Buying in a rural county as an older family

[Badger]

I do not live in a rural area but considered it enough to build a second home in Ga mountains. It took me 10 years to build. Since it was a days drive to get there I spent my holidays and summers there swinging a hammer.
It was 10-12 miles from a town with more conveniences than what you are describing but the drive was 40+ minutes round trip every time we went for groceries, medicine, hardware supplies, or just to get out among people. That was at least 3-4 times a week. It got so old that after the construction years we finally sold the house and the 5 beautiful acres.
Now we are in our 70s with some medical issues and I can't imagine the difficulties if we lived there.
I wish you luck but maybe your experiences will be different.

 

[folivier]

IMO if the OP or anyone else decides to live in a remote place have an escape plan if/when you need more medical or other services.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

DW and I live on a farm site 7 miles from the nearest town. That town has a population of around 1,200 with some basic stores that handle 90% of what we need. Plus an excellent Fire/Rescue/Ambulance service and K-12 school.

The next closest town is 13 miles away with a population of around 13,000. It has a state university and the basic box stores and restaurants and hospital. So, we're 15-20 minutes to a Walmart and Applebees, about the same as most folks in the major metro area suburbs.

We grew up farms and are very self reliant with a well stocked freezer and pantry. Lots of spare parts and tools in the shop, we rarely HAVE to go to town because we need anything.

We're around 60 and in good health. Our plan is to live here until one of us can't, then we'll get an apartment in a city with a major medical facility that can handle anything, that will likely be a city of 100,000 people. The biggest drawback to living in a rural area (including town life in a rural area) is when you need major medical care such as cancer treatment, dialysis, specialist care. That would involve an all day event with 200+ miles of driving for us now.

In your unique situation my main concern would be your son and his daily needs. You may want to live closer to where he needs to be each day.

 

[youbet]

If OP’s new location is a place with very mild winters, I’d say okay. If it is known for brutal, road closing, power outage winters, no way.

 

[Sunset]

Wow! That is massive. The average beds per hospital is 130. I've lived in very large metro areas, and I've never seen or known about a 1500 bed hospital. I'm 25 minutes from a 100 bed hospital.

I'm glad you asked, as I had no clue about hospital sizes.
It made me look and the website I got that info from was wrong. The hospital is a lot smaller.

I hadn't been there in over 30 years.

Seems like it's not just the Emergency that closed now, more like the entire thing, and details seem vague, old websites, etc.

It was common rumor that the hospital was a poor choice, and I found some old news articles about a higher than average death rate.

They even closed the OR a couple of times per month due to lack of doctors that worked there.

The reputation of the hospital was so bad over 30 years ago, that when my daughter got hurt, as tiny child, I drove 80 miles to a children's hospital rather than go to the close hospital.

 

[meleana]

We lived in a rural area most of our lives in a 2600 square foot house on 10 1/2 secluded acres, but upon retirement in our 60’s moved out of state to a brand new 1100 sq ft cottage in a very small city surrounded by rural areas and a huge lake. A vacation area with everything we need within a few miles either direction. Stores, restaurants, hospital, movie and live theatres, cultural venues, fire dept is right down the road and our homes are hooked up right into it, etc. We are about 12 miles to the central highway. Small state.

We have a small airport right here but the regional ones are about an hour away and the big one in Boston 2 hours.

Boardwalk and beach within walking distance as well. Major hospitals are anywhere from 1-2 hours away. But we have a satellite hospital of one of them right here. Last year I had spine surgery at Dartmouth - 1 1/2 hours away. But most all our care we get right here.

My husband had a medical incident a couple of months ago and the ambulance was here in no time flat. Something else to think about.

We live in an HOA community with a clubhouse, activities and pool. NOT a 55+ but a bit like that. Mixed ages. They do the trash, road plowing and lawn maintenance. Low monthly fee. 85 homes on teeny, tiny lots.

