If you could work for more money in a rural area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would not worry about healthcare/dental/therapies, much, in New England

Political conservatism is very real, even in Vermont

Neglected kids at prestigious prep schools… also a thing

I would. My nephew desperately needed speech. Couldn't get in anywhere in rural NE because there was one clinic that took their insurance that had a huge waitlist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would not worry about healthcare/dental/therapies, much, in New England

Political conservatism is very real, even in Vermont

Neglected kids at prestigious prep schools… also a thing

+1. I grew up in suburban ME (Portland suburbs) and would not go more rural than that because:

-schools: kids will be in big regional schools that require lots of driving if you are in a rural area and good privates (day schools) are few and far between and will also require lots of driving

-medical care: pretty good in southern ME (Portland area) but you would need to go to Boston for anything specialized

-political conservatism: this is real…NE conservatism is more libertarian or independent leaning, but different from DC…it can also be hard to break into suburban or rural NE communities socially if you did not grow up in the state

-driving: there is so much driving and everything is spread out. Hard for young people to have independence if they don’t have a car. I would find living in rural NE isolating.

-job market: if you can’t get another remote job it may be hard to find something local - especially something that pays well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^PS I would also suggest that it is important you are happy. My friend very much loves her community and she's very rooted in it. I think it prob impacted her kids and it's prob a great thing for them. The thing people don't realize about city is you have this exposure to a lot of experiences and people but as you grow up you can have that. When they are young, it's more important to have your kids know what stability and community look like. I am a firm believer that my kids don't have to be around diversity and those with less money to have empathy and appreciation of culture. If they don't have it, they won't get it simply by being around this. It's not external but internal and it comes from developing them as human beings not just ensuring they are around such.

I also think education comes in many forms and going to a good academic institution isn't all that if the kid is into something else besides being a professional. You need to grow up most importantly in an area you are comfortable in. Find your people and find your home. The rest comes with time.

That said, I am a city person through and through - hah!

You don’t see the need to have your kids around diversity or people with less money?
That very much the sentiment here in this area, and you might be able to isolate your child from people like that.
Good luck

OP of above here - see this is what I mean - I'm a liberal but I get why conservatives hate liberals. You are totally misinterpreting what I said.

What I mean is that having empathy and being inclusive is not something you get by just being around people of color and poor people all day. That does nothing. Why? Seeing how they live and being required to interact with them does not teach you anything about them. What you need to do is have a person learn why it's important to be inclusive and that there are people of different races, culture and means. Once you actually share this education/wisdom/truth - then it does NOT MATTER where they are. To suggest that the ONLY and BEST ways a person can learn to be with people not of their like is to stuff it down their throats and ensure they have to be with those different is foolish.

You don't learn because it's around you. You can live down in the South and still be a white racist. So if I grew up with 99% whites who are considered "rich" do you automatically consider me a conservative who doesn't respect those of other cultures and backgrounds? See people like you are the ones who are really prejudiced. According to your logic, only poor people can appreciate other poor people or rich people who know a poor person can appreciate a poor person. That is so wrong. You want to understand the reasons why you should not judge people - that's the lesson - and that has nothing to do with who you are around. Either you are open-minded or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^PS I would also suggest that it is important you are happy. My friend very much loves her community and she's very rooted in it. I think it prob impacted her kids and it's prob a great thing for them. The thing people don't realize about city is you have this exposure to a lot of experiences and people but as you grow up you can have that. When they are young, it's more important to have your kids know what stability and community look like. I am a firm believer that my kids don't have to be around diversity and those with less money to have empathy and appreciation of culture. If they don't have it, they won't get it simply by being around this. It's not external but internal and it comes from developing them as human beings not just ensuring they are around such.

I also think education comes in many forms and going to a good academic institution isn't all that if the kid is into something else besides being a professional. You need to grow up most importantly in an area you are comfortable in. Find your people and find your home. The rest comes with time.

That said, I am a city person through and through - hah!

You don’t see the need to have your kids around diversity or people with less money?
That very much the sentiment here in this area, and you might be able to isolate your child from people like that.
Good luck

OP of above here - see this is what I mean - I'm a liberal but I get why conservatives hate liberals. You are totally misinterpreting what I said.

What I mean is that having empathy and being inclusive is not something you get by just being around people of color and poor people all day. That does nothing. Why? Seeing how they live and being required to interact with them does not teach you anything about them. What you need to do is have a person learn why it's important to be inclusive and that there are people of different races, culture and means. Once you actually share this education/wisdom/truth - then it does NOT MATTER where they are. To suggest that the ONLY and BEST ways a person can learn to be with people not of their like is to stuff it down their throats and ensure they have to be with those different is foolish.

