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The challenge with living like this is that it eliminates two of the things most people rely on - a social support network, and modern infrastructure. The seco

The challenge with living like this is that it eliminates two of the things most people rely on - a social support network, and modern infrastructure. The second one is less of a problem than the first one. As another commenter here pointed out, you can get relatively close to exurb living standards technology-wise with careful equipment purchases (and deep pockets). However, you will be without anyone to help you if things go even a little bit south. In a city, if you break your arm, you'll be inconvenienced and in pain for awhile, but you'll be fine eventually. In the middle of the wilderness, a broken arm may be a death sentence. We rely on other people too much for the "off grid lifestyle" to be viable for most of us.

iancmceachern 4y ago
This has been my conclusion. Access to good Healthcare, in less than an hour or two is one of thr greatest luxury there is. Choosing to go without that is a real concession.
bombcar 4y ago
The people who WANT to go off-grid are often willing to be far from town - but it's perfectly possible to go off-grid and still be quite close to a town with reasonable healthcare; it just costs more and it's probably not worth going completely off-grid at that point. It does help tremendously if you have more than one person, even a family will have two or more adults, and these people often have a smallish group.
- zdragnar 4y ago
  Zoning can get tricky here, depending on the state and county. It can be done- in fact, my property could be fully off-grid, but I like having a grid backup for electricity, and fiber internet. I'm about a 20 minute drive from two different hospitals (towns west and east), and 10 minutes from a clinic that doesn't have emergency services. My nearest neighbor is probably a half mile away.
  - bombcar 4y ago
    Yeah septic is usually the hardest to utilize near the city, but rural towns will have septic setups just outside the boundaries (and sometimes inside if the town has grown).
recuter 4y ago
> In a city, if you break your arm, you'll be inconvenienced and in pain for awhile, but you'll be fine eventually. > In the middle of the wilderness, a broken arm may be a death sentence. How on earth did Americans manage in the times of yore before cities? https://www.life.com/history/w-eugene-smiths-landmark-photo-essay-country-doctor/ https://www.life.com/history/w-eugene-smiths-landmark-photo-...
- smt88 4y ago
  > How on earth did Americans manage in the times of yore before cities? They suffered and died at high rates for reasons that are now often preventable.
  - ttyprintk 4y ago
    Take the only fatality during the Lewis and Clark expedition; appendicitis.
  - recuter 4y ago
    Possibly so. Note I underspecified which times of yore. Does this observation apply equally to 1990s as much as 1890s? Both are in the distant past depending on your vantage point. Must be some crossover point for when the era of the rugged individual ended and we all became tethered to urban life by the belly button. I would think living in the boonies has never been easier nor safer what with all the progress, but guess not.
    - smt88 4y ago
      > Note I underspecified which times of yore. You specified a time "before cities" in the US. I assume you're ignoring Native American civilizations, in which case we'd be talking about the era between the late 1500s and mid-1600s. > I would think living in the boonies has never been easier nor safer what with all the progress, but guess not. I'm sure it's safer than it's ever been. The risk of randomly suffering and dying is low. Does that mean it's an acceptable risk for most people? Probably not, especially if they have children.
  - 4y ago
Gustomaximus 4y ago
I'm not sure it eliminates these. > a social support network ~5 years ago I moved rural. We put effort in meeting new people and now we have a strong social network. Its almost like family around us as in the country people are very close, and with more limited social options we are often at each others houses (rather than going out), and generally always there to lend a hand or be given one. Also it different in rather than knowing one person, we tend to know their wider family well, kids, parents, siblings etc so it makes a really good network. > modern infrastructure This is solved with star link now. Previously remote places are setup fine for water & septic. The last decades brought power as solar/batteries have become more accessible. With internet you had to hope for mobile reception or a repeater, but now we have star link that's the last hookup point solved. > hospitals and other Definitely a factor. In my country of Australia we have many families live remote for farming etc. We have a service called 'The Flying Doctors' and they service rural areas and get flights out to emergencies. Not sure if this is realistic for US on cost and availability. Also another point is off grid doesn't have to be way out in the boonies. You get 20min from a tier 3 town with a hospital and you have all the amenities and are likely in the middle of nowhere. Probably less choice in that there might be 4 restaurants rather than 400, but everything is largely there. Me Im 50min from Brisbane CBD, 20mi form town services and live in a rural valley. Blocks here are not cheap being close to a major city but people can achieve the same by doing this around smaller towns. And IM not saying its viable for all, but its definitely more viable than ever.
- Retric 4y ago
  Infrastructure is about a lot more than water, power, and internet. Starlink doesn’t allow an ambulance to suddenly get you to a hospital any quicker. Rural livings has a lot going for it but there are a lot of less obvious downsides like a smaller dating pool. There are real advantages to being within 3 hours of a city vs very remote areas.

