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Love how porous my memory is some days, this should have been in the original post. I'm also thinking of things like brownfields. When I was house hunting in the late 80s, it wasn't as easy to find this information. I've since learned my town has a number of brownfield site, with one exceptionally bad one just down the road. So I'm also looking for info on things like that which I might not have encountered in more urban settings.
I've heard chicken farms are not enjoyable to live near?
I spent time working on my uncles farms in Florida when I was growing up and never noticed the odor except when inside them cleaning out the dead ones. Where I've been for years I am near numerous farms with the very large coops and have never smelled one. The poultry processing plants can smell though so watch those.
I've read few responses so apologies if I am repeating things. We moved well into the country years back and I wish we had done this sooner. Yes, fewer restaurants to choose from and fewer grocery stores to choose from. We live near a small community hospital and for the big emergencies and sicknesses we can go 45 minutes either direction to larger hospitals. No shortage of good drs in this smaller community at all but there can be fewer of the specialists but I am reading even major suburbans and cities are seeing this as well. I drive 15-20 minutes to most things I need and further for some things. I am in beautiful country so this does not bother me. We attend a beautiful country church where the folks were so friendly to us when we visited the first time so we went back a few more times then decided to join. If we decide to take a drive we can go deeper into the mountains to really back roads or just take back roads and go to numerous small towns and markets. I really am trying to find something negative to say about living in the country and I am hard pressed to do so.
I wonder, the people that are used to having noise while they sleep, are they "disturbed" by the lack of it, when they move out to a rural area?
Yes. I taught in a rural/suburban high school and towards the end of my career there we started to get a lot of kids whose families moved from DC/inner Beltway suburbs. They complained constantly about how quiet it was now. That covered multiple subjects from the environment (crickets instead of gunshots) to a lack of constant fights at school.
Yeah, you can definitely hear sounds a lot further in wide open countryside than in a developed area. I think the ambient sound of developed area also obscures distinctive sounds like a semi zooming by.
Move into a mountainous area and this will not be an issue. Unless of course you live close.
I wonder, the people that are used to having noise while they sleep, are they "disturbed" by the lack of it, when they move out to a rural area?
I spent 2 nights last year in a very quiet area. The first night was tough, it was too quiet. My ears actually hurt and any noises like people talking in other rooms were amplified.
The second night was wonderful, I got used to it really quick.
There were only a few houses beyond this one on a dirt road so very little car noise too.
In contrast my grandparents lived in the city and I remember having such a hard time sleeping there as a kid. I loved being there but nights were noisy, lots of car traffic and sirens, even in the 70s.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Submariner
In my area I see some houses that are situated very close to the pavement.
I do not prefer living so close to pavement. My house is a bit over 100-yards set in away from the pavement with dense trees between us and the roadway.
Obviously by being a semi-rural area only around one-third of the homes in our town have direct access to pavement. Most homes are out in the woods accessed by a series of dirt roads.
I have noticed that in the area I'm looking at. I realize that when older houses were built, roads may have only been a cow path and now they are wider. I don't want to be that close either.
The other oddity I saw when looking at properties last year is location of the houses on a road. I'm 3 dirt roads off the main path. Each house on the street has acreage. Everything is spread out, until I get to the house I'm interested in. One had a driveway directly across the neighbors driveway. Another is right on the road with 50 acres behind it. The third is set back nicely from the road, but a neighboring house was built in the 70s right on the property line, so you'd look out your front window over that house to the field across the street. I've seen others where the house for sale was on the property line with the neighboring house just feet away - again both on acreage. I realize how this happens, properties get split etc. Just not my "perfect place".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Countryfreak
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I spent time working on my uncles farms in Florida when I was growing up and never noticed the odor except when inside them cleaning out the dead ones. Where I've been for years I am near numerous farms with the very large coops and have never smelled one. The poultry processing plants can smell though so watch those.
