What exactly are the DOs and the Dont's of rural and country living that city and suburban folk should be aware of? 

And, what are the top most three mistakes the city and suburban folk make when they choose to live out in the country and what are the things they can and should do to avoid these mistakes?

If a person from the city and/or suburbs want to live in the country then what should be their first few steps to take?

And, are there any important skills that one should learn before they choose to live in the country?  What would be some of those skills that you could think of off the top of your head?

In truth, it is by far harder to move to a city than the other way around. People move to the country to get away from the idiocy of the city, be it PC bull shit, or just seeking peace of mind.
Rural folk have one short set of rules, be polite, willing to help a neighbor and mind your own business.
Most are generally friendly, some not so friendly, most will open their home to you once they get to know you, they will always be accommodating in every way, be it in need of a tow, a tree across your road or whatever you need, they will help you out, but ask too much and they will politely avoid you.

Where I live, to higher a tractor to do work, costs $125.0 to $200 per hour, or dozer work $300. + and up per hour with a delivery charge of $500.
For my neighbors, I do it for free, that's it, but they know if i need help they better be there or they're cut off and will be forced to pay in the future, and living in rural country, you will definitely need it again.
Just ask Walks, he knows he can count on his neighbors for anything, and they know he'll be there for him.
One other thing is trust, one moves to the area, most will see them as a blank slate, no marks against them, so they test your trust worthiness kind of, by offering their assistance on anything, but be prepared to reciprocate, if you don't, you just got bad marks. They will always be there to help you, may not be that day because you are no longer the trusted neighbor, but they won't abandon you.

Case in point, I have always maintained our shared road out to the county road, this winter no one helped out, I even asked that they contribute gravel, no one helped, so now they're going to have to deal with a totally fucked up road, and come next winter they're going to suffer because they refused to contribute, I didn't fix the road after they rutted the shit out of it, and it will quickly get even worse after the first rain/snow event.
You don't fuck over the neighbor that keeps your road open.
Oh, and these are all city people that moved to the area, and have no clue just how bad the weather gets up here, be it feet of snow, hail or severe freezing. They are about to learn the good neighbor rule the painfully hard way.
I still help other neighbors, it's just the two that live below me are city kids in their 60s that took my hospitality for granted.

Point is, be ready and willing to contribute to the community the best you can, it's your willingness that counts, no matter how poor you are, they'll never hold that against you.

Quote from: Solar on May 12, 2019, 07:39:58 AM
In truth, it is by far harder to move to a city than the other way around. People move to the country to get away from the idiocy of the city, be it PC bull shit, or just seeking peace of mind.
Rural folk have one short set of rules, be polite, willing to help a neighbor and mind your own business.
Most are generally friendly, some not so friendly, most will open their home to you once they get to know you, they will always be accommodating in every way, be it in need of a tow, a tree across your road or whatever you need, they will help you out, but ask too much and they will politely avoid you.

Where I live, to higher a tractor to do work, costs $125.0 to $200 per hour, or dozer work $300. + and up per hour with a delivery charge of $500.
For my neighbors, I do it for free, that's it, but they know if i need help they better be there or they're cut off and will be forced to pay in the future, and living in rural country, you will definitely need it again.
Just ask Walks, he knows he can count on his neighbors for anything, and they know he'll be there for him.
One other thing is trust, one moves to the area, most will see them as a blank slate, no marks against them, so they test your trust worthiness kind of, by offering their assistance on anything, but be prepared to reciprocate, if you don't, you just got bad marks. They will always be there to help you, may not be that day because you are no longer the trusted neighbor, but they won't abandon you.

Case in point, I have always maintained our shared road out to the county road, this winter no one helped out, I even asked that they contribute gravel, no one helped, so now they're going to have to deal with a totally fucked up road, and come next winter they're going to suffer because they refused to contribute, I didn't fix the road after they rutted the shit out of it, and it will quickly get even worse after the first rain/snow event.
You don't fuck over the neighbor that keeps your road open.
Oh, and these are all city people that moved to the area, and have no clue just how bad the weather gets up here, be it feet of snow, hail or severe freezing. They are about to learn the good neighbor rule the painfully hard way.
I still help other neighbors, it's just the two that live below me are city kids in their 60s that took my hospitality for granted.

Point is, be ready and willing to contribute to the community the best you can, it's your willingness that counts, no matter how poor you are, they'll never hold that against you.

Another "Don't" is attempting to implement city stuff to the country. Why did one leave the city? Don't bring what you left with you.

