Many of us who dwell and work in major cities dream of someday moving to the countryside.Nature. Fresh air. Rustic food. Simple living. And friendly neighbors. That’s what we dream about. But in those daydreams, we don’t consider a lot of small but important details that come with life away from thecity.Internet user u/rjroa21sparkeda truly captivating discussion on r/AskReddit. They asked the people living in rural areas to share the things that your average city folks probably wouldn’t understand. We’ve collected some of their coolest insights, from getting stuck behind a tractor in traffic to stargazing and dealing with wild animals.Real estate investor and co-founder ofSparkRental.com, G. Brian Davis, was kind enough to share his thoughts on the pros and cons of rural life withBored Panda. You’ll find our interview with him as you read on.This post may includeaffiliate links.
Many of us who dwell and work in major cities dream of someday moving to the countryside.Nature. Fresh air. Rustic food. Simple living. And friendly neighbors. That’s what we dream about. But in those daydreams, we don’t consider a lot of small but important details that come with life away from thecity.
Internet user u/rjroa21sparkeda truly captivating discussion on r/AskReddit. They asked the people living in rural areas to share the things that your average city folks probably wouldn’t understand. We’ve collected some of their coolest insights, from getting stuck behind a tractor in traffic to stargazing and dealing with wild animals.
Real estate investor and co-founder ofSparkRental.com, G. Brian Davis, was kind enough to share his thoughts on the pros and cons of rural life withBored Panda. You’ll find our interview with him as you read on.
This post may includeaffiliate links.
How dark it is at night. You see how many stars there are, how bright and gorgeous , how busy the night sky truly is.
Davis, the co-founder ofSparkRental.com, shared his thoughts on what makes rural life so attractive to urbanites. “What city dweller hasn’t dreamed of more space after another cramped evening in a small apartment shared with a spouse or kids or housemates? Many urban dwellers also dream of outdoor space that they can call their own," he told Bored Panda in an email.
“Sure, they can visit a park to see a tree or two, but it’s not their space. They can’t plant a garden in it or landscape it exactly the way they want. Some urbanites also love the idea of a slower pace of life. Fast-paced city living can get exhausting, especially as you get older,” he said.
In the city, people ignore sirens and pay attention to gunshot sounds. In the country, people ignore the sound of gunfire and pay attention to the sound of sirens.
Dogs. Dang it! People just driving out and dropping off unwanted dogs. Once some coward dumped their mother dog and her 6 puppies near my front lawn. I hope there is a special place in hell for those people.
“Finally, city life can feel impersonal, isolating, and lonely. There’s nothing worse than feeling alone in a crowded area. Some urbanites yearn for a close-knit sense of community.“However, despite the perks, it’s not like rural life is ‘perfect.’ There’s a lot to consider before you buy a random log cabin in the middle of nowhere. “Urban dwellers should be careful what they wish for because they may end up becoming the dog that catches the car. Small towns and rural areas can feel too quiet, too still, too small for many urbanites,“Davissaid.
“Finally, city life can feel impersonal, isolating, and lonely. There’s nothing worse than feeling alone in a crowded area. Some urbanites yearn for a close-knit sense of community.”
However, despite the perks, it’s not like rural life is ‘perfect.’ There’s a lot to consider before you buy a random log cabin in the middle of nowhere. “Urban dwellers should be careful what they wish for because they may end up becoming the dog that catches the car. Small towns and rural areas can feel too quiet, too still, too small for many urbanites,“Davissaid.
Standing on my back porch in winter and there is absolute dead silence.
Legitimately being late for school or appointments due to being stuck behind a tractor.
“They may miss the amenities of urban living, from art galleries [and] restaurant options to sporting events and museums. For that matter, they’ll likely miss easy access to a major airport. In rural areas, you have to drive to get, well, anywhere. That’s a rude awakening for many city dwellers,” the co-founder ofSparkRental.comtold Bored Panda.“And that tight-knit community is only as good as your adoption into it. If you don’t feel included and welcomed, if you don’t feel like you fit in, you have few alternative options for social circles.”
“They may miss the amenities of urban living, from art galleries [and] restaurant options to sporting events and museums. For that matter, they’ll likely miss easy access to a major airport. In rural areas, you have to drive to get, well, anywhere. That’s a rude awakening for many city dwellers,” the co-founder ofSparkRental.comtold Bored Panda.
“And that tight-knit community is only as good as your adoption into it. If you don’t feel included and welcomed, if you don’t feel like you fit in, you have few alternative options for social circles.”
Weird noises in the woods? Deer. Glowing eyes in the shadows? Deer. Something following you down a dark country road? Deer. It’s always f*****g deer.
Leaving your car windows closed at church in the summer so you don’t come back out to a car full of Zucchini.
