Moving 2 TN--Practical Rural Living Advice Needed

[mbmouse]

Originally Posted by Pocketplayer

But a thought here--those who do think people run around in shorts and everyone has ten kids in TN are the same who think movie stars walk along the sidewalks and earthquakes will devour you every year in CA. In the end it keeps people out of TN and CA.

If I lived in TN, I might be slightly worried that people are starting to catch on to how beautiful a state you have. I've heard TN is the new retirement state now that some fear hurricanes in the deeper south. A man on a plane who lives in TN told me this on my last visit.

Yep, that first part is true....we aren't really running over to CA to correct them either are we now? LOL!
As for the second part, this is kinda the way I see it. Back in the 70's and 80's Everyone over the age of 60 from all the New England States, Mid West states and just about all in between believed the state of FL was THE place to retire......well here comes 2000 and the state is over flowing, roads are bad, taxes aren't covering it and the overall economy of the state is in the tank. Then comes 5 or 6 hurricanes in the next few years, then a housing bubble due to supply and demand and now a large number are scrambling their way out of FL. But look who is coming out. Working age and retirees.
However those people looking to move have many states and locations to look at now where as before it was ONE state, FL. Now folks are looking to not only TN but South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Northern Alabama, Northern Mississippi, Southern Virginia, Kentucky and so forth. All these "southern" states offer just about the same things these fleeing from FL and CA are looking for. Not the rat race, nice people, beautiful views, less crime, change of season but not to dramatically, low housing costs and cheaper cost of living.
In short, where the last " mass exodus" of retirees was to one state, this time even though it includes the working class as well, they are being spread out amongst several states who I believe looked at FL's past and present and are preparing for the influxes.
But that is just the way I see it, others may not agree.

[harry chickpea]

Satellite internet access is a little pricey, about $300 up-front costs and $60/mo, but you can get it just about anywhere, as long as you have that view of the southern sky, and trees that don't get in the way. As with all internet connections, speed varies, but in general my connection speeds have been faster than those I was seeing on neighbors' DSL and cable modems in FL. My guess is that those connections were maxed out from kids being on all the time, and my connection here is not aimed at the default bird, so I get slightly better speeds and reliability. You do have to watch out for bandwidth limits with satellite though. Go over the plan limits and you get shut down for a day.

The new reality is that Directv, Dish Network, Tivo, Hughesnet, and WildBlue have made connectivity and entertainment non-issues for those considering a more rural life. It used to be that if you lived in the country you might -if you were lucky- get the three major networks, had to deal with a party-line phone, and you found that dial-up was spotty if you even knew what it was. Now, you can watch all the tv you can stomach, record the good stuff for viewing on your own terms, grab headlines off the net, watch a youtube video or two, and step outside to feed the chickens or tend the garden.

As an example, day before yesterday I cut firewood, logged into city-data, read Jerry Pournelle's blog, talked with and emailed a customer two states away, drove 40 miles to get parts for a ram pump for our water, watched local and national news, investigated a story on the new solar cycle, checked the stock market real-time, ate some kale that we recently harvested, read headlines of three different papers online, and watched a violin concert that had been filmed in Moscow over ten years ago.

Arthur C Clarke was doing something similar in Ceylon twenty years ago. The costs are low enough now that it is possible for many folks to emulate him and have their own "outposts of civilization" anywhere. I know the term may seem perjorative, but there is a certain truth that news and broadcast entertainment outside of the major metropolitan areas has been both censored and sanitized to fit the standards of the strictest minister in the area, or at least the one where the station or newspaper owner goes to church.

Make no mistake, rural life is changing. Even if the adults don't make the change, the kids are forcing the issues. At the same time, as urbanites realize that the cities are becoming a drain on their spirits and finances, more will attempt to escape. Some will make it, some will try it and hate it, and return to the cities.

While what I've described above as a sample day may seem pretty good to someone stuck in a city, remember that we trade off other things. We live 20 miles from the nearest small hospital. We live even further from the nearest Walmart or major supermarket, and at least a couple of hours from a health food store of any size. We deal with insects and odors and wild critters on an ongoing basis, and can't pick up a fast supper at a local chinese restaurant if we're too tired to cook. Around here, if you eat fish, or your doctor has told you to eat more of it, you better like catfish, cause the nearest seafood market is 90 minutes away and has a limited selection.

Anyway, there are a lot of things to consider before making a big jump out of an area where you are used to certain ammenities.

[hiknapster]

Your internet connection must be really slow if you were checking the stock-market in real time on a Saturday!

I'm guessing you described your Friday and I'm just kidding!

[harry chickpea]

I said, "As an example, day before yesterday I cut firewood..."

Today is Sunday, yesterday would be Saturday, and the day before that...

Yep, you guessed right!

[mbmouse]

...And those CA folks say we here in TN can't do math! This here is Proof, we can count forward and backwards.
heheheheheheehe
(Ya'll know I am just kidding.)