Country living..20 minutes from 'anything'..

[John Galt III]

This thread has reminded me of how great my neighborhood used to be 15 years ago. It is now overdeveloped and has way too many McMansions and SUV's. Too much traffic too. But 15 years ago, there was almost no traffic, and plenty of stores to shop in, theaters, restaurants, etc. What ruined it all is that too many people moved here. I used to think about moving away, but lately I just try to avoid the traffic if possible. Sort of ironically, the area north of me that I would have moved to, to escape congestion, is now so overdeveloped with McMansions that it's traffic is even worse than mine. I guess I lucked out by staying where I am !

 

[24601NoMore]

It seems as though the "issue" at your current dream home has shifted from noisy kids playing basketball to privacy.

Is a privacy fence/screening a possibility? Either at ground level (near the dying trees) or screening of some type wherever you are feeling 'visible' high on your main floor? Also, I met with some landscapers years ago who had great ideas on how to plant "islands" of taller vegetation in certain places in my yard to effectively block neighbors while giving the yard visual interest, as well. Is that a possibility?

omni

Hasn't really shifted..we have multiple reasons for wanting to move:

- Very noisy kids (years ago) - less now as the older boy is now in College and the one remaining is more into baseball so less noise but balls constantly going into those tall/dying trees and probably not doing them a whole lot of good with broken branches and the like..but at the time it was absolutely intolerable..and we don't know who might be in the house a year or more from now. Today is doable..tomorrow?

- Houses "on top of" us. As in..20 feet away, both sides. And the houses here are big. 6,000+ sq ft next to us (we're slightly north of half of that) and takes up most of the visible area of the right half of my back yard.

- Zero privacy. We don't ever sit out on our deck. Pretty much may as well just invite the neighbors to join us - they're looking right at us anyway. (Sure would be nice to be able to sit outside for a while and read a book, relax, etc. We don't do that. At night, we have to draw all of our blinds so the neighbors can't see in).

- Live in a fishbowl. (Very little free room to plant additional screening - we spent roughly $100K in landscaping already to 'fix' the privacy issue. Those plants & trees are super tall..there is almost no room left to plant).

- Peace & serenity. I learned long ago I am not a "sub" person. I grew up spending a lot of time in the woods and nature. My RE plan has ALWAYS been to be on a big parcel (at least 5, preferably 20 or more acres) of land. Preferably with a small cabin and a stream, though DW does not love cabins and is much more of a 'nice home' type of girl..

- RE plan - I never envisioned living in a 'sub' in retirement. My vision of RE was always lots of nature, few people, peace and quiet and contentment.

Hope that helps clarify the motivations..we've spent 10 years looking and finally found something very nice. It's really hard to think about passing on it at this point but the "20 minutes from anything" especially as we age is the big and perhaps only hesitation - especially with a DW that had a near fatal heart attack a few years back and for that reason distance to medical facilities is definitely a very strong consideration..

 

[24601NoMore]

I paid $40k over the average house price in my subdivision for a wide-angle lakefront view - worth every penny. I've got all the privacy I need, and I'm pretty dang private. Whenever I need something done to the house (and in the future, to me), I'm glad that I'm suburban rather than rural.

If you go the rural route, imagine what might happen to the surrounding land while you're there. A hog farm, strip mine, shooting range, shopping center, etc might compromise your idyllic lifestyle.

True.. But that's why it's awesome having a 1,000 x 950 (or so) combined lot. There is literally nothing that can EVER infringe on our privacy.

Plus, the "sub" is a dead-end cul-de-sac with a grand total of 9 lots.

There is no Walmart, pig farm, shooting range or UFO launch pad that can come in anywhere near any of us.

Now, that's not to say the tiny planes can't decide to joy-ride all day long (which they seem to like doing) or the local rednecks can't decide to play with their guns all day long, or snowmobiles and ATVs cant joy-ride down the trail..but at least we are safe from the hugely unexpected.

 

[24601NoMore]

I paid $40k over the average house price in my subdivision for a wide-angle lakefront view - worth every penny. I've got all the privacy I need, and I'm pretty dang private. Whenever I need something done to the house (and in the future, to me), I'm glad that I'm suburban rather than rural.

If you go the rural route, imagine what might happen to the surrounding land while you're there. A hog farm, strip mine, shooting range, shopping center, etc might compromise your idyllic lifestyle.

I'm envious. We paid $60K extra to back to the "nature preserve". Backyard was great until the huge houses to either side came in.

 

[Music Lover]

Other than the case of a medical emergency, 20 minutes is really nothing. I live in a city and it's still 10 - 12 minutes to the closest grocery store. If I didn't like where I lived, moving 10 minutes further away would be a no brainer if I found the perfect house/lot. You're retired...it's not like it will be a daily commute 10 times a week.

