9 Things to consider when moving from the city to the country
If you’re considering moving to the country – whether it be to start a hobby farm or just for some peace and quiet – there are definitely some things you will want to consider before you jump into country living. Especially if you are used to big city life like we were!
I grew up in St. Louis, MO. My husband, Scott grew up in Houston, TX. And if you’re anything like us, then you’re used to having everything you could ever need at your fingertips. We both had several grocery store options, shopping centers within minutes, and public transportation, and we loved the fast pace of the city.
We had been talking about buying a new home together when, out of the blue, he asked what I thought about owning a Christmas tree farm. My first reaction to hearing this was a big fat nope! How could I ever survive rural life that I know nothing about?
I had to at least entertain the idea, so I stepped outside my comfort zone and contacted our real estate agent. Once we started checking out homes on the market with acreage, it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with these rural areas. The big open spaces, fresh air, beautiful scenery, lower cost of living, and just the sense of peace I felt while there. Maybe I could get used to rural living after all!
After months of searching, and 3 offers later, we finally found the perfect place, got a moving truck, and made the big move. Today, we own our own home on 25 acres in small town Wisconsin, and after planting 6,000 Christmas trees, we had to pivot and realize a different dream for our land. A story for another day.
Do I regret moving here? Absolutely not! It was the right decision. I love our fixer-upper home, land, and our smaller town with fewer people. But I do want to share with you the things I wish we would have known before moving to the country, so you can learn from us and avoid any culture shock.
9 Things to consider when moving to the country
- Is there reliable internet?
- How close do you want to be to grocery stores?
- Will you need any special farm equipment?
- Do you plan to raise animals?
- Do you plan to grow/plant anything?
- Are there zoning restrictions?
- Will you be on well or city water?
- Will you be on a septic system or city sewer?
- Throw perfectionism out the window.
INTERNET
One of the most significant differences for me in moving to the country was the internet. For the last decade or so I have worked from home full time, so reliable internet was a must. Little did we know that this requirement would eliminate over half of our options! Many of the homes we looked at only had satellite internet service providers as an option. At first, this seemed like an OK option, until we started doing some digging.
When moving to a more rural area, if satellite internet is your only option, it will most certainly do. But you need to know the limitations that come along with it so you can choose your best option.
Latency
The first issue is the delay, or latency, that comes along with the long distance that the data has to travel between your home’s satellite dish, satellites orbiting the Earth, and land-based servers. The latency is higher the further away the satellites are – so high-Earth orbit satellite systems, such as HughsNet, have much higher latency than low-Earth orbit satellites like Starlink.
Upload/Download Speeds
Upload speed is probably the biggest issue we found as to why satellite internet wouldn’t work for us. Since I work from home, and my husband does a few days per week, we need higher upload speeds for video calls. Upload speed is how quickly data travels between your computer and your network. Uploading is used for anything from streaming to file or photo sharing on the cloud. So if you’re a gamer, streamer, or remote worker, a fast upload speed matters to you.
A great way to know your current upload and download speed is by going to Google and searching “Internet Speed Test”. There you can perform a test to see what your current speeds are.
Data Caps
Data caps are another issue. To know if this will be an issue for you, you will need to understand your usage and internet needs. I highly recommend that you pull your usage from your current internet provider showing how many Gigabytes you currently use per month. Many satellite providers have a low data cap.
When we first moved here, we had DSL internet and it was still relatively slow. Thankfully when the pandemic transformed our lives, governments took notice and began bringing high-speed fiber internet to rural America. When we got word it was coming to our area, we signed up immediately! It has been a godsend.
HOW CLOSE DO YOU WANT TO BE TO GROCERY STORES OR SHOPS?
This was one I hadn’t even considered when moving to the country; however, I would say that we lucked out. We have a small grocery store within 5 minutes of our house where we can get basic necessities and fresh produce from local farmers. Beyond that though, the nearest town with any other store or shop I might need is approximately 25-30 minutes from me. So, while it’s not terribly inconvenient, I do find myself having to plan for these trips because of the long drive. It’s not like my past city days where I could run out and be anywhere within 5 minutes. Now if I’m going out, I’m going to make several stops to make it worth my time.
One of the best things that I have done, is sign up for a Thrive Market membership. As I mentioned, my local grocery store only carries the basic, conventional necessities. Everything that Thrive Market sells is organic or sustainably sourced with guaranteed savings. They have absolutely everything I need and the best part, it’s delivered right to my door! If you want to give it a try, you can do so here.