Best thing we ever did. Husband is turning 70 this year. I will be 68. Made immediate friends to socialize with. House is easier to maintain. Expenses decreased.

 

[Stormy Kromer]

We lived in a rural area most of our lives in a 2600 square foot house on 10 1/2 secluded acres, but upon retirement in our 60’s moved out of state to a brand new 1100 sq ft cottage in a very small city surrounded by rural areas and a huge lake. A vacation area with everything we need within a few miles either direction. Stores, restaurants, hospital, movie and live theatres, cultural venues, fire dept is right down the road and our homes are hooked up right into it, etc. We are about 12 miles to the central highway. Small state.

We have a small airport right here but the regional ones are about an hour away and the big one in Boston 2 hours.

Boardwalk and beach within walking distance as well. Major hospitals are anywhere from 1-2 hours away. But we have a satellite hospital of one of them right here. Last year I had spine surgery at Dartmouth - 1 1/2 hours away. But most all our care we get right here.

My husband had a medical incident a couple of months ago and the ambulance was here in no time flat. Something else to think about.

We live in an HOA community with a clubhouse, activities and pool. NOT a 55+ but a bit like that. Mixed ages. They do the trash, road plowing and lawn maintenance. Low monthly fee. 85 homes on teeny, tiny lots.

Best thing we ever did. Husband is turning 70 this year. I will be 68. Made immediate friends to socialize with. House is easier to maintain. Expenses decreased.

Sounds Great!! Where do you live?

 

[street]

That sounds ideal. It sounds like your area has thought ahead about these needs.

Here, outer Islands are truly problematic for us (as a state - not me, personally.) Air ambulances are extremely expensive. Even inter island flights are expensive (for instance, for routine treatments available only on Oahu.) SO, most properties on outer islands tend to be cheaper - just as rural areas tend to be cheaper.

The other islands have lots of advantages - but health care and other services in general are not one of them. YMMV

The health services here are as good as you can get for rural life. The air ambulance was purchased from a community foundation ai was a Board member of for many years. This is my first year off in fact. The Foundation bought the jet and all the state-of-the-art equipment for the jet. The cost is much lower than what most are familiar with. Plan service has 5 flights a day in and out on a small plane/jet to the largest city in Mt for whatever you need to go there for. So not perfect but we have the next best thing to being close to great medical facilities.

I would assume if life gets too tough than maybe some decisions will have to be made.

Born in a small town and most likely die in a small town also.

 

[Winter]

Our living situation is similar to what you are describing moving to. It has been a wonderful several decades here. Our dream home and property. Rural, but five miles from town and amenities.

But we are currently in the process of downsizing and getting ready to sell. Why? A few minor health issues have popped up that make maintaining this huge property difficult. Also, we are not getting any younger (upper 50's), and as much as we love our life here, we are tired of the endless work and expense of a large rural property. It comes at a price.

We have had a wonderful time here and raised our children here. And as sad as it makes me, it is time to move on. I would hesitate to take on a rural property at this age. Not saying it cannot be done, and if it is your dream you should go for it. Just make darn sure you know what you are getting into. Your housing should not be a fixer upper, so it is good that the one you are looking at is new. And be very careful not to take on too much all at once with animals and gardening etc. It is so tempting to want to do "all the things". But they all cost money. Whatever rural living is, it is not inexpensive and it is not a money saving venture. Whoever says is it is not being honest. It is a lifestyle choice, plain and simple. Can you economize while living rural? Sure. But it all comes at a cost. As long as you know that and factor it in, you will be fine. Many people don't and wind up moving away in part because of that.

Also one thing that I have not yet seen mentioned is that rural communities can be very insular. Will your neighbors be friendly and wonderful and helpful? Very probable. But will it also take YEARS to become a true part of the community? Yes. I was considered as "not from here" when we moved here twenty years ago just because I grew up on the other side of the exact same county. Same state, same county. Just the wrong side. True story.

