Americans flee crowded cities amid COVID-19, consider permanent moves

[The Heretic]

I remember in my early 40's that the WWII generation was retiring and many announced their move to rural properties they had purchased. By the time I retired, many of those I knew had moved back to the suburbs because [1] they had health issues that required close access to hospitals and/or [2] they had worn themselves out trying to take care of their property. The worn out ones would have lasted much longer if they had simply lived a rural lifestyle, instead of trying to turn their acreage into a manicured park.

Park or no park, it is a lot of chores taking care of a property. Trees fall, firewood needs to be cut, split and stacked, moss grows on everything, on and on. If I want to sell the property I need to keep up on those chores and many more.

 

[revjen45]

"If you look at the new subdivisions on the edge of cities, they are often townhouses with shared walls, or moderate to large houses on smaller plots."

We see it growing as the sprawl metastasizes and moves to engulf us.
New construction of big ugly houses 8' apart on tiny lots.
The Californication of WA and OR proceeds apace.

 

[The Heretic]

"If you look at the new subdivisions on the edge of cities, they are often townhouses with shared walls, or moderate to large houses on smaller plots."

We see it growing as the sprawl metastasizes and moves to engulf us.
New construction of big ugly houses 8' apart on tiny lots.
The Californication of WA and OR proceeds apace.

Eight feet? On a lot of these houses you can stand between them and touch both houses at the same time with your arms stretched out.

I remember once I drove out to a development on a hill off I-90 out past Issaquah - it was a new development kind of out in the middle of nowhere between Issaquah and Snoqualmie Falls. It had its own strip mall and cookie cutter houses. I found one row of houses where the houses were all the same on the street, just mirrored. Then I noticed two houses next to each other, exactly the same, with the same exact pair of SUVs in the driveway. Why people would move 20 miles out of the suburbs to live in a suburb like that in the middle of a forest, I could just not understand.

But at least in the greater Portland area, we have growth boundaries to keep this kind of stuff inside that boundary. If you come out to the mountain I live on, you won't see that kind of development. Up in the Seattle area, you would.

 

[SHOOTZMEDLER]

Not me, I hope all the darn city slickers stay there. Don't come ruin the last bit of beauty left in this world.

 

[revjen45]

The ones with 8' between are ranches on acreage.

 

[fmann]

This is a no sh-t, cyclical thing. Back in the 1980's and 1990's, no one wanted to live in the heart of major cities like NYC, Chicago, etc.. The motivating factor back then was crime and urban blight.

But then in the 2000's and 2010's, folks were returning to major cities in droves.

 

[PaulB47]

"I've even read of leftists being outraged with the government over-reach."

I used to say that I could never be a conservative, because conservatives love government far too much for my taste.

 

[Mike7b]

Up here, years ago, duplex were popular, then a developer built a bunch of what I call rowhouses, narrow two story houses, as many crammed on a lot as possible. Now the trend is tiny houses, there doing some down the road from my work. On one side of the alley you have the one house per lot, in this case four single family houses. Across the alley there's 16 tiny houses on the same amount of land, the powers in charge, want to increase the urban density, living room, bedroom, kitchen and bath all crammed together. It will be interesting to see if they sell, most people move here to get away, not to be hipsters.

 

[revjen45]

If I can't shoot a 30-'06 in my yard (and I can't) the neighbors are too close.

 

[The Heretic]

If I can't shoot a 30-'06 in my yard (and I can't) the neighbors are too close.

My neighbors are 100+ yards away, but I still can't shoot a rifle in their direction. I have neighbors that are thousands of feet away and I still have to be very careful about shooting - no fast shooting and certainly no quick draw/etc.

 

[revjen45]

At least I can whizz in the yard, thus saving immense wear & tear on the septic system.
That makes it semi-rural.

 

[MannyGlocks]

Wear and tear?

Only flush after 20 or so whizzes.

Little wear and tear.

 

[CountryGent]

They can do whatever they want; I know where I like to live. (Hint: No where near a large city. )

 

[Defense Minister]

Rather than moving to rural America, I think what you'll see, using Oregon as an example, is people moving from Portland proper to the Portland suburbs and smaller cities like Salem, Eugene, and Bend.

