now live in Green Bay, WI. The suggestion about driving slower is a very good point. I have grown accustomed to driving at a faster pace, etc. since moving to Green Bay. I sometimes forget when I go "home" to visit my family that they drive at the posted speed limit which is only 55 mph and I have to resist the urge to drive fast and pass them.
I'm not sure what part of the state you are moving to, but my experience is that the majority of the people that live in this state are kind and tolerant of those that are not from the area originally.
We are located not far from Door County, WI and I do know that there are many tourists and summer residents from the Chicago area that rub the locals the wrong way. It's nice that they come to spend their money but some (not all) are not always polite and give off the impression that they are much better than the locals.
Be kind and the locals will be kind to you! Welcome to Wisconsin!
What worked for us, in a small town, was to just be seen and keep to ourselves for a bit. We shopped locally, went to the library, etc. After a few months, people started to recognize us. That was the point when we started introducing ourselves. It's a slower pace and you need to give people time to see that you are living there now, not just visiting.
The code to follow when moving to small town, is do things as the locals do, and do not tell them how things should be done. That is the code of how to be accepted in small town.
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