The drive for you to get your son to services will get old very fast. Something closer (if possible) may be a better compromise.

I can only imagine how much your son would love it though. I wish you the best as you make your decision.

 

[meleana]

We live in the Lakes Region in New Hampshire. The Weirs-which is technically part of the city of Laconia.

 

[pjigar]

The drive for you to get your son to services will get old very fast. Something closer (if possible) may be a better compromise.

I second that. I initially wanted to buy over 50 acres place. Our budget then will make it possible at about an hour drive from the edge of suburb. We thought long and hard about that drive time. Finally we bit the bullet, doubled our budget and bought 17 acres at 20 minutes drive from the edge of suburb. Fast forward 10 years, drive time to edge of suburb is 15 minutes and dropping very rapidly by the year due to sprawling suburb.

Oh, and that 1 hour drive area still takes 1 hour because of the increased traffic. Like everything in life, you get what you pay for. We are so glad we bit the bullet at the time (and it was painful for a few years).

 

[Koolau]

We have good ambulance service here and on the mainland with regional/teaching hospitals within less than half an hour. Other than say, cardiac arrest or major trauma, I think we're good. Traffic is our major issue with speed to medical help.

As far as true state of the art treatments (especially cancer) folks here, even on Oahu, tend to travel to California or Texas.

BFF (that I've mentioned many times) was less than 5 minutes from the hospital and did not make it when he had a brain bleed. He coded in the ambulance and they were able to restore a pulse, but he was gone within minutes of arrival at the hospital. None of us here gets out alive.

 

[1242Vintage]

We live in a rural area outside of town. Raised our kids here and have no plans to leave.

Yes we have to drive to town for groceries and medical. And should we need emergency help it will be a while. BUT the best part are the neighbors. They are not close (1/4 to 1/2 mile away) and it took us a while to get to know everyone but would do anything for us. And we have dropped everything to help them out when needed.

One of our kids needed lots of speech therapy and audiology services when she was young (she’s deaf). That was a bit of a pain being outside of town. Lots of driving.

If I was buying another primary residence in a rural area I would be very concerned about the availability of homeowners insurance. Some of my neighbors are getting dropped due to wildfire risks. And we would only buy a one-story home so that mobility issues (stairs) wouldn’t become an issue as we get older.

Home and self-security is becoming a bigger issue for those of us living outside of town. So far it’s just been a few random homeless wandering through and petty theft. I would check crime stats or have a discussion with your local sherriff.

We replaced the fencing with something more robust, have security cameras and put in a new automated gate.

 

[Out of Steam]

In rural area that we live those miles from the services you are talking about are relatively close for rural area here. In fact, most rural people live a lot farther than what you are talking about.

I tend to agree. There are places 100 miles from New York City with similar distances to shopping and services.

That said, OP needs to look at the availability and quality of specialized autism services and EMS response ans capability in that area.

 

[badatmath]

I didn't really all the responses but what about weather affecting your travel to services?

When I was young my aunt lived on a farm at the end of an unpaved road. Snow plows do not service these. . . I only recall her being stuck once in a bad way but nevertheless. . . I wouldn't like it.

A friend died after going to a small local hospital that did not have the resources to treat him. They were transferring him via ambulance to a larger facility when he passed. . . I mean yes it might/probably would have happened anyway but I will not be moving to anyplace that does not have a trauma center close.

Since I have not seriously considered moving I have not defined what is "close enough" yet but I guess I should since moving might be on the table for me in the next year or so.

One of my other concerns with leaving a city for a smaller place - everyone knows your business when you live in a town of 2K people. . . Not so much at 1M. KWIM?

 

[1242Vintage]

And I almost forget … but am reminded today by the widespread power outages. Living rural means surviving on your own sometimes.

Power is out and some poles are laying across our lane and the main road due to a large storm. We have a mid-size generator that powers our whole house so have emergency backup power and fuel to last at least a week.

