Surprise Surprise People are leaving the Cities in Droves

a reply to: stonerwilliam

LOL! One way to know you’re not wanted!

I was born over on your side of the pond. North Yorkshire. I’m not against people moving to other places, obviously. I do think when a person moves to another area they shouldn’t try and change it but rather move there to enjoy what it already offers.

a reply to: NorthOfStuff


. White settlers is the saying up north funny as hell thinking about that now .

I live in a town that has just north of 25,000 people. I feel it has the best of both worlds - downtown a 2 minute drive or 15 minute walk away, very much thriving with many successful small businesses. It’s quiet and peaceful here. I’m so glad I was able to buy my first home here at the age of 54. I’ve been able to make good friends with many of my neighbors, and we look out for each other. I served in the Navy eight years active duty and 12 years in the reserves. I’ve lived in the biggest city I’ve ever lived in, Yokosuka Japan, and loved it. Now that I’m older, I prefer the small town vibe. I do like to occasionally visit bigger cities like Milwaukee WI, my hometown, and Chicago sometimes. But the town I live in now is my forever home. It’s not political for me. The town I live in now is conservative, and I’m a dedicated liberal. People still treat me nice despite that. It’s just the nice vibe a small town gives off for me.

a reply to: Edumakated

That's exactly what my wife and I did right before the pandemic. We bought ten acres in rural Western SC and got out of the city. It's been life-altering in almost every fashion; much easier to sleep, don't have to worry about cars being broken into, no package thieves, etc. Yes, I miss some of the restaurants, but that's about it. Everything else, except some access to doctors, which does kind of suck, is quite wonderful.

a reply to: Hypntick

I remember having a sort of deep conversation with mate years back, on the average workday of a hunter-gatherer it was something like twenty hours a week. We were working about fifty, and just about making ends meet. Then I thought about what I was spending all the money on, rent power, car to get to work, smoke beer and that was about it. If I had a bit of land , I could grow my own baccy or whatever herb took my fancy, have a garden raise a few chickens and would be benefiting from modern knowledge, which meant those hours that the hunter-gatherer spent would shrink even further. We were being conned.But since then I have seen a lot of people including myself getting organized. Take the guy who delivered the firewood. We had a bit of a chat and he said he had the most massive grocery bill ever last week, he had spent 67 dollars at the supermarket for himself and his wife. He has gas cooking and solar panels , the water supply is from his roof. The thing is being off-grid is easy these days as the tech is there, all you have to do is organize your personal infrastructure.

originally posted by: Hypntick
a reply to: Edumakated

That's exactly what my wife and I did right before the pandemic. We bought ten acres in rural Western SC and got out of the city. It's been life-altering in almost every fashion; much easier to sleep, don't have to worry about cars being broken into, no package thieves, etc. Yes, I miss some of the restaurants, but that's about it. Everything else, except some access to doctors, which does kind of suck, is quite wonderful.

Yeah, that is what I love about country living. You can sleep with windows and doors open and not have to worry about thieves and burglars. Instead of hearing sirens and seeing lights at night, you see stars and hear crickets. Very peaceful.

The downside is that amenities are not as convenient. My wife's biggest argument is she wants to be near top notch medical care which she doesn't believe would be available in the areas I favor for our country retirement home.

Hopefully, we will be in a position to have best of both worlds.

originally posted by: anonentity
a reply to: Hypntick

I remember having a sort of deep conversation with mate years back, on the average workday of a hunter-gatherer it was something like twenty hours a week. We were working about fifty, and just about making ends meet. Then I thought about what I was spending all the money on, rent power, car to get to work, smoke beer and that was about it. If I had a bit of land , I could grow my own baccy or whatever herb took my fancy, have a garden raise a few chickens and would be benefiting from modern knowledge, which meant those hours that the hunter-gatherer spent would shrink even further. We were being conned.But since then I have seen a lot of people including myself getting organized. Take the guy who delivered the firewood. We had a bit of a chat and he said he had the most massive grocery bill ever last week, he had spent 67 dollars at the supermarket for himself and his wife. He has gas cooking and solar panels , the water supply is from his roof. The thing is being off-grid is easy these days as the tech is there, all you have to do is organize your personal infrastructure.

There is a funny cartoon I saw once.

