How far I out is too far? (farming, mountains, gas)
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I live approx. 20 miles/25 mins or so, from larger population towns, in either direction, which aren't that big to begin with. For immediate needs, we have a pharmacy, pizza place and very nice country market (though expensive) 5 miles away. Good medical care 17 miles, with a fair number of choices for grocery stores and restaurants. There's a Danform, where I like to get shoes when I need them, and numerous sporting goods/clothing type stores, if you drive a bit in any direction. I really like being 'out,' and the only time that I mind it is if I want to go somewhere and it's blizzarding LOL but that usually doesn't stop me either. I have a good car and snow tires and know how to drive in winter (it's everyone else that I worry about!).
We do lack places where you could take a class, let's say, or hear a speaker give a talk. Taking a class at one of the colleges is really cost prohibitive IMO and even some of the art places charge upwards of $200 for a one day painting workshop. The basics are available. Enrichment type stuff, you have to hunt for. In the summer, different places have music in the park, which I also very much enjoy.
It depends upon your lifestyle requirements. If you are a settled married couple and crave isolation, going into a populated area once a week or once every two weeks for food and supplies may be enough.
If I lived in a remote area, I would not expect to drive daily into more populated areas.
How important is emergency medical care to you? In the event of a heart attack, you want to be within 20 minutes of a hospital. Rattlesnake bite? ASAP, but at least within 30 minutes.
Any other considerations I would put under the heading of 'cosmetic'. Restaurants, malls etc - all cosmetic. The point of living a rural lifestyle is to get away from people. Otherwise, most people would stay in a city.
Aside from the fact my wife is a nurse and I was a first responder for 12 years on a fire department, even as isolated as we are, there is a hospital 30 miles west and another 30 miles east, plus a major regional medical center just 60 miles south.
We raise and hun/fish for nearly all our meat, and have a very large garden and berry orchard for our food.
Aside from parts for machinery, I really don't need to go to town.
If I do want to talk to someone, the little town of 200 residents 10 miles to the north has a very nice little restaurant with a full bar.
There's a nice little grocery store in town for salt, yeast, sugar, coffee, regular tea, things I can't produce, but they are a little more expensive than the larger stores in the larger towns to the east and west.
I can take classes online and get movies and books online too.
Really no need to leave the place unless I want to.
How important is emergency medical care to you? In the event of a heart attack, you want to be within 20 minutes of a hospital. Rattlesnake bite? ASAP, but at least within 30 minutes.
Any other considerations I would put under the heading of 'cosmetic'. Restaurants, malls etc - all cosmetic. The point of living a rural lifestyle is to get away from people. Otherwise, most people would stay in a city.
Very important.
We are 8 miles from the county medical center, open 7 days a week, closes at 7pm, off hours we're off to the big city, 28miles / 39min.drive time, that's all doable...unless we get a heavy snow, my driveway is a steep 1/2 mile down our mountain. fortunately the major hospital has their helicopters lined up, and we have a helipad close to the house if emergency calls.
I once lived in a 'rural' area that was 35 miles to a hospital, shopping, services, etc.
While I loved the peace and quiet, and plan to move back to the same state in about 1 to 2 years, next time I will live much closer or even 'in town". The older I get, the less I want to be away from everyday services.
I think it's all a question of lifestyle. I live about 25 minutes from a small town (22,000 people). I go shopping once a month, and will spend a week ahead of time making a list. I certainly don't want to drive an hour just to get a loaf of bread. Movies are via satellite dish PPV. There is a variety of decent restaurants in town; two really good Mexican restaurants, also Thai, Chinese, Greek, Italian and Japanese. Mostly we cook at home. Our rating system for restaurants is if they can cook better than we can. My wife and I create gourmet dishes at home, and very few restaurants are better than our own kitchen.
Shopping is excellent. The Farmer's Co-op has a big modern building with a 5 acre lot that includes both indoor and outdoor storage. Coastal Farm and Ranch has also upgraded their store. There is a Costco, Fred Meyer, Walmart, Ross, Michaels, Lowes, Home Depot, Airco, NAPA, and good professional suppliers like Platt Electric and a couple of steel yards. Oregon Tool is the biggest tool store in the state. Groceries are provided by Sherm's Thunderbird, a really big independent grocery store that carries all the usual brands, but their buyer scouts the whole PNW for gourmet offerings. We get real alder smoked Coho from Seattle, chanterelles and morels in season, etc. In short, the town is set up to service a prosperous rural community, and you can find almost anything you want with a short drive. The only things I am forced to order online are clothes (52" chest) and shoes (15EEE).
I have lived in the country all my life, and lead a rural lifestyle. I'm retired, but after my second cup of (gourmet) coffee I will head to my shop and spend several hours working on projects for fun. My wife spends more time in town. She is on the board of two nonprofits and is a member of Rotary. Instead of one or two trips to town a month like me, she heads into town a couple times a week. We never talk about commute times, but if she were getting from one side of a large city to the other, she would spend more time on the road.
If you want to live an urban or suburban lifestyle, move to town. If you want a rural lifestyle, move out.
We had a Linclon List and a Bangor List. We did not go to town any more than we had to. I live on 107 acres with waterfalls and nice old woods roads. You must consider access to medical care if you have chronic conditions.
Lincoln Maine has about5,000 people. It is the economic center of the region with six banks, a credit union, hospital, all 3 major car dealers and lots of churches. Going east to Canada, the populations are,
Lee - 945
Springfield - 435
Carroll -125
Kossuth -8
Codyville - 12
There are a few townships with zero population. A township is six miles square or 23,040 acres. The next town south of Lee has zero year round population.
Last edited by Northern Maine Land Man; 01-05-2019 at 02:25 PM..
How far out is too far? What is everyone’s opinions about living far from town?
How far is too far depends on how much you enjoy going to restaurants and shopping. If it's important to you, then move closer to town. If it's not important to you, then it's not too far out.
Personally, I can't get far enough away from neighbors, and would like to be out farther than we are now. Going into town once a week for shopping is fine with me, and I can do without restaurants nearby.
It just depends on your needs.
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