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A rural homestead makes sense if you have the time, and particularly if you have kids. A couple with remote jobs? Not so easy.
The homesteader families I follow on Youtube have multiple children who are all helping out -- milking the cows, letting out the chickens in the morning and gathering the eggs, watering the crops, etc. They usually home school. Such a great way for kids to grow up, learning skills and responsibility, fresh air, wholesome food, away from all the debauchery and decadence of the city.
You can live the rural lifestyle without being a farmer. Many people simply own a lot of forested land with just enough cleared area for a house and small lawn.
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?
Do people not realize COVID 19 isn't going to stay forever? Why the hell are people so paranoid over this? Yes, you need to be careful right now but read a damn history or science book. This doesn't last forever.
Now that I got that rant over, I don't think people will move to rural areas. It's a drastic move to go from the city to country life and not many people can handle it.
No. Even with more work at home, the biggest driver for families will continue to be schools, and good schools are overwhelmingly in the suburbs. The biggest driver for singles will continue to be social life, and that's in and near cities.
There will always be people who prefer rural life, but I don't see it increasing heavily because of recent events. Some city to suburb movement and some bigger city to smaller city movement seem more likely.
Agreed.
I live in a small city in a large rural area without another real metro area within a hundred miles. This is too small for me. I'm originally from the area, but spent most of my 20s away until I came back at 30. I'm 34 now.
In small cities and rural areas like this, the odds of finding a partner if you don't have one by 25 or so is really hard. Most people marry and have children young. Very traditional values. My area is about 95% white, 75%+ Republican, and probably at least that much Christian.
If you're not in those demographics, it can be tough to make connections.
This touches upon something I've been thinking about for a long time. On a couple of trips between Arizona and the Northeast, I drove through vast stretches of empty land in west Texas, NM, and northeast Arizona. Millions of square miles of beautiful, empty terrain featuring huge buttes, rolling hills, flatlands, desert brush, cactus. Arid, empty lands.
You could drop a city of 10 million people out there and it would be swallowed up. And that's my point. Why aren't people going there?
Some of it is Navajo nation or other native regions, so of course it's not available to develop, but I believe some of it is just national territory that's not really used for anything except a couple of aerospace proving grounds.
There's plenty of energy (solar and wind). Plenty of space. The only real limitation is water, and that's been solved by recent technology to capture water from the air; the Israelis have a gadget that does it, that they're providing to 3rd world countries now, and I think there are others. Another possibility is to set up a desalination plant on the west coast and pipe the water across.
The existing cities have become almost unlivable, with incompetent governments and unbalanced populations -- vast poverty and crime in the city centers, and vast wealth in the suburban towns.
So build a few new towns out west and let people move there, well planned, lots of bike paths and green spaces, zoned for both businesses and WFH residents, prevent NIMBY-ism with well written covenants, set up bus and high speed rail lines between the towns, connect to a regional moderate sized airport, etc. Entice some industries out there with very low taxes and moderate regulatory climate.
Do it right and you'll see a flood of people out of the dysfunctional, crime-ridden messes that our once-great cities have become.
I like the way you think. but you know it's a big job. And cities string people along just well enough so that they aren't willing to be the first to take the leap. Maybe you'll change it. I know that the Big Bend area of Texas is nearly out of aquifer water and the Rio Grande is about down to a trickle. But we've learned from so many urban failures, I'd love to see a new attempt. And while we're at it, why not a climate controlled Domed City? Just sayin'...
No. Even with more work at home, the biggest driver for families will continue to be schools, and good schools are overwhelmingly in the suburbs.
You're not thinking ahead are you...? The more people that move to rural areas, the more their tax base increases...and guess what? The school systems get better because of the influx of new people and more money.....
Actually, what surprises me is people who grew up rural, moved away for career reasons, and return...and want the amenities of the cities or suburbs. THEY sometimes are the ones pushing and voting for the kinds of changes that many rural residents do not want brought in. It isn’t just “city people” clamoring for these changes.
Most don’t move back home. Some do because they take over the family budinrss some because that's what the plan was and it’s what they want once school is done
I fervently hope there is little FLEEING, period, from anywhere to anywhere. However, the pandemic is good reason to evaluate what your real priorities are. I choose room to roam, no crowding, dark skies, and quiet surroundings over endless shopportunity, the hurrryhurryhurry culture, and convenience. Fortunately, I made the appropriate move well before COVID-19 came along. It was not a case of fleeing, but a long, difficult decision knowing what the tradeoffs would be.
And that’s fine. If someone wants to live in a rural area and that’s their priority and what they want I’m good with that. It’s their choice. But it’s wrong to assume every city dweller is gonna rush put to live in the rural area and “change everything about it”.
I hear that paranoid argument from some of my relatives. I tell them trust me 95% of city people want nothing to do with living in a town with population of 600. And you gotta drive 80 miles to get anywhere. I love to visit there but I doubt the whole town has enough work to keep me above poverty line.
Too many US residents persist in thinking they can get everything they want in one place.
You may have a lot of people that left the rural area for the city return. However, the element that's needed will be the one that took them away....namely access to jobs. As large employers consider the very real possibility of perpetual working from home, there may be cease to be any reason to live close to the employer. I have been hoping for the right opportunity to return home for quite some time, but there's only one possible employer. However if I can get and keep a job from here, I'd be happy to return.
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?
You can look at what happened to NYC in the 70's for your answer. Funding for police dropped, crime shot up, people moved out, tax revenues dropped, funding for police dropped, crime shot up, etc. etc. Giuliani fixed it. That is why is was so popular in the 90's. The same will happen in cities that cut police funding or see crime shoot to the moon. Cities that see crime hold steady or drop will grow. IE) some cities will hurt and others will not.
You may have a lot of people that left the rural area for the city return. However, the element that's needed will be the one that took them away....namely access to jobs. As large employers consider the very real possibility of perpetual working from home, there may be cease to be any reason to live close to the employer. I have been hoping for the right opportunity to return home for quite some time, but there's only one possible employer. However if I can get and keep a job from here, I'd be happy to return.
I’m betting employers will start rethinking the pay that will go along with those jobs also. A lot of the pay is based on COL in the area.
Quote:
Originally Posted by UniKidNow
You can look at what happened to NYC in the 70's for your answer. Funding for police dropped, crime shot up, people moved out, tax revenues dropped, funding for police dropped, crime shot up, etc. etc. Giuliani fixed it. That is why is was so popular in the 90's. The same will happen in cities that cut police funding or see crime shoot to the moon. Cities that see crime hold steady or drop will grow. IE) some cities will hurt and others will not.
Rural areas also are going to have less police presence as they usually have smaller police departments (if they have their own PD) otherwise they contract with the sheriff/troopers etc. in some cases you could be looking at a hour or more response time. My family who lives in a rural area doesn’t get fast response. The only fast response if you wanna call it that is medical because they have a volunteer fire department. That’s basically their first aid station.
Most rural areas simply don’t have the services.
In sparsely populated places like west Texas, the sheriff basically relies on armed citizens to maintain law and order.
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