It was a picture of a guy on a very small boat fishing in a rural area. Some guy in a suit approaches and tells him he can grow his fishing into a big business. It showed him growing the company and working a lot. At the end, he then turns around and sells the company. Then he retires and is back fishing on a small boat in a rural area.

The point was why do all that work if the end game is the same.

a reply to: JAGStorm

A good part of it is what I see happening here in my own community. We loved this town. Ten years ago it was the place to be, in our opinion. Today all we want is out. We don't like the place at all any more and its not nearly as safe as it used to be.

The demographics started changing ten years ago. We started seeing a big increase in minorities, especially muslim. Live and let live, and all that, right? Well there is plenty of aggression around here and its not coming from us. Our new townsfolk are rude and nasty as hell. I could write for hours on the crap I have witnessed with my own eyes. So, white flight began and continued to gain speed. Tax revenue fell. We used to get rebates on local taxes, they are gone now. Taxes have gone up. More people are leaving.

What to do about it? Our local government decided the best plan was to create a section 8 housing block since $1000 of every $1400 in rent comes from the federal government. Its guaranteed income. Guess what happened? Crime went up dramatically, and white flight is happening faster than ever. They sealed their fate. Its just a race to leave now. This town will be a ghetto within the next ten years, if that.

Of course I know not everyone from those neighborhoods is a criminal. But the problem is you don't know who is and who isn't, but you know for sure some of them are. The violence is real and it is happening at an ever increasing rate in our little community. The only answer for many is to just leave. Its sad.

a reply to: Edumakated

Unfortunately, the healthcare argument is a strong one, especially as none of us are getting younger. We help take care of my disabled father, so there are some long drives to doctor appointments. He was in an apartment in the city (not one close to us, but that's an argument for another day) and just sat inside most of the time. He wanted cheap rent, and unfortunately, those areas were not the best, so he got what he paid for, just not what he expected. He had his car vandalized, mail was stolen, and some sketchy situations in his apartment community as well.

We were across town in a much nicer area; it was about a decade ago; it's since gone downhill a good bit. Industrial park close by, new apartments constantly going up, on the approach path to the airport, not far from the interstate, so road noise became a concern as they removed trees. We started to experience some of the same issues he did but were paying another $1400 a month in rent. Nothing went perfect with our home build, but we have it and are mostly settled. We've been working on raised beds, solar setups, looking into chickens, and various other homestead-type activities. We have been talking with the neighbors who are country folks, farmers, or former city transplants like us; it's been a wonderful experience with the people in the area.

I do feel a little late to the party on this, yet I also think of family and friends that still live in various cities across the country and realize just how far ahead of the curve we are should society decide to implode one day.

Here in Chicago, some neighborhoods are hiring their own police forces.

This article may be behind a paywall, but article in Wall Street Journal today...

In Chicago, Wealthy Neighborhoods Hiring Private Police

CHICAGO—Alarmed by growing numbers of carjackings and other street crimes, several neighborhoods on Chicago’s affluent North Side have signed up for patrols by armed off-duty police officers to create what some security companies are calling virtual gated communities.

Stuff like this doesn't bode well for cities. Here in Chicago, you have feral teen youths terrorizing downtown areas that depend on tourists and areas where wealthy productive citizens live.

Honestly I have lived out in the country for almost 30 years. I small farm now. I really truly do not want to have city mentality brought out into the "sticks" or anywhere near me. There is a different culture out here and we like it that way. There are different set of rules and respect out in the country life then in the city. For some of the folks moving out into the less crowded areas, they are in for a culture shock of their lives. Others might pick it up quite easily enough as it is. But hey to each their own as long as they leave others alone.

a reply to: HarlokOmega

There is a different culture out here and we like it that way. There are different set of rules and respect out in the country life then in the city.

#1 RESPECT private property! Even if people have lots of land, that does not mean you are allowed to walk on it, pick flowers, pick crops, take photos for tik tok.

Honestly I have lived out in the country for almost 30 years. I small farm now. I really truly do not want to have city mentality brought out into the "sticks" or anywhere near me.

a reply to: HarlokOmega

Same here, a few ultra conservatives just bought homes in my village and ran for mayor and city counsel; hoping they could ride the trump train into office. Didn't work, humiliated in fact. They ran on the anti weed ticket, trying to control what people wanted to grow in their gardens. Locals laughed in their faces, and now their kids are pariahs in school. Wasn't their fault!!