How I can find out if small town or rural living is for me? (lakes, acres)

[ISTJ Vortex]

I feel that I would like living in a small town or semi-rural place but have no idea if I could be happy in such a place or how I would experience such a life.

I also feel that I would like living remotely / self-sufficiency, but I haven't done this before and I haven't a clue about the realities of this kind of living, as it is today.

I grew up in one of the largest cities in the world until a few years ago. I am currently living in a moderate-sized city.

There must be tons of things to take into account before making such a move and the things that I take for granted and which I probably don't think about much (because of my background) are the ones that I worry about the most and that they will surface only after the move has happened.

I know that I would worry about law and order and about people having their own ideas of what law is. Also, that because somehow I don't do what everyone else does, this might make me less welcome.

I also think about practical things and having access to all the usual services that everyone needs and which are likely be less available, possibly to a lower standard or be harder to reach in smaller/ more remote places.

Is there a book, checklist or good website where I can find out what small town /rural or remote living is like?

I would be living alone if I made such a move but I would probably get a dog or 2.

[lucknow]

I have lived in a big city, small city, semi rural and very rural. Each one of them has it's good and bad points. Semi rural and small town living are the two I like the least. I'm a very private person and what I have found in those situations is that everyone knows or at least think they know everything about you and there is just too much gossip for my taste. Small town living really is not much different than city living these days. Pretty much all the same services are available. There just is not the variety that the big city has. Small towns have very much a slower pace of life and that can be good or bad depending on what you like and expect. My favorite situation in small town living is to have a nice rural place about 5 miles from a very vibrant and lively town. I lived 5 miles from a 18,000 population town and I was 5 miles from a huge ski and golf resort. That was a wonderful place to be. The best of both worlds as they say. Now, if you lived 5 miles from some cruddy little one horse town that is a different thing all together. I did that too. I lived 6 miles from a 1100 population hootersville. Nothing I was interested in ever happened in that town. It was dead as a doornail but at that point in my life I didn't care. I worked at a nearby nuclear plant and all my free time was taken up with my 3 small children and my attempts to be self sufficient, growing my own food and raising my own meat, milking goats and fishing and hunting.

It's not an easy thing you are asking because there are infinite variables that would detirmine if it would be good for and suit you personally.

At this point in my life I could live wherever I choose to and where I chose to is in Niagara Falls On. It's a city of about 85,000. My reasons were, very affordable housing. Beautiful geography, Fantastic parks, lots and lots of tourists. LOL I like resort towns, there is a different vibe to them. Every concievable service under the sun is available very close to home. I like living in a place that is close to the border and like Sara Palin I can say, "I can see the USA from my house". LOL. The only difference is, I actually can.
It's only an hour from downtown Toronto and that is important to me. I lived for 25 years there and I like going to the big city every month or so.
The people in Niagara are great and there is very little crime of any kind that you can see, The mob doesn't allow it, visable crime could upset all their schemes, LOL.

My best advice for you is to really try hard to know yourself. Think long and hard about what's important to you. Talk to people who live in these different types of situations, usually they love to talk. In the 1100 population town I lived near I usually stopped in at the local dive for a pint on my way home from work and I got to hear EVERYTHING that was going on.

Watch some old reruns of "Green acres" and try to aviod moving to Hootersville!!!!!!

[SCGranny]

Do you like being alone?
Do you like endless silences, unbroken except by the wind or wild animal calls - everything from owls to coyotes, maybe even the occasional scream of a mountain lion? By endless, I mean days, maybe even weeks on end? Would a Po'ed boar coon on your car hood make you run inside - and get your gun - or call in sick to work?
Do you need constant entertainment provided by some one else - TV, radio, bands, plays?
Can you not only eat your own cooking for days, weeks, on end, but not let the urge for fast food or food cooked by someone else overrun you?
Can you do things for yourself? Do you like to learn how to do things, or figure out how to do things, all on your own? Do you have to hire most things done for you - like the hem fixed in a pair of pants, your driveway plowed, your toilet or your water heater replaced?
Do you have to run to the grocery store, WalMart, Lowe's or Menard's, at least twice a week? Do you have to see a doctor every month, or every three months?
Do you get impatient with others easily, when they don't show up according to schedule, or when they stop you in the middle of the street 'just to talk'?
Do you assume that rural people must be less educated, less caring, or less responsible - or do you assume that they must be moreso - simply because they live rurally?