iancmceachern 4y ago

This has been my conclusion. Access to good Healthcare, in less than an hour or two is one of thr greatest luxury there is. Choosing to go without that is a real concession.

bombcar 4y ago

The people who WANT to go off-grid are often willing to be far from town - but it's perfectly possible to go off-grid and still be quite close to a town with reasonable healthcare; it just costs more and it's probably not worth going completely off-grid at that point. It does help tremendously if you have more than one person, even a family will have two or more adults, and these people often have a smallish group.

zdragnar 4y ago
Zoning can get tricky here, depending on the state and county. It can be done- in fact, my property could be fully off-grid, but I like having a grid backup for electricity, and fiber internet. I'm about a 20 minute drive from two different hospitals (towns west and east), and 10 minutes from a clinic that doesn't have emergency services. My nearest neighbor is probably a half mile away.
- bombcar 4y ago
  Yeah septic is usually the hardest to utilize near the city, but rural towns will have septic setups just outside the boundaries (and sometimes inside if the town has grown).

recuter 4y ago

> In a city, if you break your arm, you'll be inconvenienced and in pain for awhile, but you'll be fine eventually. > In the middle of the wilderness, a broken arm may be a death sentence. How on earth did Americans manage in the times of yore before cities? https://www.life.com/history/w-eugene-smiths-landmark-photo-essay-country-doctor/ https://www.life.com/history/w-eugene-smiths-landmark-photo-...

smt88 4y ago
> How on earth did Americans manage in the times of yore before cities? They suffered and died at high rates for reasons that are now often preventable.
- ttyprintk 4y ago
  Take the only fatality during the Lewis and Clark expedition; appendicitis.
- recuter 4y ago
  Possibly so. Note I underspecified which times of yore. Does this observation apply equally to 1990s as much as 1890s? Both are in the distant past depending on your vantage point. Must be some crossover point for when the era of the rugged individual ended and we all became tethered to urban life by the belly button. I would think living in the boonies has never been easier nor safer what with all the progress, but guess not.
  - smt88 4y ago
    > Note I underspecified which times of yore. You specified a time "before cities" in the US. I assume you're ignoring Native American civilizations, in which case we'd be talking about the era between the late 1500s and mid-1600s. > I would think living in the boonies has never been easier nor safer what with all the progress, but guess not. I'm sure it's safer than it's ever been. The risk of randomly suffering and dying is low. Does that mean it's an acceptable risk for most people? Probably not, especially if they have children.
- 4y ago

Gustomaximus 4y ago

I'm not sure it eliminates these. > a social support network ~5 years ago I moved rural. We put effort in meeting new people and now we have a strong social network. Its almost like family around us as in the country people are very close, and with more limited social options we are often at each others houses (rather than going out), and generally always there to lend a hand or be given one. Also it different in rather than knowing one person, we tend to know their wider family well, kids, parents, siblings etc so it makes a really good network. > modern infrastructure This is solved with star link now. Previously remote places are setup fine for water & septic. The last decades brought power as solar/batteries have become more accessible. With internet you had to hope for mobile reception or a repeater, but now we have star link that's the last hookup point solved. > hospitals and other Definitely a factor. In my country of Australia we have many families live remote for farming etc. We have a service called 'The Flying Doctors' and they service rural areas and get flights out to emergencies. Not sure if this is realistic for US on cost and availability. Also another point is off grid doesn't have to be way out in the boonies. You get 20min from a tier 3 town with a hospital and you have all the amenities and are likely in the middle of nowhere. Probably less choice in that there might be 4 restaurants rather than 400, but everything is largely there. Me Im 50min from Brisbane CBD, 20mi form town services and live in a rural valley. Blocks here are not cheap being close to a major city but people can achieve the same by doing this around smaller towns. And IM not saying its viable for all, but its definitely more viable than ever.

Retric 4y ago
Infrastructure is about a lot more than water, power, and internet. Starlink doesn’t allow an ambulance to suddenly get you to a hospital any quicker. Rural livings has a lot going for it but there are a lot of less obvious downsides like a smaller dating pool. There are real advantages to being within 3 hours of a city vs very remote areas.