# What (if anything) is good about rural America? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 7, 2020, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450 "2020-10-07T21:56:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/21 "2020-10-08T05:35:43Z")
Major advantage of rural living is having room for a real vegetable garden. There is grocery store fresh produce and there is picked 5 minutes ago fresh. Real difference. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/22 "2020-10-08T11:44:25Z")
We live in rural western Pennsylvania. It would be cost prohibitive to buy 20 acres in Pittsburgh, and we couldn’t have horses. I love being able to take our dogs into the woods knowing I won’t come across any people. I don’t nude sunbathe, but I like that I could if I wanted. It sucks being surrounded by hardcore republicans, but you learn to ignore them. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/23 "2020-10-08T12:15:49Z")
I live high, high up un the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Only one other house on our road (if you can call it a road). Our property shares a boundary with National Forest. Going for a hike starts from my front door. Sitting on the deck with a beer and noodleing on my guitar is a great pleasure. Don’t miss amenities at all. I think as I do love this lifestyle, that the COVID shutdowns have been easier on me. I’m doing great. I absolutely love it. The peace and quiet, the wildlife everything. We get moose in our yard. It’s not even an event. We live on the continental divide that is a county boundary. The county to the north is quite liberal. A recreational skiing community. To the south is much more conservative. More of a ranching hunting community. I saw my first MAGA hat in person the other day. Not all of us are a bunch of red necks as some people think. Winters are long and very, very rough though. But we are equipped for it with 4 wheel drives, a plow truck and 4x4 loader/tractor. Now that I’m working from home, it will be easier since I won’t have to plow in the dark (that kinda sucks). ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/24 "2020-10-08T12:41:41Z")
I lived for a few years in a small town, which was in the process of turning into an exurb of the Twin Cities. I hated it. Nosy people. Few amenities - if I wanted to do “real” grocery shopping or household shopping, it was a 30 minute drive to the nearest town with a decent grocery store or Target. Well, 30 minutes in the summer. In the winter it could take up to an hour. Being a single mom from “The Cities”, I felt we were treated differently than others. More than a few instances of people turning their noses up at us. If you weren’t involved in the churches there, you could not make connections with people. And the _whiteness_ of it all. When we lived there, the town had two Latino families. I couldn’t wait to move back. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/25 "2020-10-08T13:54:11Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > The view of many these days is heavily negative of rural America: Opioids, taking in more taxpayer income from the blue states than vice versa, Trump country, “clinging to guns and Bibles,” coal-mining jobs lost, and this article that went viral after Election Day 2016: [The Dark Rigidity of Fundamentalist Rural America.](https://www.alternet.org/2016/11/rural-america-understanding-isnt-problem/) > > So what I wanted to ask (as someone who’s lived almost entirely in urban or suburban places): What - if anything - is **good** about rural America? No. Take it from someone who lives in ruralia, there’s nothing good about it. Better stay in the city. Don’t even _think_ about moving to such a place. My neighbors all feel the same way, even though we’re desperate to see new subdivisions and have a Starbucks on the corner. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/26 "2020-10-08T14:33:28Z")
I’ve lived in rural Nebraska - it’s beautiful countryside and obviously there’s lots of space. You can get various good foods straight from the farms or farmer’s markets. And I’ve met lots of extremely friendly and welcoming people. I have a lot of fond memories of living in and out of Lincoln. But then I’m a straight white man (and assumed Christian), and in practice I’ve found that the same folks can be perfectly polite to individuals to their faces but horribly bigoted about groups that they don’t belong to, in large part due to only experiencing those groups via the filter of selected media (and particularly FoxNews). And if you live there but don’t go to their church (or - worse - _any_ church), you’re going to struggle to fit in. And God help you if you don’t like college football. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.winston_oboogie/32/2945_2.png) [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Winston_OBoogie)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/27 "2020-10-08T15:01:56Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > And God help you if you don’t like college football. A friend of mine, a Nebraska graduate, said the “N” on their helmet (the most BORING helmet in sports, IMHO) stood for “Nowledge”. (pun works better if spoken) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/28 "2020-10-08T15:09:22Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > A friend of mine, a Nebraska graduate, said the “N” on their helmet (the most BORING helmet in sports, IMHO) stood for “Nowledge”. (pun works better if spoken) Yep, that’s an oldie but a goodie. In Nebraska, college football is a second religion. The triumvirate is God, Jesus and Tom Osborne. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/29 "2020-10-08T15:09:50Z")
I miss where I grew up. I want my acreage back, I want to smell new mown hay. I’m not really a social person, so living in the country would be great. But, with fewer people, you loose the anonymity of the city. When you do something stupid in small towns, everyone knows and talks about it. And if you have an asshole neighbor, you’re stuck with him. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/30 "2020-10-08T15:20:05Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > But then I’m a straight white man (and assumed Christian), and in practice I’ve found that the same folks can be perfectly polite to individuals to their faces but horribly bigoted about groups that they don’t belong to, in large part due to only experiencing those groups via the filter of selected media (and particularly FoxNews). And if you live there but don’t go to their church (or - worse - _any_ church), you’re going to struggle to fit in. We live in a relatively small town. This. When we have visitors from diverse metropolitan areas, one observation seems to break into two camps: 1. They love the homogeneity – the very narrow demographic. They’re tired of “Pressing ‘1’ for English” 2. They’re a bit disquieted by the stark lack of diversity. One termed it a “white utopia.” And it isn’t always benign. The lack of diversity has a very insidious side that comes off as judgment, bigotry, fear, and intolerance. Or worse. There are websites and videos produced by some of the few minority members of our population that detail _their_ experience of living here _as_ a minority. The majority swears it’s a “live and let live” town. I’m sure some of them truly believe that. But I think they’re mistaken. Easy access to open spaces is nice. Rarely being stuck in traffic (you can definitely get stuck because of the train). Every day logistics of movement are simpler than in a major metro area. When you live in the City, I think it’s much less attractive to “go for a drive.” We can still do that. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/31 "2020-10-08T15:29:05Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Not all of us are a bunch of red necks as some people think. I think this is an important and valid point, but … wouldn’t it be fair to say that, in a lot of these areas, the voices of dissent are so dramatically opposed and outnumbered that they tend to keep their opinions to themselves ? [Incidentally, I’m quite sure the same is true of conservatives living in overwhelmingly liberal areas] In much of rural America, I suspect there’s some risk involved to festooning your Prius with “Bernie for President” stickers 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/32 "2020-10-08T15:32:44Z")
