Leaving the City

RachelWrites
RachelWrites Posts: 20 ✭✭✭

I’m sure I’m not the only one looking to trade city life for something more private and peaceful right now.

What steps are you taking or what can I do in the mean time to prepare myself for the transition?

For now, I’m growing in containers, doing a lot of reading and researching, and getting other areas of my life in order.

Comments

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,576 admin

    @Mary Linda Bittle Perfect advice!

  • MelissaLynne
    MelissaLynne Posts: 205 ✭✭✭

    Great advice from others! I’d recommend getting comfortable with firearms and having something for protection when you do move more remote. Depends where you are, but like Judson said, it can take a very long time for police or emergency response. I lived most of my life in Seattle, but now live very rural-40 miles to town & the grocery store. I hadn’t realized that I would need to carry a gun while walking in my own yard, but several cougar encounters have made it very clear that it is foolhardy not to carry. Hopefully you don’t have to defend yourself & property often, but you need to be prepared to.

  • RustBeltCowgirl
    RustBeltCowgirl Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Welcome @RachelWrites

    I understand what you doing, I'm just a few steps ahead of you in my planning. In your research, are you looking at where you'd like to go? Start saving and thinking about "research" trips to those areas when travel opens up more.

  • Hassena
    Hassena Posts: 345 ✭✭✭

    Hey there @RachelWrites

    Three years ago we moved from central Phoenix to Western NC, we live outside of a small town with about 600 people in town. We take our trash in too. Definitely helps to be aware of waste.

    Before the moved I studied the crafts of farming. By volunteering and taking classes. I also worked in horticulture (10+years), so i was familiar with equipment, chainsaws to tractors. That was helpful.

    If you want to live in the country for a garden? for animals? Understand the cost of fencing, feed and time. It's all about what your goals are. Starting a small farm or purchasing one with existing fencing is ideal. Our goat barn, fence and goats cost around $2000.

    It's good to look at an area during the winter time. You'll get a better view of neighbors then. :) Piles of junk, trash and such is more visible without leaves on things.

    Guns are a part of country living. Your neighbors might do target practice. You will hear them. Since I heard gunshots often in Phoenix, it doesn't bother me to hear them here. Lots of people hunt around us, but we don't let them on our land. Liability and we have a lot of critters. Goats, chickens, dogs and kids. I have a 22 rifle, it's all I need. From potential coyotes, pack of feral dogs or something else knowing how to use a gun is a good skill. We did have a few stray dogs and cats causing issues. Well place warning shots was all that was needed.

    What surprised us the most was the cost of everything. We didn't move out here with a large sum of money or tons of equipment. We had to purchase everything; wood stove (house had no heat or air) riding a mower, gas weed eater, chainsaw (we heated with just wood the first two years).

    We had to find jobs out here too...that's been difficult. We are changing our plans to primarily homesteading to creating a business plan for some products.

    The fact that you are asking this questions, shows you are a critical thinker. You'll be fine, it'll be fun and sometimes frustrating. 💩

  • RachelWrites
    RachelWrites Posts: 20 ✭✭✭

    Thanks for the thoughtful responses everyone! I really appreciate it! Good advice.

    @LaurieLovesLearning I am trying to get specific with the plan, but it’s still a “dream” at this point. I’m just trying to speed up the process while still being sensible. I tend to move slowly on decisions in general so actually posting about my intentions is helpful in itself.

    @Mary Linda Bittle Love the advice about one thing at a time. I think I will drill down on earning, gardening, and shooting even before I do the moving. (@MelissaLynne 👍)

    Such good stuff everyone! I’m writing from my phone right now so I’m keeping it short, but I will update you if I have milestones on this! Hopefully this thread can be helpful to others too. And I’m sure I’ll be back with more questions.

  • COWLOVINGIRL
    COWLOVINGIRL Posts: 954 ✭✭✭✭

    RachelWrites I am leaving a link to a podcast that I think would help you a lot. This lady has a great podcast but what I think would help you is the series she just started doing with her sister who also just moved to the country! I am going to leave the links to the episodes in the series, which just started by the way!

    #1-

    #2-

    HOPE THIS HELPS!