I've read few responses so apologies if I am repeating things. We moved well into the country years back and I wish we had done this sooner. Yes, fewer restaurants to choose from and fewer grocery stores to choose from. We live near a small community hospital and for the big emergencies and sicknesses we can go 45 minutes either direction to larger hospitals. No shortage of good drs in this smaller community at all but there can be fewer of the specialists but I am reading even major suburbans and cities are seeing this as well. I drive 15-20 minutes to most things I need and further for some things. I am in beautiful country so this does not bother me. We attend a beautiful country church where the folks were so friendly to us when we visited the first time so we went back a few more times then decided to join. If we decide to take a drive we can go deeper into the mountains to really back roads or just take back roads and go to numerous small towns and markets. I really am trying to find something negative to say about living in the country and I am hard pressed to do so.
Great post - thanks
Doctors are an issue even here. I need to get a heart echo and now for some reason they (insurance?) is limiting where they can be done. Either in the practitioners office if they are approved, or a hospital. My doctor only refers to a few locations so I had a choice of the city (not) or a hospital 35 minutes away. I'm still trying to work that one out.
I have noticed that in the area I'm looking at. I realize that when older houses were built, roads may have only been a cow path and now they are wider. I don't want to be that close either.
The other oddity I saw when looking at properties last year is location of the houses on a road. I'm 3 dirt roads off the main path. Each house on the street has acreage. Everything is spread out, until I get to the house I'm interested in. One had a driveway directly across the neighbors driveway. Another is right on the road with 50 acres behind it. The third is set back nicely from the road, but a neighboring house was built in the 70s right on the property line, so you'd look out your front window over that house to the field across the street. I've seen others where the house for sale was on the property line with the neighboring house just feet away - again both on acreage. I realize how this happens, properties get split etc. Just not my "perfect place".
I always asked the same question too and the only answer I've been given is the cost of everything when you're building is more by the foot, so it's cheaper to do it near the road. True I guess for electrical and driveway construction, but still.... short sighted.
On your second paragraph there, the power was probably stubbed out two electrical boxes right next to each other at the property line... And so they built close to that.
... I always asked the same question too and the only answer I've been given is the cost of everything when you're building is more by the foot, so it's cheaper to do it near the road. True I guess for electrical and driveway construction, but still.... short sighted.
On your second paragraph there, the power was probably stubbed out two electrical boxes right next to each other at the property line... And so they built close to that.
When I first came up to Maine shopping for land to buy, many of the properties I looked at did not have access to grid power. If I wanted grid power I would need to arrange to buy an easement, so there would be a legal path for power poles to be installed. Some of the preexisting home owners that I met were kind of excited about that idea. If I paid for 20 miles of power line to reach my property, then after it is installed every home owner along the path of the power line is allowed to tap the line without them having to pay for the original easement, or for any poles.
I always asked the same question too and the only answer I've been given is the cost of everything when you're building is more by the foot, so it's cheaper to do it near the road. True I guess for electrical and driveway construction, but still.... short sighted.
On your second paragraph there, the power was probably stubbed out two electrical boxes right next to each other at the property line... And so they built close to that.
Could be! Around here some of the places I see pre-date electric in rural areas so I'm going to stick with the cowpath theory for those
I've almost always lived in a rural area. But the big complaint from city folks who move in is the noise and smells. Farm animals make noise and they produce manure. They are forever trying to get new laws passed to limit farming after they move in and discover they are annoyed by it.
My big complaint about the city folks is that as soon as they move to a rural area, they think they are free to do whatever they want and that there are no rules. it makes them very bad neighbors.
Oh gosh, and the woeful complaint that there is no Trader Joe's. They won't shut up about it.
I've almost always lived in a rural area. But the big complaint from city folks who move in is the noise and smells. Farm animals make noise and they produce manure. They are forever trying to get new laws passed to limit farming after they move in and discover they are annoyed by it.
My big complaint about the city folks is that as soon as they move to a rural area, they think they are free to do whatever they want and that there are no rules. it makes them very bad neighbors.
Oh gosh, and the woeful complaint that there is no Trader Joe's. They won't shut up about it.
I've lived this long without one, think I can go on without one. Or Costco and Sam's is too far for me to enjoy the drive.
We didn’t have a Trader Joe’s even when we lived within an hour of a large city. I like TJ’s but it’s nothing I would whine about not having. There must be a lot of whiners in some places.
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