Country Livin'

JeepURE

JeepURE

New Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2007
Location
Lexington, NC
Ya know, I grew up in Greensboro. Got used to living where everything was right down the road. Plenty of restaurants, grocery stores, shopping malls, etc. right nearby. Hell, I hardly ever left the city unless I was going to visit my brother who lives in Raleigh. I had no need to go anywhere. Everything was right there.

Well, about a year and a half ago, my wife and I bought a house just south of Lexington - right off High Rock Lake. Complete culture shock. Takes 15-20 minutes to get to the nearest "actual" grocery store (i.e.-food lion, wal-mart). There's no Target, Old Navy, Harris Teeter, and a man can only eat so much BBQ. The only chain restaurants here are Applebee's, Cracker Barrel, and a slew of fast food joints. We constantly find ourselves driving back up to High Point or Greensboro when we want to do, well, anything.

But there's nothing like it. Nothing like sitting outside on the front porch, sippin' something cold and looking up to actually see stars. Nothing like waving to your neighbors, (or just about anyone for that matter) and having them wave back - or maybe even stop to chat for a minute. There's no traffic to deal with, no crime, no pollution. Nothing like it. It's quiet. It's peaceful. The only noise we have is from distant boats going across High Rock. Every now and then we'll have prop-planes flying overhead doing loop-de-loops or an occasional military helicopter convoy heading down toward Badin.

Nothing like it. Everyone has a dog. Everyone talks to eachother. It's almost like it's a completely different world. I know alot of you guys probably grew up in the country, thinking that I'm some kind of weirdo for even posting this. I've just realized how sheltered I was. Like I said before - I didn't leave Greensboro unless I really had to. After I met my wife, my eyes were opened to an entirely new world. I've been to more of North Carolina in the past 2 years than I had in the previous 22. Isn't that sad?

This morning as I was coming into work, I passed a dog laying in the road. He got up as I came by, but looked at me like I was invading his space. On the next road, there were some cows eating grass by the farmers mailbox. Yep, not supposed to be out of the fence. You definitely don't see cows in the city. Then, I turned down the street my office is on, and there's another dog laying there asleep. She woke up and looked at me - didn't even sit up or move out of the road as I drove by. I mean, even the dogs know it's a laid back place. Yep - as I type this, there goes a man on a tractor. Guess he's off to bale hay or something.

It's things like this that make me glad I moved out here.
 
I know what ya mean. I regret buying a house in the city limits.
 
When directions to your house include the words "turn off the paved road" you know your living in the right place
 
I used to live in Granite Quarry(Salisbury) and it was the same way. Very nice small town to live in. I miss that place sometimes.
 
Lived in the sticks all my life and love it. If I moved into a city I would end up climbing a clock tower with a rifle somewhere.
 
well I grew up in NY and CT in the city..

then I came to NC and went to Campbell University which at the time was in the sticks.. no fast food for a 20 min drive.. no grocery stores with in 10 miles and only 1 gas station near campus..

I have to admit I loved it..

So I got a house in Angier which at the time did not even have 1 stop light :)

house was on the edge of a farm .. it was great..

now I live in Raleigh right near North Hills and 440 and man it sure is different..

I think long term I am gonna try to convince the wife to move back out to country.. I loved it and want to go back..
 
unfortunately, " Country " living is getting further away

We live in a subdivision in the "country" closest anything is 3 miles away, closest town is 9 miles, BUT it is beginning to build up around here. in 2 years there will be a highschool built a mile up the road, there are other developments planned, probably won't be long before our volunteer fire dept is at minimum paid day time if not 24hrs ( already have one man paid at most of the local stations around here )

for the time being, it is quiet here most times, can hear the roosters crowing in the AM ( something I had never heard when I was growing up), farm machinery rolling the roads on any given day.

One thing I have found, you find out who your friends are when you live "outside" the comfort zone. It's too much effort to drive 25 miles or somesuch, it's like driving to another country, you may have navigate more than a few roads/intersections, many with little or no signage, it could get confusing. I know many folks who don't want to be bothered by leaving the city life, kinda funny really.
 
City life sucks a$$! I grew up in a place where at night I could hold my hand if front of my face and not see it and strain to hear the slightest sound and not hear anything. It was 5 miles to town, and 35 to the nearest ATM. Can't wait to find a place like that again.
 
