My husband and I often joke with people that the town where we had lived for 18 years had outgrown us.  For people in urban areas, it sounds a bit silly since Williamsburg, Virginia, is still very small. But the change was real to us: our country road was now home to two large developments that made it difficult and dangerous to walk the dogs. Getting across town after 4 PM meant dealing with a rush hour. There wasn’t ever a time when you didn’t have to stand in a long line at the post office or the grocery store.

So, when we found a small farm across the river, we jumped at the chance to move to the country. We had our own land where we could walk the dogs, keep chickens legally, and really see the stars at night. Since I mostly work from home, it didn’t really matter where I lived as long as I had Internet access. At the beginning, that access was cellular but it worked OK even though the cost was somewhat surprising. Now, we have DSL, and I am hopeful that rural broadband will bring even better access in the near future.

Certainly, we aren’t the only crazy people in the world who like living outside the typical urban/suburban environment? But rural population is at an all time low in the United States.

As telecommuting becomes more entrenched in our society, people will have more flexibility with their choices of home. Bringing more people to rural counties would help bolster the tax base to support schools and bring economic support for local businesses. Perhaps rural areas need to start an advertising campaign to encourage people to move. Let them know that you don’t have to live off the grid on the edge of the Maine woods to have a rural experience. In fact, we live on the edge of a little town so there’s a pizza shop and public library within biking distance.

What would it take to get you to the country?