Have any of you DU'ers 'Gone Country'?

[XNASA]

Were you raised in the city and now live in a rural area? Was it a conscience decision or did you move there because of work or because your SO was from the country?

If so, do you like it? Would you do it again? Or, are you bored out of your skull?

Just askin'. :shrug:

[ScreamingMeemie]

1. Raised in the country..tragically moved to the city...currently searching

real estate listings to get back to the country. Nothing to be bored with when one has themselves and their family to keep busy with. I am lonely right here in the middle of my suburban street sometimes. :hi:

[XNASA]

2. There's the rub.

It won't be long and we'll be empty nesters, at least I hope so. We're suburbanites now, but we both dislike it. We're examining which way we should go, uptown or to the farm.

[mac56]

3. vice versa

Raised in the country, moved to the city as soon as it was possible to do so. Never say "never", but I wouldn't go back to the country without being dragged kicking and screaming.

[XNASA]

6. If we were close to a large metro area, I could live in a farmhouse.

But I don't think I could do so otherwise.

Obviously the best idea is to have both worlds available.

[mac56]

14. Occasionally my lovely wife gets a yen to live in the country.

We're like Oliver and Lisa Douglas in reverse.

She's never lived in the country. Doesn't know what it's like. Totally romanticized notion. Thinks it's all barn raisings, hoedowns, and friendly neighbors wearing gingham. I told her she'll sing a different tune the first time she wants Chinese food at 10:00 pm, and the nearest place is 60 miles away.

[Wickerman]

4. Small town to Big City back to very small town guy here

and I love the small town life. Admittedly I went back to small town because of my SO, but I don't think I could go back to big city life.

[XNASA]

8. You don't miss things like good restaurants......

And museums and being able to walk from place to place?

You never feel trapped out in the country? That would be my fear.

[Wickerman]

17. I never lived in a city with a vibrant downtown

and frankly, don't think there are many where you can walk from destination to destination. Some come to mind, but none I lived in or near.

In my small town I can run errands to 5 or six places, see 15 people I know (and generally like) and be home in 20 minutes. In a big city it took 20 minutes to get place to place.

I can walk anytime day or night AND breathe the air and feel safe. More importantly, my children can walk and ride their bikes.

If I want to visit a museum or a nice restaurant I can go into the Cities, two hours away. I can go to decent restaurant in the mid-sized city where I work any day of the week. I wouldn't go to a museum on a regular basis if I lived there - a couple times a year will do it.

I love my 20 minute commute - when I am not tele-commuting. I drive rural roads all the way. I see the seasons change - I see baby calves grow into cows, newborn colts into fine horses, pheasants in the fall, deer in the woods (and sometimes they try to assassinate me by throwing themselves into my path), I see hawks circling above, flocks of geese migrating. I love it.

I never feel trapped, its actually pretty liberating.

You got a move in your future, X?

[XNASA]

20. There a move planned in a few years....

Actually, if we lived in a nice townhouse or flat on the Northside of Chicago (which is where we met, courted and married) it's very common to walk from place to place. If we decide to move back to the city it would be like old times.

I can see the benefits of either a quiet country life, or living in the city. But we gotta get outta the 'burbs.

[Wickerman]

23. Yeah, the 'burbs bite it

Its almost like living in the Country - everything takes 20 minutes or 1/2 hour to get to and you still have the suckiness of traffic and pollution, etc.

It's not an either or thing, I agree. Both have advantages, but the suburbs have got to go.

I've heard good stuff on the NS Chicago, wouldn't be bad to grow old there, I imagine. Country life, too.

Have fun, either way!

[calico1]

5. Raised in the big city--

New York. Bronx to be exact. My parents wanted to move to PR when I was a teen. I returned to the mainland in 1987. I know live in SE CT in an area that is semi-rural (you can have cows, goats, horses and chickens, etc.) but its not really country. Its close to everything. If I were out in the sticks I couldn't take it. But this is okay.

[johnnie]

7. Thought of it many times

I grew up in suburbia, but spent most of my time in the city. Now I live in the "city" and it drives me crazy. My drummer has moved out to the "country" and I enjoy going there and kicking back. The only problem is being far from getting a pizza, a 12 pack or anything quick.
Being 40, single and no children I think I would be a bit lonely in the country, but I sure think about it a lot. I have always wanted to live in a small town, far away from the traffic, too many people and noise.
I would say that if I was going to look for a place to retire too after the kids are gone and it was the "next phase", I would look in to moving to the country. But I would need the barn for my studio.
I know this isn't your question, but it's just my thoughts on it.

[XNASA]

11. That's how I feel too.

My wife is a country girl. I'm a city boy. We live in the suburbs and neither of us likes it.

I like the country life, but I don't know if I could trade the convenience of living in an urban area. Then again, with the kids gone, there would be less product required to keep the household going, so maybe I could survive in the country afterall.

[sniffa]

9. i did it for a few years

i grew up in the city - when i gave coLLege a try i moved out to cow town. at first i went nuts - i was bored, and i had no way to get around (i was used to taking the subway anywhere i wanted to go). but i did grow to Love that area.

after coLLege, i moved to a dried up miLL town because it was cLose to my work and rent was affordabLe - it was much, much worse than the coLLege area sticks; aLL the sLack jawed drunken hicks minus the educated coLLege foLk.

now i'm back east again on the subway Line.