Weather changes your life. I’ve sat on the porch with my parents watching hail destroy our wheat crop days before it was due for harvest. There’s nothing you can do. You just watch. I’ve also stood in a circle with my parents and older brother in the yard while we prayed for rain. For farmers, weather is destiny.
There’s no use beating around the bush: we’re huge fans of nature, wildlife, and peace and quiet. Living in the countryside in a house you fully own, with lots of land and a gorgeous view out the window, would be a dream come true. You can go hiking in the woods, have a lush garden, raise chickens, stargaze, and do whatever you really want to do. In short, rural life means freedom.However, it doesn’t mean that it’s ‘perfect.’ Rural and city life both have their fair share of pros and cons. The countryside is not a Disney movie. It’s a lot of hard work if you plan on growing your own crops or raising animals. Furthermore, you’ll have to get used to the fact that you won’t have fancy restaurants, gyms, massive events, and supermarkets on every corner like in the big city.Meanwhile, you also have to figure out what you’ll dofor work. That’ll depend on your career, industry, and the specific company you work for. Some are happy with their workers going fully remote. Others embrace a hybrid system. But some demand their staff to show up at the office every day for that [cough, cough] brilliant work culture.
There’s no use beating around the bush: we’re huge fans of nature, wildlife, and peace and quiet. Living in the countryside in a house you fully own, with lots of land and a gorgeous view out the window, would be a dream come true. You can go hiking in the woods, have a lush garden, raise chickens, stargaze, and do whatever you really want to do. In short, rural life means freedom.
However, it doesn’t mean that it’s ‘perfect.’ Rural and city life both have their fair share of pros and cons. The countryside is not a Disney movie. It’s a lot of hard work if you plan on growing your own crops or raising animals. Furthermore, you’ll have to get used to the fact that you won’t have fancy restaurants, gyms, massive events, and supermarkets on every corner like in the big city.
Meanwhile, you also have to figure out what you’ll dofor work. That’ll depend on your career, industry, and the specific company you work for. Some are happy with their workers going fully remote. Others embrace a hybrid system. But some demand their staff to show up at the office every day for that [cough, cough] brilliant work culture.
Sounds are not the scary part. Silence is.Edit: I had been walking with my younger sister and dog (I was ten, she was eight). Suddenly world went dead silent and my dog froze, trying to huddle near the ground. Almost immediately I had unclipped her. Dog went bounding home, me and sis went to the road. Still utterly silent the whole time. Then my dad comes driving up with the dog and a rifle (we had only been about a mile away). As we’re driving away, what’s in the tree line? A f***ing mountain lion.
You need to carefully plan out your shopping needs because that trip to Walmart or Home Depot might be a two hour round trip.
Sometimes you need a gun or rifle to ensure the safety of your animals and that doesn’t make you a gun nut.
The world is rapidly urbanizing. In this day and age, there are more people living in cities than in the country. This already happened a while ago. Statistareportsthat the global urban population overtook the rural one all the way back in 2007. Based on data collected in 2022, around 4.5 billion people live in urban areas. In contrast, roughly 3.4 billion live in rural territories.
People waving when two cars pass from opposite directions.
You or someone you know has a personal vendetta against a wild animal in the area.
No sidewalk? Walk AGAINST traffic.We learned this as kids - we live in the suburbs now, but my husband also grew up in the same rural area where this was drilled into our heads. It blows my mind to see adults walk with traffic in the suburbs (where there are no sidewalks). And I always want to scream at them: ‘AGAINST the traffic, so YOU can see! It’s for YOUR OWN GOOD!‘For those not in the know: walking against the traffic puts you in better position to see/avoid hazardous vehicles. Walking with your back to traffic coming behind you? Not a great vantage point. Especially in 2024 when most pedestrians have ear buds in.ETA: I also find myself doing it in parking lots and even if there IS a sidewalk - at this point in my life (53F), it’s ingrained.
Rural living is what you make of it. Some folks romanticize it because they feel that it makes for better communities. But it doesn’t happen automatically. If you’re active in your community, help yourneighbors, and make an effort to invite everyone over for dinner, barbecues, and what have you, sure, you’ll make friends.However, if you always keep to yourself and barely interact with anyone (like in a massive apartment building), you’ll end up missing out on a lot.
Rural living is what you make of it. Some folks romanticize it because they feel that it makes for better communities. But it doesn’t happen automatically. If you’re active in your community, help yourneighbors, and make an effort to invite everyone over for dinner, barbecues, and what have you, sure, you’ll make friends.
However, if you always keep to yourself and barely interact with anyone (like in a massive apartment building), you’ll end up missing out on a lot.
