Country living vs city living.....

[Swedishchef]

I can't imagine what that would be like. I don't know if I would like it or not.

I can promise you it sucks. After a sports tournament, long day at work, etc "Hey, let's get some pizza" "sorry, everything's closed...even if it is only 7:03 PM".


lol. I expect nothing less from a forum of wood burners! I doubt many condo owners visit the site! Most of us live in rural areas, hence why we burn wood. I presume most have access to wood on their land, etc etc.

I love the country and I love the city (by city I meant a population of more than 25 000 people but less than 100 000). But something I learned years ago: too much of anything is no good. It's all about balance (for me).

 

[peakbagger]

A friend of mine in a small rural town near me had a couple of smart kids, one of the kids hears about a private college with a good rep, Drew, that gives out a full boat merit only 4 year scholarship with a room and board. The kid tells one of their friends about it. They figured what the heck maybe one of us will get it. Turns out both get it out of 20 given worldwide. Total number of high school age kids in the town are probably 10. When the parents were asked what the reason was the answer is; one TV station, no cable and no internet. Their other kid doesn't work one summer but precuts all the beams for a 40 by 60 timber frame barn that he and his father designed and made up cutting templates the winter before. When we assemble the barn that fall (no crane all blocks and pulley) there was only one wrong joint. That kid is now a astrophysicist that works with the Hubble telescope.

Somehow I don't think my friends kids missed on growing up in the city.

 

[Retired Guy]

I guess it's once again, all relative. In the country you likely won't see the Nutcracker or any other broadway plays. Nor will you get a chance to see a display of Picasso's paintings, eat multicultural food within a block, etc.

I grew up on a dirtbike, riding in the back of a pickup truck, etc. All I am saying is you can be 45 minutes from town and do that. you don't need to isolate yourself from humanity

If the Southern Adirondacks are rural enough for you the Hyde Museum in Glens Falls has an excellent art collection. http://www.hydecollection.org/

 

[Swedishchef]

Is there not a single person here who enjoys somewhat of a city life?

NO doubt smart people come from rural and urban settings.

 

[bsruther]

Is there not a single person here who enjoys somewhat of a city life?

NO doubt smart people come from rural and urabn settings.

Define smart.

 

[Swedishchef]

Define smart.

When we assemble the barn that fall (no crane all blocks and pulley) there was only one wrong joint. That kid is now a astrophysicist that works with the Hubble telescope.

I also believe that smart is not synonymous with academia. Often they are hand in hand but that isn't always the case.

 

[ChipTam]

I also believe that smart is not synonymous with academia. Often they are hand in hand but that isn't always the case.

Hey Andrew,

A 90 year-old friend in Newfoundland put it best, "education don't help if you've got chit for brains!" And, she is actually a great believer in education. Both of her children became teachers and she has always lamented the fact that there was no money for her to continue her education when she was young.

ChipTam

 

[bassJAM]

Is there not a single person here who enjoys somewhat of a city life?

NO doubt smart people come from rural and urban settings.

Honestly I do enjoy the city. I like meeting up with friends after work at the bars that have 20 different micro brews on tap. Out in the country your choices are Bud light or Miller lite, and if you're lucky there might be Sam Adams in a bottle. I like that I can take my girlfriend to the museum, walk to a park by the Ohio River and watch the boats, and then have 50 different choices within walking distance to go eat or grab a drink. And if you drink too much or just want to have a "night out on the town" there's cheap hotels around. I like that I've got several Fortune 500 companies within driving distance I can work for, as well as all the smaller businesses that support them. And I'm not much for sports, but we've got 2 pro-teams in the city if you care to go see a game.

I could never live in the city, but it's nice that it's a reasonable driving distance away.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Go for some acreage on the outskirts of town. Thats what im planning. If its big enough you wont get developed out of space again.
Im thinking 10+ acres. I need space for wood piles. Friend of mine has a place right on the edge of town, 26 acres,2 acre lake full of fish & nice stream ,fruit orchard,picnic area. He built it all up from an abandoned coal breaker site for cheap. Its like heaven. He gettin pretty old and talks about downsizing so im savin up my downpayment just in case.

