What (if anything) is good about rural America?

In My Humble Opinion
141

I see at least half of those, and I live in Los Angeles! Squirrels, possums, raccoons, and coyotes. There are foxes around, and my neighbors have seen them, but I have only see the pictures they took. No armadillos here at all. And no deer in the city…although not that far outside.

Our condo complex has artifical streams and ponds (although very well done ones), and it attracts the raccoons. I’ve seen several in our complex, and it’s not rare to see raccoon footprints on the wooden bridges over the streams.

142

I agree with the posters that have pointed out that there are pluses and minuses to both urban and rural living and the respective populations that enjoy where they are living are the people who find the pluses outweigh the minuses.

I grew up in a very small town in the California Delta (population when I was a boy was probably less 500). I currently live in an extremely urban area (but one without skyscrapers or parking problems). My sister lives in a tiny community (less than 500) in the Emerald Triangle of Northern California and I visit her multiple time a year (in normal years).

My sister’s community doesn’t fit the midwest/eastern communities described above. As an example, her county went more strongly for Biden this year than California statewide. It has significant diversity (when she moved there, I joked that there were three demographics- rednecks, hippies, and Hells Angels. I’d add yuppies in nowadays).

Would I want to live there? Not unless they get:

Better internet. Until a few years ago, the only internet available was satellite. They now have a wireless connection to a tower on the top of the ridge, but it is still much slower than my simple cable connection in the city (but the latency has improved).

More culture, especially films and music. They have a single multiplex that only shows the latest blockbusters (in contrast, there are at least 100 screens, from independents to multiplexes, within 30 minutes of where I am now). They have a pretty decent music scene, but again, it’s an exercise in logistics getting there. There is a community college, but no real access to university seminars and symposia like the city has.

Increased ease of travel. I do a fair amount of transcontinental and international travel. I enjoy travel. LAX is 15 minutes away. To travel by air, my sister generally has to travel an hour and a half to a small regional airport with limited connections to hubs, or travel 3 hours to a major hub.

Better, and more, food. It’s a half hour to a mediocre supermarket (my cousin jokes that he won’t consider moving there until they get a Whole Foods and a Trader Joes. I have two Whole Foods and three Trader Joes within a 15 minute drive and they aren’t the most upscale markets available within that drive time). They have good restaurants, but it’s an exercise to get to them compared to what’s available where I am (I’ve tried to estimate the number of non-chain restaurants with 30 minutes of me. I gave up. It has to be in the hundreds).

These are my personal criteria, and I don’t look down on anyone (including my sister) who makes the compromises necessary to enjoy the benefits of rural living. To each their own.

143

Thing is, for a big section of rural people those aren’t compromises. Example me: I have no interest at all in any of the things you want. It’s not that I haven’t had all those things available at various times. But I simply do not care about them. Other rural people maybe don’t know what they’re missing, but I certainly do, and I don’t. Miss them.

144

Pardon my ignorance as I’m not American, but aren’t the rural areas of the U.S. is where farming happens ?

Farming = feeding high volumes of Americans.

I’d argue that would fit the “if anything” factor the OP is asking.

145

IMHO that’s the problem with rural America. By it’s nature, it would tend to attract people who have no interest in better connectivity to the rest of the world or more diverse culture. So what you get is a community with not a lot to do, full of people who don’t really care about going anywhere or doing much.

146

You say that like it’s a bad thing. If you think rural people aren’t keeping busy, you are sadly misguided. We are working, and enjoying ourselves, just fine. Our pleasures may not be yours, but that doesn’t make them illegitimate. In fact, your response is so insulting I too will bow out of this pointless thread.

147

There are different rural USA’s. I live mountain rural.

My Wife and I just turned 60, and are perfectly happy hanging out at home. I bought the place because I’m perfectly happy hanging out here. I never have a lack of things to do. It’s a bit confusing to me that people don’t like living in there own home/Apt/Abode.

But, whatever floats your boat. I have no bone to pick with people that like the city/urban life. I spent some time in Manhattan in my early 20’s, it was great. I’ve also visited central Illinois in my 20’s, it sucked.

Like @Ulfreida said, it’s not a compromise to not be surrounded by people and events, it’s a bonus.

And just to give my stats, I was born in Chicago, then lived in central Illinois rural. And then downtown Denver and suburbia Denver. I’m now back rural. My Wife and I have taken numerous road trips across the country a number of times. My Wife was an IronMan athlete so we have visited with plenty of different people from everywhere. On our last road trip (no race involved) we visited 17 states. We have been to Germany, Austria, Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica and Honduras. We aren’t world travelers, but have been around a bit. Key West is now a new favorite place to visit.

As I said, there are different rural areas. And different people living in all of them. Please don’t dismiss everyone that lives in a rural area as being behind the times (I’m a GIS professional) or some sort of rabid Trump supporter.

Most may be, but many are not.

148

Oh, please. We’re not all a bunch of hicks who sit around doing nothing all day. I can read the same books, watch the same movies and TV shows, and surf the same websites that you can. I live 30 minutes from a regional airport from which I can fly anywhere in the world. I’ve travelled to South America, Europe, Australia, and, at last count, 44 states. I also live 30 minutes from a nature preserve where I can observe herds of bison and elk. Granted, I certainly don’t have access to the number and diversity of restaurants to which you have access, but I’m guessing that the steaks I can get at my local steakhouse are just as good as yours, and a whole lot cheaper.

Oh and by the way, I am aware that “it’s” is a contraction for “it is”, and not a possessive pronoun.

