Subdividing the countryside

getut · Feb 18, 2005

Wanna be neighbors Varmintmist? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

I knew I wasn't alone with the zoning stuff.. But I thought I was the last person on earth who didn't want street lights.

slowrev · Feb 18, 2005

where do you grow the food to feed the nation?
//

Did you see on US Farm report that we now are a net importer of food. We don't even feed ourselves now. A sad thing.

_RaT_ · Feb 18, 2005

It was the first thing I did when I got my place, took down the mercury vapor light. Now there is one neighbor with one and I have wanted to take it out many times. They are moving and in between trips, I may have to take a trip over there and do a little electrical work. I much prefer it dark, the darker, the better.

Someone mentioned how only the big farms survive. NOt true here in California. The small farms grow organic or exotic produce and do quite well. Take a ride in a plane especially out West. It will refresh your soul. There is still a ton of open farmland out here despite what others are saying. Everything north of my area is loaded with massive orchards and farms. It is really quite remarkable. I love it.

btolle · Feb 18, 2005

( It was the first thing I did when I got my place, took down the mercury vapor light. Now there is one neighbor with one and I have wanted to take it out many times.)

How would you feel if somebody buys their place and complains about where you built your barn? Would you feel they had any right to complain? I doubt it.

Folks, when you move to the country (or any where else for that matter) you need to look around first. Is there anything in the area that bothers you? If there is don't buy in that area or have the problem corrected before you buy. Why should people who have lived there for years change just because I moved in?

If you are contemplating buying a property anywhere, visit the property at various times of day and night. Get out of your vehicle and look and listen. Is there a lot of traffic in the morning and evening? Is there a railroad track 1/4 mile away where freight trains go through 4 times a night? Can you hear loud music coming from one of the houses? Is there a loud party on Saturday or Sunday afternoons or nights?

Take a look at the neighbors. Do they look like people you would like to associate with? Is their yard full of trash and do they have 3 cars sitting on blocks? If so, don't expect them to get rid of the trash and cars.

(Lord knows why, but some country people like to collect non-running cars and use them as yard decorations. They are unlikely to get rid of them just because they bother me.)

A few years ago I got really tired of a lot of things that were going on in the city I lived in. Since it was doubtful that the other 60,000 people in town were going to change their ways to suit me I moved to a town where the folks thought more like I do. We made numerous trips to that town and spent a lot of time looking around and talking to the locals. We made one trip in the worst part of the Texas summer to see what it was like when it was really hot here. We made another trip when it was pouring down rain to see what parts of town flooded and how bad.

Don't expect a real estate agent to do your homework. What that agent considers acceptable may be unacceptable to you.

It is obvious to me that some of what I consider noise a lot of young kids consider to be music. I suspect that if I started complaining about it they would just turn it up even louder.

BTW, you need to be careful about some of the country folks. If they find out the light really irritates you they may put up 2 or 3 more in hopes that you will sell out and move somewhere else!

Bill Tolle

LPlates · Feb 18, 2005

Hi there

This is L.plates new to the forum, but have been reading your countryside posts, well I have to admit I'm not from America but what you all say about your countryside it sounds great.

Well I too moved to the country from the city that London City (uk) to the low flat land of the fens in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire, It has taken several years for the fenland people to totaly accept me as a local, see you have to live on the fens for more than 10 years before they accept you as one of them.

Its very quite and open here, the nearest town being 12 mile away, although given the chance some would try to develop more and spoil it.

I am totaly surrounded by farming land (arable) dont get many animal farmers here, thats how I got into Tractor restoration by seeing the locals hard at work on there's, pleased I did.

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif L.Plates

riptides · Feb 18, 2005

I'll respond to myself, because I don't want this to sound like an attitude check on someone.

The bottom line problem that creeps up here is property rights. Yes, you can do what you want to do on your property... but should you?

The area changes around you... through laws and legislation your property may have been overlooked. Maybe you have vision and are holding out... whatever....

Where is your responsibility to the community?

I detect a "don't move here if you don't like it". What is that all about? What right does anyone have to say that? The right of property ownership? Sound and visuals follow no boundry.

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

slowrev · Feb 18, 2005

I detect a "don't move here if you don't like it". What is that all about? What right does anyone have to say that?
//

what I was trying to say is that don't move somewhere and expect to change the way everyone else does things just to suit you.

riptides · Feb 18, 2005

( what I was trying to say is that don't move somewhere and expect to change the way everyone else does things just to suit you.)

I understand that, BUT, like I mentioned earlier, what gives the property owner rights to do things the community find offensive?

Example: Firearm discharges at 02:00am.

I use to fire my 30.06 with regular frequency on my property when there was no sub-division next to me.

Do I have the right to continue doing so? Yes.

Is it right for me to do so? No.

Do I tell my neighboors to move away, I was here first? No.

Would others tell my neighboors something different?

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

getut · Feb 18, 2005

There again, the whole frame of mind eludes people that were not raised rurally.

Money is the biggest culprit. City people gone country, typically do not view land in the same way as a person who is raised rurally. They tend to view it as real estate, or just a place to live, or a possible money making scheme. They tend to look at it from the business side. They also inevitably seem to try to emulate the rural folks pride in their property. Again the whole frame of mind escapes them, and they seem to turn pride in their land into some sort of "better than the Joneses" arms race for the prettiest lawn for the sake of vanity.

People raised rurally, especially those raised by parents who USED the land, tend to look at the land as part of themselves. There is usually pride in the land, but not in the same way, it goes much deeper and is almost spiritual. The city folk who don't understand go on quests to "raise" the property value (again looking at it from a business side). The very things they do to raise property value, destroy it for the people who understand its true value. Money corrupts all.

I despise, in fact that isn't the correct word because I can't think of anything that is strong enough for how I feel about this, but I'll use it anyway... I despise it when I drive past what used to be a patch of hardwoods that have been pushed down for a development full of people who fertilize their lawns so they can say they are better than the Joneses. Pollute the stream with the fertilizer runoff etc, and then stand right there and look at you with a straight face and tell you that the area has been "developed".

I'm not a large landowner. Only 5 acres, but I sought a rural setting that would enable me to instill true value to my sons. Money is the polar opposite from that.

ByronBob · Feb 18, 2005

I built my home in Feb 2003. The neighbor next door to me bought and moved into his home in Aug 2003. Were 500 feet apart.
He has a 40x40 garage which he moved his rock band into. Amps, drums ect....Second night he's there at 10:15pm he's cranking it up. There's no noise ordance for the town. So I get up from sleep on a work night and go introduce myself livid at the noise.

Who's right or wrong here??

I respectfully said please keep the garage doors closed and I'll try to not to bother you. Was the best compromise I could come up with.

Halloween night he's having a bash. 10:30pm it's getting loud, I go over to him and ask him to keep the doors down please, were trying to sleep. 11:30 same issues but now there's 150 people there and it's out of control. Say again please keep the doors closed.

12:15am I call the sherriffs. Am I wrong? He's not breaking an ordinance but what should I have done? Hated to do it but what choice did I have at that point? We leave each other be and try to co-exist.

Finding a balance isn't as easy as it sounds..............