 

[bsruther]

Honestly I do enjoy the city. I like meeting up with friends after work at the bars that have 20 different micro brews on tap. Out in the country your choices are Bud light or Miller lite, and if you're lucky there might be Sam Adams in a bottle. I like that I can take my girlfriend to the museum, walk to a park by the Ohio River and watch the boats, and then have 50 different choices within walking distance to go eat or grab a drink. And if you drink too much or just want to have a "night out on the town" there's cheap hotels around. I like that I've got several Fortune 500 companies within driving distance I can work for, as well as all the smaller businesses that support them. And I'm not much for sports, but we've got 2 pro-teams in the city if you care to go see a game.

I could never live in the city, but it's nice that it's a reasonable driving distance away.

I'm in what I consider to be a unique area. It's like a wedge of country that stabs right into the heart of the metro area. I think a lot of people overlook this area for some reason, whether it's the close proximity to the river or the trains that go with it, I don't know, but we sure as hell took advantage of it.
We are isolated from urban/residential life, yet can be at Newport on the Levee or Hoffbrau Haus in about 12 minutes.

 

[Jags]

All the city that I care to have can be had in less than 20 minutes (pop. 150,000). World class city? 90 minutes (Chicago). I don't want to be so far out that a grocery store or hardware store needs to be planned, but I don't want to live any closer, either.
I can be to work in the morning with less travel time than some of the folks that live there.

 

[Delta-T]

I'm near enough to the "urban epicenters of NH" (Nashua and Manchester...affectionately referred to as Manchvegas) to enjoy their good points of concert venues, restaurants, shopping megaplex, and sports arenas...and just far enough away to be somewhat removed from their negatives....hot dog vendor, taxi cab hooligan, streetcorner horsehair hustler, ect.

 

[jebatty]

I don't want to be so far out that a grocery store or hardware store needs to be planned, but I don't want to live any closer, either.

This does not need to be an obstacle and can be an advantage. I think the primary considerations are 1) if you have kids, locate within a good school system and make it work, their education is priceless; 2) if you need to drive to a work location, travel time is a major consideration, and reduce as much as possible, the time you recover cannot be gained in any other way; 3) planning for shopping cuts expenses for us, make lists, buy enough in quantity when shopping to eliminate need for frequent shopping runs, get along without and find another way (almost always possible), shop on-line and let the delivery guys save you time and travel expenses, plus on-line shopping often is faster than travel to a store and finding out the store doesn't have exactly what you want and often less expensive in purchase price too. Plus, at least for my wife and I, staying out of stores saves us money. Even in my shop I keep a whiteboard shopping list so that the next time I head to town I get what I need. Often things I put on the list I erase later because they are not really needed.

And 4) travel to a larger city for cultural, restaurant, city-type recreational opportunities can become special days, maybe overnight on occasion, and they become very attractive and more enjoyable when planned, or even spontaneous. Minneapolis-St. Paul is a 3 hour drive away, but larger rural cities 1-2 hours away have some very good cultural offerings also, and our trips for these kinds of things have become extra enjoyable.

As to on-line shopping, a recent example: kickspace heater in the bathroom quit working, I pulled it out and after a little testing on the electrical determined that there was no quick, easy, and inexpensive fix; went on-line and within a couple of minutes found an exact replacement, ordered on a Sunday evening and delivered by FedEx on Wed afternoon. If a major hardware/home store would have had the item, the trip would have been 90 miles round trip (I figure auto travel cost is $0.50 mile) and at least 3 hours of time, and the cost ???

 

[Ehouse]

This does not need to be an obstacle and can be an advantage. I think the primary considerations are 1) if you have kids, locate within a good school system and make it work, their education is priceless; 2) if you need to drive to a work location, travel time is a major consideration, and reduce as much as possible, the time you recover cannot be gained in any other way; 3) planning for shopping cuts expenses for us, make lists, buy enough in quantity when shopping to eliminate need for frequent shopping runs, get along without and find another way (almost always possible), shop on-line and let the delivery guys save you time and travel expenses, plus on-line shopping often is faster than travel to a store and finding out the store doesn't have exactly what you want and often less expensive in purchase price too. Plus, at least for my wife and I, staying out of stores saves us money. Even in my shop I keep a whiteboard shopping list so that the next time I head to town I get what I need. Often things I put on the list I erase later because they are not really needed.