149

Deleted a long post to just say - Wow.

You should get out more.

150

We have lots to do; and we care about going specific places, and doing specific things. They just may not be the places and things you’re interested in.

– I note that I’m joining a chorus here.

151

This was the most obvious fact that hit me when I visited Houston. There was a mall 500m from my hotel (in The Woodlands suburb). But to get there would have taken 5 km to walk. It was literally easier to take an Uber than walk the distance my local supermarket is from me, that I toddle off to to get bread and milk on the daily back home. The freeway and a complete lack of walkable sidewalks made it that way.

152

No, in America we don’t farm. We just sit around in the vast expanses of absolutely nothing worthwhile, picking our noses.

153

And sit and wait for Uber or UPS. Hahaahahha.

154

I didn’t say it as if it were a bad or good thing. Just the logical extension of a community where most members are indifferent to “better internet, more culture (especially films and music), increased ease of travel, and better food”. If the majority of people feel that way, then developing internet (and presumably other infrastructure), cultural diversity, access to transportation hubs, and quality cuisine are not going to be high priorities. So it’s not unreasonable to assume that those communities will tend to experience the consequences of those decisions as increased isolation, lack of cultural diversity, and mediocre food.

It can become a “bad thing” IMHO though. Like a lack of job opportunities or diversity of employment if the entire local economy is centered around farming or a few local large businesses. Or when cultural homogeny leads to xenophobia and racism.

Truth be told, I actually don’t really care about most of that stuff all that strongly. I just don’t like driving everywhere. That and having access to decent restaurants and bars.

155

Yeah, there have been more than a couple of occasions when I’ve travelled to another city and underestimated the effort required to walk to a particular location. The conversation usually starts with a group of us (typically from the greater NYC area) evaluating the Google Maps route, Uber trip estimate and other data and then trying to determine if the .25 to 1.5 mile trip is walkable or requires a car.

Then the group fragments into smaller groups Group 1 takes someone’s rental car. Group 2 summons an Uber and I usually go with the walkers Group 3.

30 minutes later, as we trek down some 6 lane highway lugging what now feels like 200 lb laptop bags, we realize the map did not adequately account for crossing some massive stack interchange or railroad viaduct or that the entrance requires walking across another half mile of busy parking lot.

Of course at no point are we obviously wrong in our decision because while we are walking, we notice that the traffic on the road has barely moved. And when we left, the Group 2 Uber team’s car has been “2 minutes away” for 15 minutes.

So oddly enough, everyone always seems to reach the destination about 10 minutes apart an hour later.

156

Actually, we’re not. We’re only indifferent (in some cases) to your version thereof.

Most people I know with bad internet connections very much want better ones. The Plain People don’t care, of course; but that’s not a city/rural issue, it’s a religious issue.

Most of us think we have great food. It may be great food that we grow ourselves, or it may just be the food we feel like eating, which may or may not be the food you feel like eating.

There is a whole lot more cultural diversity in many rural areas than you seem to think. I alone have had people living here, at various times, from three continents and of considerable variety of cultural and religious background. Some of my neighbors could beat me on that. The others aren’t remotely surprised, and almost all are perfectly happy to have that variety around. I’ve run into an occasional flat out bigot; but there seem to be plenty such in the cities, also.

Most people want “increased ease of travel”; but for some this means not having a lot of traffic, whether automotive or crowds of people on foot, to deal with. And being willing to live without decent bus and/or train service as a tradeoff for not having to deal with such congestion doesn’t mean that people wouldn’t like to have it; it means that it’s not considered economical to provide it, and/or that it’s not possible to provide it without creating the congestion.

– as far as trying to get around on foot in suburbs, villages, and cities: for a number of years this wasn’t a factor in municipal planning at all in most of the USA; everything was designed for cars. Lately, many have concluded that that was a bad idea; and now “walkability” is the big thing in planning, in municipalities of a lot of different sizes. We’re still stuck with a lot of the old layout, of course; it’s often very difficult and expensive to change.

157

“Better Internet, better food, more culture (films and music), easier travel…”

Most rural communities want premium Internet. The fact they often do not get it is not their fault. They use it as much as anyone else, as able.

Better food - when I lived in a small town, it had a (I) real butcher (ii} place which made its own extremely good butter, cream, cheese and ice cream (iii) good bakery — it just had three fast food restaurants and a variety of other ones: but they included one of the best restaurants I know, a great chippy and a place where you could get four huge bags of “Chinese food” for thirty bucks. No, it lacked pho, sushi and great pizza. But in total, food was good and fresh produce cheap.

More culture? Internet basically equals movies, so no problem there. Only one cinema but above average. Some big summer concerts and festivals within 90 minutes.

Easier travel? You got used to driving distance, but the airport wasn’t that far away. It’s worse in my medium city.

Rural communities differ a lot. Many exceed the narrow expectations listed.

158

That’s cool. In my own experience, I’ve seen more critters roaming around out in rural areas moreso than when I lived around Atlanta.

159

Internet at our house is non-existent unless I use a satellite service which is expensive and poor quality for what we need. I used dial-up for a while but don’t even bother with it now. Also it would be nice to not have to drive 2 miles to get a cell signal (although it’s an improvement from 5 or so years ago). We can deal with no internet for a few days but work and school are impossible. 24 years ago when we bought the land I assumed - naively it turned out - that these wouldn’t be problems for long.

160

Hopefully Starlink or other satellite based internet services will help you out with that.

Don’t know about price, but the quality should be much better than your current offerings.