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If I move to the country?

Currently live in a decent sized city, and have lived in this area or the suburbs for most of my life. If I move to the country (rural area), what can I expect in terms of things being "different"?

Will I miss having a sewer or municipal supplied water? Ug, some zip codes I typed in don't even have the interweb other than satellite. Never have used septic or a well.

Am I better off buying land and getting a house built? It seems there aren't many choices in the country areas or if houses are for sale, they're either a rip-off price or needs too much "TLC" as the ads read. I'm in Upstate NY and looking to spend 150k max. $150k would get me a nice house even in the suburbs around here, so in the middle of no where, it should do better. I don't want neighbors and I don't want to hear traffic. Decent internet is a must though.

What else should I expect? Does a house have to be maintained or treated any different?

Being 20 miles from anything or spending extra gas to go places isn't an issue and not the type of discussion I'm looking for.

UHF
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Decent internet is the main reason I haven't moved to the country.

KoolMoe
Aw Man
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join:2001-02-14
Annapolis, MD

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Assuming you won't have muni water, you'll need a well.
Getting a well drilled is not cheap.
I don't know costs to give you, but around here when a well goes dry, I hear an awful lot of crying about how expensive it is to have a new one scoped and dug. $5000 minimum, I'd venture?

Then along with the pump, you need tank, and likely some sort of treatment system to adjust the water to your preferred drinking and washing preference (no heavy iron or other 'impurities')...and treatment systems vary but pretty sure all need some sort of 'recharge'

We go through about $30 in salt for our system every 6 weeks.

THEN, of course, hope that whatever water supply you can tap is not only decent tasting but not really polluted or dangerous.
And, if you have kids, no flouride (no biggie)...AND if you lose power, your well pump doesn't work, so have limited water reserve (whatever is in your tank) til the power comes back on...
...or, maybe of course, living in such a rural area, you'd have a generator hookup for it.

So that's JUST the water concern. We're in a very suburb area but have a well. I like it overall...I think it's a lot cheaper than muni water service...at least, as long as it doesn't run dry. When it does, I'll be crying a different tune...
KM

davidg
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septic means if you did not eat it, drink it, or wipe your ass with it then it does not go down a toilet/drain. no feminine hygene products, food scraps, etc...

wells are not a big deal, but during cold weather you will want to put a heat source in the pump house or the well could freeze.

critters, LOTS of critters. everything from bugs to mice to snakes to all sorts of wild animals. don't gripe about them, you decided to move to their home turf and you will not completely ever be rid of them.

as far as home maintenance, generally you won't be dealing with zone laws or HOA bylaws so you are free to paint as you like or let the grass grow an extra week between cuttings if you desire.

lastly, remember that cops will be long response times. be ready to defend your own property if necessary.

jmkraft
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join:2002-04-11
Paris, IL

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I live in the "country", actually just outside a town with around 9000 population.

-Most places here in rural Illinois, but not all, either currently have or are building out a rural water system.
-I use the well water for the yard and garden.
-We have an aeration septic - ~$100 per year to have it serviced.
-My internet is fixed wireless, but that company is currently transitioning to at-home 4G (true unlimited data) it will be alot faster
-You'll have to have sat. TV unless you go with an antenae
-The thing that bothered me most moving here was that I had gotten used to being able to buy anything I wanted at all hours of the night - that doesn't happen in rural areas unless Wal-Mart carries it.
-Another bothersome thing, although I enjoy it now, was when going through a checkout, they would carry on extended conversations with the person in front of me before finally taking their money.
-Older houses are a good deal in my opinion, nice woodwork, nice wood floors, curved top doorways, cast iron bathtubs, etc.
-It's all in what you want to get out of it.
-Did I mention no traffic?

dib22
join:2002-01-27
Kansas City, MO

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said by fartness:

Currently live in a decent sized city, and have lived in this area or the suburbs for most of my life. If I move to the country (rural area), what can I expect in terms of things being "different"?

