If you moved to the country, what do you wish you’d known first?

Josh CentersContributor - June 26, 2020

Advice

Hi folks, I just published my guide on things to expect if you’re moving to the country from the city. If you’ve made the move, what do you wish you’d known first?

https://theprepared.com/blog/pandemic-panic-and-moving-to-the-country/

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It’s similar in spirit to the “don’t try to make your new area exactly like your old area”, but I notice people don’t understand the tradeoffs that come with / without a Homeowner’s Association. Yes, HOAs can be a real pain in the ass, but being able to do what you want in the country without an HOA also means your neighbor can do what they want. If you’re particularly bothered by people having old cars on the lot, “compounds” of multiple shacks/trailers/etc, odd houses, livestock, and so on, consider finding an area that still has some CCRs or other zoning laws for the major issues.

 

Some very rural areas are moving to an “HOA model” with hefty fines and jail time for the folks who have old cars and trailers. 🙁

 

Word. HOAs maintain a certain standard, but they’re also very limiting.

There will always be tradeoffs.

 

I loved your blog!

I wish I had known more about how your own attitude towards nature and wildlife can change rapidly once you are actually surrounded by them on a daily basis. Before I moved out here, I really thought I could manage rodent infestations with peppermint oil and Have-A-Heart traps. I also seriously thought I could prevent ticks from crawling all over us by just using 100% holistic methods like mowing and spraying essential oils. Worse, I smugly looked down on people who would dare use any pesticides or kill methods for pest species – I thought they were ignorant, lazy, cruel, or just hated the planet. After all, these things worked fine in our highly developed suburb right? Then I moved out here and all of a sudden it was like the forest was actively trying to reclaim our yard and home by sending hordes of creatures into it. Things got so bad we had mice chewing the wiring behind our outlets and there were so many ticks in our yard I couldn’t even let my kids play on the lawn 10ft from the house. Needless to say, my attitudes towards pest management have changed a bit.

 

Yep, it can force you to become practical real quick. I use organic methods when they work, but I also just spread a bunch of rat poison around my out-building because the mice were chewing up everything and pooping on it. And a lot of people who grew up in nature grow contemptuous of it. I have a buddy who doesn’t think twice about dumping stuff in the woods and shooting every stray dog that wanders onto his property.

 

When I got married 43 years ago, I wished I learned how to survive in the woods. Surprisingly my late husband taught me all I needed to know. The mountains was his childhood backyard.

He taught me how to make a small shelter from fallen branches, including an off-the-ground bed to minimize getting ground soaked. I know how to start a fire in the rain, and how to use a crayon to get a fire started. A crayon lasts about a good 20-30 minutes for heating and cooking.

He taught me fishing, hunting, properly skinning, tanning, and making a small trap for catching small game or birds. He also taught us how to ride horses in the woods, dirt bike riding, and utility 4-wheelers. He always believed that women are much more than a “pretty face”. They can do almost anything a man can do, and need to be respected for that.

He also taught both our daughters these very same things, and self defense. 

I will never forget my late husband. Hugs to you all.

 

Can’t think of a single thing I wish I knew first.  Guess maybe I knew what to expect.  Folks on our country lane mostly keep to themselves but will always offer help if needed.  I like being left alone, so having such neighbors is great.  If a cow gets thru a fence and is grazing in our front yard, a simple phone call gets that taken care of.  My neighbor’s kids never come on our property without asking permission… even if a ball lands in our yard.  I knew country folk like their guns so it was no shock when the next door neighbors would start shooting but never at odd times to be a nuisance.

I knew going in I couldn’t just pick up the phone & order pizza to be delivered.  I knew internet speed would suck, so no big shock & just waiting for Elon Musk’s Starlink to go active in the next year or two.  I knew Walmart would be our go to store and knew if we wanted fine dining, it would be an hour’s drive.  I knew we would have basic medical care & if needed some specialist, they would be an hour away.

I don’t regret moving to the country one bit but have no problem believing it ain’t for everyone.  If you are considering a move to the country, do your research & be realistic.

 

I missed this post when it was first posted and I’m very happy it was re-ignited.  Great overview, I agree very much with it.  One thing I’d add, from the perspective of prepping, would be an awareness that while you might be leaving some threats behind in the big city, you are introducing a whole new list of potential threats you’ll need to deal with, such as forest and wildfires, potential flash flooding, weather-related hazards, and so forth.  Of course this will be largely dependent on your geographical location, but in the American Mountain West for instance, I’m starting to think we’re safer in cities.

Something many are not aware of is just how manufactured our urban landscapes are.  Once you live where things like storm water control are not present, you quickly realize how 100+ years of urban development has worked out so many kinks that most citizens don’t have to think about it. 

A big rain can easily take out a culvert or wash out a roadway, which can cut off your access to civilization.  And then of course there are simple things like snow-removal, which is pretty much a DIY project for anyone not on a major roadway.  And at this point I don’t think I even need to mention fires.  The past few years have been horrifying…