More and more people are leaving city life to embrace a cheaper and more sustainable option — rural living.
Being in the heart of the city and in close proximity to anything you could want doesn’t often measure up to a through-the-roof cost-of-living and lack of space.
Brittany Anas wrote for Livability that, “Inflation has prompted many others to rethink their living situations and consider joining the big city exodus. A survey by Ipsos found that 42% of people have either moved or thought about moving since March 2020, and rural areas, small and mid-size cities were their top choices.”
One person who made the move is Wyneta Chambers. In an interview with Roslyn Anderson at WLBT [an NBC television station in Jackson, Mississippi], Chambers said she moved away from the city to grow her own food and live more sustainably, even convincing friends to “embrace country living.”
“The benefits of you growing your own stuff is you know what you put in it,” Chambers told Anderson. “The tariffs will not affect you if you are already growing your own stuff. You don’t have to worry about what’s coming [from] overseas.”
According to Anderson, rural life offers a lot of benefits: it’s more affordable; there’s more space; neighbors are more friendly and involved with each other; there are fewer traffic jams (unless you count driving behind a tractor down a one-lane road); and better job markets. It also can be beneficial when going back to school.
In her interview Chambers said, “This was the best move a lot of us have made, and we wouldn’t change anything.”
The Rural Blog is a publication of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues based at the University of Kentucky.