Don't let your assumptions or fantasies about rural life affect your judgement. People are pretty much the same everywhere - some neighbors are terrible busybodies and gossips, while some couldn't care less what you do as long as you don't bother them. Some neighbors are highly educated, some are down-to-earth and self-educated with a lot of common sense, and some are woeful idiots. Some people will welcome you with handshakes and humor, and others will shun you because of their preconceptions. And some you will become fast friends with. It's the same in every large city or rural town - you just notice it more because there are fewer people in the rural areas!

There is no perfect place for anyone. Either the politics, or the social makeup, or the prices, or the climate, or the workload/jobs available, or the proximity of entertainment, enlightenment, and the pursuit and achievement of goals varies from person to person, locale to locale. Some things you will like, and some things you won't, about every place that you live. But what is important is what you feel, what you truly want, not just now but 20 years from now, what you can achieve - and if you can find a place that meets most of your criteria, and you can overlook the rest or let it flow off of you like water off a duck's back, then you can be happy.

[brad4143]

Originally Posted by SCGranny

Do you like being alone?
Do you like endless silences, unbroken except by the wind or wild animal calls - everything from owls to coyotes, maybe even the occasional scream of a mountain lion? By endless, I mean days, maybe even weeks on end? Would a Po'ed boar coon on your car hood make you run inside - and get your gun - or call in sick to work?
Do you need constant entertainment provided by some one else - TV, radio, bands, plays?
Can you not only eat your own cooking for days, weeks, on end, but not let the urge for fast food or food cooked by someone else overrun you?
Can you do things for yourself? Do you like to learn how to do things, or figure out how to do things, all on your own? Do you have to hire most things done for you - like the hem fixed in a pair of pants, your driveway plowed, your toilet or your water heater replaced?
Do you have to run to the grocery store, WalMart, Lowe's or Menard's, at least twice a week? Do you have to see a doctor every month, or every three months?
Do you get impatient with others easily, when they don't show up according to schedule, or when they stop you in the middle of the street 'just to talk'?
Do you assume that rural people must be less educated, less caring, or less responsible - or do you assume that they must be moreso - simply because they live rurally?

Don't let your assumptions or fantasies about rural life affect your judgement. People are pretty much the same everywhere - some neighbors are terrible busybodies and gossips, while some couldn't care less what you do as long as you don't bother them. Some neighbors are highly educated, some are down-to-earth and self-educated with a lot of common sense, and some are woeful idiots. Some people will welcome you with handshakes and humor, and others will shun you because of their preconceptions. And some you will become fast friends with. It's the same in every large city or rural town - you just notice it more because there are fewer people in the rural areas!

There is no perfect place for anyone. Either the politics, or the social makeup, or the prices, or the climate, or the workload/jobs available, or the proximity of entertainment, enlightenment, and the pursuit and achievement of goals varies from person to person, locale to locale. Some things you will like, and some things you won't, about every place that you live. But what is important is what you feel, what you truly want, not just now but 20 years from now, what you can achieve - and if you can find a place that meets most of your criteria, and you can overlook the rest or let it flow off of you like water off a duck's back, then you can be happy.

Your list is all me>> ha! but then again I never fit right in the big city when i was stationed there. Rural living is still far better in my perspective.

[ISTJ Vortex]

Originally Posted by SCGranny

Do you like being alone?

Yes. Not tried it in a remote place, but was happy with it in the big city.

Originally Posted by SCGranny

Do you like endless silences, unbroken except by the wind or wild animal calls - everything from owls to coyotes, maybe even the occasional scream of a mountain lion?

I've enjoyed lots of silence when its happened, but of course, I don't know what it would be like in more remote or small town settings.
I do enjoy the sound of cicadas in the summer. I don't think wild animal noises would concern me.

Originally Posted by SCGranny

By endless, I mean days, maybe even weeks on end?

I don't know. I would have some sounds of course - radio, TV, internet, phone.

Originally Posted by SCGranny

Would a Po'ed boar coon on your car hood make you run inside - and get your gun - or call in sick to work?

I don't know what that is. A wild animal? Please can you explain.
I don't think its fair to ask things that I can't possibly know my reaction to before i encounter it.
I don't think however that natural things like wildlife would cause me to react as you suggest. Maybe it will be different the first time, but I am not the type to throw in the towel easily.