Hope you have a decent cell signal and prepare to pay out the nose for internet

One thing to check for is perhaps a WISP or a smaller telco/cable co that might not show up on the dslr search.

nunya
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I'm from a rural area and moved to the city and later the suburbs.
The city I live in now is pretty nice, but it's gets getting bigger pretty fast. The population is up to about 82,000 now (in 1990, the population was 18,000).
I'm going back to the country myself. As I tell my wife, I'd rather drive 20 miles in the country than 2 miles in the city.
I also have a lot of "stuff". I need a place to put all my "stuff". It's hard to put up a pole barn on a suburban lot.

Fortunately, I'm in an area where you do not have to go far to get to the country. A lot of my customers are rural.

There are a lot of benefits to living the rural life. I'll give you some of the downers first:

City services go away (water, sewer, trash). While you won't have a monthly bill mailed, you will have to pay to maintain these systems. They aren't "set and forget".

Some places do not have mail delivery. You have to get a PO Box. Some places will only plow main roads when it snows. Some private trash services only run 2X a month in the country.

Homes in the country aren't always built as well as those in more regulated areas. There often isn't any code enforcement to be an owners advocate during construction. People in the country also tend to be more "creative" with their repairs and construction methods. I'm not saying all are like that. I'm saying what I've personally found is that quality goes down in the country.

In the country, you can expect more pests. Field mice, stray animals, wild animals, insects, etc...
I don't know why, but mud daubers (dirt wasps) seem to be attracted to carburetors.

Internet service is often lacking. Internet is very important to me. I recently made an offer on a property and put reasonable internet access availability as one of the contingencies.

TV. You can pretty much count on having to use DirecTV or Dish Network. If you are way out, OTA may not even be an option.

You'll need equipment to maintain the property. Mower, tractor, brush hog, etc... Driveways and access road maintenance often falls to the property owner(s). Rock, grading, plowing, etc...

Services such as fire, police, and ambulance are going to take longer. Fire dept. may be volunteer. Police dept. may be volunteer as well, or county sheriff. Your insurance may go up.

Getting away from it all really does mean "away". You can't just run over to Lowe's Depot, IGA, or Walmart on a whim.
Want to buy ice cream in June? Better remember to bring the cooler.

If you have the luxury of natural gas heating now, you'll probably lose that in the country. You'll have to pay for much more expensive propane, oil, or electricity.

All that crap being said, I still prefer rural life to city living. People are nicer in the country. I hate to say it, but it's true. I think the benefits far outweigh the minor inconveniences.
I like reduced crime, friendly people, fresh air, space, stronger community (ironically), peace and quiet. I'd rather smell cow shit than hear traffic on highway 70.
pandora
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Outland

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I can help with some of your questions.

First, DO NOT buy a property without high speed Internet. DSL doesn't count. Must be cable, FIOS, or something faster than DSL. Without it you'll be living in the last century for information and media streaming (or lack of streaming).

Next as to water, I have lived in several homes with well water. 2 were very good, 2 were not so good, one was awful. Hard water, or water that really smells, is going to make your life miserable. Often a home near a lake, or near a river, will have better water. However you'll want it tested, and you'll want to feel it on your hands and smell it. If it's very hard, if a glass gets full of foggy water, if the water has a methane trap, you probably don't want to live there.

Septic systems require drainage, and work best if there is some slope on at least the part of the property the septic is on. A flat septic, or a septic that is in a valley is more likely to have problems. Age of the septic, quality of the soil, and how regularly it was cleaned are all important. Get a septic person to evaluate your home.

As to age, once I lived in a farmhouse, it was adorable. Unfortunately the 3' thick stone walls, weren't good insulators. Even at 3' the insulation of stone is very bad. When there were walls, the wire wasn't up to code, and there was horse hair used as an insulator in some walls. Older homes can be appealing, but if they have fuses, 3 or 4 types of plumbing, or lack a ground on the outlets, it may be best to pass on the home.

Homes built until the mid 80's often had either optional insulation (on exterior walls) or R3 to R9. An older house (early 70's and older) may not have Tyvec or equivalent wrap, and will be drafty. Tyvec came on the market in 1967

You'll need to drive everywhere, and will need a very good car, and maybe a spare. You will also want to buy some things in bulk, and maybe have a large freezer. This permits long term storage of meat, and other staples. Your time to travel to a supermarket, and the cost of doing so will be higher than in an urban or suburban area.

