Maine is particularly affected. They have the oldest demographics. One town, Lime, disbanded its police force.
Would you move to rural America?
Personally, I'm just more of a city person. I can visit rural America, but not live there.
Rural America is cash strapped and in need of workers
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Maine is particularly affected. They have the oldest demographics. One town, Lime, disbanded its police force.
Would you move to rural America?
Personally, I'm just more of a city person. I can visit rural America, but not live there.
Moving to a bigger city than the one I grew up in was just about the best thing to ever happen to me. I can barely imagine going back to a >100,000 person town, much less a full-on rural setting.
I am from rural America. I grew up in a town of 500 people, we had one cop when I was a kid and it has zero cops now. Mayor was the only elected position. Everything else was done in the larger city in the county, 30 miles away.
They town is still dying and no one can find work there.
They town is still dying and no one can find work there.
If I have an AC and great internet, I could live almost anywhere.
But I do want good/decent pay, for the place to not be full of crime, and to live in a progressive place as well, I'm LGBT.
So make all of that happen and yeah sure.
Edit: I also don't want to have to drive, I don't want to have to own a car.
But I do want good/decent pay, for the place to not be full of crime, and to live in a progressive place as well, I'm LGBT.
So make all of that happen and yeah sure.
Edit: I also don't want to have to drive, I don't want to have to own a car.
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I live in North Dakota and all our cities are having worker shortages.
A big problem is a lot of graduates are getting degrees in industries that don't have much footprint here, so they go to a different state for better opportunities. Can't say I blame them.
Also because ND is super red and the Republicans here don't do shit
A big problem is a lot of graduates are getting degrees in industries that don't have much footprint here, so they go to a different state for better opportunities. Can't say I blame them.
Also because ND is super red and the Republicans here don't do shit
I've been reading a lot of climate related literature recently. And the idea of just completely rewilding and abandoning vast swathes of land should be much more meaningfully discussed than it currently is.
Not just a few acres here and there. Entire states should be returned to nature.
Not just a few acres here and there. Entire states should be returned to nature.
I live in a rural area and from what I've seen nobody in rural areas wants to pay enough for people to live so businesses close and nothing opens up. There's a lot of under the table work going on to keep things afloat. If there's a town that needs a finance director, if they offer 80k a year someone will take the job.
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I'm guessing stuff like programming and tech? Yeah, there's a big rural brain drain due to that.
Plus there's a big rite of passage of moving to a bigger city if you're from a small one. You want adventure. That's a hard pull.
You know what might help rebuild parts of rural America?
Idk, perhaps an influx of labor. Maybe you know people coming from deeply unsafe and impoverished countries that look up to achieving the so-called American Dream?
Or, perhaps, some major investments in universal healthcare and, OMG, government run hospitals like Australia has. Since healthcare profitability in rural areas is rare and people are less likely to have full coverage.
Maybe we could also invest in things like broadband internet and municipal fiber? That way more people can work from home without issues and do so without being gouged by monopolistic companies.
Speaking of, maybe we should let more people work from home? You know, cause then the US's white collar workforce doesn't need to coalesce all into a handful of major cities and their suburbs.
I could list about a dozen more, but what is the point? Cause to do this rural states and cities would need to abandon Republicans….but alas, far too many of them prefer politicians trying to make life harder for the "others" instead of making life better for everyone……
Idk, perhaps an influx of labor. Maybe you know people coming from deeply unsafe and impoverished countries that look up to achieving the so-called American Dream?
Or, perhaps, some major investments in universal healthcare and, OMG, government run hospitals like Australia has. Since healthcare profitability in rural areas is rare and people are less likely to have full coverage.
Maybe we could also invest in things like broadband internet and municipal fiber? That way more people can work from home without issues and do so without being gouged by monopolistic companies.
Speaking of, maybe we should let more people work from home? You know, cause then the US's white collar workforce doesn't need to coalesce all into a handful of major cities and their suburbs.
I could list about a dozen more, but what is the point? Cause to do this rural states and cities would need to abandon Republicans….but alas, far too many of them prefer politicians trying to make life harder for the "others" instead of making life better for everyone……
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Grew up in them and I've been living in a town of about 700 people for the past 7 years, so I'm used to it.
