Rural Relocation: Is Moving to the Country for You?

Tips and Tactics to Test Your Adaptability to the Inconvenient Life

In this post-9-11 world, city-dwellers and suburbanites are flocking to rural America in record numbers. Researchers say that several different - but equally compelling - factors are driving the migration, including widespread telecommuting capacity, cheaper living and land (and more of both), a gentler lifestyle, a sense of safety and a communal urge to get-back-to-basics.

But no matter how motivated, most of these modern-day pioneers admit they weren't prepared for the sometimes dramatic lifestyle changes they found when they settled themselves and their families into "the good life."

Some are shocked to find disdain, wariness and even open hostility from the "locals."

So ... what does it mean to join the exurban migration? Is peace-and-quiet really just mind-numbing boredom in disguise? Can you be a good neighbor and a good sport? Are you ready to trade clogged highways for rutted, muddy roads? Is it true there's no cable or cell phone reception in the country?

If you're among the millions of folks pondering a move to the heartlands, here's a quick relocation checklist to make that transformation a little easier ... for you and your would-be neighbors!

1. Do your homework first.

Don't fall in love long-distance with a photo of your dream home, surrounded by lush flora and fauna, with sweet little critters nibbling gently on the lawn. Check out the location, the neighborhood, the roads, the schools, the neighbors, the livestock and the TV reception. What's the speed limit? The commute time? Is there cell service or high-speed Internet? (Yes, it's true many rural locations don't offer cable television, because so few folks typically live on a single road!)