Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think most younger people in a really large city, like those who live in a really rural setting, are essentially unaffected by the riots or the virus except possibly when they leave home and are out and about so I don't expect any large movements to anywhere. For older people who are retired there may be some concerns about where they now live but my guess even those will likely stay put unless they had already had planned to move before retirement.
Probably there will be some net migration to the exurbs, as people try to get away from the riots and crimes of the big cities and inner suburbs.
Absolute rural areas, though, will stay rural. Most city people don't want a true rural lifestyle.
I knew a couple who had a busy chiropractic office in Phoenix. They told me they used to have a horse ranch out in the desert, north of the valley.
But their neighbors enjoyed setting off firecrackers, sometimes right at the horses, terrifying them into stampeding. Fun, fun. The neighbors said to them: "Out here, we are the law."
Being good city people, they ended up selling the land and moving their horses elsewhere. They did it quietly, so as not to anger the neighbors (somehow).
A real rural American might have reacted differently. I could see someone showing up after a firecracker party, holding a 12 gauge shell. "See this? It's got your name on it. If you shoot any more firecrackers at my horses, you're going to end up with a whole bunch of little lead balls in your belly. You see, I'm also the law. Your move."
Oh, so the gas company never extended the line to your side of the road to connect to the property? Another item that seems to be more common in rural areas are incomplete developments, meaning you have a road with houses built on parcels, but then vacant parcels with no houses- yet people hold onto the parcel for some reason- they must look at it as an investment even though it might not be much in the way of acreage at all. This impacts property values occasionally because some buyers might not like the lack of any consistency or uniformity of the built environment. Just one of the considerations people have to look at when it comes to rural areas. Wooster and Wayne County is not necessarily that rural in terms of population density at the county level, I'm looking at more rural northern Lakes Region areas to move to down the road that have population densities at the county level of between 25-50 people per square mile. Prices tend to be higher as tax rates are low (high valuations due to lakefront properties), however, one can find better property bargains near lakes areas at much reduced prices. I like the Moultonboro, NH area, I can find a property of around $250K with taxes of $1,500 a year- a bargain given the natural amenities and level of services nearby.
I started off with a condensing oil furnace, because fuel oil was a lot cheaper than propane. When that stopped working, I went with electric. Had I gone with propane, I still would have had to replace the furnace, because the condensers on the early furnaces rotted out. I'm sure I could get natural gas now if I wanted it, and a whole house generator would be handy during power outages, but the $30 a month minimum gas charge makes that an expensive option. Electric heat is not that expensive in a small well-insulated house. Heat pumps are more suitable further south where the winters are milder.
I think all of the subdivision lots have been built by now. When the sewer came through, the assessment was by lot, rather than by frontage. With 995 feet of frontage, I was delighted. Owners with multiple lots paid for only 1 lot if they had the lots combined, which they all did.
A TV person tonight hypothesized that many Americans will flee the cities and move to rural America. Personally, I doubt it. Americans love the suburban lifestyle. But it coyld happen considering the urban unrest, cries to defund police and CV19. Plus, I've noticed that houses have been selling very fast in our rural area. What say you?
No. Cities are where it's happening. Friends, culture, jobs, excitement, services, public transportation, interesting people, all ages, restaurants, ability to get groceries & liquor of any kind, airports.
No. Cities are where it's happening. Friends, culture, jobs, excitement, services, public transportation, interesting people, all ages, restaurants, ability to get groceries & liquor of any kind, airports.
When I lived in Chicago (the actual city) there was this infestation that hit and eventually got us all. It's called marriage. Upon getting married there's an almost innate need to move to the suburbs for many, and once they do...it's like they fell off the end of the world. Visits become rarer, bedtimes earlier. Children began appearing. Some did stay in the City, but most moved out to the burbs.
That might be the greatest proxy for a trend. You had a huge boomer group, then a small X group and now the Millennials are getting married...later than previous generations, but all the same, things will change. Still, as they move out, Generation Z is bigger still. In cities with growth constraints like San Francisco and New York competition for space will grow. It would be easy to understand someone saying...ok I've done this for 10 years now, time to move on to something else.
I started off with a condensing oil furnace, because fuel oil was a lot cheaper than propane. When that stopped working, I went with electric. Had I gone with propane, I still would have had to replace the furnace, because the condensers on the early furnaces rotted out. I'm sure I could get natural gas now if I wanted it, and a whole house generator would be handy during power outages, but the $30 a month minimum gas charge makes that an expensive option. Electric heat is not that expensive in a small well-insulated house. Heat pumps are more suitable further south where the winters are milder.
