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davidellis23 t1_itqdhzd wrote

Reply to comment by LongWalk86 in Rather than heralding a new era of prosperity for rural and remote regions, remote working, inspired by the pandemic, is exacerbating the global urban-rural divide in the digital platform labour market by giuliomagnifico

I imagine there's less (and lower quality) stuff like ethnic food, concerts (especially niche music like kpop), plays, comedy shows, bouldering gyms, conventions, niche meetups, karaoke bars, universities, escape rooms, vr arcades, acro yoga, museums, niche sports courts, hot air balloons, amateur sports leagues/tournaments.

I know rural areas have tons of nature activities. Urbanites usually aren't that interested in hunting/fishing. We hike sometimes. paint ball and parasailing may draw urbanites.

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Chroderos t1_itqy4ao wrote

I grew up rural and live in a smallish rural town / small city (With some basic amenities and good internet) after having lived in a major city for a few years. With so much entertainment now being piped directly to our houses, the only thing I really miss is that we have no affordable public racquetball courts. A 5 minute commute to work and being able to live like a king in a low CoL area definitely make up for that.

Sometimes I miss the city, but if I’m honest with myself, I’m too busy to engage in most of those things you mention more than a few times per year, during which time I’ll just go vacation or visit a large city. Same complaint from my family members who currently live in a large city: all kinds of offerings available, but no time or money to attend them. That being said, I’d love to retire to a big city when I actually have time and excess money to take advantage of what they have to offer.

The biggest drawbacks to living in the area are that you can get yourself in a lot of trouble with services if you leave the town. Got locked out of my car in a tiny nearby village and nearly had to smash a window in because there was literally no one available to open it for me.

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LongWalk86 t1_itqhiax wrote

So your argument is that the rural environment doesn't lend itself to the things YOU like to do. I was responding to a comment that claimed "people just like living in cities", as if this was some near universal truth, when that is far from the case.

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davidellis23 t1_itqm2g1 wrote

I was answering this question: "What is it you were hoping to spend your money on that the country isn't providing?"

But, i do suspect there is objectively less to do and spend your money on if we could figure out a way to quantify it.

Definitely not everyone wants to live in a city. But I think oc was about people who already live in cities. I suspect most people in cities aren't looking to move to the country side. Maybe to the suburbs or smaller cities. I think some urbanites romanticize country life, but the reality wouldn't agree with them.

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QuickComplaint9 t1_itqhgkn wrote

None of those activities sound appealing to me except museums. And how often do you realistically visit a museum? Maybe once every three years?

Also have you been to a rural area? Not sure what you consider "ethnic food" but most rural areas in the US have authentic Mexican food at the very least. Is that not "exotic" enough for you?

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dirtyploy t1_itql2fq wrote

Indian, Korean, Thai, I could name a ton I wish was in my area.

Having a single Mexican restaurant isn't "exotic." Just cuz it is authentic doesn't mean they do a good job at it...

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Turdulator t1_itqnzto wrote

Dining options are by far the worst part of rural living (I’ve done both)…. In a decent city you can have Thai for lunch and Ethiopian for dinner, then the next day Mexican and Japanese, then Russian and Peruvian… then Vietnamese and Brazilian ….. then Italian and Hawaiian ….. and that’s just one work week, you can do a whole different set of options the following week. In a small rural town there’s like 3-4 sit down restaurants total, and you just have to rotate those three constantly or drive an hour to the next town over for a slightly different group of 3-4 sit down spots.

For example, today on my lunch break I have eight different sit down restaurants to choose from that I can walk to from my office (Japanese sushi, thai, middle eastern, deli sandwiches, Japanese Ramen, Chinese, Mexican, Italian)…. And that’s close enough to walk there, eat, and come back all within an hour break….. if I’m willing to drive that number becomes like 30+ options. That’s just impossible anywhere rural.

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cst-rdt t1_itqkdn4 wrote

> None of those activities sound appealing to me except museums.

You may not like those things, but many other people do.

> And how often do you realistically visit a museum? Maybe once every three years?

I go to a museum at least once a month, though I do travel extensively so I have more incentive to do so.

> most rural areas in the US have authentic Mexican food at the very least

As a person who has spent a substantial amount of time in both Mexico and rural areas of the United States, I think you and I may have different definitions of "authentic."

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