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miles from nowhere - 2/6/2008 9:38:31 PM

philosophy

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For reasons i'm not going to go into, i now find myself living in a tiny settlement of about 75 souls, at least 90 minutes drive down a forestry road from the nearest town. Now, i was raised in UK towns and cities, and i've never been in such a situation before.
Are there any other city-peeps on these boards that have found themselves in a similar situation? What challenges did you face and how did you deal with them?

Post #: 1

RE: miles from nowhere - 2/6/2008 10:15:11 PM

Alumbrado

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I have (more than once), it sucked, I left. I prefer city life.

Challenges? How about adapting everything in your life to the logistics of getting to an open retail, entertainment, medical, or academic facility that is is a long drive away?

How about the total lack of privacy and tranquility because every yahoo with more horsepower and wattage than IQ, thinks every patch of undeveloped land is their own private off road playpen?

And then of course the joys of "huntin' season" where your walls, windows, roof and pets are targets.

I could say something about being able to see the stars away from all the city lights...were it not for the forest of arc lighted telephone/basketball poles shining in every possible window once the leaves are off the trees.

Shall we move on to the vaunted rural open-mindedness and tolerance, as expressed in the Instant Messaging system (gossip and rumors via any means available)?

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RE: miles from nowhere - 2/6/2008 10:22:09 PM

TheHeretic

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Are the women hot? Getting drunk and screwing a lot would be my plan.

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RE: miles from nowhere - 2/6/2008 10:30:04 PM

atursvcMaam

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Been there a couple of times, unfortunately in most circumstances the sheep were better looking than the women in the areas i was in. Drinking was always on the top of the list, though.
"Daaaaaahddy?"
"there in a minute son."
Really, reading, writing, and music kept me as sane as i ever was.
Keep away from the sheep. (in case anyone wondered i AM just kidding, but there were no women around)

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RE: miles from nowhere - 2/6/2008 10:38:12 PM

heartcream

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For one year I lived in a small, small town in Australia. I couldnt walk to the nearest store because it was too far away. I marvelled at how I went from being in Manhattan, where buildings were most of what I saw, with the small, strange geometric bits of sky when I looked up, or way down the street or avenue. Suddenly it was all vast, vast stretches of sky, green rolling hills and cows. I loved it in so many ways. I loved the beauty all around me. The snakes and biting bugs, not so much. I went for walks with nowhere to get to. No roller-bladers in Central Park, no stores, no cafe. If I walked pretty far, I would reach a big dam but usually I would simply turn around and go back when the walk was over.

It freaked me out somewhat, the small town, I was not used to that, the small handful of people, the small scale of it all, the early closing times. I lived in NY for quite awhile and in the same apt as well. I got to know my neighbours over time, they got to know me.

I would live in a small beautiful place again, and I would like to stay long enough to get to know the place well.

< Message edited by heartcream -- 2/6/2008 10:39:38 PM >

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RE: miles from nowhere - 2/6/2008 11:38:00 PM

Feric

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From: San Francisco
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Yes, I moved to a small town in Asia and had to cope with the double stigma of not only being "the stranger in town", but also being "the strange foreigner in town"!

The trick is to adapt quickly. Find out about the area around you--what's the history, what are the attractions, what do people do there. Then get yourself a bicycle, and start exploring. You'll surprise your neighbors, but they'll be happy that you're out looking around their patch of the world. They'll greet you with, "Hey, I saw you at---", and it's a great way to start a conversation.

Make an effort to get to know your neighbors. When you're living in the middle of nowhere, it's always a pleasure to know there's someone you know (or have gotten to know) nearby.

Good luck!

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RE: miles from nowhere - 2/7/2008 12:19:45 AM

camille65

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Groceries. You will no longer be able to say 'oops I need (insert choice) for this recipe, lemme dash to the market'. It is all about planning. I love love living in a rural area, I can be nekkid outside whenever I want. I can be LOUD whenever I want hehehe. I would stay rural forever if I could!

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RE: miles from nowhere - 2/7/2008 5:37:14 AM

kittinSol

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One of the hardest thing for me is not being able to walk everywhere; I used to live in large European cities (one of them very, VERY large) where walking is a way of life. Here, you have to take you car to go for a walk on purpose. Then there's the theatre, the movies, the feeling that one is at the center of the world...

