Many of us who dwell and work in major cities dream of someday moving to the countryside. Nature. Fresh air. Rustic food. Simple living. And friendly neighbors. That’s what we dream about. But in those daydreams, we don’t consider a lot of small but important details that come with life away from the city. Internet user u/rjroa21 sparked a truly captivating discussion on r/AskReddit. They asked the people living in rural areas to share the things that your average city folks probably wouldn’t understand. We’ve collected some of their coolest insights, from getting stuck behind a tractor in traffic to stargazing and dealing with wild animals. Real estate investor and co-founder of SparkRental.com, G. Brian Davis, was kind enough to share his thoughts on the pros and cons of rural life with Bored Panda. You’ll find our interview with him as you read on.
gingerbreadmans_ex , Neale LaSalle / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
“Sure, they can visit a park to see a tree or two, but it’s not their space. They can’t plant a garden in it or landscape it exactly the way they want. Some urbanites also love the idea of a slower pace of life. Fast-paced city living can get exhausting, especially as you get older,” he said.
Not only that but there’s the constant cacophony of city life to consider. “It didn’t bother me in my 20s, but in my 40s, I find myself put off by the constant car horns, alarms, sirens, and thumping bass from some teenager showing off their subwoofer,” Davis said, adding that the traffic in big cities is also an issue.
StinkypieTicklebum , Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
TastyRamenNoodles , Devesh Chander / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
However, despite the perks, it’s not like rural life is ‘perfect.’ There’s a lot to consider before you buy a random log cabin in the middle of nowhere. “Urban dwellers should be careful what they wish for because they may end up becoming the dog that catches the car. Small towns and rural areas can feel too quiet, too still, too small for many urbanites," Davis said.
EarhornJones , Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
vankirk , Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Bimblelina , Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
“And that tight-knit community is only as good as your adoption into it. If you don’t feel included and welcomed, if you don’t feel like you fit in, you have few alternative options for social circles.”
BlueLizardSpaceship , FUTURE KIIID / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Armyjeepguy , Les Bourgeonniers / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Cranialscrewtop , Дмитрий Зуев / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
However, it doesn’t mean that it’s ‘perfect.’ Rural and city life both have their fair share of pros and cons. The countryside is not a Disney movie. It’s a lot of hard work if you plan on growing your own crops or raising animals. Furthermore, you’ll have to get used to the fact that you won’t have fancy restaurants, gyms, massive events, and supermarkets on every corner like in the big city.
Meanwhile, you also have to figure out what you’ll do for work. That’ll depend on your career, industry, and the specific company you work for. Some are happy with their workers going fully remote. Others embrace a hybrid system. But some demand their staff to show up at the office every day for that [cough, cough] brilliant work culture.
Heyguyshowyallbeen , Simon Berger / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
lockednchaste , Michael Burrows / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
agent-assbutt , Chama / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
The world is rapidly urbanizing. In this day and age, there are more people living in cities than in the country. This already happened a while ago. Statista reports that the global urban population overtook the rural one all the way back in 2007. Based on data collected in 2022, around 4.5 billion people live in urban areas. In contrast, roughly 3.4 billion live in rural territories.
Chaosinmotion1 , T K DHAMU / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
NFL_MVP_Kevin_White , Sơn Ngọc / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
baileybrand , Darwis Alwan / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
However, if you always keep to yourself and barely interact with anyone (like in a massive apartment building), you’ll end up missing out on a lot.
No_Instance4233 , Frank Cone / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
headhunterofhell2 , Artem Saranin / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Enthoosed , Daria Obymaha / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
According to the data, 40% of rural residents know all or most of their neighbors, compared with 28% of suburbanites and 24% of city dwellers.
What’s your take on rural vs urban vs suburban life, dear Pandas? Where do you live now, and where would you ideally want to settle down? What do you value the most when you visit the countryside? Tell us what you think about all of this in the comments!
Heroic-Forger , Alina Kovalchuk / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
CatCatCatCubed , Matthis Volquardsen / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
ODB247 , USGS / wikimedia (not the actual photo) Report
Mousewaterdrinker , Andrei Tanase / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
ShittyPianist , Jeswin Thomas / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Stickyfynger , Rok Romih / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
2_Raven , Yogendra Singh / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
BGFiles , Zetong Li / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
DrHugh , Mark Stebnicki / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Cimmerian_Barbarian , Nout Gons / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
psubadger , Dimitrije Djekanovic / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
serialhybrid , https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-and-kid-walking-on-downhill-1469880/ / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
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MrsShenanigans1818 , Evgeniy Grozev / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
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iam2s , Lucas Pezeta / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
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anon , Ana Madeleine Uribe / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Sabre_One , Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
BoringBob84 , George Milton / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
Embarrassed-List7214 , Matt Hardy / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
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danattana , Miriam Alonso / pexels (not the actual photo) Report
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