Quote from: supsalemgr on May 12, 2019, 07:52:26 AM
Another "Don't" is attempting to implement city stuff to the country. Why did one leave the city? Don't bring what you left with you.

Oh God yes, that is the quickest way to get marked as an idiot not to be trusted.

Quote from: supsalemgr on May 12, 2019, 07:52:26 AM
Another "Don't" is attempting to implement city stuff to the country. Why did one leave the city? Don't bring what you left with you.

May I have some examples so if I ever did do this I don't make an ass out of myself?

Quote from: Solar on May 12, 2019, 07:39:58 AM
In truth, it is by far harder to move to a city than the other way around. People move to the country to get away from the idiocy of the city, be it PC bull shit, or just seeking peace of mind.
Rural folk have one short set of rules, be polite, willing to help a neighbor and mind your own business.
Most are generally friendly, some not so friendly, most will open their home to you once they get to know you, they will always be accommodating in every way, be it in need of a tow, a tree across your road or whatever you need, they will help you out, but ask too much and they will politely avoid you.

Where I live, to higher a tractor to do work, costs $125.0 to $200 per hour, or dozer work $300. + and up per hour with a delivery charge of $500.
For my neighbors, I do it for free, that's it, but they know if i need help they better be there or they're cut off and will be forced to pay in the future, and living in rural country, you will definitely need it again.
Just ask Walks, he knows he can count on his neighbors for anything, and they know he'll be there for him.
One other thing is trust, one moves to the area, most will see them as a blank slate, no marks against them, so they test your trust worthiness kind of, by offering their assistance on anything, but be prepared to reciprocate, if you don't, you just got bad marks. They will always be there to help you, may not be that day because you are no longer the trusted neighbor, but they won't abandon you.

Case in point, I have always maintained our shared road out to the county road, this winter no one helped out, I even asked that they contribute gravel, no one helped, so now they're going to have to deal with a totally fucked up road, and come next winter they're going to suffer because they refused to contribute, I didn't fix the road after they rutted the shit out of it, and it will quickly get even worse after the first rain/snow event.
You don't fuck over the neighbor that keeps your road open.
Oh, and these are all city people that moved to the area, and have no clue just how bad the weather gets up here, be it feet of snow, hail or severe freezing. They are about to learn the good neighbor rule the painfully hard way.
I still help other neighbors, it's just the two that live below me are city kids in their 60s that took my hospitality for granted.

Point is, be ready and willing to contribute to the community the best you can, it's your willingness that counts, no matter how poor you are, they'll never hold that against you.

Solar, I would never know any of this at all if you didn't tell me.  Oh, bad weather?  Wow!  I wouldn't have known about that either but it is the mountains so it would make sense since you are on higher elevation.  Do you guys get blizzards?

I do have communication issues as you see on here.  If I ever moved there how would I be able to relate with the rural folk so I don't offend them or do something inappropriate by mistake? 

And, I didn't realize you guys maintained your own roads.  In the city the department of transportation does it.

Quote from: alienhand on May 12, 2019, 09:00:45 AM
May I have some examples so if I ever did do this I don't make an ass out of myself?

He's talking about bringing sidewalks, street lighting, increased police presence, increasing taxes, more city services etc.
Rural communities do not want sewer and water utilities, we are self supporting, we have wells, septic systems, we don't need better roads, that leads to more housing which leads to increased taxes, more and bigger govt.
When I was looking for land in Idaho, I looked at county taxes, the less the better. Reason being, people don't want an over reaching NIMBY county seat snooping into your business.
One I visited had a yearly tax of $35.00 on any land plot, be it a house, or a 1000 acres, they all paid the same, virtually nothing.
Think about it, that means the County was prohibited from hiring and creating new offices or doing studies, for what they consider "Rural Improvements", we don't need improvements, we like it stripped to the bones, leanest govt possible, just like our Founders envisioned.
To build a home in this county costs $35.00 for a permit, no inspections, no time limit to complete your homestead, no one snooping around. How you live is your business, not the County's.

Quote from: alienhand on May 12, 2019, 09:00:45 AM
May I have some examples so if I ever did do this I don't make an ass out of myself?

Get a job and don't come to the country and expect to live off the hard working taxpayer.  Know the land and make sure it has water good on it.  You can pay up to 50.000$+ for a well and not have good water or even hit water.  Our well is 500+' deep as we are over 500' above the Columbia river.  You will have to pay for power to your land if it is not there.  That could be up to 30.000$+.  Our road is gravel and a mile long, you will have to keep it up yourself and the list goes on.  Country (Rural folk) is like getting old it's not for the light hearted.  Unless you have more money then you know what to do with.   