 

[The Heretic]

Rather than moving to rural America, I think what you'll see, using Oregon as an example, is people moving from Portland proper to the Portland suburbs and smaller cities like Salem, Eugene, and Bend.

Some yes. Some will move out here. A young couple with a toddler bought a house in our neighborhood a couple years ago.

This life isn't for everybody. Some people don't like the quiet. Some people can't be without the convenience of the stores/etc. Some people think it is wild animals and dueling banjos.

Me, I sleep better at night, even if I forget to lock my doors and have the window by bed open. I yell at the coyotes to shut up when they make too much racket, and it isn't quiet for me (the ringing in my ears sometimes keeps me awake).

 

[Camelfilter]

More than likely, as the left further draws out the economic demise, there will be families doubling up & such.

Wherever they can, however out of urban centers seems more likely, simply due to housing size.

 

[ATCclears]

I remember in my early 40's that the WWII generation was retiring and many announced their move to rural properties they had purchased. By the time I retired, many of those I knew had moved back to the suburbs because [1] they had health issues that required close access to hospitals and/or [2] they had worn themselves out trying to take care of their property. The worn out ones would have lasted much longer if they had simply lived a rural lifestyle, instead of trying to turn their acreage into a manicured park.

Access to healthcare is a significant consideration for those aging or with a chronic condition.

I have a friend who lives on the West side of Puget Sound. He is just shy of 60 years old. He has a chronic intestinal problem, cannot find an appropriate Specialist reasonably close to him on the West side of the Sound, and takes a ferry and then drives to the Mill Creek area when he needs to see a Specialist.

I've pondered a move. One of the criteria for any new location now includes being within a 60-minute drive of a population center of 250K people.

 

[The Heretic]

Access to healthcare is a significant consideration for those aging or with a chronic condition.

I have a friend who lives on the West side of Puget Sound. He is just shy of 60 years old. He has a chronic intestinal problem, cannot find an appropriate Specialist reasonably close to him on the West side of the Sound, and takes a ferry and then drives to the Mill Creek area when he needs to see a Specialist.

I've pondered a move. One of the criteria for any new location now includes being within a 60-minute drive of a population center of 250K people.

Having lived in the Seattle area and having been on the ferries a number of times, I would say that is a bit different from someone living or working on on the peninsula compared to working in downtown Seattle and living in Issaquah or Snoqualmie or Tiger Mountain.

I hear people talk about access to healthcare/etc. - I live on a mountain, my commute into downtown Portland was 1 hour long and an hour home. It is 15 minutes to get to the ER in Newberg, and 20 minutes to the ER in Beaverton or Hillsboro. if I am doing the driving and not waiting for an ambulance. Clinics in town are closer. The local FD is 5 minutes away and they have EMTs. I am not rural, I am extra-rural - but I still have access to healthcare.

 

[Camelfilter]

Access to healthcare is a significant consideration for those aging or with a chronic condition.

I have a friend who lives on the West side of Puget Sound. He is just shy of 60 years old. He has a chronic intestinal problem, cannot find an appropriate Specialist reasonably close to him on the West side of the Sound, and takes a ferry and then drives to the Mill Creek area when he needs to see a Specialist.

I've pondered a move. One of the criteria for any new location now includes being within a 60-minute drive of a population center of 250K people.

Also include weather in your planning, and how well routes are "normally" maintained during such.

What may be an hour drive in good weather, could more than double in some places in tough winters. As an oversimplified example.

While, with some further scrutinizing of property locations, travel time in the same circumstances could hardly be affected. Closer to county routes/state routes, lower elevation by just a tad, again, as oversimplified examples.

'Course, such is moot, if prospective location gets hardly any true winter weather.

 

[revjen45]

"Only flush after 20 or so whizzes."
I take it you aren't into fresh asparagus. Besides, relieving oneself outside is a good reason to live in "the country."

"Access to healthcare is a significant consideration for those aging or with a chronic condition."
True dat. We planned to move to someplace sunnier and ruraler until that consideration raised is ugly head.