[DancingBear]

10. Raised in a blue collar neighborhood

Lived all my life with neighbors close by, stores a mile away, etc.

After college, went the other way - back to the land movement and the like.

We now live on 61 acres in Virginia - looking to move back to New Hampshire (same parameters).

I can not think of any other other way to live - the serenity and peace that one feels is worth any type of trade-off.

Additionally, the land you live on can stay (for the most part) in its unspoiled state - no developers making 100 1/3 acre lots and calling the development "Mission Valley."

There is much to be said for that.

[citizen]

12. I'm moving to the country in three weeks!

I'm in my 50's, was laid off after 20+ years with my company in early 2003 and have been unable to find a new position. (and therefore not counted as 'unemployed'.)

My wife and I are moving to a home in the country in three weeks and are very anxious to proceed. I have reduced my property tax bill by 80%, eliminated payment of a "Municipal' income tax, and eliminated the need for a vehicle inspection required in areas of high population density.

In my new home, I'll be surrounded by farmers in an area where the pace of life is much different. I frequently see kids riding in a pony cart on the road my new home is located on. There are NO freeways or superhighways nearby. There is a small general store a few miles from my home that carries all the essentials.

I can keep a horse on my property if I choose to, and when I want to engage in the activities offered in cities I can get to a major population center in under an hour. I can't wait!

The only downside I can think of is the possibility of being somehow associated with what is popularly known as 'country music', which, IMHO is to real music what Military Justice is to Justice! (Yes, I stole that line!) I will continue to steadfastly avoid it's influence!

Try it! You'll like it! I'm convinced that you can control the influence of modern society on your day-to-day life.....you just have to put some distance between yourself and the Bushit!

http://www.civilthreat.com

[XNASA]

22. That sounds enticing.

You have a couple of good points.

Good Luck and keep us posted with regards to the quiet life.

[Maine-i-acs]

13. Moved from city to country to be a one-income family

The wife wanted to raise the kids, no daycare. It was scary when our house in the city sold in 4 days and we had to scramble to find something in the one-income price range.

But we lucked out big with a fixer-upper that had more space in the house and 10x the lot size. Plus it's in the middle of a conservation area.

Even though I'm a townie there's pizza, Chinese food, restaurants, grocery all within a 20 minute ride. Never going back!

[Terran]

15. From San Francisco to rural Missouri

Yep, it quite a change, physical and cultural. I've been here ten years now and I'm still happy with it, although I do miss California a lot. But I like the low stress, low traffic, no pollution, low crime and beautiful natural surroundings; and, I like going around town and running into people I know and saying hello. It's a nice feeling, being part of a distinct community. In the Bay Area, it would be a shockingly rare event to run into someone you knew on the sidewalk.

And no, not bored at all. If I want excitement (and at my age I don't want it often), I'll make the trip to St. Louis or Kansas City.

[The empressof all]

16. 6 of 1 = half dozen of another

There's good and bad to both. I grew up in City and now live in urban farm area. I'm close enough to a big city to enjoy Opera, museums and great restaurants but I have horses and cows living across the street. The one thing that I absolutely hate about living out in the boonies is the amount of work that needs to be done to keep up the property. Lots of lawn to mow, blackberries to cut back, fruit to pick, gardens to weed. I know some folks love it but it is truly back breaking work. In a few years we'll be moving into a Condo-and to be honest it couldn't come soon enough for me. I like being able to shop at the farm stores, go to the dairy and hear the horses braying. I like the fact we have room around us-Though at night if I'm alone in the house I feel more frightened here because no one would hear me if I screamed. (Thank God for Big Dogs)

People are good and bad no matter where you are. We have some great liberals out here and I met the most ignorant red-neck kind of folks in the city.

[MadHound]

18. Moved from a medium sized college town to the country a year ago

And absolutely love it. Granted, we still have all the amenities of the college town, it is only twenty miles away, but none of the hassles and problems. It is peaceful and quiet, without the neighbors right on top of you. Of course we are the lone liberals for miles around, but that's OK. When I talk with my neighbors, I don't get into politics.

I wouldn't trade it for anything, and probably won't move from my new place unless I have to. Sad thing is that probably in about twenty years the 'burbs will have grown out to meet me.

[short bus president]

19. Heh - where's dolo amber on this one?

'Cause ya'll ain't never seen no city girl dun moved to the cuntry 'til y'all seen dolo amber down hyah on shady shortbus acres. Girl dun gone insane, I say. Tragic.

Mighty fine weather today, though. Yup.

[BiggJawn]

21. Rasied Rural, went to the city, now I'm back.

Raised on a farm. It was SO rural, we'd go out the back door and have taget practice. 6 miles to the nearest coke machine.

Then I moved to the city, bought a trailer in an older park near the Army base, then got re-married and moved to a tract house neighbourhood, then tried to get into the "Gentrification Movement" and moved to a downtown hysterical district, then I moved to a small town 6 years ago and this is it.

I climb aboard my bike, and within 2 minutes i'm riding down a tarmac road with cornfields on each side of me. Just like when I was a kid...