4 ms·

Having lived in both rural and urban settings, I'm not sure the isolation you describe would be as correlated as you think. People in rural areas still hang out

Having lived in both rural and urban settings, I'm not sure the isolation you describe would be as correlated as you think. People in rural areas still hang out with one another (and even... alot) and people in cities still isolate themselves. To follow that line further, I'd argue that the fact that rural living gives you less choice in company increases the degree to which you invest in the relationships that happen to be around. Consequently, rural living can create a greater sense of intimacy and companionship than the bustle of a city where there's always a new face around the corner (if you get bored of the old faces).

kennyloginz 2y ago
I’m curious, do you live on a farm, or a suburb?
- wizzwizz4 2y ago
  Villages and small towns exist.
  - vel0city 2y ago
    Yeah but on the census is your area rural or urban? Lots of people LARP as rural despite living in an urban area. Big difference between a small town a truly rural. My friend lives in a rural place; it's a full 30min drive to the grocery store on one lane each way highways. There's like six restaurants in 80mi.
    - CuriousCosmic 2y ago
      You are kind of missing the point. You can have a small rural town where the people in the town generally all live in/around the town but between that town and the next town over might be 1-2 hours. In that type of small town you still have quick access to your necessities and you can walk to your neighbors' houses but once you get out of the bounds of your small town it might be 30 minutes before you see the next building, an hour to the next small town, and 4-6 hours to the nearest city or large town.
      - vel0city 2y ago
        You are kind of missing the point. You can live in a small town that might be 1-2 hours separated by the next town and still not be "rural". You're still living an urban life, not a rural life. It's not like you need your town to be >1M people for it to be "urban". There's small town urban, there's a big city urban, and there's rural. Do you actually live in a place statistically considered urban or rural? If you have multiple chain restaurants in your town, you're almost assuredly not "rural". If you can see your neighbor's front door, you're probably not rural. If you feel the need to erect a privacy fence so your neighbors can't see you, you're probably not rural.
        User23 2y ago
        > If you have multiple chain restaurants in your town, you're almost assuredly not "rural". By this standard, there are no rural communities east of the Mississippi. Is that congruent with what you intend to say?
        vel0city 2y ago
        I've definitely visited places which are rural which are East of the Mississippi. I have family who actually live in forests and on large farms who don't live anywhere near chain restaurants. Places where you can't even see the neighbor's fence line from your front porch. But the vast majority of places I know and have visited are urban. If there's multiple chain hotels, once again probably not rural. Over 80% of the US population lives in an urban area. And yet so many think they live "rural" because their town isn't NYC or SF. https://www.pewresearch.org/decoded/2019/11/22/evaluating-what-makes-a-us-community-urban-suburban-or-rural/ https://www.pewresearch.org/decoded/2019/11/22/evaluating-wh... 31% of people who live in NCHS defined suburban areas think they live in rural areas. They LARP as cowboys living in urban areas. I'm surrounded by them. https://youtu.be/6q_BE5KPp18 https://youtu.be/6q_BE5KPp18
        marsovo 2y ago
        [dead]
        2y ago
aylmao 2y ago
> rural living gives you less choice in company increases the degree to which you invest in the relationships that happen to be around I lived in New York at some point, and experienced the opposite of this first hand. In my experience, in NYC, it's easy to end with a lot of acquaintances but few real close friends. At least in the social circles I moved around, everyone was always looking for "the next thing". There was an intense sense of impermanence. The next apartment, because the current one isn't great. The next job, because one can always do better. The next friend, because there's always more people to meet. Especially in a city as romanticised as NYC, where a lot of people arrive with the expectation to live their best lives, make it big, and/or meet the most interesting people, I think people get used to the idea that something better is always around the corner.
wielebny 2y ago
> People in rural areas still hang out with one another (and even... alot) Aren't those like really dangerous?

kennyloginz 2y ago

I’m curious, do you live on a farm, or a suburb?

wizzwizz4 2y ago
Villages and small towns exist.
- vel0city 2y ago
  Yeah but on the census is your area rural or urban? Lots of people LARP as rural despite living in an urban area. Big difference between a small town a truly rural. My friend lives in a rural place; it's a full 30min drive to the grocery store on one lane each way highways. There's like six restaurants in 80mi.
  - CuriousCosmic 2y ago
    You are kind of missing the point. You can have a small rural town where the people in the town generally all live in/around the town but between that town and the next town over might be 1-2 hours. In that type of small town you still have quick access to your necessities and you can walk to your neighbors' houses but once you get out of the bounds of your small town it might be 30 minutes before you see the next building, an hour to the next small town, and 4-6 hours to the nearest city or large town.
    - vel0city 2y ago
      You are kind of missing the point. You can live in a small town that might be 1-2 hours separated by the next town and still not be "rural". You're still living an urban life, not a rural life. It's not like you need your town to be >1M people for it to be "urban". There's small town urban, there's a big city urban, and there's rural. Do you actually live in a place statistically considered urban or rural? If you have multiple chain restaurants in your town, you're almost assuredly not "rural". If you can see your neighbor's front door, you're probably not rural. If you feel the need to erect a privacy fence so your neighbors can't see you, you're probably not rural.
      - User23 2y ago
        > If you have multiple chain restaurants in your town, you're almost assuredly not "rural". By this standard, there are no rural communities east of the Mississippi. Is that congruent with what you intend to say?
        vel0city 2y ago
        I've definitely visited places which are rural which are East of the Mississippi. I have family who actually live in forests and on large farms who don't live anywhere near chain restaurants. Places where you can't even see the neighbor's fence line from your front porch. But the vast majority of places I know and have visited are urban. If there's multiple chain hotels, once again probably not rural. Over 80% of the US population lives in an urban area. And yet so many think they live "rural" because their town isn't NYC or SF. https://www.pewresearch.org/decoded/2019/11/22/evaluating-what-makes-a-us-community-urban-suburban-or-rural/ https://www.pewresearch.org/decoded/2019/11/22/evaluating-wh... 31% of people who live in NCHS defined suburban areas think they live in rural areas. They LARP as cowboys living in urban areas. I'm surrounded by them. https://youtu.be/6q_BE5KPp18 https://youtu.be/6q_BE5KPp18
        marsovo 2y ago
        [dead]
      - 2y ago

aylmao 2y ago

> rural living gives you less choice in company increases the degree to which you invest in the relationships that happen to be around I lived in New York at some point, and experienced the opposite of this first hand. In my experience, in NYC, it's easy to end with a lot of acquaintances but few real close friends. At least in the social circles I moved around, everyone was always looking for "the next thing". There was an intense sense of impermanence. The next apartment, because the current one isn't great. The next job, because one can always do better. The next friend, because there's always more people to meet. Especially in a city as romanticised as NYC, where a lot of people arrive with the expectation to live their best lives, make it big, and/or meet the most interesting people, I think people get used to the idea that something better is always around the corner.

wielebny 2y ago

> People in rural areas still hang out with one another (and even... alot) Aren't those like really dangerous?