Originally Posted by SCGranny

Do you need constant entertainment provided by some one else - TV, radio, bands, plays?

My only constants at this time (I think) are food and rest. I have no wish for bands or plays or art stuff.
I think I would like some music, radio or TV. Not sure how much I would "need".
Currently, I watch mainly football on TV and some other sports when they are available. A film or two (DVD) every month or so sometimes features in my life.
I don't care for the cinema.

Originally Posted by SCGranny

Can you not only eat your own cooking for days, weeks, on end, but not let the urge for fast food or food cooked by someone else overrun you?

I can cook, but again, I doin't know what the urge for "not cooked by me food" will be like until I try.
I have gone over 1 year without fast food so I think I would be able to do it again.

BTW - at this point, I am not expecting to suddenly move and go and live in a log cabin in the mountains or under the ground or something like that. I think that I should do this change in stages.

Originally Posted by SCGranny

Can you do things for yourself? Do you like to learn how to do things, or figure out how to do things, all on your own? Do you have to hire most things done for you - like the hem fixed in a pair of pants, your driveway plowed, your toilet or your water heater replaced?

I can do simple things by myself and enjoy learning how to do new things. I could do simple tailoring or garden/brickwork.
I also can do and concoct things for uncomplicated needs or to cope or do things in a makeshift way as required, but anything more difficult like electrical or gas, machinery orientated or joinery etc., is going to be a problem and I feel that this is my biggest problem, along with having enough food & looking after it

Originally Posted by SCGranny

Do you have to run to the grocery store, WalMart, Lowe's or Menard's, at least twice a week?

No, but I would probably like to go once a month or so to Walmart and stock up. I don't know what Menard's is.
I think I would have to learn about self-sufficiency, managing and growing food etc.

Originally Posted by SCGranny

Do you have to see a doctor every month, or every three months?

I have a chronic medical condition that needs daily medicine. I supposed every 3 months would be required.

Originally Posted by SCGranny

Do you get impatient with others easily, when they don't show up according to schedule, or when they stop you in the middle of the street 'just to talk'?

When I had a busy schedule or was time constrained, yes I was miffed when people failed to turn up and didn't even call that they weren't coming.
I think I would be much less concerned (or not at all) if I was living a self-sufficient and much less busy lifestyle. I think a chat with someone once in a while would be nice, perhaps. Again, this one is hard to know without actually living it (like several of your questions).

Originally Posted by SCGranny

Do you assume that rural people must be less educated, less caring, or less responsible - or do you assume that they must be moreso - simply because they live rurally?

I don't assume anything about others before I meet them.

Originally Posted by SCGranny

Don't let your assumptions or fantasies about rural life affect your judgement.

What makes you think I have any of either?

Originally Posted by SCGranny

People are pretty much the same everywhere.

Yes and no. There are regional and cultural differences around the world that can prevent the "we're all the same people" feeling from coming into play.

Something I learned in my life about "accepting other cultures" is that while you may be ready and willing to accept other people and their culture, other people from other cultures may not be accepting of you and yours.
This facet has been lost in the "tolerate and accommodate everyone" sentiment that has been played to death in our western society.

Originally Posted by SCGranny

There is no perfect place for anyone.

I am not looking for perfection, which doesn't actually exist in anything, anywhere and never will do.

Thank you for your questions.

[Ode]

Originally Posted by SCGranny

Do you like being alone? Would a Po'ed boar coon on your car hood make you run inside - and get your gun - or call in sick to work?

Originally Posted by ISTJ Vortex

I don't know what that is. A wild animal? Please can you explain.
I don't think its fair to ask things that I can't possibly know my reaction to before i encounter it.
I don't think however that natural things like wildlife would cause me to react as you suggest. Maybe it will be different the first time, but I am not the type to throw in the towel easily.

An adult male raccoon. Here is a link to some pictures. https://www.google.com/search?q=boar...w=1902&bih=979

[SCGranny]

Thanks for your help, Ode!

ISTJ Vortex, I'm sorry if you took offense at some of my questions.

I have seen many people try to move into areas where their previous assumptions made their assimilation harder - and at times impossible. They would sell out (usually at a loss) for any price just to get away from what they thought should be paradise, but turned out to be - for them - hell.