WILL YOU NEED ANY SPECIAL FARM EQUIPMENT?
First and foremost, when moving to a rural location, you need to understand that you will need to buy some kind of equipment if you’re going to have more than a few acres. When we bought our house, I never thought about what it would take to maintain 25 acres! Our “yard” is probably about 4-5 acres. We didn’t want to pay anyone to mow our yard, so we bought a commercial-grade zero-turn mower to get the job done.
If we were to mow our yard with a riding lawnmower, it would probably take at least 5-6 hours. With our zero-turn, it takes us about 3 hours to mow the entire thing. Luckily my stepson loves to do it! When he can’t, I don’t mind doing it actually. I just pop in my headphones and utilize the lovey cup holder *wink wink* and go.
We also purchased a tractor with a rotary mower which has come in handy with keeping the rest of the land maintained, which is mostly horse pasture. Horse pastures are very common in rural areas, they consist of tall grass and a variety of thick weeds. Combine that with the rough terrain, and it’s just too much for a residential mower.
I assumed we would have to buy a tractor, but one thing that was a surprise to me was buying an ATV with a snowplow attachment. Our driveway is about 300 feet long and Wisconsin winters are no joke! We didn’t want to have to rely on finding someone to pay to plow our driveway and be stuck if no one was available during a big snowstorm.
It is important to consider what you are going to want to do with your land. Make sure you plan ahead and research your needs. If this will be more of a hobby, make sure you buy equipment that will save you time, not money. Trust me on this one. We’re on our second zero-turn mower! Not only was our first one a residential grade that couldn’t handle our yard, but it also took us 4 1/2 hours to mow. That’s almost 2 evenings per week spent just mowing!
And if you are still unsure of what you may need, you can rent virtually every type of equipment to see if it will suffice before you buy.
DO YOU PLAN TO RAISE ANY ANIMALS?
Besides our amazing pup, Bailey, backyard chickens are the only animals we have currently. At one point I wanted to have goats, but I learned they would eat the Christmas trees we planted, so sadly, that was a no-go.
When deciding on what kind of farm animals you want to have, make sure you do plenty of research. Do you have enough land to dedicate to them? What kind of housing will they need? What kind of care? What will the cost of upkeep be? Who will take care of them if you go out of town? etc.
I can’t stress this point enough.
When we first got our backyard chickens at Tractor Supply, they also happened to have ducks. On a whim, we decided to get 2 ducks because they were so cute! Since we didn’t have a lake or a pond for them, we had to get them a kiddy pool which had to be cleaned daily. After the first winter, it became too much and it wasn’t fair to Ducky and Quackers. I eventually had to re-home them, and I was heartbroken.
When moving rural, you still need to check if there are any ordinances or restrictions for certain animals. For example, I am allowed to have a rooster, but one town over, the residents are not allowed to have them.
If you do plan on raising backyard chickens, check out my Chickens 101: Essential Chicken Supplies Guide.
DO YOU PLAN TO GROW/PLANT ANYTHING?
If so, have your soil tested. The type of soil you have might just determine what you can and can’t grow. For example, if your soil is mostly clay, you will be dealing with poor drainage which makes it undesirable for most agricultural purposes.
You will also want to know the pH level of your soil. Generally, most plants grow best in neutral soil, but there are some exceptions like blueberries and lavender which prefer a higher pH level. If you find your soil isn’t at the right pH level for your needs, you can adjust it with chemicals and fertilizer. It is a personal choice if you want to be organic and stay away from the chemicals or not.
We have chosen to be an organic farm and have been experimenting with natural fertilizers and bug repellants. We have an issue with ticks so this is the current product I am testing. It smells amazing and seems to be working so far!
ZONING RESTRICTIONS
Zoning refers to a set of rules and regulations that restrict how a property can and can’t be used. It can also mean regulating the size, shape, and scale of the buildings on a certain property within a specific geographic location.
If you plan to have any retail business on your property, you have to ensure your property is zoned correctly to allow that. That was one consideration we had to take into account when buying our house. We wanted to have a Christmas tree farm where people could come onto our property to pick out their trees, so we had to make sure of the zoning laws before we could put in an offer.
The land could be zoned as residential, agricultural, or undeveloped to name a few. To find out how specific land or property is zoned, you can call your local government office. You may also be able to find a list of zoning ordinances or zoning maps online on your local government’s website.