Can’t get out of our area for a while. Hopefully no one needs emergency medical services in the next few days.

 

[Koolau]

And I almost forget … but am reminded today by the widespread power outages. Living rural means surviving on your own sometimes.

Power is out and some poles are laying across our lane and the main road due to a large storm. We have a mid-size generator that powers our whole house so have emergency backup power and fuel to last at least a week.

Can’t get out of our area for a while. Hopefully no one needs emergency medical services in the next few days.

"Bad" weather is one reason we left the Midwest. Oddly, we lose power here more often than we ever did when we lived in a rural area. BUT we did get snowed in quite often back in the 70s. That was a real pain. So far, the only thing which has kept us "shut in" in Paradise has been Covid.

 

[Dranoel]

I live in a very rural area and was recently diagnosed with a serious but treatable disease. Local hospitals and doctors don't have the expertise that my condition requires. So, I travel 2 hours, sometimes overnight, to a major metropolitan medical facility for treatment. We have older friends here who do the same for different conditions. Ageing makes this progressively more difficult. Health is certainly worth considering when deciding on a location to live.

 

[livingalmostlarge]

I grew up rural. And definitely medical care is a big concern. But my mom's argument is does it really matter? If she can't get the care in the rural area but she wanted to live there she's lived a fufilling life so she'll stay. Granted she's only 72. but my dad is 93 and now it doesn't matter. There is nothing urban that will save him. But maybe if he were 72

 

[CalifGal]

Is there home delivery for mail? If you have to go to the post office every day, that wouldn't be desirable to me.

Do you have garbage delivery? Do you have to drive to the dump? This is a pain for us due to the fact we have bears yet no bear boxes. Trash piles up in our house and sometimes in winter, I don't feel like driving up there.

IF you have ADVANCED Emt's, not just EMT's and a helicopter pad, you should get to the hospital pretty fast. That would be just fine with me. Also do you have a city bus? It might be nice for your son to have that as an option to ride to the next town with you just to get out and socialize. A club or church nearby would be a great support system too. You can always sell your home and downsize to the city if/when it's needed. Just ensure wherever your son is receiving services you actually enjoy that area because it's probably your final destination

 

[Koolau]

I grew up rural. And definitely medical care is a big concern. But my mom's argument is does it really matter? If she can't get the care in the rural area but she wanted to live there she's lived a fufilling life so she'll stay. Granted she's only 72. but my dad is 93 and now it doesn't matter. There is nothing urban that will save him. But maybe if he were 72

These are the kinds of decisions we all have to make for ourselves. I prefer to live close to (at least) quick response from EMTs/ambulance with relatively close proximity to an excellent trauma center. "Rural" living is now in my past - much as I loved my time in the prairie and woods. YMMV

 

[stephenson]

72 yo is a a young older woman - I feel quite the opposite - couple years younger.

I want MORE of life - as much as I can get, and if living 10 minutes from a great medical center will get me that - I'm all over it!

 

[Koolau]

72 yo is a a young older woman - I feel quite the opposite - couple years younger.

I want MORE of life - as much as I can get, and if living 10 minutes from a great medical center will get me that - I'm all over it!

I'm significantly older than 72 and don't feel like I'm "done" with life yet either. I don't want a lot of "heroic" end-of-life stuff done, but I want my options to be open. Quick response (aka closeness to good medical facilities) is one way to increase odds of a long life. No guarantees, of course, so YMMV.

 

[Ronstar]

Living rural is rough. As others here have stated, rural people can't get homeowners insurance, can't get their roads plowed, always have power outages, don't have advanced emt's, no garbage pickup, no security, and their police and fire are payed by grants.

 

[Koolau]

Living rural is rough. As others here have stated, rural people can't get homeowners insurance, can't get their roads plowed, always have power outages, don't have advanced emt's, no garbage pickup, no security, and their police and fire are payed by grants.

Yeah, lots of volunteer fire departments which were from good to awful.