  • stephanie447
    stephanie447 Posts: 404 ✭✭✭

    Are you looking to go full rural or just away from a big city such as a smaller city or suburb?

  • RachelWrites
    RachelWrites Posts: 20 ✭✭✭

    @COWLOVINGIRL thanks! Will check those out!

    @stephanie447 full time rural I think, as I already live at the edge of suburbs bordering foothills, but it doesn’t seem like enough nature immersion. I could possibly settle for outskirts with zoning permitting animals, as I don’t have that option now, but really looking for open spaces.

    Goals: more nature and feeling of space and away from hectic pace of life. Working more for survival than for money and doing more hands-on work instead of in an office or online. That’s the dream anyway. I know it’s still a lot of work.

  • moreyshadypines
    moreyshadypines Posts: 72 ✭✭✭

    Thank you for all the solid advice from the community to a great question. I've been homesteading for 25+ years - just reading these suggestions helped to remind myself about priorities. I've made plenty of mistakes - I like experimenting. Mistakes are okay, if #1 you can afford them, and #2 you learn from them. One sure thing is no one will value the effort and cost you put into making food, preserves or raising livestock. If you are going to sell products to support yourself, price them accordingly. If you sell 5 items at a respectable price you can make a business, if you sell 10 items at a cut throat rate - you will go out of business. No one should work for free. That's my tip of the day - been there, done that. :)

  • kchiarini
    kchiarini Posts: 66 ✭✭✭

    @RachelWrites , you are my idol! I live in a big city (NY! - can't get too much bigger than that!), and I would love to say goodnight to it. I just don't have the guts...or maybe I just haven't reached my tolerance level - which we all have! My advice to you: be proud that you are taking the plunge. I know many people who have done it and no one has regretted leaving. They just make a specific plan first - what is most important to them in their new location, i.e. temperature, space, living close but not too close to civilization, etc. Be kind to yourself - and meditate to get through it. There are really no wrong decisions. All actions are a stepping stone to where we ultimately belong. Good luck to you, and again, I'm proud...and a little envious you have the guts to do it!

  • ieducate2008
    ieducate2008 Posts: 40 ✭✭✭

    If you've never lived in a rural setting, I would suggest renting a place first. This way, you can decide if it's really for you. Don't sell your urban home. Rent it until you absolutely know you want to make the leap.

  • Annie Kate
    Annie Kate Posts: 680 ✭✭✭✭

    So much good advice here! Learning to grow things, to shoot, to be self-sufficient medically are all important. I would also learn some handyman skills, invest in a few good books, make sure to keep healthy (can't do this thing well if you are ill), and then try it out as @ieducate2008 says. Maybe for holidays or something, just to see if it will work for you.

  • Karen luihn
    Karen luihn Posts: 53 ✭✭✭

    We are considering doing this as well. It’s new territory for me and my husband because we've always lived in a big city but I dream of a homestead somewhere . Were not Starting as young as we probably should have but love the encouragement found here❤️

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @BeeJoyful ,

    Consider whether you might prefer a small town instead of going all-out rural. You can get many of the standard city services (water, septic, fast Internet, trash collection, nearby stores) that you are used to having in a small town, but get away from many of the problems of the big city.

    Definitely check out the laws of the small towns you consider. Some will be very loose about permits, keeping laying hens in the back yard, and generally let you do what you want. Others will harass you for not conforming to the standard suburban lifestyle. But by and large, small towns tend to be more relaxed about rules than cities are.

    Going deep rural will be a very big change for you if you decide to go that route. Be cautious and take your time planning and deciding.

    I grew up rural. My parents owned a home on acreage with well water, a backyard septic tank, a big garden, and a wood stove in the living room. But now my husband and I live on acreage on the edge of a small town. We own more land than my parents did, have a woodstove in the basement den, town water, town septic, garden beds in the front yard with no problems, trash and recycling pick-up, would even be allowed to have chickens if we wanted. Yet a major grocery store is only 10 minutes away by car; for my parents rural home, the grocery store was a 20-minute drive each way.

    We have a very nice balance at our home.

    That's one other to think about. Rural culture is car-centric. Everybody drives everywhere because of the longer distances. If you've lived in the city, you may be used to walking to stores. You would need to adjust.

    Best of luck whatever you decide!