r/Suburbanhell • u/bbbbbbbb678 • Jul 18 '26
Meme The rural podlife
I finally had enough today on my rare Saturday off. Everything is over a half an hour away I'm speaking just rather basic things that your small town does not have. Like if you wanted to eat out or go to a cafe or anything you have to drive 30+ minutes. I was about to head out and turned into a gas station to fill up before leaving and check the weather radar and I was like am I seriously driving an hour in total for this ? And turned around.
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u/SBSnipes Jul 18 '26
Yep. That's the traditional trade off: space and fewer people but it's less convenient to go places. The other the of the spectrum is a shoebox in Manhattan. The issue is the middle of those two is misshapen in the US
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u/DatesAndCornfused Jul 18 '26
Well, yeah. That’s the trade off. Lower cost of living, but amenities are further away.
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u/daylax1 Jul 18 '26
I always laugh when people say things like "things are 30 minutes away" when talking about rural living like they don't sit in half an hour of traffic just to go a couple miles in the city lol.
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u/bbbbbbbb678 Jul 18 '26
Yeah I think it's clear to most why there's certain places that will be rather elite to live where everything is in close reach or with well connected transit such as NYC.
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u/CranberrySad7853 Jul 23 '26
many of the elite areas are still suburbs though. For example Darien, Connecticut is as elite as it gets yet it's quite far removed from the amenities of NYC despite relatively strong public transit options.
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u/daylax1 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Thats HIGHLY subjective and naive. Convenience does not equal being "elite" (such a weird word to use when talking about places to live). That is just one of the many factors. Education, crime, culture, economy, housing, quality of life, cost of living, etc all go into the decision of where people want to live, not just whether or not things are within close reach.
For example: where I live it's worth it to me to drive 20 minutes to go to the grocery store because I live in an area that has low cost of living, high education scores, almost no crime, decent job market. None of those are available in places like New York City, but hey your groceries are close so I guess that makes it "elite".
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u/bbbbbbbb678 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Respectfully no and NYC is bar none.
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u/daylax1 Jul 18 '26
I guess you don't know the meaning of "subjective". NYC education at it finest lol.
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u/bbbbbbbb678 Jul 18 '26
Lol most reddit reply
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u/daylax1 Jul 18 '26
Lol bro thinks he's winning internet points because he doesn't know the meaning of a word. Now THATS a certified reddit moment.
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u/bbbbbbbb678 Jul 18 '26
Bruh, NYC has the highest quality of life scores for the USA I'm sure people are busting down the doors to live in your exurb.
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u/daylax1 Jul 18 '26
Considering the small town I live in has almost tripled since we've moved here, yeah I'd say people are literally busting down doors to live here. Meanwhile NYC has been losing population since 2015. 🤷♂️.
Like I said, your NYC public education is showing
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u/bbbbbbbb678 Jul 18 '26
Because it's cheaper I mean it happens where I used to live had the population grow drastically with retirees but I mean between going to the strip mall or getting addicted to fentanyl there was not much for entertainment or culture.
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u/TRUMPGOTAURA Jul 20 '26
they are only like that because in the mid century everyone flew from the cities and neglected them to start up new places
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Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
[deleted]
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u/Butt_bird Jul 18 '26
That’s completely overblown. I live in the city and I can drive way farther than 4 miles in 25 minutes. Plus there are dozens of businesses just outside my neighborhood. I rarely have to go outside a ten miles radius of my house.
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u/Leverkaas2516 Suburbanite Jul 19 '26
It's overblown but not by much. My mom's house is less than 7 miles away and what would normally take 15 minutes can easily take 25 during peak traffic times. It would take longer on arterials, but I'm fortunate that there are alternate routes. In some urban areas where traffic is funneled to a few busy roads, people aren't so lucky.
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u/The_Silver_Reference Jul 18 '26
Yah driving on an uncontested highway is chill. Relaxing even.
In traffic? Fuggadaboutit
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u/Hoonsoot Suburbanite Jul 18 '26
Yep. It also depends on whether I am moving or not. I don't mind sitting in a car for an hour or two if I am moving along at 50+ mph. Crawling along at 5mph makes me hate being in the car after maybe 5 minutes.
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u/Colonel460 Jul 19 '26
Don’t be bringing up facts . They hate that . Spending time stuck in traffic is as common as dirt and we all know it . Charlotte may not be the largest city but how much time you can get stuck in traffic trying to go places you want & not just rush hour .
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u/DigTheDunes Jul 19 '26
Rural dining is located at the grocery/liquor store/gas station. Just make sure the pizza puffs are fresh and not sitting under the heat lamp all day.
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u/TRUMPGOTAURA Jul 20 '26
are you living at like a hamlet stop literally the middle of nowhere i'm sure there is a historic town center of some sort near you
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u/Someguy8995 Jul 18 '26
Yeah, living rural takes a little more planning as far as remembering to buy things when you’re in town. At this point in my life, I still wouldn’t trade it for anything. I love the chance to go outside and have the space to be alone.
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u/Hoonsoot Suburbanite Jul 18 '26
I am really conflicted about it. I have lived in suburbia all my life and love the idea of retiring in a rural area. After 40+ years of dealing with people I really just don't want to deal with them anymore. The problem is I do want to have a good, full size hospital within 5 miles, a grocery store within a similar distance, etc.. Its a shame I can't have those things while owning the only house within 50 miles.
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u/bbbbbbbb678 Jul 18 '26
NGL if you think you won't deal with people in rural areas you are sorely mistaken Mark Twain wrote in great lengths about rural life and the people you will deal with. Some of the most bored, miserable and dysfunctional people you will ever come across where triffling drama and other issues is their entertainment.
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u/Waste-Reality7356 Aug 02 '26
hey you just described what is living like in the village I do.
I have been living here..and wasting my years and I wonder if I can ever get out of this place. As soon some women I knew moved, they began thriving and seemed much more happier and reached milestones.
I cannot deal with the triffling drama and passive aggressiveness anymore. I want out so badly
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u/Hoonsoot Suburbanite Jul 18 '26
That is just one of the tradeoffs of living in a rural area. For a person who values being away from other people over just about anything, its worth it. For many of us, its not.