Building a home can produce a wonderful place, but can be expensive, time consuming, and cause grief. In many rural areas power is not reliable during or after storms, and plowing of your driveway and even your road may not occur very quickly (if in a temperate area). Be prepared to be more self reliant, and think about an emergency generator that can power your home.

As to heat, check out oil, gas or propane. It is unlikely a rural home will have natural gas, and propane can be very overpriced or reasonably priced, a Realtor should be able to help with prices for fuels.

I live in a very quiet area, with great water, great Internet, a fantastic house and am blessed with wonderful neighbors. I don't plan to move. A wonderful home is priceless. I wish you similar good fortune.
TheMG
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said by pandora:

First, DO NOT buy a property without high speed Internet. DSL doesn't count. Must be cable, FIOS, or something faster than DSL. Without it you'll be living in the last century for information and media streaming (or lack of streaming).

I don't know about the states, but in Canada, if you live in the country, you can count out DSL, fiber, and cable, as none of those services are available once you go more than a kilometer outside the city/town.

It's gonna be either dialup, satellite, 3G/4G, or fixed wireless (if you're lucky).
fartness (banned)
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Thanks for the replies so far. Heat is something I didn't even think of. Right now living in the city I have natural gas and it averages $1 per ccf used. Average bill in the winter for gas and electricity is around $180 to $200, and my house is poorly insulated. Family members with similar sized houses and better insulated pay around $120 to $150 in the winter.

Does oil heat smell like oil, or only if oil is spilled? What would heating likely cost? I don't need a real huge house, something 1500 sq ft would be fine. My current house is 1300 and some change and it's plenty big.

Water bill averages $7 a month but some family members in other cities near me pay upwards of $30 a month for similar usage.

Sewer and trash are included in my city taxes. Garbage service in the country wouldn't bother me too much since I don't produce much. I even have permission at one of my jobs to use the dumpsters if I ever need it, but my city will take ANYTHING for free. I know some cities or services charge extra.
alfnoid
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Hahaha, sorry couldn't resist when I saw your title.

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sk1939
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I have a friend that lives in Upstate (Ithaca area) and paid close to $4.00/gal for heating oil (275 Gal tank). It lasts them about 4 months, but it depends if the house you are looking at also uses it to heat the water (higher rate of consumption). It doesn't really smell to me since it is radiators rather than forced air. I don't know about rather of consumption for reasons stated earlier, but I do know there is extra cost in money for tank maintenance and such.
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

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said by KoolMoe:

THEN, of course, hope that whatever water supply you can tap is not only decent tasting but not really polluted or dangerous.
And, if you have kids, no flouride (no biggie)...AND if you lose power, your well pump doesn't work, so have limited water reserve (whatever is in your tank) til the power comes back on...
...or, maybe of course, living in such a rural area, you'd have a generator hookup for it.

That is a big big problem. Most people never test their wells and regularly wind up with gasoline, tar shingle oil, solvents, diesel, heavy metal, mine tailings, dry cleaning fluid, landfill leachate, paint, lead and lithium batteries oxides, natural gas and drilling lubricants in their water. You never know what your neighbor buried on his property that he didn't want to take to the local transfer station, or in some areas pay to have picked up.

JustBurnt
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Didn't you just buy the house you are in now?

Depends on how far out in the "country" you want to go, you may be able to get cable service.

If your well and septic is in good working order, you will not notice much difference.
pandora
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Outland

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said by fartness:

Does oil heat smell like oil, or only if oil is spilled? What would heating likely cost? I don't need a real huge house, something 1500 sq ft would be fine. My current house is 1300 and some change and it's plenty big.

Oil doesn't smell up the entire house. You can smell it outside when your tanks are being fueled, or inside when your oil company is performing an annual cleaning on your furnace.

Oil furnaces need annual cleanings (changing the filter, checking the flue, and burner). Additionally the flue into the chimney is cleaned separately usually on a less than annual basis.

Age of the furnace is a concern, as oil furnaces have a limited lifespan, and are large, clunky and sometimes smelly things to replace.

It isn't uncommon for an oil system to fail now and then, without a maintenance contract, you will have difficulty getting repair when you need it. The most common time for an oil system to fail to heat is during a storm, or in the middle of a very cold night. When it does fail, many of your neighbors will be in the same boat. Without a contract for maintenance and repair, you won't get heat for days and repair will be very expensive.