There's some downsides like I gotta drive 15 miles to do shopping, but my rent and utilities are cheap ($400 a month total) and it's quiet and crime-free.
There's some downsides like I gotta drive 15 miles to do shopping, but my rent and utilities are cheap ($400 a month total) and it's quiet and crime-free.
If only there were people, maybe across the border, wanting to come here to work and just have a peaceful life who could live and work in these places. Yes, if only...
And no I wouldn't move to rural America even if I retained my salary, at least at my current age. Just not enough to do.
And no I wouldn't move to rural America even if I retained my salary, at least at my current age. Just not enough to do.
I think what gets overlooked is that generally, they want to. Even without RTO, people are going to want to be in proximity of cities because cities have stuff in them.
Progressive NIMBYs already stymie change in cities already, this would end up happening in rural towns too.
Rural America had at least decades to change course, but they stubbornly refused. Instead, they'd rather believe the lies the GOP tells tell to make them feel better about not changing and sttagnating. All the while their towns continue to decay and young people continue to avoid like the plague or desperately try to escape from the second they turn 18.
I live in a town of about 17,000 and we have a big college student population. I quite enjoy it because it feels like I can get the pleasures of a small town while still having a lot of the amenities of a proper city. The issue with towns that are a lot smaller is that they feel unsustainable just due to population.
Sure, people(I'm one of them ) want to live near cities and such.
The thing is though more WFH also means smaller office footprints and that means that you could(and yes I understand the expenses involved) retrofit more buildings to be condos/apartments etc.
Most of what I am saying would need some national investments, and the deeply non-representative senate is the main impediment, and sure you will have nimby's, but I don't think much of what I suggested besides immigrants would be unwelcome.
People love having access to healthcare, love broadband internet, love seeing their property values go up, but what you say is also part of my point. A lot of these places are dying because Republicans don't actually care or have answers for how to help them.
Bold of rural america to complain about a labor shortage while simultaneously actively campaigning to deport the workers they rely on. Like that's basic cause and effect right there.
As someone who lives in a town of 5,000 and works in a city of about 50,000, yeah this is true. I have no desire to move though, but I'm white and cis-presenting which probably goes a ways.
Yup. There's plenty of solutions but it's just that sociopolitically they aren't feasible in red states because of ignorance. I always find it fascinating how lot's of 'dead' towns in upstate NY have had a huge immigration influx to help revitalize them.
Opinion: How immigrants sparked an upstate resurgence
Rochester, Syracuse, Utica and other cities have come roaring back – and none of this would have been possible without new immigrants arriving in our communities.
www.cityandstateny.com
Obviously not without their issues
Utica's Karen community calls for change after fatal police shooting
Members of the Karen community in Utica, N.Y., said they're hoping for changes "right away" following the fatal police shooting of 13-year-old Nyah Mway. WKTV's Ben Kinne reports.
www.nbcnews.com
I would love to downgrade my life and maybe give a more rural living a try for a couple of years; but the problem is I am black so...
Tech, nursing, and business management were the most popular degrees here last I checked.
Keep in mind our biggest city is only like 140k so you're gonna find better opportunities (and higher wages) in other Midwest cities.
Weird how the people who could help solve the problem are the people the residents (generally) don't want in the country, much less their town.
Yeah it seems obvious to welcome in immigrants. Your kids are bailing as soon as they can so get some people who would be very happy living there.
All I'm driving at is that people want the amenities and services that come with transformative change, but don't want the transformative change.
Absolutely not. I moved away from rural America because it doesn't have what I need to support myself. There are no bus systems to get around because I can't drive. There are no support groups for LGBTQ folks like me. There are few job opportunities for what I can do. I'd be cut off from essential healthcare I need to live as well, as I'd have to take trips to the major cities anyhow for the care I need.
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The big issue with rural America is that since they don't get lots of migration, the locals develop a stasis of sorts. They are not exposed to new ideas, people and outlooks.
They only know their brand of white, Christian conservativism and struggle to be more accepting of a pluralistic society. The world changed. But there's this obsession with nostalgia in these communities.