Like many, I combine a few errands and can get everything done on a mini trip every 3 to 5 days.

As others have mentioned, the real issues to living outside of the city are dealing with wildlife, more yard work, long driveways that need to be cleared, septic tanks, wells, etc.

 

[pb4uski]

About 6 years ago, we demolished and rebuilt our rural lakeside home and made it our retirement home. We are a little over a mile from paved highway off of a public dirt road.

There is a small general store about 7 minutes away and a small grocery store about 12 minutes away.... real grocery stores are about 25 minutes.

The biggest things are that we now routinely call or text when we are "in town" to see how we are doing on milk and bread (a gallon of milk at the small general store was $5.25!) and it is much harder to keep our cars clean.

Other than that... we love it.

 

[Gallaher]

I’ve always lived out of town. In my career in sales, I always worked out of my house with a company car, so commute didn’t matter. 30 years of homeownership with domestic wells and septic systems.
Owned several chain saws and a couple of tractors. Yes, lots of work but it is nice to live out of town. Love privacy and opportunity to raise kids with horses, chickens and calves.
We are both 57. Expect to live in a rural setting until 80 years old or so.
Disclaimer: we do own a condo in downtown Portland

 

[24601NoMore]

Anyone know how to check flight paths for nearby airports? We've been on the property several times now including tonight and keep hearing and seeing small planes (props) flying around - not necessarily right overhead but nearby enough to be annoying.

Did a "airports nearby" google search and there are a few tiny ones. Nothing major. But the little planes are pretty irritating since they fly a lot lower than jets. Surprising how sound carries in the country..plane can be way off in the distance and it sounds right on top of us..THAT would get annoying very quickly..move to the country for 'peace and quiet' and have planes flying around frequently.

 

[pb4uski]

Have your tried flightradar24.com? Not sure if it will show those private plane flights?

 

[meierlde]

Anyone know how to check flight paths for nearby airports? We've been on the property several times now including tonight and keep hearing and seeing small planes (props) flying around - not necessarily right overhead but nearby enough to be annoying.

Did a "airports nearby" google search and there are a few tiny ones. Nothing major. But the little planes are pretty irritating since they fly a lot lower than jets. Surprising how sound carries in the country..plane can be way off in the distance and it sounds right on top of us..THAT would get annoying very quickly..move to the country for 'peace and quiet' and have planes flying around frequently.

Look at the directions the runways run, and figure for some distance planes will fly along the directions of the runways (depending on wind directions). For longer range flights you can look at sectional air charts at
skyvector.com you can get airport details including runway orientation etc from the airport link, and the charts can provide a wider area view.
Of course vfr (visual flight rules) planes often follow interstates and rivers and the like as well. (Much easier to navigate that way if it is clear )

Note you can find the airports icao name from the sectional charts or even the splash screen on skyvector. The airports info tells you the number of annual takeoffs and landings (called operations) that occur and also how many planes are based there.

 

[brucethebroker]

Lived outside of a small town for nearly 4 years. Small hospital in town. Everything was really nice, until I had a heart attack on a Sunday. Oh,oh, no local cardiologist available on weekends-who knew? Helicoptered to major regional hospital-took nearly 45 min., and cost $21k (insurance paid, whew!). Could easily have checked out during the wait.

Lesson learned. Moved closer in (large hospital now 5-6 min. away). Decided I could handle a little noise and closer neighbors....

 

[Yarnstormer]

I lucked out and found a one story ranch on an unusually large lot in the rear of a subdivision full of retirees right in town. It's very quiet, backs up to the woods, and is 5 minutes to Taco Bell I can hear the interstate but I also have a barred owl in the woods behind my house. Unfortunately, I do not own the woods but I'm working on that. Oh and the house is wheelchair friendly in case that ever becomes an issue. I could not live in the country as you say, but I am single. Perhaps if I had a partner if would be more appealing.
Seems like the big question is will the city come to you over the years? Would it be a hardship for family to visit often if they needed to? I am 55 and already do not like to drive at night in rural areas.
Those rowdy kids will grow up. Supposedly my neighborhood was full of kids 25 years ago.

 

[Hermit]

Lived outside of a small town for nearly 4 years. Small hospital in town. Everything was really nice, until I had a heart attack on a Sunday. Oh,oh, no local cardiologist available on weekends-who knew? Helicoptered to major regional hospital-took nearly 45 min., and cost $21k (insurance paid, whew!). Could easily have checked out during the wait.

Lesson learned. Moved closer in (large hospital now 5-6 min. away). Decided I could handle a little noise and closer neighbors....