Looking for a small farm now or some land now to get out of a neighborhood that I thought was far enough away frm the city, 36 mile drive to work, But it is not so I am looking further out. All of the crap is growing up this way because of the low tax rate compared to Charlotte and better schools. Don't care anymore about the schools, kids almost done, and the taxes are cheaper next county over. Drive don't bother me there are some good high mileage cars now to off set the cost. Hell it would be worth the additional cost. Lived in Alaska for 3 years, Drove on the road all day and saw 3 cars. Very nice.
 
Blkvoodoo said:
...One thing I have found, you find out who your friends are when you live "outside" the comfort zone...
Click to expand...

that's for damn sure. i hate to say it, but none of my old friends from gboro have come out to my house. i thought i had really great friends, too. we moved in April 2007 and nobody has seen it. i finally put some pictures on myspace and had some people comment. it kinda hurt my feelings at first, but it just showed me their true colors.:gay:
 
My dream is to live in a little town called Roscoe, SD. I have a friend that I visit to pheasant hunt with and I want to live there so bad. Population around 225 with a graduating class that totals three in a good year and you go to school in the same building K-12. Funny story!! We were sitting around one evening after a good hunt and decided to order pizza in. So my buddy called up the place ordered it and 25 minutes later here comes the pizza guy. He delivered a cooked TOMBSTONE pizza(store bought) in the original cardboard box. :rolleyes: Now if that ain't country I'll kiss your a--
 
i don't mind it living in suburbia, its got it advantages, but id rather be either all the way in BFE or in IN a big city in a loft/industrial type place.
 
I grew up In Los Angeles, moved to DC, then Virginia Beach.All very busy areas. I then wanted to move south for a job, found my way to union county NC. Not a lot around, unfortunatly it is coming. I love sitting out on my deck, no sounds around especially at night.There is a train that runs threw town, the whistle is far enough away and it sounds soothing. It took a little while to get used to it, but I would not change it for the world.
 
Grew up on a 200acre farm in South Eastern York County.
A solid hour to Charlotte, 45 minutes to Rock Hill and 25 to York. When York was the big City....you had something.

Went away to college, literally nearly went insane, damn near institutionalized within the first 30 days (and Clemson aint in center city....just the people....)

After a few years I grew to enjoy it, graduated and moved to Charlotte, now back down South. For the ones who have been here, you understand.

Again Im 25 minutes from York, but York has a bit more now.
My kids goes to a K-9 elementary school that pulls children from 4 towns (Hickory Grove, Sharon, Smyrna, and Lockhart) to have enough to make a school.

I will retire on a ranch or an island beach...but at times it wears on you. I commute an hour minimum each way, and often miss a 15 minute drive home, especially in the winter. Leave work at 5pm and get home 6-6:15...it already dark.

Kevin is absolutely right, when we lived in Charlotte or even our first house afterwards in Rock Hill we felt like the life of the party. These days, 1 or 2 friends come visiting and they always call first. It used to bother me, now I just realized you find out who your friends are.

We soon will be moving to a more populated area...and I am excited and saddened. There is something nice about the availability of delivery pizza, or a quick run out to eat....but I'm not sure how I will handle hearing cars at night (I always sleep with a window open) again, or if I will ever remember to lock my doors....

One day when I dont need a city to work in...I will be tough to find.
 
I grew up in a suburb of NW Greensboro right on the edge of the city limits. It was nice because I was 5 minutes from everything. I could ride my bicycle into town, and also ride my dirtbike right out of my parents driveway and into the woods.

I bought a house a little ways out in the country, but not as far as some of you guys. I was worried I might miss being less than 5 minutes from everything, but the positives seem to outway the negatives. I've been here three years now and really like it. Closest grocery store is 5 miles away. Closest Wal-Mart/Lowes is about 12 miles away.

Last night I went for a ride on my bicycle. About 2 miles from my house I come to a T intersection, and there is a wild turkey standing in the intersection. I hung a right and rode up 1-2 miles, then turned around. He was still standing in the intersection when I got back there. I rode past him again up the other road about 1 mile, then turned around. He had then moved out of the road and was standing on the shoulder, LOL. I probably saw 5-8 cars during my 40 minute ride. That is the part I think I like best about living where I do.
 
I live in the hood....I've witnessed a lady getting mugged while sitting on my front porch. Can't beat the city for entertainment.
 
Back
Top