 rockotman...Blown On The Steel BreezeEmerging Research
join:2000-08-06
DSotM
kudos:2
2 edits | reply to H_T_R_N
Re: If I move to the country? said by H_T_R_N: 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.
I take it you drive on Valencia Road a lot. 
To the OP:
I grew up in the city, moved to the suburbs when I got married, and now live out in the country as I approach retirement. It's nice out here. I've lived out here for a little over 3 years now, and here are the things that are the biggest adjustments for me:
The longer commute to work. I used to drive 17 miles one way, now I drive 44. But it only takes me about 15-20 minutes longer.
If you get a place with oil heat, remember to check your oil levels regularly. Nothing is more frustrating than running out of oil in the middle of the evening. You will only do it once; trust me, I know.
If you have a pond, expect people to stop and ask if they can fish.
If you have a pond, and your properly boarders a fairly busy road, expect a car to end up in it. Trust me, I know. Now one might expect this to happen during bad weather in the winter, but it can also happen on a hot, sunny, August afternoon, Again, trust me, I know.
There tends to be a bit more maintenance associated with the extra land that you will likely have. But that's OK - the extra work is good for the soul.
Your walk behind mower won't be sufficient. Expect to purchase a decent tractor. Then you too can annoy passers-thru like Jim Bob.
Well water isn't that bad, but the cost of treatment chemicals can offset the savings of having to pay for muni-water.
A septic tank isn't that bad either.
Your neighbors are more than willing to help, even if you are brand new to the neighborhood. Be sure to return the favor with whatever skills you can offer.
Burn piles are a thing of beauty.
Taxes are cheaper. I have 30 times the land and three times the house that I had in Allegheny county, but my taxes out here in Butler county are slightly less.
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Shine on you crazy diamond... |
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H_T_R_NPremium
join:2011-12-06
Valencia, PA
kudos:1 Reviews:
 ·voip.ms
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| said by rockotman:said by H_T_R_N: 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.
I take it you drive on Valencia Road a lot. And Glade Mill Rd. |
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rockotman...Blown On The Steel BreezeEmerging Research
join:2000-08-06
DSotM
kudos:2 | Ah - you are on the other side of Rt. 8, where the roads are a lot wider. |
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| reply to fartness
said by fartness:What about farm smells? I don't want it smelling terrible so when is the best time to go house hunting?
Keep away from dairy or hog farms.
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Wacky Races 2012! |
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rockotman...Blown On The Steel BreezeEmerging Research
join:2000-08-06
DSotM
kudos:2 | reply to fartness
There will be farm smells. Some are pleasant (hay making, crop harvesting, etc...), some are not (any large animal farms). The only large animals in my area are horses. The nearest dairy farm is about 1 mile away, and down wind. My wife has horses. Luckily, the barn and manure pile are a good 300 yards from the house. It makes taking care of the horses in the winter a little bit more of a chore, but is worth it to keep the odors around the house down. And I find that after a while, you get used to the odors.
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Shine on you crazy diamond... |
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 tschmidtPremium,MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
kudos:8
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| reply to rockotman
said by rockotman: Burn piles are a thing of beauty.
That one struck a cord. Every time I think I've burned the last brush pile I find I've made another one. Now I only burn brush in the winter, as having one get away is a humbling experience: trust me, I know.
said by rockotman: Your walk behind mower won't be sufficient. Disagree a little about that, it really depends on how much land you intend to manicure and how valuable your time is. We maintain about an acre of lawn that I cut with a walk behind mower. The rest is un-managed woodlot. Takes about half a day if i have to cut everything. I enjoy doing it and and it forces me to exercise more then I would if we had a tractor.
Not having a tractor is a problem hauling cord wood, but our neighbor has one and as you mentioned is very willing to help.
/tom |
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 DraimanLet me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC
 ·Verizon FiOS
| reply to rockotman
said by rockotman:Burn piles are a thing of beauty. Yes they are but I do that in the city here. The only difference is I have to go onto the fire departments website and get a FREE open burn permit first.
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What we're saying today is that you're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem. - E. Cleaver 1968 |
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| reply to fartness
said by fartness:Some family in PA live in a rural area and it's so nice to go there. They even have cable internet that is acceptable (5-7 mbps I think it is).
What about farm smells? I don't want it smelling terrible so when is the best time to go house hunting? I want clean fresh air. Too much pollution here in the city where I live. Some areas of the country I've driven in smell really bad and some smell great. I've noticed there are a lot of garbage dumps around, but I think fertilizer is the smell that can be really bad at times. Not sure though. I don't want to go to work in the city or suburbs smelling like a farm.
Occasionally I smell horses nearby but it's better than smelling vomit and diesel smoke in the city. |
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Mr Matt
join:2008-01-29
Eustis, FL
kudos:1 Reviews:
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| reply to fartness
One thing you can do, is to locate a watering hole in the area you are considering moving, to where the guests are friendly and they have lived in the area for a long time.
The hotel I was staying at while looking for property had a lounge with a social club were all the members were at least second generation residents in this area. Their advise was invaluable. When a member asked where I looked for property today, all I had to do was show them on a map and they would point out if there were issues in that area. One subdivision looked great except for a problem with sink holes. Another looked good except for a tendency for the access road to become impassable during tropical storms. They were also able to recommend reliable contractors and service companies. |
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 John GaltForward, MarchPremium
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp
kudos:5 | said by Mr Matt:One subdivision looked great except for a problem with sink holes.
Hmmm...
»usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/03···rth?lite
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No amount of force can control a free man, a man whose mind is free. You can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him.