Certainly a risk for living in the boonies. If I die because I live out here, well, I won't be the first. I'll take the risk. It is worth it to me. If I get too old to manage by myself, then maybe a CCRC kind of place in the city and close to DD.

There is one family out here that includes kids, parents, grand parents, and a great grand parent! Another couple are in their 80's.

 

[CountryGal]

We lived in a town for the first 7 years of married life (where we grew up). EVERYTHING was within 5 min. We went out a lot and socialized all the time. We then moved to the country. 20 min to everything. 10 min to grocery. 3 min to mom and pop. 3 min to a few local eating places (pizza and diner type). We don't go out often, especially when it would mean 30-40 min drive coming home late at night. We have been here 31 years now.

So now wondering how long we will be able to stay. Yard chores pile up quickly and are slow to get done. Bedroom is on 2nd floor. Ambulance is fairly close. Police may or may not come if there is an issue here in the "boonies". I turn 60 and hubby turns 66 soon. I think about adding a 1st floor master or moving to a ranch in the area. ..but I LOVE my house/yard/privacy. Moving into town would mean leaving life long friends and our church. What happens if one of us can no longer drive...

It is a dilemma to be sure and a bit scary. I would NOT move to an area like this in my later years. Moving back sounds great, but in an emergency situation when someone is ill or disabled, it isn't easy to do.

 

[cooch96]

Go for it. You only live once and living in a dream house is something many never get to enjoy. Perhaps in 20 yrs you’ll need to move back to somewhere with more amenities; but then you’d still have lived for decades in your dream home.

And Perhaps you get very ill next year and need regular care near a hospital. But do you want to make decisions based on worst case scenarios?

 

[DrRoy]

DW and I live in a great suburban town N of Detroit and 10 years ago, bought land near Logan, Ohio, a town of ~8000 and in the Hocking Hills State Park area to build a future RE home on. As we approached RE, we realized that we would miss the shopping and service convenience of where we live now, plus great medical care, friends, etc., so we sold the land.

 

[Bestwifeever]

...
It's really hard to think about passing on it at this point but the "20 minutes from anything" especially as we age is the big and perhaps only hesitation - especially with a DW that had a near fatal heart attack a few years back and for that reason distance to medical facilities is definitely a very strong consideration..

Sorry, but I think your apparently single “con” reason not to move to a remote-ish location like the one you want is a life or death situation and therefore is stronger than all of your “pro” reasons. Your wife is probably statistically more likely to suffer another heart attack or have further health issues, and her health probably always on her mind. If she is not perfectly comfortable with the location you think is otherwise perfect (although you’ve already touched in the unauthorized ATV etc use of “the trail” near you—this would be a huge “con” for me), then I would keep looking. Perhaps you just need a second getaway home. But there is nothing keeping you from moving away from the neighborhood you luve in now to a quieter and more private house—why have you not moved from there already?

 

[Walt34]

Anyone know how to check flight paths for nearby airports? We've been on the property several times now including tonight and keep hearing and seeing small planes (props) flying around - not necessarily right overhead but nearby enough to be annoying.

I don't know if the other suggestions will work for single-engine private planes but one that will if you have the time is simply to visit the airport(s) and ask what the common flight patterns/altitudes are. Second is to call on the phone, but that may result in confusion if you don't know the area well.

The last thing they want is for some guy to buy a property near the airport and then start complaining about airplane noise so they're likely to be very upfront about the information you seek.

 

[REWahoo]

I don't know if the other suggestions will work for single-engine private planes but one that will if you have the time is simply to visit the airport(s) and ask what the common flight patterns/altitudes are. .

+1

And take a printout of a Google map of the airport and surrounding area, including your property. They can draw in the flight patterns, much better than trying to describe them.

 

[MRG]

Sorry, but I think your apparently single “con” reason not to move to a remote-ish location like the one you want is a life or death situation and therefore is stronger than all of your “pro” reasons. Your wife is probably statistically more likely to suffer another heart attack or have further health issues, and her health probably always on her mind. If she is not perfectly comfortable with the location you think is otherwise perfect (although you’ve already touched in the unauthorized ATV etc use of “the trail” near you—this would be a huge “con” for me), then I would keep looking. Perhaps you just need a second getaway home. But there is nothing keeping you from moving away from the neighborhood you luve in now to a quieter and more private house—why have you not moved from there already?

To add on. Our last home was 8 minutes away from two different level 2 trauma centers. In 2013 I had issues that might suggest heart problems, chest pain, dizzy, numbness in my left arm(57 yo male prior heart issues). I go to the one my heath insurance suggests.

I don't know much, but I told them my IV(stub) was screwed up for three days. The third day when they went to use it, it didn't work.