One woman, when actually faced with a boar raccoon sitting on the hood of her car when she came out to go to work, not only called 911 demanding that someone 'come out here and kill this rabid animal!!" but broke down into tears when we arrived. "When I moved out into the country, I wanted wildlife - but I thought it would be deer and bunnies!" Turned out she had also seen a rattlesnake the week before. And that was in a newly-developed area that had been, 5 years before, nothing but woods and swamp.

Rural areas often appear tranquil and even soporific to a casual visitor or even a photographer - but in fact rural areas are teeming with life and productivity, and a lot of that is not stopped or even intimidated by the presence of humans. If you are completely unfamiliar with self-sufficiency, you are right; you should take it in stages and determine how far you are able to go with it. Folks raised in cities often think of squirrels and rabbits as cute and harmless, not understanding that rabbits can lay waste to an entire crop of onions or carrots in three days, while a squirrel can be a fuzzy-tailed rat that eats through and nests in anything, fouling it as it goes. A red-tailed hawk, claws outstretched, descending on a field mouse is awesome nature at work - descending on your new free-ranging chicks is loss of productivity. Because of your initial post, I asked questions to help you determine where you stood and how much you needed to learn - or already knew.

When I say that "people are pretty much the same everywhere" I wasn't speaking of cultures, I was speaking of compatibility. Most people can work out compatible relationships based on needs; the guy who knows how to shingle a house can trade with the guy who knows how to raise chickens. Most folks when challenged aggressively will respond aggressively. Most folks when treated with respect will respond with respect. The Southern culture in which I was raised is not compatible with the current Western culture in which I now live; i.e., bluntness is not acceptable in the former, but is demanded in the latter. Women in cities are treated differently, and different things are expected of them, than women in more rural settings. YET - there are still the overriding basics of honesty, fair play, a willingness to learn, and mutual effort for mutual gain that are acceptable traits anywhere.

You asked about practical things; like services, etc. Most things are available rurally - they just may be achieved differently. You may be used to sewer, and find that you must understand or perhaps dig your own septic tank or drain field - or use an outhouse, depending on how 'rural' you want to be. You may find out that there are far fewer rules about what you can and cannot do on your own property - but those rules come with a cavat; i.e., you can build your own drain field but you have to know where the water table is, and if it will foul your or your neighbor's drinking water. You might live close enough to even a small town that has water and sewer. You might be able to hunt on your own land - but you may not be able to cross that falling-down fence onto another's property without getting shot. You might have a well that is windmill-pumped or hand pumped - or you might have to dig your own, or you might have to pay someone to do it. It all depends on how far out you go, and what amenities are available. You might have a county plow that comes right down your road, so all you have to do is dig out your driveway when it snows - or you might have to have a plow on your truck, tractor, or ATV to plow a mile or more to the county-plowed road. You perhaps don't want to live where there is snow that keeps you stranded in your home for several days or even weeks at a time - but then you might have other things to deal with, such as drought or even hurricanes or floods that can impact what you do, build, grow, and produce - and when. I am trying very hard to be specific but your questions were pretty general...
From Alaska to Texas, from California to Maine, there are all sorts of challenges; rocky mountains, flat deserts, marshlands, snow and ice, rain and mud, forests and rolling grasslands, rivers. lakes, and underground aquifers, all with their unique challenges and applications.
I hope that explains my previous generalized post. If you can be more specific about what you need to know, perhaps I and others can as well.

[roots'nbulbs]

My friend--(we live in a town of 1200 pop.)--went to the new chiropractor. She said that while she was being treated, she told him that she was happy to learn that he had just bought the Weissar's house. She said there was a quiet pause. Then, he cleared his throat and asked, with a grin, if she could tell him how much he had paid for the house.

Then, she told me that, before she would be caught telling him what he paid and what better price he could have paid........she merely, asked him if he had ever lived in a small town, before.

That was polite. So, I don't think he should be put off by small town living. Do you?

[Percentage]

Moved to a small town setting and quite frankly hate it. I am doing the best i can because the family seems happy but for that...i'd be on the first plane out of here. Cant believe my neighbor actually called bears "cute cuddly things" Are you effing kidding me?

[GregW]

Find a small town and rent a place for a year. Budget extra miney for whiskey and a shrink.