Without heat, water pipes can freeze. Frozen water pipes, depending on material, may be at risk of sprouting leaks. This includes any hot water baseboards.

I took our my oil furnace and went to heat pump. Personally I'd only use heat pump or propane to heat any future home. I'm done with oil, though YMMV.

The price of oil is unstable, and can be very high. Learning to procure fuel in a rural situation is a learned art. If your home to be has oil tanks underground, do not buy it. Underground oil tanks will eventually leak, in the U.S. tank leaks are considered hazardous waste leaks and environmental laws apply. Expensive to comply with environmental laws.

cdru
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said by nunya:

Getting away from it all really does mean "away". You can't just run over to Lowe's Depot, IGA, or Walmart on a whim.
Want to buy ice cream in June? Better remember to bring the cooler.

Obviously it's going to depend on the specifics of the area you live in. I live about 4.5 miles from a shopping center with a Walmart, Meijer, Menards, Kohls, Office Depot and various smaller shops and restaurants. Everything to the west of that shopping center is very suburban. Everything to the east is very rural (by almost every definition except distance to a city) with a very large Amish population.
H_T_R_N (banned)
join:2011-12-06
Valencia, PA

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If you move to the country:
Please leave your city shit behind. Its different out here. Those of us who are here and have become accustom to the "issues" of living in the country have done so because we loath the city life and all that it holds. When a city slicker moves in and try to modify the quiet way of life we have come to love, most don't last to long. If you do move get ready to witness things like gun racks in trucks actually carrying guns that are not going to kill anyone just because they are guns and are being carried openly. Get ready to be involved in a 5 car traffic jam when Jim Bob needs to move his harvester down to the north west field. Blowing your horn will do nothing, as he really doesn't give a shit, and will more than likely slow to a pace so slow you will swear hes stopped. When you stop for a dozen eggs at Millie's place because you saw the sign for fresh eggs 4 sale, don't point out that there is chicken poop on the funny colored egg, if you do it will be the last time you ever buy an egg from her. She is getting to old to explain to every city slicker that stops in that this is not the Giant Eagle, or food mart. You will hear gun shots most days, don't call the police, its OK really. Loud exhausts from 4X4s replace the loud stereos, but who doesn't love the sound of a finely tuned big block!

If you move to the country do so because you want to change.

If you drive a EV you might want to trade it in before moving, they are used for target practice out here. Even our RCs are nitro powered.

hdman
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Appleton, WI

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I moved to the sticks 20 years ago. Regardless of if you build or buy, here are the issues I have had to deal with or change our ways of life about:
1. Internet access. 3G was good while it lasted until it was oversold. Forget about 4G for a few years, so Exede became my best friend. DO NOT stream Netflix, etc. and you'll be fine.
2. Septic system. For the young ladies in your home, they can't flush "feminine" items. This will clog your field and cause issues. Period (literally).
3. Varmints. Get a gun. I've raised all kinds of animals only to see them become food for varmints such as racoons, coyotes, etc. That is, of course, until I started thinning the herd. We now have chickens, and haven't lost a one yet.

Also, mail delivery becomes a treat. If you are used to getting your mail regularly, and at the same time every day, forget it. If we get snow, it doesn't come. I know, nor rain, nor sleet, etc, thats BS. Plus, it comes at all times of the day and night.

Finally, with kids in highschool, the more out of the way homes like mine become the favorite target for homecoming week toilet papering. They got me once. I have gotten even from then on. Simple outdoor motion detectors from Harbor Freight with the receivers in the house. I jump out the door screaming, and the kids wet themselves trying to vacate the area. I have acquired many cases of TP that way. The cheap bastards use the stuff thats like sand paper, so its tough to make use of it....
MaynardKrebs
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said by fartness:

Thanks for the replies so far. Heat is something I didn't even think of.

Get a large propane cylinder installed. Many propane companies will install the cylinder for free. Use the propane for heating & cooking. If you are building, suggest you use radiant floor heating with a condensing boiler - this will give you the best heating for lowest fuel costs. You can also do snowmelt. Tanks can either be installed above or in-ground »www.paracogas.com/sample ··· nk-sizes

Also consider fire sprinklers installed as you build. Fire service response can be MANY minutes in rural areas. If you're building in an area with trees very close to the home and are worried about fire reaching the home, create a fire break between the house and the trees - you could also install a 2000 gal. cistern and have sprinkler heads installed on the roof that can spray the entire structure in the event of a forest fire.

