Are You Ready
For The Country?

A place in the country! - Finding that special piece of land is fast becoming the "American Dream." For some, the dream may be for an acre or two - just enough room for a garden, or a horse, or maybe both. For others, the dream may be for land that extends as far as the eye can see. The demand for ranches for sale, farms for sale, vineyards for sale, horse property, groves, orchards, and just rural retreats has simply skyrocketed. And to what end? For privacy, peace and quiet, a little bit of elbow room, clean air, billions of stars in the night-time sky, a chance to try one's hand at growing grapes or lavendar or olives trees, to have room for dogs, horses, maybe even cattle, or perhaps alpacas or ostriches or some other exotic breed. Whatever the specifics of the vision are, you can bet on one thing: there's romance involved, something stirred from deep within the recesses of a "collective unconscious" that knew and tamed the wild west in an earlier century, one that retains the pioneering spirit, and continues to treasure the expansive riches of the great outdoors and intimate involvement with Mother Earth and with nature.

On the other hand, there may be an element of simply seeking relief from 5:00 o'clock gridlock, from tawny smog-filled skies, and the never-ending auditory rumble, punctuated by siren blasts and honking horns. After a long trek home in such conditions, many people get online in search of land or homes with some acreage, ranches for sale, vineyards for sale, farms for sale, horse property -- something in the country. Rural communities seem to offer a safe haven from crime and gangs and graffiti and other urban phenomena. Some people acquire a place in the country as a second home, or a place for retirement. But, in the early 90s, a remarkable number of urban Americans throughout the U.S. began relocating their primary homes to small towns and rural communities - a trend that continues to this day. The Economic Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture stated the following in a report on its web site at www.erg.usda/gov/Briefing/Population:  "The 1990's were a period of rebound in rural and small town population growth as more people moved into non-metro counties than moved out." The report goes on to say that "forty-nine million Americans live in non-metropolitan areas (comprising 2052 counties) as currently defined. They make up 17 percent of the U.S. population but are spread out across four-fifths of the land area." This growth trend coincides with one of the most significant technological innovations of the twentieth century that made access to the world wide web almost as commonplace as television network access. As a result, and enhanced by such things as national cell phone coverage, wireless connectivity, and an endless array of software products such as PCAnywhere and GoToMyPC enabling access to essential data files from off-site locations, the '90's ushered in a new phenomenon called the "virtual office". Many professionals discovered that they were no longer bound to the urban business setting and the daily commute to a specified work place. They discovered that they could do their work from almost anywhere. And this meant that they suddenly had much greater flexibility in terms of where they chose to live. Other professionals discovered entrepreneurial opportunities made feasible by the new technology that could be pursued from any location. All of this has led numbers of young professional people to relocate to search for land, homes, or ranches for sale in the hopes of finding a greater quality of life for themselves and their families.

The quality of life offered in some of the most desirable and highly sought after non-metro areas has many advantages which, when considered together, is all about "lifestyle." Today's rural lifestyle profile is dramatically different that it was in the mid twentieth century. In the 1950's, the rural lifestyle profile was one of isolation and lack of sophistication, overshadowed by a lower economic standard and fewer amenities and services. But today, that stereotype has changed dramatically; in fact, 180 degrees! Technology has brought about "global connectivity." Rural communities are no longer isolated from news and information and world events. And while cost of living may be less in certain rural areas, the wealth per capital in some of the most desirable non-metro areas is actually higher than in metro areas. Desirable rural areas are home to sophisticated well-educated people, many of whom are attuned to cutting edge health trends, to environmentally conscious practices, and to "spiritual" values that focus on self actualization and the brotherhood of man.

Lifestyle comes out of the values that all share in common, regardless whether the dream of country living is about riding a horse across open space, rounding up cattle, undertaking an agricultural venture, or simply allowing the beauty and peace and quiet inspire artistic expression. All share the values of having fresh air and clean water, of having a direct relationship with the land itself and with nature and taking pleasure in the changing seasons and the natural rhythms, of being good stewards of the land and doing whatever is possible to minimize pollution and negative environmental impacts.

Rural lifestyle also places value on a more relaxed pace with less stress, more time with family and friends, more laughter and play, more fun. Urban life is all about going somewhere and getting somewhere. Every thing is out there in front or in the future somewhere. Rural lifestyle is about being able to say with all sincerity, "I am exactly where I want to be, right now!"

Rural lifestyle is a mosaic of so many little things: familiar faces in the post office and at the grocery store, wide open spaces variously fenced and cross fenced, sunsets that kiss the world with an orange glow, distant sounds of a rooster crowing, a horse whinnying, a hoot owl at night, conversations centered on the weather or on what the locals are up to, concerns about water tables and brush clearing and mountain lions, worn boots, bar-b-ques, bales of hay, and fresh everything - fresh eggs, fresh produce, fresh air, a fresh new morning.

Some happens to humans when they simply sit on the earth, or on the back of a horse. Something from deep inside connects and there is an experience of wholeness. There's something extraordinary about the golden sun reflecting in a crystal clear blue sky, its light unfettered by smog and pollution. There's something happy about crisp pungent air that fully oxygenates the lungs. There's something about the smell of rain when it washes across a large expanse of land. There's something about the silent sound of the natural world - utter stillness at mid-day; then a red tailed hawk crying out, piercing the sky, echoing, reverberating, and silence again. Then, the night comes  with its chorus of frogs and crickets and stars that seem to sing. There's a special kind of quiet in the country that brings peace right down into the cells, filling them up, leaving a sense of being complete and whole and right with the world and with life. An experience of being in sync, in rhythm, connected, plugged in to something that's huge, and glorious, and multi-faceted - fully nurturing yet completely unbridled and untamed -- all at the same time. A depth of caring stirs, one that says life is beautiful and precious and good, that this planet is worthy of being preserved and protected and treated with care and respect.

There's a guy who lives in our small town who moved here from the city some years ago. He has his own business that provides transportation for horses. When you ask him how he's doing, he always says the same thing, "Just another day in paradise!" His answer pretty much sums up what rural lifestyle is all about. This guy made the move; he was, in every sense of the word, ready for the country!                     ~ RC Editorial Staff