Rural life is changing

Bird · Aug 13, 2001

Wow, Paul, you do have some strict regulations. We have practically none compared to you. One reason I bought the 10 acres I have was to move my parents' mobile home here, too. I had to get a permit to put in a second septic system, had to put in a second water meter (one residence per meter is the rule), had to put the right kind of pole, conduit, weatherhead, etc. for the electric company's approval, and beyond that, do anything I wanted to (or could afford to pay for).

A friend of mine is in the hay business and has several hay fields scattered around over this end of the county which he has leased, and within the past 3 three years, at least 3 of them have sold with the new owners dividing them up into 1 to 5 acre plots. Some have new site built houses on them, but the majority are new manufactured homes (mobile homes) going in. But of course, the area is still developing quite slowly.

In fact, I'd like to sell my place if I could get 90% of what I've put into it./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Bird

JATO_RaT · Aug 13, 2001

Pete, while I sympathize with you, I must say that its like that in many places. Out here in Northern California where I have lived my whole life, I have seen so many changes. Seems our weather made a lot of folks from New York and elsewhere want to live here. So by the millions they have come. Its rare to talk to someone who actually grew up here. When I was young, there where far more fields then homes.

Where I live now its pretty and rural but a stones throw from many folks. I can still build an agricultural barn with no restrictions and no permit, the only county in California where that is still allowed. If I put in a toilet they check only the leech lines and septic system. I know at some point this will change, but for now its nice to know that government does'nt regulate every aspect of everything. Rat...

ejb · Aug 13, 2001

Gotta say I have mixed feelings about overly agressive planning boards. I live in a small town (800 people) and own a big chunk of land around me (175 acres), with about another 1500 acres protected across the street. I hope the town doesn't grow to fast, and if it does I'll probably move someplace else more rural...the problem I have with a lot of planning boards trying to tell people what they can and can't do with there land is that a lot of the time it stinks of people who moved into the country, got their little "piece of paradise" and now want to pull up the welcome mat for anyone else that may want to do the same. In a lot of places living in these little towns is the only afforable option for a many people. In general, the farther you get from the big population areas, the cheaper land gets.

Its a tough call, but most of the time the people that are calling for rules on what can and can't be developed are essentially saying, I have my piece of paradise, and I don't want you messing it up. I have to admit, I feel the same way some times, but I am in general against any rules that prevent private land-owners from developing the land that they paid for and that they pay taxes on...

I am much more in favor of private organizations buying up land they want to protect and then putting it into conservation.

TerryinMD · Aug 13, 2001

Not to be a conspiracy proponent, but one should take a look at how your planning boards/county commissioners/local government is made up. From what I have seen in the recent past, developers and real estate agents have gotten envolved with land usage via elected office and, guess what, things start changing after that. I agree that a person should be able to use their land as they see fit. It just irks me to see good land go to waste to build overpriced pandimoniums (high density housing). Enough of this soapbox!!! Country is country and should stay that way. Where do the urbanites think that their for comes from?? No country, no food!! No country, less clean air!! on and on.......

bpence · Aug 13, 2001

We used to play a game with the kids driving home from somewhere at night. When we'd pass through town and get to a certain spot, everyone guessed how many cars we'd see from that point to home. 20 years ago it might be 1 or 2. 15 years ago, 3 or 4. Now, you have to dodge 8 or 10 coming out of the new driveways just outside the village limits. Yep, the country is changing. Three years ago a large dairy farm just south of us ceased operations and began to sell off the land: 2 1/2 to 10 acre parcels. To see the place today you would never know any farming operation had ever existed there. The orginal house and barn complex is gone and lots of brand new big homes with long paved driveways. Personally, I liked looking at the holsteins a whole lot more.

Bob Pence

GlueGuy · Aug 14, 2001

I don't feel too bad about agressive planning commision here. I've seen what happened in LA and San Diego counties, and it isn't pretty. Urbanization pretty much took over everything.

Here in San Mateo County (which is still over 80% rural), some visionaries started the open space district some 30 years ago. Now a large percentage of that 80% rural area is protected from urbanization through various means. Some of it is actual open space, some is still privately owned, but the owners have been paid to maintain it as rural (conservation easement).