Spend a little more money on low/no-maintenance materials - ie. metal roof, brick or Hardie siding for the exterior.

If you build a basement and don't have municipal water to power a no-electricity backup sump pump, consider installing a battery-backed up pump with a solar panel charger (to deal with electrical outages when you're away). Make sure that you install some means of connecting backup electrical power to your panel - either a full-time standby-generator or for a portable genset.
gaforces (banned)
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There are a few rural areas with wireline broadband. Around here there are fat trunk lines going over the hill to san jose through the bottleneck river valley.
There are a lot of silicon valley commuters and redneck skinheads living up there and the stores are few and very expensive.

I don't want to be that far from the ocean or stores.
All the good spots near fiber runs are sought after and more expensive.
Looks to be necessary to be within 1 block of a main fiber trunk to get good internet here.
bigddybn
join:2000-10-18
Stuart, FL

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said by UHF:

Decent internet is the main reason I haven't moved to the country.

Same here. It's a must for work.

Msradell
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join:2008-12-25
Louisville, KY

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You really need to go ahead and move to the country! It seems like you've just about overcome all the obstacles with your present home and we need some more issues from you to keep this forum lively.

Seriously, if you move Out to one of the smaller surrounding areas such as Avon outside of Monroe County you would still be able to have many of the things associated with living in a city without the problems. You would still be able to have city water, sewer, fire protection, etc. The taxes would be considerably lower in the way of life would be much simpler.
Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL

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Most residential locations are characterized as being in three general demographic areas:

1) Rural which is sparsely populated. Usually only electric and telephone service is available. Check to see if the property you are considering is on a public road or private road. In most states unless universal service has been repealed, the local electric and telephone company is required to extend service to the property you purchase if it is along a public road. If the property is along a private road you may have to pay to extend services from the nearest point where utility services are available.

2) Suburban which has moderate population and more available services. I live on the edge of a suburban area turning rural to the east of my home and metropolitan west of my home.

3) Metropolitan heavily populated city environment.

You might want to consider looking for a home in a suburban area. My home is in a new suburban development which is the last development within the city limits of Eustis, Florida. I have city water and sewer. Broadband service is available through Comcast and CenturyLink. Many homeowners subscribe to Dish Network or Direct TV for entertainment services even though cable television is available through Comcast.

When I was looking for a home in 2004 I learned that because of all of the new developments being constructed, many homeowners in the areas not served by DOCSIS or DSL (Do not assume, if cable is available, digital cable and broadband is available in the area where you are looking. Some areas I considered had 55 channel analog cable because the system had not been upgraded in that area.), suddenly found themselves being offered digital cable and DSL service because service was being extended to a new development.

Deciding whether to construct a new home or purchase an existing home simply comes down to economics. There are many opportunities to get a reasonably good new home for a lower price then the cost to construct new home. In most areas unless you plan on staying in the home for a long time you will probably start out upside down financially and may be required to put down an unaffordable down payment (like 50% of the cost of the home.) The problem with building a home on vacant land is that it can be risky business.

If you construct a home the quality of well water and available volume is always a crap shoot. If you find a property you would consider purchasing, call a couple of well drillers in that area. They usually are familiar with the quality of the aquifer in that area. Also put in the contract that you will be able do shallow and deep soil percolation tests (The inspector will measure the time it takes for a given volume of water to be absorbed by the surface soil and deep soil to see if you can construct a septic system in that location) to determine the type of septic system you will need to install to handle the waste water output of the proposed home. I know of some cases where the soil conditions would not support a home the size that the buyer wanted to build. One of the best time to look for property is during or after heavy rains so you can look for puddling. If there is standing water in an area a day or two after a deluge you do not want to build there.
nonymous (banned)
join:2003-09-08
Glendale, AZ

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said by pandora:

I can help with some of your questions.

First, DO NOT buy a property without high speed Internet. DSL doesn't count. Must be cable, FIOS, or something faster than DSL. Without it you'll be living in the last century for information and media streaming (or lack of streaming).