Nature is brutal and so are animals. That eagle is so majestic in the city, but out here I am cursing it’s existence for fg up my chickens. Bears are so cute, but they are annoying as fk trying to get into the shed where we have to lock up our garbage cans. Deer are so beautiful, but those fg as eat every f*g leaf off of a fruit tree sapling and kill it, not to mention all the destruction they will do if your veggie garden fence isn’t high enough.EDIT: All that being said, still a huge advocate of wildlife and their protection, I’m just saying that out here we integrate back into the food chain so to speak, whereas in the city you are removed from the inconveniences of being in it.
If I call 911, nobody will be here for AT LEAST 30 minutes for EMS, 45 for fire, and an hour for police.And that’s assuming they have nothing else to do and respond immediately.If the house is on fire, you call the neighbors. In less than 10 there will be half dozen tractors with water tanks and hoses.Lop your foot off? Call the neighbors. They’ll drive you to the ER.Somebody means to do you harm? Shoot back or die waiting for the Sheriff. Your choice.
Having your name and age listed in the local newspaper when you’re pulled over for speeding and your family/friends get to give you s**t for it because everyone lives to read the weekly police report.
According to the data, 40% of rural residents know all or most of their neighbors, compared with 28% of suburbanites and 24% of city dwellers.
Full-grown pigs are massive, and terrifying. And they can and will eat someone if ever they get the opportunity.
The sound of spring peepers can be deafening. Also, I miss it with all my heart. .
A lot of fake country folk overhype the woods. Any time someone mentions a skin walker that’s your red flag. I live in the woods. Yes the woods can be scary but it’s far from paranormal. The woods are a fine place to explore and gain an appreciation for real tangible nature. Don’t let the boogeyman scare you away from the biodiversity native to your area. Buy a field guide so you can get out and learn something.
That cute lil’ foxes 🦊sound like screaming banshees at night.
The little wave you give when passing a vehicle going the opposite direction on a country road. Bonus points if you’re cool enough to just raise your first two fingers off the steering wheel.Also, saying hello to a stranger on a hiking trail, or at least giving a little nod and smile. I can always tell someone isn’t from here when I say “hello” on a hike and they look at me like I’m an alien.
The abso-f*****g-lute peace there is. No sirens, no, “personal soundtracks” blaring, no traffic noise, cleaner air, darker nights (less street lights), more wildlife & nature.I’ve lived in NYC before and wouldn’t trade this for the best apartment back there.
As a lifetime NYC’er, I just wanna say to any rural folks here on this thread that most of us city folk do not stick our noses up at people that live in your area, despite what you might hear. And speaking for myself, I respect your livelihoods and sometimes envy living in your open spaces. I honestly want us all as Americans to simply appreciate our differences and just get along. Live and let live. And I would love to go to a country hootenanny! thanks.
You’re probably on well water, which means that if the power goes out, you no longer have water. That also means that you get one, maybe two flushes of the toilet, and I bet you’re not top priority for the electric company.Choose wisely.Or get a generator.
See that driveway, someone has to plow it.You manage your own water, sewage and waste. No, that doesn’t go down the drain. Yes the water is treated and drinkable.You have a generator because when power goes down it stays down for days at a time.You have a pantry because running out of rice or salt is an hour or more drive says.You fix your own s**t because getting an electrician plumber or carpenter is hard as hell.You drive a vehicle with enough clearance because you need it.That guy cutting hay on the vast majority of the land has been cutting it since before you were born. He chooses when and what time. That time is 6am.Your mall truck is a joke out here.
Rural australia liver here:bore water. the sky is inexplicably Bigger. don’t drive at night if you can help it because you WILL hit a kangaroo. stars like nothing you’ve ever seen. leave town and you have no reception. what’s a traffic light? cook your own dinner or you aren’t eating. everyone and their mother owns a beatshit ute. the nearest hospital is four hours away and the local airport is a literal shed in the bush.
You can’t buy up a rural property on the cheap and then have big city expectations about the state of your neighbours properties or their behaviour. Welcome to redneckville, sometimes old washers live in the front yard and people park their 18 wheeler rigs in front of their house (and noisily warm them up every morning at 4am).
I know, I’m buried…You can never fully explain what it’s like on quiet nights when there’s no insects chirping, like in winter. I live on the outskirts of a small town, a mile from the railroad tracks. Even though there was snow on the ground and in the trees, plus dozens of houses between me and the tracks, it sounded like I was standing next to the train at 3am. Loud, loud, loud.Alternatively, you also never prepare someone for how soothing it feels on a summer night, sitting on the porch, hearing the wind move softly through the trees, insects harmonizing their sweet tones, lightning bugs flittering about, blinking in a chaotic fashion. You just close your eyes, sip your drink, and experience almost total relaxation.
Im the city girl that moved to the country. Everybody from here sees deer as a nuisance or as dinner. Six years in, my dumb a*s still think they’re magical.