Quote from: walkstall on May 12, 2019, 09:32:52 AM
Get a job and don't come to the country and expect to live off the hard working taxpayer.  Know the land and make sure it has water good on it.  You can pay up to 50.000$+ for a well and not have good water or even hit water.  Our well is 500+' deep as we are over 500' above the Columbia river.  You will have to pay for power to your land if it is not there.  That could be up to 30.000$+.  Our road is gravel and a mile long, you will have to keep it up yourself and the list goes on.  Country (Rural folk) is like getting old it's not for the light hearted.  Unless you have more money then you know what to do with.   

I found a spring on my property, then went solar. Wells are expensive, power, if you can get it to a distant property can cost as much as the property.
He should look for a rundown farmhouse that already has all the amenities.
They're out there, not my kind of place, but they were extremely private and cheap. most had sold off the surrounding land for farming, left the house on a small plot of land, found one for $50 K. on the border with Washington State.

Quote from: Solar on May 12, 2019, 09:26:59 AM
He's talking about bringing sidewalks, street lighting, increased police presence, increasing taxes, more city services etc.
Rural communities do not want sewer and water utilities, we are self supporting, we have wells, septic systems, we don't need better roads, that leads to more housing which leads to increased taxes, more and bigger govt.
When I was looking for land in Idaho, I looked at county taxes, the less the better. Reason being, people don't want an over reaching NIMBY county seat snooping into your business.
One I visited had a yearly tax of $35.00 on any land plot, be it a house, or a 1000 acres, they all paid the same, virtually nothing.
Think about it, that means the County was prohibited from hiring and creating new offices or doing studies, for what they consider "Rural Improvements", we don't need improvements, we like it stripped to the bones, leanest govt possible, just like our Founders envisioned.
To build a home in this county costs $35.00 for a permit, no inspections, no time limit to complete your homestead, no one snooping around. How you live is your business, not the County's.

I would never have known you guys would not want things like sidewalks. 

You guys have a certain lifestyle you grew up with, you love and you wish to maintain.  The rural/mountain lifestyle you all live since there is hardly anything around means you all have to be independent in a number of ways city folks aren't and you guys want it that way. 

And, I have the feeling the way you all dress, speak and even type on here reflects the way you all live.  Part of the manner of speak is that you all communicate simplistic way.  You all don't like long paragraphs and pages of texts.  And, you all don't like wordiness.  If I'm offensive towards any of you I apologize right now.  But, more then likely those in rural areas will have less of an academic education then those in the city.  But, more then likely the education you all would have would be more towards practical.  Like farming, hunting, etc, etc.  I'm not trying to be offensive and say anyone is dumb on here.   I don't know how to say this any other way.  I'm always afraid when I state a truth or what I think is true that others would become offended.  That's happened with me in my area. 

I should've tried to understand the background of everyone on here.  I definitely should not have communicated using set theory terms like with the letters (You said that gave you a headache)  I should've gauged my audience better.  It's like learning a whole new culture for me. 

Quote from: alienhand on May 12, 2019, 11:06:42 AM
I would never have known you guys would not want things like sidewalks. 

You guys have a certain lifestyle you grew up with, you love and you wish to maintain.  The rural/mountain lifestyle you all live since there is hardly anything around means you all have to be independent in a number of ways city folks aren't and you guys want it that way. 

And, I have the feeling the way you all dress, speak and even type on here reflects the way you all live.  Part of the manner of speak is that you all communicate simplistic way.  You all don't like long paragraphs and pages of texts.  And, you all don't like wordiness.  If I'm offensive towards any of you I apologize right now.  But, more then likely those in rural areas will have less of an academic education then those in the city.  But, more then likely the education you all would have would be more towards practical.  Like farming, hunting, etc, etc.  I'm not trying to be offensive and say anyone is dumb on here.   I don't know how to say this any other way.  I'm always afraid when I state a truth or what I think is true that others would become offended.  That's happened with me in my area. 

I should've tried to understand the background of everyone on here.  I definitely should not have communicated using set theory terms like with the letters (You said that gave you a headache)  I should've gauged my audience better.  It's like learning a whole new culture for me.