And 4) travel to a larger city for cultural, restaurant, city-type recreational opportunities can become special days, maybe overnight on occasion, and they become very attractive and more enjoyable when planned, or even spontaneous. Minneapolis-St. Paul is a 3 hour drive away, but larger rural cities 1-2 hours away have some very good cultural offerings also, and our trips for these kinds of things have become extra enjoyable.

As to on-line shopping, a recent example: kickspace heater in the bathroom quit working, I pulled it out and after a little testing on the electrical determined that there was no quick, easy, and inexpensive fix; went on-line and within a couple of minutes found an exact replacement, ordered on a Sunday evening and delivered by FedEx on Wed afternoon. If a major hardware/home store would have had the item, the trip would have been 90 miles round trip (I figure auto travel cost is $0.50 mile) and at least 3 hours of time, and the cost ???

All good Ideas. I would add buy local produce rather than getting everything at the super. By living rural, I can buy dairy, veggies and fruits, maple products, honey etc. all at much better price and quality. Even local grass fed meats are now to be had at competitive prices. I can now buy beautiful strip steaks custom cut from any of several sources for $5-6 /lb. keeps us away from processed food as well. For tipplers there are even small distilleries being licensed. One's doing Apple Jack and bourbon, another shows up at local mkts with licensed Absinthe!

 

[blazincajun]

I miss living in the country. Found a three acre piece in the city and live a modified country life. Love it.

 

[Hills Hoard]

I grew up in a country town in the hills surrounding melbourne, moved closer to the city for 4 years and couldn't get back to the hills fast enough!! If you are lucky enough to find a place that is an hour or less from the city and still rural, i'd jump on it...

Pros

• Its quiet and peaceful
• friendlier people
• more space. you dont have neighbors looking over your fence!
• you can light big bon fires
• if you forget to lock your front door, or in my wifes case, forget to close the front door, no one will walk in and rob you.
• pets love the extra space (my dog is so much happier!)
• Sense of community
• more wood to scrounge
• less issues with crime and hard drugs...(plenty of harmless dope smokers where I live though..)
• The country side is beautiful!
• the wildlife
• the stars are brighter!
• You can walk into a shop, get friendly service and not have to wait in line for ages.
• you can play drums and make as much noise as you want!!
• fresh air

Cons

• Travel to work can take longer (if you generally work closer to the city like me)
• You need to plan your shopping a little better because you cant always walk down to the shops for milk or bread
• petrol can be more expensive.
• Less range of products in shops. (hardware stores etc)
• TV and phone reception can drop out
• people always assume you are a red neck or a hippy.

 

[semipro]

people always assume you are a red neck or a hippy.

or maybe a bit of both.

 

[jebatty]

And then there is the perception for some of us, whether true or not, of just being a little more self-sufficient and less reliant on paying others to take care of every need, whim or want. Instead, get along with less, make do, use what you have longer, consume less, get out of the culture of the biggest, best, and most expensive. It's a lot easier keeping up with deer and rabbits than the Jones' -- but what does the fox say?

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I'm near enough to the "urban epicenters of NH" (Nashua and Manchester...affectionately referred to as Manchvegas) to enjoy their good points of concert venues, restaurants, shopping megaplex, and sports arenas...and just far enough away to be somewhat removed from their negatives....hot dog vendor, taxi cab hooligan, streetcorner horsehair hustler, ect.

Manch has a surprising number of good restaurants. Plus the cupcake place.

 

[Ehouse]

And then there is the perception for some of us, whether true or not, of just being a little more self-sufficient and less reliant on paying others to take care of every need, whim or want. Instead, get along with less, make do, use what you have longer, consume less, get out of the culture of the biggest, best, and most expensive. It's a lot easier keeping up with deer and rabbits than the Jones' -- but what does the fox say?

That's a great video, but the one I saw this morning (-12*) was just mutterin' to himself as he slunk down over the bank!

 

[valley ranch]

The question was what are the up sides/down sides of living here or not living in there? Let's see. I have to get back to you on that.

A lady who doesn't get out much asked the girls: "What kind of dog is that?"

 

[Jags]

I am sure it has a very unique bark.

 

[JustWood]

I am sure it has a very unique bark.

What does the ass say ?