My buddies wife bleed to death in a hospital after a tubal ligation. They tried telling him it was she needed a transfusion and because she was Asian(they didn't have Asian blood) it wouldn't work! The surgeon cut a vein instead of tube. She was surrounded by a bunch of confused people when she passed.

Point is, unless you want a top ER in your backyard, how do you know what's going to happen. Even if you do, one human mistake and......

 

[Katsmeow]

We are about 20 minutes away from any grocery store or shopping or doctor's, etc. Closest hospital is about 30 minutes. Doctors we actually see are at least 30 minutes. Closest mall is about 40 minutes.

We do have one gas station with convenience store that is 12 minutes away.

And, I hate it. We live in an acreage subdivision (all houses on at least 1 acre). It takes 5 minutes to even drive out of the subdivision. We have an HOA but it is reasonable in restrictions. Like many people here, we own here due to pets.

I like our house. I actually more than like it. The subdivision is beautiful. I was amazed to find a house that I liked so much just as is.

But, 20 minutes to go to any grocery store is a killer. Oh, we can occasionally get there in 18 minutes. But all of the constant driving is terrible. DH is 70 and I am 63. We are in good health and have no problem driving.

But, I keep thinking of my mom who is 93 and still living on her own. She manages because she is close to the major places that she goes. Doctors are too far away but there is a service in her county that will take people to and from the doctor. That is great. But, she lives in a city.

DH is totally fine now with his driving. But, will he be in 10 years? Maybe I will be fine then and he won't but I don't like the idea of having to do all the driving.

Of course, we can sell at that time and move. But, I think of how exhausting it will be to have to sell and move 10 years from now.

In our case, it isn't like there well even slowly be lots of stores and stuff around us. These are residential areas where people have large lots (sometimes many acres). I just don't see that kind of building close to us occurring any time soon. We've been here 5 years and the only improvement is that one grocery store.

So -- we are going to move. We are going to do it sooner rather than later, probably in the next 2 years. We want to have at least the daily shopping available within 10 minutes. We also want to be a bit closer to amenities so we can get more services. Grocery stores deliver in some areas -- but not here. We do get one pizza delivery here. But, that is about it. Other restaurants we are outside their service area.

Again, I think about when one of us are older or has health problems or would get tired with driving literally everywhere. Good shopping is about 40 minutes away (great shopping is an hour and a half). Again, fine for now...but not later.

 

[Bestwifeever]

To add on. Our last home was 8 minutes away from two different level 2 trauma centers. In 2013 I had issues that might suggest heart problems, chest pain, dizzy, numbness in my left arm(57 yo male prior heart issues). I go to the one my heath insurance suggests.

I don't know much, but I told them my IV(stub) was screwed up for three days. The third day when they went to use it, it didn't work.

My buddies wife bleed to death in a hospital after a tubal ligation. They tried telling him it was she needed a transfusion and because she was Asian(they didn't have Asian blood) it wouldn't work! The surgeon cut a vein instead of tube. She was surrounded by a bunch of confused people when she passed.

Point is, unless you want a top ER in your backyard, how do you know what's going to happen. Even if you do, one human mistake and......

I totally understand this. And I also know of someone who bled out and died in the hospital post-op when a top surgeon nicked a vein during routine surgery. We happen to be close enough to docs and a hospital that DH could drag me on foot by the hair if needed, but we don’t have existing medical conditions at the moment that would require that, and we didn’t move here almost 40 years ago because of that.

OP’s wife otoh apparently survived her heart attack only because medical care was so close, so for me that would be the prime decision factor that would outweigh all others—is a new place close to the cardio services she is probably at least statistically more likely to need than most people?

 

[davebarnes]

You won’t like country living when you need chemotherapy.

 

[Ronstar]

My grandparents moved to town after my grandfather had 2 heart attacks. He died after his 3rd while out for a walk 3 minutes from the hospital. Distance to a hospital has no bearing where I live. My 20 minutes now is close enough. Same for a grocery store - 20 minutes is close enough.

But the property maintenance will eventually be the reason for me to move to town. I would probably have 20 hours less of property maintenance per week if I lived in town. And less aches and pains. At some point, it’s going to be physically difficult to do all of the yard and house work.

 

[aja8888]

We live ONE MILE away from THREE major hospitals and several clinics. One mid-week drive from our house to the nearest hospital at exactly 5 PM took me 30, yes 30, minutes due to college students leaving class and the usual "commuting" traffic flooding the streets. Fifteen years ago, this was a two lane road with nothing on this one mile stretch.

Believe it or not, new construction in the immediate area that includes an M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and a commercial and residential development by a Dallas developer will finally paralyze this area. This new stuff will be up by next summer.

I'll take country living over this anytime.