The end result is that the urban areas are highly concentrated and efficient, yet there is a lot of open areas for everyone to enjoy. This is truly a beautiful place to live, and it's nice to know that a lot of the natural beauty will be around for a while.

The GlueGuy

looch · Aug 14, 2001

San Mateo, eh? I have relatives in Burlingame. I was there in 1986. Made a trip up one of the mountains (don't know the name) to watch Haley's comet. Nice country.

Small world.

Bill_Ryan · Aug 14, 2001

Guys....I hear the same pee'n and moan'n all the time from locals here.

Outsiders and/or developers can't buy if locals don't sell!

Seems our neighbors may ***** about it, but when it comes their turn they'll sell for the $$$$ and forget their neighbors.

Happens here and everywhere.

TerryinMD · Aug 14, 2001

Ouch!!!! I believe Bill speaks the truth.....

fuzzmental · Aug 14, 2001

Yeah! - Country is country so stay the heck out! We were here first! Come on guys, this is the United States. My wife and I grew up in rural settings and after college wound up in a metro area yearning for open space. Three years ago we built our dream house on 11 acres. We have re-created a turn of the century (1900) farm house that everyone thinks was a remodel. Our slice of land is in an area that is zoned 4 residences per 40 acres with a 2 1/5 acre minimum and hopefully it stays that way. We love it but after reading this thread I now feel like one of those evil urbanites. I appreciate and understand the passion for rural living, in fact I don't want our gravel road paved and will probably join any fight to keep out the seemingly inevitable big box retailers but I have just as much right as anyone to pursue happiness. I just have a hard time with people screaming NIMBY once they have theirs. Remember, everyone was a newby in the country at some point.

I will end by saying that in our neck of the woods the main issue is folks moving out and then wanting every convenience (Wal-mart, grocery stores, Home Depots, McDonald's, etc.) they left. That is where most of our problems begin and end.

GlueGuy · Aug 15, 2001

I will end by saying that in our neck of the woods the main issue is folks moving out and then wanting every convenience (Wal-mart, grocery stores, Home Depots, McDonald's, etc.) they left. That is where most of our problems begin and end.

Amen.

The GlueGuy

cowboydoc · Aug 15, 2001

fuzzmetal,
You are the exception rather than the rule. Let me tell you the rule. Perfect examples: McCall, ID, Bozeman, MT, Boise, ID, Sun Valley, ID, Flathead Lake, MT, Ennis, MT, etc. and the list goes on and on. All of these places were nice country places to live. Boise was a small, small city with no crime, no traffic, no urban sprawl, etc. The others were the same. Well at one time or another people found out about these jewels. Without exception people moved and displaced farming, ranching, and the good and wholesome life, morals, and attitudes that made a small town great. They brought their big city ways with them and changed the towns to big city towns. No more pulling to the side and driving slow on gravel roads, no more helping your neighbor out, traffic, crime, drugs, etc, etc. Everything that made these towns so great was gone. They brought their big city politics and their big city money. They bought out the men and women who actually made a living with the land and replaced it all with golf courses, convenience stores, subdivisions, shopping malls and chain stores. They took over town councils and bought whatever got in their way. They took land that ranchers had rented for decades from the govt. and bid the prices so high that they couldn't afford to get the leases back to run their cattle. Then they lost their farms and ranches and the banks were right there to take them back and give them to the city people for the highest dollar. The ones that could stay are getting forced out by the outrageous sums of money that city people will come in and pay for the land. The city people get on the councils and raise the taxes and assessed values of the property. Now the guy that lived on the land his whole life is forced to sale because he can't even make the property tax payment anymore or the increased sales taxes that have been made in the county. Then the land and animal rights people move in and now it's just living in the middle of a big city with more rules and regulations that just choke out a man used to the ways of the land and living the ways that an honorable person should live. That's the rule not the exception. I've seen it happen in town after town and have helped to fight against it but in the end you lose because they just keep coming and making more and more rules and laws until it's to the point that you can't even go out and walk or jog in the town before 7am because people's dogs will bark and wake people up. Yep it gets pretty ridiculous. NOW by all means I'm not saying that all city people are this way but MOST of them are and it's really sad because in town after town in the west they're taking away what made the town desirable in the first place.

StoneHeartFarm · Aug 15, 2001

Cowboydoc

Amen, brother!

SHF

TerryinMD · Aug 15, 2001

Cowboydoc, the same applies in the east.