Just how safe it is.For 13 years I didn’t lock my car up. Hell, half the time I left the keys in the ignition.Plenty of spring and autumn nights I went to sleep with my front and back doors open. Windows were open 24/7 during those times, even if I were gone.Also, how easy it is to accrue pets. At one point I had 12 cats, just because strays would show up and never leave.
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The difference of saying that you’re “going to town” vs “going to the city”.
I leave my doors unlocked when I’m away so the neighbors can get in if they need something.I have a sleeping porch and I use it often.We walk through each other’s property without rebuke.Nobody can hear me if I scream.
Driving home in a storm. A tree fell across the road in front of us (Mom and daughter). The truck behind us got their chainsaws out of their toolbox and moved that tree withing 15 minutes. Also there is not cell service everywhere. Only one service works consistently from my house.
What real quiet is like and what real dark is like. I’ve spent time in the city and time in the middle of nowhere, and felt the mental health improve and stress level drop. Ain’t nothing like laying in a hammock in a cool breeze when the nearest human to you is at least a quarter mile away.
You can just leave things out in the world and there’s no risk of them not being there when you come back another time.
Peace and quiet. An aunt from the city stayed and couldn’t sleep as it was too quiet.
Country life is slower than your lifespan.City, you can go year after year seeing new buildings pop up, business, events, etc.Country life…same county fair every year, maybe a new building every 10 years, new business 5 years.
When you live in a small town and you get into trouble outside of town, then the news gets back to town before you do!
“Town pants”.
The nearest fire department is you, and your neighbor ten miles away, with a couple flatbed trucks and 500 gallon tanks of water on them.
Not flushing the toilet because the power’s out.
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That there is never “nothing to do”.
That time of year when the entire village will smell like st. Wafting in gently from all the fields.As opposed to the usual smell of st from all the horses coming through the village on a regular basis.
I lived in a large city until two and a half years ago. The biggest thing I ever noticed, other than the quiet and the lack of convenience, is the difference in people. Where I live now, people are more patient and polite. When I go home to visit family, I find myself so intolerant of the rudeness of strangers.I wondered when the people started behaving so rudely. Then I realized, they always had, I was just used to it.
Farm dogs. They roam. Don’t pick them up. Leave them alone.
- None of my dogs over the years has ever seen a leash and have the freedom to go wherever they want.2. Tractors are our favorite vehicles and trusted friends.3. I don’t talk to my neighbors often but they know I’d do just about anything for them and I know if I needed something they’d be there for us.4. Money is great but sweet tea and family is what living is all about.5. In the country, you appreciate a good vet, and treat them well, there is usually just one who will come out and help with the cows.6. In the country we like to hunt but at the same time we are staunch animal protectors and love nature.
The mild terror when you hear a fox screaming at 3am outside your window.
We need the big trucks so we can haul big stuffand I don’t have to cut my grass if I don’t want to. No fines from the city.
My wife used to make fun of me, when we first got married, for saying I was “going to town” any time I needed to go to the grocery store or Home Depot or something. Which was understandable given that we lived in the middle of a mid sized city. Just a habit from living in the sticks my whole life.My revenge: I moved her to BFE Appalachia. Now she has to “go to town” every day.
There is literal s**t on the roadsThe smell of nature is that of dairy, pig and chicken farms not pretty flowers.Most folks will help you with anything you need even if they themselves are quite busy.
The joy of driving around town without having to wait for traffic lights. I dread the day my hometown grows that large…
Getting to pee anywhere in your yard if you need to.
The value of peace and quiet. Meditation and yoga classes don’t count. I mean sitting on your back porch with nothing but the sounds of birds chirping. It makes you feel alive more than anything else.
My kids get two days off school every year to attend the rodeo.
Our world is small. We may not know a lot about what happens outside our small world, that doesn’t make us any less intelligent or sympathetic about what goes on outside our own little bubble. Also, because our world is small we tend to over fixate on the few things right in front of us.
We burn brush piles and run equipment early and late. You don’t have to call 911 for everything, the rural first responders are probably busy doing the same. Investigate and verify.
That you have to mind your own business and be ok with everyone knowing everything you do.
We 100% yell to each other over fences. Also, my neighbor knocked on my kitchen window to borrow sugar! But most importantly, we know each other. Like we KNOW each other. Your problems are our problems. We watch out for everyone. The area I live in, we are one giant extended family.
The mosquitos! The thousands and thousands of inescapable mosquitoes, and sheer size they are! They literally crunch when you kill them.I moved 4 states away into a city, so now I don’t hear that EEEEEEEEEE noise anymore, I just hear gunshots every night… which is way more preferable.
You will never find another job that pays as much as your last one.
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