Six Things to Consider Before Moving to the Country
Kevin Felts 03.22.17
Whether it is a weekend getaway, vacation home, or a place to retire, a lot of people dream about leaving the city and moving to a rural area. There is something about rural life that can not be described in words. It is easy to write “peace and quiet,” but there is no way to capture the beauty of country life in words alone.
I have lived in a rural area for several years, and would like to share some of my experiences. So, before you get on the Internet or jump in the car and look for property, here are some things to look for.
Jobs – Unless you have a college degree or are a professional in something like teaching, law enforcement, nurse, doctor, accountant, or work from home, jobs in rural areas may be difficult to come by.
Recreation areas – Property prices go up the closer you are to a recreation area. This could be a state or national park, lake, tourist site or something else of leisure. How close to you want to be to a lake? Or rather, can you afford to be close to a tourist area?
Schools – Schools in rural areas traditionally do not attract the best teachers. With a limited tax base, teacher wages are lower than they may be in an urban area.
People do not move to a rural area for the schools.
Shopping – Be ready to drive 20 minutes to buy groceries and an hour to go to a good mall. There are plenty of exceptions, but people do not move to rural areas for the shopping.
If your favorite weekend activities going to the mall and movies, country life may not be for you.
Internet – People do not move to the country for the high speed internet. Depending on location, the property may not even have internet.
Providers are not in a big hurry to bring internet to rural America.
Health care – If you or someone in your family suffers from serious medical issues, country life may not be for you.
The honest truth, rural America is running out of doctors. The vast majority of specialists are in urban areas. If someone has a serious medical condition, expect to drive a couple of hours to see a specialist.
Rural Life
Country life is everything the city is not.
The people who live in the country are an independent folk. We enjoy the peace and quiet, we have our chickens, our garden, local history and expect outsiders to leave us alone.
If you want to join us, come on. However, life out here is a lot different than in the city
