It’s difficult to say if long-standing problems in the US economy can be quickly fixed via deregulation, cutting taxes, and various attempts to lure businesses to be more productive and competitive.
In the meantime, individuals must still figure out ways to survive in these times of quasi-economic crash. Until the population of rural areas increases to a level that isn’t sustainable, relocating from urban to rural may be a good idea. Here are 5 keys to making a successful transition from urban to rural living.
Key #1: Learn How to Live and Cope with Living Outside of a City
In cities, sirens blaring, lights flashing and other signs of human activity are normal around the clock. You can also get food or just about anything else within a matter of minutes of deciding to order it or go buy it. When you live in a rural area, you may have to travel several miles just to get to a gas station with limited other items.
How to adjust:
- Be prepared for changes in your surroundings that may make you feel uncomfortable. This will pass within a few days to a few weeks.
- Start from now to limit shopping excursions and online purchases.
- Look at store distances and typical items carried in rural stores. Make a list of things you use often that may not be as readily available on demand.
Key # 2: Understand Social, Religious, and Political Expectations
When you go to a rural area, you will find that society is very different. People there have ancestors that go back multiple generations.
Don’t expect to fit into that just because you live in the area. Even if something doesn’t make sense to you or seems outdated, it is important to realize this is what has worked for the local people and has time-tested survival value.
One of the most important binding elements in rural areas are the churches. They provide an essential common ground for meeting others and forming friendships and connections. That all being said, just because a church is in the area, that doesn’t mean its congregation is on good terms with others.
Before you choose a rural community, find out what you can about relationships between the different congregations. If you are in a minority group that has a bad reputation or you don’t belong to a church, it is best to look elsewhere.
Politics is another area where you may have a hard time fitting in. It’s not so much that people in rural areas don’t have diverse views. The challenge is they don’t know you and don’t know how you will respond. Pushing different views on one hand or trying to virtue signal on the other might appear disruptive.
How to adjust:
- Don’t expect rural people to change just because you think they should.
- You must find a way to develop good relationships with the people around you. It has to be almost like an extended family, even if you may not be included in certain events.
- You must learn to share and share alike when hard times come.
- Get a letter of introduction from your local church.
- Save your political views for the ballot box.
Key # 3: Choose a Climate and Geographic Region
The United States is a vast country with many climates and regions. At first, you might think you would prefer a climate and region that closely matches where you live now. It is still important to consider other regions and climate combinations, as they may have more to offer than you realize. Even though there will be more adjustments to manage, it may be worth it in the long run.
Essentials to Look For:
- It will be to your advantage to choose a region and climate that best meets your food interests. For example, if you mainly eat fish or seafood, coastal areas or land by a river might be your best option. If you prefer meat, mountain regions or other places where you can farm animals or hunt might be more suitable.
- After you choose a region and climate, look at different areas to determine if you can live off the land or fit into a community that mainly produces its food locally. If the rivers are polluted or the soil is worn out, this might not be a good area for you to move to.
- Another vital factor to consider is how you will get potable water. If you are interested in farming, pay careful attention to the water source for irrigation.
If you discover the water comes from underground aquifers, you will need to do some research on how quickly it is being replenished versus how much is being drawn on a routine basis.
The last thing you want is water restrictions during a drought that leave you and your family dependent on water that is regulated so that your crops die out while big industries and businesses get first priority.
Key # 4: Address Moving, Cost of Living, and Income Concerns
Even a move to a location near your current home can be exhausting and stressful. Moving to a different area with different ways to meet basic needs can be even more complicated. Now is the time to think about how you will get to your new location, what you will take along, and how you will manage the cost of living in the new area.
How to Adjust:
- Look at Craigslist, Freecycle, and other locality based swap sites for the area where you intend to move. This will give some ideas about things people commonly buy or use in their homes.
From there, you can look at what you have and decide what you will be best served by not bringing along. For example, if you are looking at areas where electricity and other commercial power sources are unstable, it may not make much sense to bring along appliances that use a lot of power. You can save yourself some money on transport and also try to sell these items now so you have extra money to move.
- This is also a good time to get rid of things you haven’t used in years, or that are no longer useful. If you have sentimental items, you may want to distribute them to relatives or others who might want them.
- Insofar as the cost of living, you can look at the tax base, prospective growth agendas, crime rates, and other data related to this topic for each locality of interest to you.
Remember to look at climate risk estimates for nearby areas and how that may impact where you plan to move. Even if many of those regulation-escalated costs disappear for the next four years, that doesn’t mean they will stay gone, especially if climate disasters increase in frequency and magnitude.
- If you don’t have a pension or some other income that isn’t dependent on current labor, you will be best served by securing a job before you actually move to the new area. If you have a home-based business, you must make sure you can transfer the company and meet client needs while moving.
Key #5: Get to Know the Area in Real Life
Now is the time to physically visit these rural areas. You will need to meet and greet with the residents of these areas to see if you can live there peacefully.
How to Adjust:
If you need to find a job in the new area, travelling for interviews will give you a perfect time to see the area and get to know people in real life. Try to schedule your interviews on a Friday or Monday so that you have the weekend to look around and experience the people and locality for yourself. This is also a perfect time to bring along any family members that will be living with you.
Even if you don’t need to look for a job, visit the area at least 3 or 4 times and spend a few days there each time so that you have a good sense of how your online research matches up with the actual people.
It is also very important to learn from the local people about government and other concerns. In particular, any new zoning measures, planned improvements, and proposed regulatory burdens. This isn’t a time to talk about your views. Rather, this is a time to listen and think about the views of the local people.
Here are some other questions to keep in mind:
- If you have children, will their social and educational needs be met?
- How do other people in the area meet travel needs? Can you do what they do, or learn how?
To keep your family safe from the fallout of an economic crash, you must begin your plan of action just before it happens. Moving to a rural area may solve some financial problems, but others may come up over time. If you are convinced that moving is the best option, you can use these five keys to give you a beginning place to put your plans into action.