Ashburn, Manassas, Fredericksburg, VA; Frederick, Anapolis, Gaithersburg, MD; Gettysburg, King of Prussia, Somerset, Pa.... need I say more.

Growth is inevitable!! However, just look around at the developed areas and you will see strip malls, office buildings, large buildings that once housed Lowes, WalMarts, etc., empty. Huh??? What's the deal?? I know the basic reason why!! It just makes no sense! Apply the Golden Rule; He who controls the Gold, sets the rules..... Follow the gold....

Bird · Aug 15, 2001

Richard, of course you're right, but what's the solution? Where are all these people going to go? It seems to me that the situation is never going to change until population growth decreases, and since almost everyone wants kids I don't expect that to change anytime in the near future. And having traveled this country from one end to the other, I can tell you there is still a lot of farm land where you won't be crowded out in our lifetime if you don't mind being 25-50 miles away from all the convenient shopping and other facilities. Now of course it may be a different matter for our grandkids./w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

I graduated from high school in '58 in a little farm town of less than 5,000 population, out in the country north of Dallas. Last I heard that town's population was 160,000 and you'll never know when you go from Dallas city limits into its city limits./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif It's not just the country that's developing and growing fast, but the big cities, too.

Bird

Anonymous Poster · Aug 15, 2001

You bet rural like is changing...and it always has! I guarantee you that when the towns anywhere were first settled, a few years after that there were folks moving on because there were just too many people moving in. That is what fueled our westward migration. Change is a fact of life, and although we can bemoan changes that don't suit us or that we cannot control we need to consider this: lots of folks in rural areas all over the country would love to have these kinds of problems. While some of us may live in popular areas where growth is fueled by jobs, beautiful scenery or locations close to major cities, many small towns are still dying and would love to have an influx of people who bring a need for jobs and services.

Lonestar

skent · Aug 15, 2001

The property we own has been in my family for over 150 years. My Uncle has paperwork and documents dating to the 1850's. Union army soldiers on their way to Gettysburg stopped and took horses/food/water from my Great-Great-Great Grandfather. (Stories handed down from generation to generation. My Great Grandmother wrote it all down - times/events/etc). I wish for this to continue and to keep the bloodline living here.

We are VERY lucky in the fact that my relatives (before we moved in) placed the entire property in Ag preserves that won't expire till 2020. All neighbors on three sides are in Ag Preservation till at least 2022.

(I don't know what it would take to break an Ag Preserve - I guess if you got enough money it can be done).

We might be suffering from a false sense of security but hope no development will occur in our area for at least 20 more years.

Steve

TerryinMD · Aug 15, 2001

Kent,

There is a program within Maryland to preserve farmlands and scenic areas. In Washington County, people are being paid to amend their deeds to prevent any development. I believe it is permanent. Now, this may only apply to registered historic preservation and easements around historic areas (Antitem Battlefield, Monocacy, etc.) There was any article in the Hagestown newspaper a few weeks ago discussing the program. You may want to talk to your local extention office to see what you might be able to do. Heck, this is one way of getting back some of your tax dollars!! Maybe even a newer, bigger, better tractor!!!! Woo-who!

Well, maybe my bad...

Here is the link to the article.

http://www.herald-mail.com/news/2001/07/11/local/State_approves_preserva.html

The State has approved some preservation money, but it maybe localized to Washington County.

Edited by TerryinMD on 08/15/01 11:36 AM (server time).

Anonymous Poster · Aug 15, 2001

Skent, I pray you're able to keep your farm in the family.

My wife's family farm is one of the oldest in the state of Iowa, her ancestors are recorded as the 3rd to register their claim in the state. Doesn't mean a thing. When the city decided it was time to expand the runways on the local airport they offered 32 cents on the dollar for the land. Her grandfather refused to sell so the city used immanent domain laws to "condemn" his cropland. After spending a lot of money in court and loosing, he received 13 cents on the dollar.

Because of this it is no longer possible to make a living on the farm, it's just to small. They share crop with another farmer who does all the work.

PitbullMidwest

Bill_Ryan · Aug 15, 2001

One of the sad items of today is that land is no longer valuable as farmland...it's worth more as a housing development.

When farming begins to again be a worthwhile and profitable career for your average Joe, then urban sprawl will slow.

Bill