4 ms·

I can't properly describe the cultural phenomenon but there is a sort of intelligent/privileged/rich get-out-there demographic that has been on a steady incline

by agentgt 10y ago

I can't properly describe the cultural phenomenon but there is a sort of intelligent/privileged/rich get-out-there demographic that has been on a steady incline for some time causing gentrification of many rural areas. Sort of a cross between totally-stoked-Mountain-Dew-guys + farm-to-table-vegan-tatooed-hipster + do-not-really-have-to-worry-about-money + love-ridiculously-over-hoppy-ipas + own-four-bikes + sustainable-forever + into-outdoor-shaming-others [1]. I'm not that knowledgeable on demographic groupings but I think you know the type. Yes stereotypes are dangerous and I hope I don't offend anyone. EDIT: btw to be clear I don't have any problem with above mentioned traits (as I'm not far from it myself). IMO I prefer it to the rural stereotypes I grew up with which is toting guns and killing animals for sport (which again sadly I don't actually have strong feeling against either). However I do hate IPA beers. The over hoppy beers have to stop (I'm stout, porter guy). Also if you are looking for a similar city to Billings I just recently visited Flagstaff Arizona. Flagstaff is pretty darn cool. [1]: https://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/20/9-making-you-feel-bad-about-not-going-outside/ https://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/20/9-making-you-fee...

timmaah 10y ago
I'm not sure about the not having to worry about money portion, but I agree with the rest. It seems to be the 90's adventure sports crowd "settling" down and enjoying family life.
- ghaff 10y ago
  I'm not sure it's so much the adventure sports crowd who, as you say, probably don't overlap so much with the not worrying about money crowd. Though maybe that's part of it. Instead, I think it's more the outdoor lifestyle, decent restaurants, at least a modicum of culture, maybe not retired-at-40 but comfortable financially. Especially if they're willing to trade the offerings of larger urban centers for a more laid-back, more outdoor activities oriented existence.
  - timmaah 10y ago
    I concur. I guess I mean "adventure sports crowd" in terms of kids of baby boomers who grew up with the opportunity to hike, mountain bike, ski, etc.. often.
    - ghaff 10y ago
      Fair enough. I was taking it more as extreme sports, adventure guides, etc.
hoodwink 10y ago
I'd say I fall in this demographic. It helps that many jobs can now be performed remotely. The thing holding me back from small town mountain living was my career, but now with remote work I can relocate to where I'm happiest.
cossatot 10y ago
Rural America is, on the whole, losing population [1], and having the sorts of groups you're lumping move in (for either "hipster farming" or outdoor recreation reasons) provides socioeconomic diversification and robustness to many rural areas that would otherwise be in decline as family farms and natural resource extraction become less profitable. [1]: http://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2016-june/five-years-of-population-loss-in-rural-and-small-town-america-may-be-ending.aspx http://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2016-june/five-years-of-...
- timmaah 10y ago
  Any area of rural america that I have observed as doing ok/well for themselves seems to have a strong outdoor recreation/beautiful scenery in or right near town. Mountains; bodies of water; national parks.. I think these areas are going to keep growing but plenty of other towns that don't have much of this draw are dead/dying.
euroclydon 10y ago
I grew up in a ski resort, but I don't want to get a remote dev job, and move back, just to find a bunch of people like me are already crowding the place up. I'll do my part to make their life better by staying in Raleigh. We have: trees, 100% humidity for over 4 months of the year, this big area people keep claiming is a park, creeks that flow when it rains.

by agentgt 10y ago

timmaah 10y ago

I'm not sure about the not having to worry about money portion, but I agree with the rest. It seems to be the 90's adventure sports crowd "settling" down and enjoying family life.

ghaff 10y ago
I'm not sure it's so much the adventure sports crowd who, as you say, probably don't overlap so much with the not worrying about money crowd. Though maybe that's part of it. Instead, I think it's more the outdoor lifestyle, decent restaurants, at least a modicum of culture, maybe not retired-at-40 but comfortable financially. Especially if they're willing to trade the offerings of larger urban centers for a more laid-back, more outdoor activities oriented existence.
- timmaah 10y ago
  I concur. I guess I mean "adventure sports crowd" in terms of kids of baby boomers who grew up with the opportunity to hike, mountain bike, ski, etc.. often.
  - ghaff 10y ago
    Fair enough. I was taking it more as extreme sports, adventure guides, etc.

hoodwink 10y ago

I'd say I fall in this demographic. It helps that many jobs can now be performed remotely. The thing holding me back from small town mountain living was my career, but now with remote work I can relocate to where I'm happiest.

cossatot 10y ago

Rural America is, on the whole, losing population [1], and having the sorts of groups you're lumping move in (for either "hipster farming" or outdoor recreation reasons) provides socioeconomic diversification and robustness to many rural areas that would otherwise be in decline as family farms and natural resource extraction become less profitable. [1]: http://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2016-june/five-years-of-population-loss-in-rural-and-small-town-america-may-be-ending.aspx http://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2016-june/five-years-of-...

timmaah 10y ago
Any area of rural america that I have observed as doing ok/well for themselves seems to have a strong outdoor recreation/beautiful scenery in or right near town. Mountains; bodies of water; national parks.. I think these areas are going to keep growing but plenty of other towns that don't have much of this draw are dead/dying.

euroclydon 10y ago

I grew up in a ski resort, but I don't want to get a remote dev job, and move back, just to find a bunch of people like me are already crowding the place up. I'll do my part to make their life better by staying in Raleigh. We have: trees, 100% humidity for over 4 months of the year, this big area people keep claiming is a park, creeks that flow when it rains.