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Today I want to touch on the differences in urban vs rural vs suburban living. I want to give my basic, opinionated, and lay-person definition of them, give a comparison, and discuss some basic community structure.

Remember that soon, there will be a sizeable gap in my posting. I have decided to take some time off from posting when my next child arrives. Ezra is due as I am writing this so the posts could stop at any moment. I just want everyone to be aware of this, and I will be back on scene when all is said and done.

Don’t forget to share my National Preparedness Month Free Prepper Survival Gear Giveaway post to win free gear…

I currently live in suburbia. I don’t like it there and have plans to get out, but moving takes preparations, many of which I have none of. I want to move to rural U.S. It’s just the life that suits me the most with my passions and life concerns.

If someone was to ask me what I preferred, or what I recommend for them, I would also say rural, but that is my opinion, and you all will have what you want to do.

I am going to give a rural vs. urban comparison so it seems easier to choose what lines up with your style of living.

Type of Living Rural Urban Cost of Living Lower Higher Space/Nature More Less Independence More Less Community More Less Public Transportation Less More Culture (Pop) Less More Diversity Less More Aminities Less More Animals (pets) Better Worse Animals (farm) Better Worse Pace Slower Faster People Fewer More Hospitality More Less

I figured I would bring some of the points into an easy to read and compare chart, but now I will give more of my opinions of the differences. I know that my opinions are biased for rural living, and that is why I gave the above list. Stop reading now if you don’t want opinions… which may be based in fact.

If you are looking for something with less land, lots of crowds and diversity, with a large cultural life, then the city is for you, but chances are that you are not reading this post. There are definitely some advantages when it comes to the city, but it is not a great idea when it comes to prepping.

Probably the first areas, in my opinion, to fall apart during a crisis will be the cities. They will be the first areas targeted with malicious intent. Once people are hurting or dying, or their children are starving, many of the “good” people will break down and do whatever it takes for survival. These people are the ones that are a threat to you. Those that are threats now, can only get worse.

In the city, there are many more people like this that are relying on systems of support that they have no control over. They are like the guy on life support. If someone pulls the plug, they die. The grocery store runs out of food; they starve. When they begin to run out of resources, they will inevitably start moving outward into the suburbs, which is where my “fortress” is right now. Although I live there, it is going to be one of the harder houses to take, since every person in the home knows how to use guns. I obviously have taken other measures. I digress…

We need to understand that it is not preppers that the country need be afraid of; it is not survivalists that will be the big problem; it is the unprepared. They will be the ones needing a support system when theirs fail. They will be the danger.

Rural areas… I grew up in rural America, and loved it. I have plans to get back to it as soon as possible. People here have a connection with the land and each other. People may be closer proximity to each other in the city, but they are closer relationally in the country. If you are into that, you can get a bigger, better home for less money. I don’t so much want a bigger or better home than I have now, but I can get it cheaper in the country and can get plenty of land with it.

Land is a huge advantage in the country. You can be a little less strategic with what you do with it, however if you are strategic, you can make AWESOME use of it with lots of yield and gain. The land provided enmity, room or crops / gardens / permaculture, room for animals, room for children (wait, I already said animals… JUST KIDDING, I love my children and love being childish with them).

The biggest benefit of rural life is freedom, independence, and self-sustainability. You generally find areas with very few laws and rules governing what you do. You are free to do nothing if you want, but you should have stayed in the city if you wanted that, or you are free to work the land for all that it is worth.

Real country land provides you with the natural systems in place for basic survival. It has firewood, animals, water, etc. We can homestead it and farm it to turn it into abundance and sustainability.

There is real beauty in nature, and farming. The body is meant to be in a state of perpetual motion, and the mind meant to be constantly thinking, but in urban or suburban settings, all of that is overdone at 100 MPH and our health suffers for it. In the country, we can be always moving and doing something, but we slow down and live life. We build healthy minds, healthy hearts, and an appreciation for the important things in life.

If you are libertarian or a freedom driven individual, rural living is for you. It provides freedoms, privacy, and the health benefits that we should all be striving for. It offers protection.