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 fartnesscomputersoc dot comPremium
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside | reply to fartness
I was actually thinking about renting a house in the country for a year as someone suggested. It's not a bad suggestion, but after owning my own house, I don't know if I can ever go back to renting. But in this case, it might save me from moving to an area that I don't like. Worse case scenario, I move to a rental in the country, and I don't like it for one reason or another, I could move to the suburbs. No more city living for me after where I'm at now. |
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| What exactly you don't like about city or suburb living?
I lived in quite a few places (in 4 countries, as a matter of fact) and each and every place had their own pluses and minuses, and you just have to figure out what is more important. There are some good reasons why so many people live in cities, BTW.
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Wacky Races 2012! |
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fartnesscomputersoc dot comPremium
join:2003-03-25
Look Outside | It's time for bed, but off the top of my head, not ranked in any particular order, here's what I don't like about living in the city I live in:
1. crime
2. potential for violent crime
3. poor drivers
4. pollution/possible higher links to cancer due to pollution
5. noise from cars going by at all hours
6. noise from annoying neighbors
7. people always coming to my door asking me to join their church or trying to sell me something
8. rude/trashy/ghetto people everywhere I go (stores, etc.)
9. can't feel like I can relax, even to the extent I could when I lived in a much smaller suburb of a smaller city
10. atmosphere isn't conductive to relaxing such as if I went to a cottage on a lake or in the mountains away from all the hustle and bustle
11. city not giving a damn about quality of life issues
12. taxes |
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tschmidtPremium,MVM
join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
kudos:8 Reviews:
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| reply to fartness
said by fartness:I was actually thinking about renting a house in the country for a year as someone suggested. That is a great idea to see what the area is like throughout the year not just one season. Here in Southern NH we have: winter, mud season, black fly season, summer, autumn.
To respond to your list.
1) Better but we are not immune
2)That is everywhere
3) They are everywhere. Here in Southern NH we get the worst of both - Low stressed country folk driving slow, high stressed city folk driving fast.
4) Rural is better in general but farms have been mentioned. We heat with wood - smells great but smoke is pretty bad health wise.
5) That is better
6) That will likely be better
7) We live 600 feet off a country road, Jehovah witnesses and born again Christians come by a few of times a years trying to save us.
8) That is probably better in rural areas where folks tend to know one another.
9) Pace of life in rural areas does tend to be much slower then city
10) Same as 9 but be careful comparing a vacation to day to day life. If you live in the boonies there are lots of things that you need to do and the result of not doing them can be unpleasant.
11) Rural is probably better in general
12) Be careful about sweeping generalizations. Really depends a lot on the locale. Here is NH we do not have an income tax so local services get funded by property tax. If you pick a bedroom community without a mix of commercial and industrial taxes can be very high. The other reason taxes are low in rural areas is there are fewer services - that takes some getting used to by city folks.
/tom |
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patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY
kudos:1 | reply to fartness
said by fartness:It's time for bed, but off the top of my head, not ranked in any particular order, here's what I don't like about living in the city I live in:
1. crime
2. potential for violent crime
Methheads are common in rural areas. 911 is 30 mins away, not 2-3 mins.
Same % as in city. You just see less cars so you think there are less poor drivers but its the same per capita.
said by fartness:4. pollution/possible higher links to cancer due to pollution
cant argue with that
said by fartness:5. noise from cars going by at all hours
6. noise from annoying neighbors
You will hear gunshots all day and night from your neighbors in the sticks. Dogs barking all the time too. Sometimes your neighbors dogs will come and harass you and eat your chickens. If you want to start a Shakespearean feud, shoot your neighbors dog when it comes on your property.
said by fartness:7. people always coming to my door asking me to join their church or trying to sell me something
Depends how close you live to "downtown" in the sticks. People are very religious in the sticks.
said by fartness:8. rude/trashy/ghetto people everywhere I go (stores, etc.)
You will see more of them in the sticks than in urban areas. Nobody graduated high school, those that did got art degrees and live in sub/urban areas now.
said by fartness:9. can't feel like I can relax, even to the extent I could when I lived in a much smaller suburb of a smaller city
10. atmosphere isn't conductive to relaxing such as if I went to a cottage on a lake or in the mountains away from all the hustle and bustle
How are you going to earn money? Its the sticks because there are 3 jobs there. Farming, corrections, or welfare. Depending on zoning code, scrap yards and mining might be jobs 4 and 5.
said by fartness:11. city not giving a damn about quality of life issues
In rural areas they wont give a damn even more because of conservative/libertarian ideals.
Depends on state and how shiny the paint is on the local school is. |
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DraimanLet me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC Reviews:
·Verizon FiOS
| reply to fartness
Re: If I move to the country? I'd say crime is higher in the country it's just the population is smaller so it looks better. Police are far away, no one will see them, and no one will come help you fast. Most people feel they are safer in the country and don't lock their cars or house thus making them an easy target.
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What we're saying today is that you're either part of the solution or you're part of the problem. - E. Cleaver 1968 |
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SCADAGeo
join:2012-11-08
N California
kudos:1 | reply to fartness
said by fartness:I want clean fresh air.
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Some areas of the country I've driven in smell really bad and some smell great. I've noticed there are a lot of garbage dumps around, but I think fertilizer is the smell that can be really bad at times.
I would suggest that you avoid areas that are downwind of a rendering plant.
said by tschmidt:Here in Southern NH we have: winter, mud season, black fly season, summer, autumn.
Northern California has 6 seasons: flood, wind storm, fire, mud slide, earthquake, and drought.  |
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 35245635
join:2013-03-04
North Reading, MA | reply to fartness
You'd be shocked how much crime happens in the country. |
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