My wife has some very nice property in New Mexico. Think it may now have dsl available. If not the other side of the valley does and may have to start a wisp if one is not there or dsl when we move. Cable would be long after we die. That is why Direct TV or Dish exist.
Moving there eventually.
Point is country property in the west you are lucky to have a privately owned small convenience store within a ten miles. Otherwise it would be the city.

tschmidt
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It really depends on what you mean by rural. My wife and I grew up in Chicago and wanted to move to a rural area. In Western US rural is really rural. You either live in a city, dense suburbia or in the middle of nowhere where your neighbors are miles away. That was a little too stark for us so we ended up moving to NH. New England is nice in that towns were settled before WWII so you tend to have a town center with a fairly rural area before the next town. We wound up finding a 13 acre wooded parcel on the outskirts of small town with a population in the 10k range. For us that works out well but at some point we will be too decrepit to maintain the property and will need to move to an apartment or condo in the city.

As far as build new vs buy an existing house again really depends on what you want and how much work or money you are willing to put into the project. When we were house hunting the only ones we could afford needed a fair amount of work and we immediately wanted to change this and that which would involve a long remodeling project. We ultimately opted to build a new house. Worked out well for us – lots of sweat equity and owner built homes are never finished. But if that is what you want can be very satisfying.

In terms of pros and cons of city vs country living in the sense of full disclosure IMHO suburbia combines the worst aspects of city and country living with few of the benefits of either.

Pros
Depending on how rural your location neighbors may not be visible from your house, lots of privacy.

With less population density you have more freedom of action. No “grass police” in our town.

We live in snow country – driving in winter is easier than the city because in rural areas there is more place to put the snow.

In our case we have our own well and septic system. This can be a double edged sword but I like being responsible for our own water and waste products. No chlorine in our water just a little sand.

We heat with wood I’m able to harvest on our own property for the cost of a few gallons of gas for the chainsaw. Wood pellets are also popular in our area.

Schools are probably somewhat better. A stable environment and more involved parents is a plus for academic achievement.

One of the reasons we wanted to move to a rural area was to become more involved in civic activity. NH, more than most states, has a tradition of citizen participation. Rural areas with stable population tend to have higher levels of citizen involvement.

Cons
With fewer people there is less in the way of organized activity. Growing up our son constantly complained about living out in the sticks and he could not wait to get out. Surprising he ultimately chose to also live in a fairly rural area.

Not much anonymity in rural areas. Even though you tend to have a great deal of physical privacy everyone knows your business, especially if you volunteer for a lot of stuff.

You are more on your own. Personally I find that a good thing. As has been posted services city folks take for granted are either nonexistent or take longer to arrive. It is a source of amazement to some of my siblings that we need to take our garbage to the dump rather than having it picked up. I consider that a plus, one less thing for the town to pay for, and you never know what treasures might be tucked away at the dump’s still good shed.

High speed Internet access can be a problem. Our town has both Cable and DSL and both extend pretty far out. I’m a DSL customer with 6Mbps service. That is fast enough for how we use the Internet.

Depending on how land is taxed you may be forced to sell if the area around gets built up. In the Midwest when I was growing up farmers were often forced to sell as suburbia encroached driving property taxes up so high they could no earn enough farming so had to sell even if they did not want to. In NH we have current use taxation. If you own over 10 acres land can be taxed at its productive rather than speculative value.

If you lose power it may be out longer then in urban areas. Over the last half dozen years we have had two power outages that lasted almost a week.

You have to drive everywhere. We have a lot of hiking paths but bicycling is pretty dangerous, unpaved shoulders no bike paths.
If you are a night owl there is typically not much to do during the wee hours of the night.

Finding a job can be a problem depending on the area. We are lucky in that Southern NH and MA have a pretty strong and mixed economy. On the other hand living in the north country of NH the job opportunities are pretty limited.

Demographics is not kind to rural areas. NH has a aging population - young people are moving out of the state. Does not bode well long term.

