tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post5867591504774117418..comments2024-03-28T02:29:13.507-07:00Comments on Legal Ruralism: Attachment to place and nonmetropolitan labor markets Lisa R. Pruitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16469550950363542801noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171420941776673660.post-78320589830898951732017-04-24T11:30:43.037-07:002017-04-24T11:30:43.037-07:00I am astonished at the lack of insight anyone betr...I am astonished at the lack of insight anyone betrays when asking why rural folks don't just up and move to where the jobs are. Moving is one of the most stressful and difficult experiences one can have, even within a known territory. It's also enormously expensive and rural life is cheaper than urban life by a huge margin. Do those who contemplate this topic live in such isolation in academic ivory towers that they don't know this? <br /><br />I've moved 7 times in 5 years and it has been hard each time, and very expensive. The latest move from the Bay Area to rural Northern California cost $1700. With rent in the area I currently live in ranging between $500-$1000 (apartments tend to be around $600-$700), it would require locals to gather up nearly three months worth of their highest expenditure just to shoulder the expense of packing up, renting a moving vehicle, and closing out their various services. That's just the move and doesn't include considerations like a deposit on an apartment in more expensive area, the cost of installations for starting services, etc. It's not a cheap thing and rural folks generally don't have several thousand dollars in the bank to make such moves.<br /><br />Before one even gets to the loss of social connection and identity, one has to look at the cold, hard facts. Even if a rural person was willing to move, very few have the resources to contemplate it, especially when the move is motivated by a job loss/loss of income. Orchid64https://www.blogger.com/profile/07132543155589881288noreply@blogger.com