You don't learn because it's around you. You can live down in the South and still be a white racist. So if I grew up with 99% whites who are considered "rich" do you automatically consider me a conservative who doesn't respect those of other cultures and backgrounds? See people like you are the ones who are really prejudiced. According to your logic, only poor people can appreciate other poor people or rich people who know a poor person can appreciate a poor person. That is so wrong. You want to understand the reasons why you should not judge people - that's the lesson - and that has nothing to do with who you are around. Either you are open-minded or not.

NP - actually, reading your response to the earlier PP shows me that s/he was spot on in her interpretation of your comment.

[Anonymous]

Rural, lower COL, and higher salary? Absolutely.

[Anonymous]

I’m from very rural New England (>1,000 population for towns in my county.) but have thought about this often. I’ve lived in DMV for over 20 years and have younger kids. At this point, I think the answer is “no” — it would be near impossible to go back. Rural NE has become, in my experience, heavily isolation and Trumpist. I’ve seen more confederate flags in NE than I care to admit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^PS I would also suggest that it is important you are happy. My friend very much loves her community and she's very rooted in it. I think it prob impacted her kids and it's prob a great thing for them. The thing people don't realize about city is you have this exposure to a lot of experiences and people but as you grow up you can have that. When they are young, it's more important to have your kids know what stability and community look like. I am a firm believer that my kids don't have to be around diversity and those with less money to have empathy and appreciation of culture. If they don't have it, they won't get it simply by being around this. It's not external but internal and it comes from developing them as human beings not just ensuring they are around such.

I also think education comes in many forms and going to a good academic institution isn't all that if the kid is into something else besides being a professional. You need to grow up most importantly in an area you are comfortable in. Find your people and find your home. The rest comes with time.

That said, I am a city person through and through - hah!

You don’t see the need to have your kids around diversity or people with less money?
That very much the sentiment here in this area, and you might be able to isolate your child from people like that.
Good luck

OP of above here - see this is what I mean - I'm a liberal but I get why conservatives hate liberals. You are totally misinterpreting what I said.

What I mean is that having empathy and being inclusive is not something you get by just being around people of color and poor people all day. That does nothing. Why? Seeing how they live and being required to interact with them does not teach you anything about them. What you need to do is have a person learn why it's important to be inclusive and that there are people of different races, culture and means. Once you actually share this education/wisdom/truth - then it does NOT MATTER where they are. To suggest that the ONLY and BEST ways a person can learn to be with people not of their like is to stuff it down their throats and ensure they have to be with those different is foolish.

You don't learn because it's around you. You can live down in the South and still be a white racist. So if I grew up with 99% whites who are considered "rich" do you automatically consider me a conservative who doesn't respect those of other cultures and backgrounds? See people like you are the ones who are really prejudiced. According to your logic, only poor people can appreciate other poor people or rich people who know a poor person can appreciate a poor person. That is so wrong. You want to understand the reasons why you should not judge people - that's the lesson - and that has nothing to do with who you are around. Either you are open-minded or not.

This is fine in theory -- but it helps to have an actual understanding of how people live, and that is hard to do if you aren't exposed to that in a real way. Lots of people think they understand why they shouldn't judge people, and also believe that as a result, they don't judge people, but then they actually do, because they don't even understand the frame of reference they need to be in to begin to help.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would not worry about healthcare/dental/therapies, much, in New England

Political conservatism is very real, even in Vermont

Neglected kids at prestigious prep schools… also a thing

+1. I grew up in suburban ME (Portland suburbs) and would not go more rural than that because:

-schools: kids will be in big regional schools that require lots of driving if you are in a rural area and good privates (day schools) are few and far between and will also require lots of driving

-medical care: pretty good in southern ME (Portland area) but you would need to go to Boston for anything specialized

-political conservatism: this is real…NE conservatism is more libertarian or independent leaning, but different from DC…it can also be hard to break into suburban or rural NE communities socially if you did not grow up in the state

-driving: there is so much driving and everything is spread out. Hard for young people to have independence if they don’t have a car. I would find living in rural NE isolating.

-job market: if you can’t get another remote job it may be hard to find something local - especially something that pays well.

+1

In Maine, Bath is about as far north as I would consider going on the coast.