WELL WATER
When I first heard we would have well water, I was beyond excited to be getting away from water treated with chemicals. For those of you who don’t know, the main difference between well and city water is that city water is treated with chemicals – like chlorine – and distributed by municipal water authorities while well water is untreated and comes from underground aquifers.
What I didn’t realize is that well owners are responsible not only for the maintenance of the well itself but also for the quality of the water.
Hard Water
Well water is notoriously known for being hard water. Hard water has a high mineral content, mainly calcium and magnesium. This can cause scale buildup which can result in damage to plumbing and appliances, residue spots on dishes, and even dry skin.
If you’ve ever seen reddish-brown stains on toilet bowls and shower drains, or chalky white residue on faucets and showerheads, then you have witnessed hard water.
Shortly after moving in, we had to replace a few clogged shower heads and I definitely noticed my hair being more dry and brittle. We eventually replaced our water softener and have noticed a huge improvement in our water! To learn more about what hard water can do to your hair, check out my Well Water vs. City Water post.
Test Your Water
It is a good idea to have your well water tested annually. I thought that well water was “pure” since it comes from the earth, but I have since learned that it’s just rainwater that has moved through the air and across the ground and soil. By the time well water gets into your home, there’s likely more to it than just water. There are many at-home kits available for do-it-yourself tap testing, but it’s not always clear what they test for or how accurate they are.
The EPA recommends using a certified lab to test your water. You can find a certified lab in your state on the EPA’s website here.
When I had our water tested, I was shocked to learn that it was high in nitrates. But knowing what I know now, it makes sense. I am surrounded by farmland where farmers use chemicals and fertilizers for their crops. I wasn’t willing to risk my family’s health, so we invested in a whole-house water filtration system to remove the majority of the contaminants. Unfortunately, it isn’t able to remove all of the nitrates so we also installed an under-the-sink reverse osmosis system for our drinking water. The peace of mind is worth every penny!
WILL YOU BE ON A SEPTIC SYSTEM OR CITY SEWER?
If you move to a remote area, the chances are high that you will be on a septic system. As a homeowner, you will be responsible for maintaining your septic system. If you’re lucky, you will be on city sewer and you’ll just call to have your billing set up. But if not, let’s look at what a septic system actually is.
A standard septic system is comprised of four primary elements: a home-to-septic tank pipe, the septic tank itself, a drain field, and the surrounding soil. Within the soil, microorganisms play a crucial role in breaking down and purifying wastewater, effectively removing the majority of contaminants before it goes into the groundwater.
The best way to ensure your septic system stays maintained is to have a professional inspect your septic system at least every 3 years. For standard septic systems, septic tanks will need to be pumped every 3 years. This is something we weren’t aware of at first. And it wasn’t until we noticed a terrible smell coming from our backyard that we realized this!
I called a local septic professional, and it was a good thing that I did because his records showed we were overdue for our septic tank to be pumped! Once that was done, and boy did that process smell horribly, his company put us on their rotation, so we wouldn’t have to worry about it in the future. They just come out every 3 years and do their thing.
The septic professional also mentioned that we needed to do a monthly septic treatment. Monthly septic treatments are comprised of enzymes, or organic bacteria meant to help maintain the bacteria balance in your septic tank that you flush down your toilet once a month. I have a reminder set on my calendar for the first of every month so I don’t forget to do this.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has a wonderful homeowner’s guide for septic systems that you can view here for more details on how to maintain your septic system.
THROW PERFECTIONISM OUT THE WINDOW
I was used to my city neighborhood where all the homes, lawns, and landscaping were immaculate! Consequently, I drove myself crazy for the first few years on our hobby farm trying to keep things looking picture-perfect. Our “lawn” had to look like a professional mowed it, weeds were constantly being pulled, I stressed over the eye sore of the propane tank…the list goes on and on.
It wasn’t until I had completely worn myself down that I realized that this was not only unnecessary but also ridiculous. I live on a farm for Pete’s sake! Where chickens free-range and poo all over my sidewalks. Where a skunk has taken residence under my barn. And where there just seems to always be dirt everywhere! Moving to the country and having a farm, whether it be small, big, or even just a hobby farm, is a way of life. Save your sanity and just embrace country life!
This is by no means an all-inclusive list of the things you will need to consider before leaving the city and moving to the country, but it is a good start. You first need to decide what you want out of the farm life. Whether it be a slower lifestyle, more land for privacy, starting a hobby farm, or homesteading just ensure you do your due diligence. That way you can worry less about surprises and simply enjoy your new life adventure!
What other questions do you have about moving to the country? Let me know in the comments!
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