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If you see a newly constructed house on a hilltop you can bet money it's a Californian.
Why would you make that association?
I had a roommate in the late 70s [Harrel] who I recall admired houses built on hilltops. Harrel was from Kentucky and in his mind only the wealthy can afford to have a house on a hill top.
We have some close friends today [Jj and Kevin] from NC who migrated to Maine, they live in a single-wide trailer on a hilltop. That location has been nothing but problems for Jj and Kevin. The plumbing under their trail freezes every year, and every summer they do some exotic setup to prevent their pipes from freezing, and every winter they freeze again. Their hilltop is its own unique climate zone too, they grow entirely different crops from what anyone else in the region can grow.
It is kind of funny, where one person thinks of hilltop homes as being a sign of wealth. We have known Jj and Kevin for over ten years, and they have not grossed over $10k a year ever since we have known them.
Don't worry, I don't have the funds to build a hilltop mansion.
Thanks for all who answered my questions. My friend knocked over my cable box Friday, so I've been without internet for a couple of days.
I'm not the type to put a political sign on my lawn here in California, so I don't think I'd be doing that anywhere else. Like someone else said, I don't think it changes anyone's mind and it can be a target for vandalism.
It looks like the safe way to proceed is to be non-judgmental and get a feel for the way things are run before questioning things or trying to change anything. I can discuss safe topics like gardening or pets with anyone.
I have to admit I had to look up what a grange was since I live in a large metropolitan area.
I'm pretty sure I can bond with the local wildlife photographers.
I know some signs of both parties have been stolen or damaged. It is probably a small percentage of what’s out there.
BUT a newcomer putting up such signs is more likely to be stigmatized or have the signs stolen. And what’s the point of installing them anyway? They don’t change people’s minds.
I am a conservative (but not a Trump supporter) living in a very tiny town of only about 300 year-round residents and 95% of them voted for Biden, according to the results posted in our local newspaper. Come election time, there are many "Democrat" signs, which is kind of a waste unless they are posted on the main highway which might have ten single family homes on the part that runs through our town, and businesses won't post them for obvious reasons -- can't risk losing any customers, right?
Anyway, if anyone in our little town put up a Trump or a "Republican" sign, I am almost positive there would be some very nasty things said behind their back.
A question to the folks that live in rural areas - what is the best way for someone from the city to fit in? If I have different opinions about politics or religion than most of the locals, should I just keep my mouth shut? Try to engage in a civil conversation? Get to know the local customs before offering any opinions?
Would I be treated differently because I'm Asian? I don't want to make any judgements, I would just want to know what I'm getting into.
I haven't visited this thread for a while, so I just saw your post. I moved from metro Denver two years ago, and I have had NO problems here.
Most people here in my town will just accept you as long as you keep your opinions to yourself if you are a conservative (See my post above.) I don't go to church, but the one person who asked me about my religion just dropped it after I said that I was an agnostic -- but, as I said, almost everyone here is liberal, so my being an agnostic would probably not faze my neighbors in the least. They would probably welcome everyone with open arms, as long as they were not openly anti-woke and/or a Trumper.
The worst thing you can do in ANY small rural town however is bring your "big city ideas" to most rural areas. I have been a member of C-D for almost 10 years and by far, the No. 1 complaint of rural people is when big city people move to a rural place and want to change it!
One of the saddest and funniest things I ever read -- and she was serious! -- was a letter from a big city woman who moved to an area with many rustic cabins and then wrote in to complain about all the smoke from wood fires! "I have allergies! Why can't they be more considerate of people like me with allergies -- and they pollute the air! There should be laws against this!" Yeah, like 98% of the residents should change their lifestyles because of what she desired.
Talk about not doing research on a place before moving to it! Duh.
Last edited by katharsis; 09-07-2022 at 06:17 AM..
If there is a pond on the property, does it require a lot of maintenance? For example, will the cattails take over if you don’t cut them down, or will it get algae if you don’t treat it with chemicals?
Do you have the ability to kill critters? In the country, it’s your responsibility to take care of the varmints killing your chickens, or the copperhead under your porch, nobody else will do it for you.
If there is a pond on the property, does it require a lot of maintenance? For example, will the cattails take over if you don’t cut them down, or will it get algae if you don’t treat it with chemicals?
Do you have the ability to kill critters? In the country, it’s your responsibility to take care of the varmints killing your chickens, or the copperhead under your porch, nobody else will do it for you.
And in some places, messing with wetlands is against state and/or federal law. Make sure you check before you cut down those cattails. And don't pour chemicals into a wetland, which includes runoff from the fertiizer you just dumped on your lawn...that's a good way to get an algal bloom.
And in some places, messing with wetlands is against state and/or federal law. Make sure you check before you cut down those cattails. And don't pour chemicals into a wetland, which includes runoff from the fertiizer you just dumped on your lawn...that's a good way to get an algal bloom.
Here in Maine we have 'Shoreland Protection' laws. There is a long list of rivers, lakes and ponds, from the shore of each of these bodies of water the land is protected for 250 foot. The idea is that anyone canoeing on the water cannot see houses. The trees, shrubs and brush should mostly be left intact.
There is an exotic formula, that has the land owner measure the girth of every tree, within the Shoreland Protection zone, at chest height. Then you add up the sum of all these tree girths, and you are allowed to cut down no more than 10% of the total sum of tree girths. Each year. Presumably you would only be removing dead or diseased trees. But if the landowner were persistent, and did all of this every year, you could within ten years remove most of the trees on that property.
A few times I have seen newspaper articles about folks coming in 'from away' who ignore the law and clear cut their land to give them a clear view of the water. And those people get fined.
On the other hand, I know people who have done things more strategically, maintaining hiking trails, camp sites, outhouses, so long as there are bushes that block the direct line-of-sight.
Fortunately there are no forms or permits for any of this. If you cut away too much, too quickly, and a complaint is made the Forest Rangers will see what you did and issue a fine.
Here in Maine we have 'Shoreland Protection' laws. There is a long list of rivers, lakes and ponds, from the shore of each of these bodies of water the land is protected for 250 foot. The idea is that anyone canoeing on the water cannot see houses. The trees, shrubs and brush should mostly be left intact.
There is an exotic formula, that has the land owner measure the girth of every tree, within the Shoreland Protection zone, at chest height. Then you add up the sum of all these tree girths, and you are allowed to cut down no more than 10% of the total sum of tree girths. Each year. Presumably you would only be removing dead or diseased trees. But if the landowner were persistent, and did all of this every year, you could within ten years remove most of the trees on that property.
A few times I have seen newspaper articles about folks coming in 'from away' who ignore the law and clear cut their land to give them a clear view of the water. And those people get fined.
On the other hand, I know people who have done things more strategically, maintaining hiking trails, camp sites, outhouses, so long as there are bushes that block the direct line-of-sight.
Fortunately there are no forms or permits for any of this. If you cut away too much, too quickly, and a complaint is made the Forest Rangers will see what you did and issue a fine.
NH has similar laws, but permits are required in certain instances.
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