I miss the urban structure a lot. Philo, do you have any tips on adaptating to this situation?

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RE: miles from nowhere - 2/7/2008 6:00:35 AM

joanus

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Canned food and shotguns, enough said.

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RE: miles from nowhere - 2/7/2008 7:20:01 AM

sub4hire

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Well we went from living in a city with a million people to a village (it is a village because there aren't enough people to declare us a city) we currently have 390 people. They have grown. I've just built a town website..they have grown a good 200 people in the last 100 or so years.
Our closest city...is only 4 miles away.
My biggest personal challenge is privacy. We chose not to buy a lot of acreage because quite frankly you have to do something with all of that acreage and we weren't planning on doing that. I have a friend who owns ten acres and in the summer he spends 10 hours a week mowing. That is not for me.
Nobody around us has any kind of vegetation at all aside from the tree here and there. No fences...nothing. We put up a 4 foot chain link when we moved in for the dogs. Last I saw our neighbor to the east he was bitching about the fence still. Yet, I can care less..he is also the one who sits in his house with the curtains all drawn and watches you every single time you go outside. You never see him. Yet you know because he tells you all about it the next time you do see him.
That is my biggest personal complaint. In California where my neighbor was 50 feet from me I had privacy. Here where my neighbor is a couple hundred feet away from me I have none. I've literally built a fortress around the jacuzzi just so we can be out there nude.
I have found that you need to immerse yourself in the local community. I'm in politics now. Everyone in town knows my name and for many towns past ours. Get to know any local folk you have. They can be a lifesaver.

(in reply to philosophy)

Post #: 10

RE: miles from nowhere - 2/7/2008 7:57:13 AM

kittinSol

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I used to live smack in the middle of London, and round the corner from the UN in Geneva. Now I'm in New Hampshire.

I feel your pain.

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Post #: 11

RE: miles from nowhere - 2/7/2008 8:41:59 AM

pahunkboy

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I grew up in Chicagoland. Came to a rural area in 1988. Despite having kin 6 generations back- I will never ever fit in.

My towns 5,000 and 12,000. have been a good fit. The thing is I did not go to high school here- so for 12 years I went about in relitve anomity. Lately tho= I know many.

celebrate the good part of rural life. If something bad goes on your neighbors are more likely to help. In fact I know most my neighbors. We send over pies and dishes, we set out and chat. I dont disclose my sexual orientation. As I feel it is best left in teh bedroom.

A rural area has a beauty all its own.

The traditional events- I come to endear.

When I visited my family in Orland PArk-Chicago, mom chided when I said hi to her neighbor.."we dont talk to the enighbors""neighbors cause trouble". I thought how sad.

My advice- try to blend in. Wear the fashions they wear. Attend some events- find a church- a fire company. You will find you are much more then a number in a rural area.
Pick it some of the slang. If this dressing isnt for you- then un-citify yourself.

rural folks view slickers with caution and contempt. so loose the slicker look and act. it wont help you here.

(in reply to kittinSol)

Post #: 12

RE: miles from nowhere - 2/7/2008 9:13:49 AM

faerytattoodgirl

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WOW you mean some company would give an internet service to a town with only 75 people!!!!!!

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RE: miles from nowhere - 2/7/2008 3:04:06 PM

popeye1250

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I was talking to a guy who's parents came from Carndonough, Donegal, Ireland once and he told me that as a boy he returned to "Carn" with his parents for one whole summer in the 1950's.
He said that some kids rode their bikes all the way over to Carndonough from Derry to "see the American kid." lol Evidently they'd never seen an American before.

< Message edited by popeye1250 -- 2/7/2008 3:11:17 PM >

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RE: miles from nowhere - 2/7/2008 3:25:12 PM

LaTigresse

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I feel for you. It is difficult to move into a really small community. They tend to be rather closedminded and suspicious of new people. I've lived in a small city and now out in the country, with everything in between. The closest town to the farm is less than 50 people, probably all related, no post office, store or gas station.......just a hole in the wall bar.