You do not offend me. I am grateful I grew up and I have lived the south my entire year. I certainly do not feel deprived by not ever living in NYC. I have never lived on a farm, but I have been blessed to be affected by the simple facts of rural life. For the most part, we have a grasp on the "real world". Here in the south folks like to say we talk slow, but think fast. That is why folks of our background are looked down on many who are "educated". I have found in life it is far better to be smart rather than to be intelligent.

Quote from: supsalemgr on May 12, 2019, 11:26:42 AM
You do not offend me. I am grateful I grew up and I have lived the south my entire year. I certainly do not feel deprived by not ever living in NYC. I have never lived on a farm, but I have been blessed to be affected by the simple facts of rural life. For the most part, we have a grasp on the "real world". Here in the south folks like to say we talk slow, but think fast. That is why folks of our background are looked down on many who are "educated". I have found in life it is far better to be smart rather than to be intelligent.

I'm grateful that you guys are allowing me a window into who you guys are, how you live, and your backgrounds overall.  I'm learning something new here.  And, I'm fascinated. 

Quote from: alienhand on May 12, 2019, 11:06:42 AM
I would never have known you guys would not want things like sidewalks. 

I grew up with sidewalks, later street lighting, now I don't want either, because I would have to pay for it by increased taxes.
When you live miles from a main road, you'd prefer they fix the potholes and let the city pay for their own sidewalks.

QuoteYou guys have a certain lifestyle you grew up with, you love and you wish to maintain.  The rural/mountain lifestyle you all live since there is hardly anything around means you all have to be independent in a number of ways city folks aren't and you guys want it that way. 

That's what God intended. "Idle hands are the work of the Devil" I never really understood that till I started seeing graffiti everywhere, these kids should be working and keeping out of trouble, instead, the Dims give out welfare, when in fact these kids should be supporting the family.

QuoteAnd, I have the feeling the way you all dress, speak and even type on here reflects the way you all live.  Part of the manner of speak is that you all communicate simplistic way.  You all don't like long paragraphs and pages of texts.  And, you all don't like wordiness.  If I'm offensive towards any of you I apologize right now.  But, more then likely those in rural areas will have less of an academic education then those in the city.  But, more then likely the education you all would have would be more towards practical.  Like farming, hunting, etc, etc.  I'm not trying to be offensive and say anyone is dumb on here.   I don't know how to say this any other way.  I'm always afraid when I state a truth or what I think is true that others would become offended.  That's happened with me in my area. 

Cutting to the chase on a forum leaves little room for interpretation, so we use concise language, libs on the other hand talk in "Feelings", Conservatives deal in the facts

QuoteI should've tried to understand the background of everyone on here.  I definitely should not have communicated using set theory terms like with the letters (You said that gave you a headache)  I should've gauged my audience better.  It's like learning a whole new culture for me.

With age comes wisdom, but unless one leaves their "Safe Space" they will never grow and understand life to its fullest.
We are not kids, Walks is pushing 90, I think, Super, in his early (70s?) and I'm mid 60s, we've all experienced life, and no longer find simple chit chat as productive, that may be why you don't grasp our language.
Like a kid asking innocuous questions to an elder, "Why"... Not saying you are, but that's how we see it, questions one should be able to answer for themselves, if they would only just get out and explore beyond your comfort zone.

Quote from: supsalemgr on May 12, 2019, 11:26:42 AM
You do not offend me. I am grateful I grew up and I have lived the south my entire year. I certainly do not feel deprived by not ever living in NYC. I have never lived on a farm, but I have been blessed to be affected by the simple facts of rural life. For the most part, we have a grasp on the "real world". Here in the south folks like to say we talk slow, but think fast. That is why folks of our background are looked down on many who are "educated". I have found in life it is far better to be smart rather than to be intelligent.

You raise another aspect within the US. Culture. The Southern culture is far different than that of NY, as the West Coast is different from the East Coast, though both dream of emulating the EU, the populace wants no part of this stupid idea.
You want to retain grace and ethics, while we out West want to retain the spirit of the West, freedom, Independence and adventure, while NY suffers under socialism and an over crowded city life.
Too bad we had a Civil war, I'd love to see how the South would have prospered.

Quote from: alienhand on May 12, 2019, 11:40:03 AM


I'm grateful that you guys are allowing me a window into who you guys are, how you live, and your backgrounds overall.  I'm learning something new here.  And, I'm fascinated.

To get a better idea, there are pics of some of us here in our natural habitat.

https://conservativepoliticalforum.com/the-living-room/lets-see-what-our-members-look-like/