I mean, you're right, though this is nation-wide honestly. How many people in cities bemoan neighbourhoods changing because white collar workers wanted to live there too and "ruined" it.
Yeah, I've seen this happen to my small town over the past...gosh, decade-sh. Unfortunately I'm not sure how it'll stop. Most of the people that have moved here are retired folks. I'm hoping to move in the next year. I'm kinda scared since I've always lived in a small town, but I can't shake the feeling that I'm just waiting to die here.
There is a not small segment of America (mostly white) who is fine with suffering and barely making it as long as it means non white people are also hurt. We black folk have known this for generations. They will self sabotage themselves to see us "not get anything" and vote against their best interest to spite us.
This is neither new nor exclusive to America. The trend of urbanization has been well-documented for decades now, and these developments were projected. We see similar trends in many industrialized countries. Some countries are further ahead in urbanization, such as Japan or South Korea.
There's an article from years ago which I have been killing myself to find again which basically boiled down to an influx of Asian immigrants in a well to do suburb that had parents pulling their kids to private school or weaseling their way into another district. Basically boiled down to they didn't want their kids competing with the education focused immigrant kids who were whupping their asses scholastically.
That said, red states are the worst. I look at a place like Mississippi which should be a dream for me; heaviest black population state with ample cheap housing. But it's also Mississippi. And I am Black, lol.
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Objectively, two thirds of rural Americans say immigrants threaten American culture, while two thirds of urban Americans say that immigrants strengthen American culture. The reputation has been well-earned.
2. Urban, suburban and rural residents’ views on key social and political issues
As urban and rural communities are becoming more distinct along demographic lines, they are also becoming more polarized politically. Americans in urban
www.pewresearch.org
Eh.. People that take up the pain to emigrate to a foreign country aren't looking to move to rural parts of the country for the most part.
These people are looking for jobs and social upwards mobility too.
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There's definitely stasis everywhere, but cities have way more cross pollination that helps pluralism be more the default.
I remember reading about black farmers getting terrorized in rural areas basically.
There's a much great stasis in rural America and racial animus politics is being exploited there by Trump and his ilk.
If nobody wants to live in rural cities and towns then why are we forcing the issue trying to find solutions to it?
Also suggesting immigration is a solution is kinda silly. Why come to a new country and live in a dying town with no jobs? You want to live in a thriving city like everyone else.
Also suggesting immigration is a solution is kinda silly. Why come to a new country and live in a dying town with no jobs? You want to live in a thriving city like everyone else.
I feel this. I grew up in a rural state and there is a BIG difference living in a town of 1000-4000 than there is living in a small city with 40k-80k or so.
To me that's the sweet spot. Small enough that it's still "nice" and you can more or less grasp the entire geography of the place in your mind.
But big enough that there are actual bars, real restaurants, movie theaters, multiple grocery stores, probably a mall on both sides of town. Infrastructure. An actual downtown.
Once you get into populations of 9k or less, that's when you really start to feel trapped and a place can feel like a dead end.
To me that's the sweet spot. Small enough that it's still "nice" and you can more or less grasp the entire geography of the place in your mind.
But big enough that there are actual bars, real restaurants, movie theaters, multiple grocery stores, probably a mall on both sides of town. Infrastructure. An actual downtown.
Once you get into populations of 9k or less, that's when you really start to feel trapped and a place can feel like a dead end.
I would love to get out of the city, I very much love the idea of a big lot and some peace and quiet but I'm skilled labor and there aint no work for me and I won't be doing a long commute every day no thank you.
edit: I don't even know if rural americans get peace and quiet with all the summer gun shooting and fireworks stories on era
edit: I don't even know if rural americans get peace and quiet with all the summer gun shooting and fireworks stories on era
Because it's a big part of what is driving up housing prices in the cities. If these sorts of places had the sorts of opportunities they had in the 50's, 60's, and 70's then we wouldn't be seeing so much migration to the major urban centers. Not only that but you'd see immigrants moving to these places as well, like what happened in the past. There's a knock-on effect that nobody wants to admit exists because if we did it would mean helping these people out in some way.
This is my take as well.
I'm already in a smaller "city/town" but i'd go more rural if i could have those things as well as close or easy access to groceries and i'd be down to switch careers and do that.