There are two towns about 5 miles away, one to the east and another to the west. Also, very very small......population in the low hundreds at most.

The town I grew up in is about 15 miles away, population near 10,000. I tend to just drive through it rather than stop.

I am lucky in that I work in Iowa City, a big college town with lots of great restaurants, decent shopping and a little bit of culture.

I actually enjoy the solitude of the farm, hense the choice to live there, and not having to deal with the small minded people in the small towns. The best way for me to get along with small town people is to be polite and friendly, yet not try and fit in. They warm up to you slowly. They are also very watchful of new people and luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuvvvvvvvvvv to gossip. Some of the stories I have heard about me have been absolutely delightful! I wish my life was half that exciting.

For me, it's all about solitude and the ability to live in a way that is peaceful and fulfilling to me.

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RE: miles from nowhere - 2/7/2008 5:22:14 PM

Griswold

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quote:

ORIGINAL: philosophy

For reasons i'm not going to go into, i now find myself living in a tiny settlement of about 75 souls, at least 90 minutes drive down a forestry road from the nearest town. Now, i was raised in UK towns and cities, and i've never been in such a situation before.
Are there any other city-peeps on these boards that have found themselves in a similar situation? What challenges did you face and how did you deal with them?

Look at it this way....no one'll be upset when you walk down to your mail buck nekkid and pee while you're opening the letters offering you a new credit card.

(in reply to philosophy)

Post #: 16

RE: miles from nowhere - 2/7/2008 5:32:27 PM

PanthersMom

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From: Cleveland Ohio
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lord keep me from ever needing to live in a small town! i would go bonkers. i am not the rural type. visiting is fine, as long as it's a short stay. mother-in-law lives in a half-horse town in indiana, doesn't even qualify as a one horse town. an hour drive to a grocery store is no way to live in my eyes.

PM

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RE: miles from nowhere - 2/7/2008 5:38:57 PM

NorthernGent

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Find a pub.

Failing that, find a woman.

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RE: miles from nowhere - 2/7/2008 5:49:12 PM

sophia37

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While Ive gained several good friends over the last 25 years, thanks to having children and meeting their parents, I live in rural America for the land, not the people. Im defintely commited to it. Its almost an act of defiance.

But I also believe that the true blessing is learning to know the land on a very personal basis. Over the years you see many things grow and change. New houses, bigger trees, wildlife, weather. Its just amazing how much there is to know and learn about a land or area of a country.

My aunt alwasy says, "you can get used to anything, even hanging." So I guess that means that when you first realize the store is an hour away, it makes you crazy. After a while, it seems normal. Give it more time and it feels like the best way to be.

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Post #: 19

RE: miles from nowhere - 2/7/2008 8:04:10 PM

UtopianRanger

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quote:

ORIGINAL: philosophy

For reasons i'm not going to go into, i now find myself living in a tiny settlement of about 75 souls, at least 90 minutes drive down a forestry road from the nearest town. Now, i was raised in UK towns and cities, and i've never been in such a situation before.
Are there any other city-peeps on these boards that have found themselves in a similar situation? What challenges did you face and how did you deal with them?

Well....you're not alone. I live in the same coastal mountain range that claimed the life of '' James Kim'', the famed geek/gadget editor of CNET news, from San Francisco.{ He got lost in there last year}

''Outside magazine'' says it's the most remote river drainage in the US outside of Alaska. Other than Alaska and The British Columbian outback, I’ve never been to a more isolated spot. I have friends from SW Arkansas who've told me before--in phone calls--- it’s ''very rural'' where they're at. Heh....I get out there... and laugh, and tell them...'' you have no idea....''

Anyways....I know where you're coming from and would tell you to get out of there right away if you're not happy. I started selling off the real-estate I've accumulated over the last ten years about a year-and-half-ago, and have one piece left.{And its always the slowest to go}

The formula I like--one I'm going back to very soon--- and one that has always worked well for me, is to live in a rural setting, with some acreage, inside a metro area. That way you have the best of both worlds {country/city}

Good luck to you.

- R

< Message edited by UtopianRanger -- 2/7/2008 8:05:48 PM >

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