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by nateweiss 2898 days ago
Yes, this is my situation, I work from home so it was a pretty easy transition to working in a rural area.

It can be a culture shock though. Even something like Internet access can be very different from what you're used to, in addition to the nature of your relationship to your neighbors and so on. To anyone considering it, I'd recommend trying it first somehow (rent a place for a few months or something, maybe partly during the area's "off" or "shoulder" season if applicable, so you see what it's like when the good weather ends, etc). It may or may not work for you, but if it does it can be a really nice change.
2 comments
protomyth 2898 days ago
As to internet access, look at that before picking a place. It really does vary wildly. For example, in North Dakota, several of the rural electric cooperatives have high speed fiber (One Gigabyte download, 500 Mbs upload - $105 to $135 per month, no cap), but the cable companies are sparse and lacking. Seeing what addresses are covered is pretty much a first step before picking housing.
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ghaff 2898 days ago
I do know people who make do with satellite or wireless hotspots but it's obviously not ideal. Of course, you don't need to be in the back of beyond to have Internet access issues. My Xfinity has been acting flaky of late--though not clearly bad enough to deal with customer service hell--and Verizon FIOS isn't available at my house. I'm not in a city but I'm adjacent to a small one and only about an hour from a major metropolis.
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ghaff 2898 days ago
That's good advice generally. There are a lot of places that are pretty idyllic in the summer that even I, who like winter activities, would probably find pretty isolating in the winter.

I'd add that country/city isn't a binary thing where you're either living in a major urban core or you're out in the sticks. The Bay Area is something of an exception but there are many major cities where about an hour gets you into much less expensive housing and space to spread out if you want that. But you're still close enough for going into the city for an evening if you want to. (And lot of the time, the tech jobs are already out from the city anyway.)

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