I think all of the subdivision lots have been built by now. When the sewer came through, the assessment was by lot, rather than by frontage. With 995 feet of frontage, I was delighted. Owners with multiple lots paid for only 1 lot if they had the lots combined, which they all did.
Thanks for the info, rural areas have a few more challenges regarding some of the details on heat sources for certain, that is why I like having multiple options. I currently have an electric heat pump (with electric heat strip option that I rarely use), wood stove insert for fireplace for wood heat, and passive solar gain in the winter months. I am by the Ohio Valley so winter temperatures can be highly variable. Mini-split heat pump units are more efficient now and work at lower temperatures, the heat pump I have is not original to the house, but is getting old and will likely need replacing in a few years. I have only lived in the house for one year so far, though.
Thanks for the info, rural areas have a few more challenges regarding some of the details on heat sources for certain, that is why I like having multiple options. I currently have an electric heat pump (with electric heat strip option that I rarely use), wood stove insert for fireplace for wood heat, and passive solar gain in the winter months. I am by the Ohio Valley so winter temperatures can be highly variable. Mini-split heat pump units are more efficient now and work at lower temperatures, the heat pump I have is not original to the house, but is getting old and will likely need replacing in a few years. I have only lived in the house for one year so far, though.
One of the challenges is that if you have well water, when your electricity goes out, you soon run out of water. In the city, you still have water, although it will be cold water once you use up the hot water in the hot water tank.
We had a major ice storm years ago that left me without power for 4 days. Luckily my parents still had power, so I moved back for the duration. When I stopped in each day to take care of the dogs (outside dogs), I didn't even have to go into the house to see if power had been restored. As soon as I got out of the car and could hear the neighbor's generator, I knew the answer.
I checked the temperature of the house each day, but it never fell close to freezing.
When I lived in Chicago (the actual city) there was this infestation that hit and eventually got us all. It's called marriage. Upon getting married there's an almost innate need to move to the suburbs for many, and once they do...it's like they fell off the end of the world. Visits become rarer, bedtimes earlier. Children began appearing. Some did stay in the City, but most moved out to the burbs.
That might be the greatest proxy for a trend. You had a huge boomer group, then a small X group and now the Millennials are getting married...later than previous generations, but all the same, things will change. Still, as they move out, Generation Z is bigger still. In cities with growth constraints like San Francisco and New York competition for space will grow. It would be easy to understand someone saying...ok I've done this for 10 years now, time to move on to something else.
The post was about moving to rural areas, not burbs. Burbs are similar to big cities in that they are on the outskirts, so people can drive to the city. Many burbs are quite large and cities unto themselves, w/public transportation, lots of new grocery stores, new schools, etc.
I live in a semi-rural area (big mistake...moved here for relatives & other reasons after I retired). I'm miserable. There is only one couple I know of who moved to this semi-rural "burb") from a big city. They seem happy here; he's from here. I don't know any retired single people who moved here. There is a lack of services & stores...have to drive to nearby city to get a good vet for the dogs. The country vets don't have equipment and aren't the best. The best vets & doctors are in cities. We do have some good grocery stores, and there's a superWalmart 4 miles away. No public transportation. But I'm in a SEMI-rural area that is a burb to a nearby mid-sized city. Rural areas don't even have the amenities I have. And forget about good internet or cable. If I have to have cancer treatment, I could get it in the nearby mid-sized city (if I can take a cab or Uber both ways). But to get good cancer treatment, I'd have to go to Houston 250 miles away. I doubt I'd be able to drive that far, if I had cancer (esp on the way back).
So no...people aren't going to move to rural areas because of the virus. Maybe a few would, but even more would leave rural areas to move to the cities. That's where the job opportunities and good healthcare are.
In our township the grid power goes down at least once every month. We are used to it.
My well runs on my solar power system.
Though my wife wants us to also have a bison hand pump.
My rural cooperative has become more reliable since they started an aggressive tree trimming program some years ago. If any of my trees threaten the phone line, I cut them down, get a neighbor to cut them down, or pay to have them cut down. Unfortunately, not everyone is as considerate. One neighbor in a lot that used to be part of a farm, had a row of trees leaning toward the power line, and was responsible for half a dozen power outages, as they fell one by one.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