> [@Dr.Winston\_OBoogie](#): > > > [@Gyrate](#): > > > > And God help you if you don’t like college football. > > A friend of mine, a Nebraska graduate, said the “N” on their helmet (the most BORING helmet in sports, IMHO) stood for “Nowledge”. (pun works better if spoken) These days it stands for “No Bowl Game”. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/33 "2020-10-08T15:34:22Z")
Just about everything is good about rural America except for the hypocrites. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/34 "2020-10-08T15:38:24Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > Rarely being stuck in traffic No you don’t get stuck in regular traffic. You get stuck behind old man Birdnowski pulling his 12 foot wide disk down the back road for 4 miles at 12 miles an hour, and there’s nowhere to pass or for him to pull off because the road is narrow. Been there, done that, too many times. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/35 "2020-10-08T15:41:21Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > No you don’t get stuck in regular traffic. > > You get stuck behind old man Birdnowski pulling his 12 foot wide disk down the back road for 4 miles at 12 miles an hour, and there’s no where to pass or for him to pull off because the road is narrow. been there, done that, too many times. Oh man, I’d forgotten all about that. Yeah, that’s no fun. Also, depending on where you are you’re more likely to get stuck at those train crossings waiting ages for a mile-long train to go by (I don’t know how long they really are, but some of them seemed to go on forever). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/36 "2020-10-08T15:43:00Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Oh man, I’d forgotten all about that. Yeah, that’s no fun. > > Also, depending on where you are you’re more likely to get stuck at those train crossings waiting ages for a mile-long train to go by (I don’t know how long they really are, but some of them seemed to go on forever). I think I’d still prefer that to the rush hour traffic in major metropolitan areas. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/37 "2020-10-08T15:44:02Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Oh man, I’d forgotten all about that. Yeah, that’s no fun. To be fair, I’ve been the one driving the tractor, too. I’d never get mad at them, (it is what it is) but there you are, the first car behind the machinery and five cars behind you and nothing can be done until we reach the field. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/38 "2020-10-08T15:49:48Z")
In rural Southeast PA, you also can get stuck behind Amish horse-and-buggies. One learns to be very careful driving on the backroads as you can come up on them quickly, especially at night. Thankfully, they have at least adopted reflective orange triangles for the backs of their otherwise-black buggies (presumably by law, but it’s a good law). On the upside, in Amish country you can find some absolutely excellent carpenters. I’ve lost count of the number of people who bought kitchen cabinets from them. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/39 "2020-10-08T15:57:19Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > On the upside, in Amish country you can find some absolutely excellent carpenters. I’ve lost count of the number of people who bought kitchen cabinets from them. The Amish community (Smicksburg, PA) near us is a great resource for carpentry, roofing, and general labor. They’ll team up with a non-Amish guy who drives them to jobs and negotiates prices. If I needed a barn built, I’d call contact an Amish crew. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2020, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450/40 "2020-10-08T16:00:05Z")
I grew up in a very rural area (10 miles from the nearest town), lived in an urban center (downtown Portland), and have lived in the suburbs. Of all the three, I like living in rural areas the best. I like the calm, (usually) quieter lifestyle. When I lived in downtown Portland there was always, but _always_, a lot of background noise. Some of it was neat: I lived close enough to Providence Park, where the Timbers play, that during a game I would sit out on the back porch with a coffee just to hear the distant roar of the crowd. But there was also a streetcar line next door, so every 13 minutes it would rumble by, shaking the whole building. I got used to it, but I never did like it. If I had my way, I’d live in a house in the woods, surrounded by trees and more trees with maybe a creek running nearby. No other houses for miles, no neighbors, plenty of room and space for taking long walks. I hate many of the sounds of “rural” living: kids on dirtbikes, rednecks revving their engines as they “work” on some old POS vehicle every weekend (why the fuck do they have to do that?!), dogs barking, and tractors in fields. It isn’t as bad as city living, but it still annoys me. So a totally secluded house, with no neighbors within earshot, would be absolute heaven. Not having a grocery store or Target within walking distance is completely irrelevant… we own vehicles for a reason. Amazon and Etsy takes care of the rest. This is, of course, a different animal than “rural” small town living where everybody is expected to go to church, vote Republican, drive a pickup, attend the town festivals, and similar social behaviors that are simply expected of small-town residents. I don’t go to church, I have never voted Republican in my life, drive a sedan, and have no use for community festivals, parades, and similar bull. I would quickly become a social pariah in a small town. Also, with the rise of social media, especially Facebook, there’s little privacy in small-town life. My wife grew up in a town of a couple thousand, and there is a dedicated “community watch” Facebook page for the town. Many people – perhaps most – have security cameras and absolutely love to post videos whenever someone they don’t recognize is walking down the street or standing in front of the 7-eleven or or or… there’s no real privacy and everybody is incredibly nosy. When I lived in the city the neighbors couldn’t care less who you were or what you did. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-anything-is-good-about-rural-america/922450.md?page=3)