/Tom

Draiman
Let me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC

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One of the reasons I won't live too far away from the city is EMS response times. If I call the police, fire, or an ambulance I want it at my door in 3-5 minutes not 30+ minutes. I also want to be able to get to the hospital in a timely manner. My dad lives around 75 minutes from a hospital, shopping, etc. so it's a whole day even to go grocery shopping. All they have close is a McD's, Subway in the gas station, local pizza place, some random doctors, and a local mom/pop hardware store within a 15-20 minute drive. I'd never do it though my dad has a standing offer that he'd give me 15-20 acres if I ever want it. I think he owns around 170 acres now.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

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I live in a semi rural area. My experience is as follows.

Long drive to go anywhere. Grocery store? 6 miles. Lowe's Depot? 20. Work? 60.

Internet isn't too bad but while I know people in the burbs getting fios we are stuck with cable. I'm glad we don't have to use satellite. If you use the internet for more than checking email and occasional web surfing you will not be happy with satellite.

TV is OK. We had cable but now have satellite (DirecTV).

Roads and snow. Some are dirt roads, but not where I live. After a big storm we won't get plowed out until noon the next day.

Garbage pickup is with a private hauler, about $150 per quarter. Or you can haul it off to the dump yourself and pay scale charge. Recycling at the dump is free.

Electricity is one of the better things. We have a cooperative and they restored everyone 3 days after hurricane Sandy. The voltage is also pretty stable because the system is well maintained and lightly loaded. YMMV. Cooperatives tend to do better than investor owned utilities.

Heating. Many rural places do not have natural gas service. We don't have it up here even though a few miles away there is natural gas service. So we have to deal with the propane crooks. The good thing is that we can use firewood and our wood stove, unlike in many city places where burning wood is a problem. A friend of mine in the burbs had the cops called on him because he was burning his wood stove after a power outage (Halloween snow storm of 2011).

Septic is not as bad as some people make it out to be. We have it pumped every 3 years. Everything from showers, toilets even the kitchen sink goes into it.

Clashes with wildlife. You'll have those. We have had groundhogs dig up our front yard and woodpeckers try to attack the house. Feral cats abound. Deer and skunks on the road.

But the good things are that you'll have clean air, lots of space and in my opinion a better quality of life.
ke4pym
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join:2004-07-24
Charlotte, NC

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said by KoolMoe:

Assuming you won't have muni water, you'll need a well.
Getting a well drilled is not cheap.
I don't know costs to give you, but around here when a well goes dry, I hear an awful lot of crying about how expensive it is to have a new one scoped and dug. $5000 minimum, I'd venture?

Then along with the pump, you need tank, and likely some sort of treatment system to adjust the water to your preferred drinking and washing preference (no heavy iron or other 'impurities')...and treatment systems vary but pretty sure all need some sort of 'recharge'

We go through about $30 in salt for our system every 6 weeks.

THEN, of course, hope that whatever water supply you can tap is not only decent tasting but not really polluted or dangerous.
And, if you have kids, no flouride (no biggie)...AND if you lose power, your well pump doesn't work, so have limited water reserve (whatever is in your tank) til the power comes back on...
...or, maybe of course, living in such a rural area, you'd have a generator hookup for it.

So that's JUST the water concern. We're in a very suburb area but have a well. I like it overall...I think it's a lot cheaper than muni water service...at least, as long as it doesn't run dry. When it does, I'll be crying a different tune...
KM

In this neck of the woods the "tank" associated with wells isn't for water storage. But rather, to provide pressure to the system.

And $5k for a well to be dug would be cheap. Probably wouldn't have to drill very deep. Get on a hill and have to have a 300 foot drop, yeah, that'll be pricey. And let me tell you how fun it is to pull up 300 feet of pipe and wire.

Don't forget to have a nice well house. Frozen well bits suck.
Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL

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You do not need a well house if you use a pitless adapter, see these images:

»www.google.com/search?q= ··· &bih=654
tobicat
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join:2005-04-18
Tombstone, AZ

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Well I live a truly rural area. It is 15 miles to a small town and 36 to town with a supermarket ect.

I love it. I got DSL, phone, Direc TV and cell phone.

Yep I have septic, well and propane.

The closest neighbor is over a mile away and there are probably less than 20 families within a 5 mile radius.

What I don't have is noise, noisy neighbors, strangers knocking on my door, salesmen, ect.

I can do what I want when I want and nobody cares.