it's started

I posted a few weeks or couple months ago that last year I "saw" a migration happening out of the cities into more rural areas. I didn't know if it would be a single event, or series of events. A number of people here took exception to what I wrote.

When I advertised my farm this past summer, I got 5 responses. Several of them were from downtown Boston. One of the email addies was a Citibank subsidiary.

When I started my job last month at the financial firm that opened a call center up here, they told us there would be 3 call centers -- downtown Boston would remain call center hq, although they were consolidated 3 facilities into 2, one out west and one here. They also had back office processing in India.

Yesterday they told us the Boston call centers are going to be closed, we'll be the main call center, and the India facility is moving back to the US.

The event that triggered India change was a demonstration down the street from their facility. They weren't able to confirm the numbers, but the rumors were that half their India employees walked out of work in the middle of the day to join the demonstration. The demonstration turned into a riot. Many of them failed to return to work that day. Possibly ever.

Basically, they have just awakened to the fact that moving to India put them in the middle of a not very cold war between 2 mortal enemies with nukes. Just to show the big boss that I was paying attention, I reminded him that he could add al Qaeda into the mix as well :D.

The event that has yet to happen that is triggering the call center changes is the next wave of ARMS due to reset this fall, which will trigger another round of foreclosures and new finance industry pressures I think he said next year.

In the meantime, I advertised Jade Hill Farm in Craig's list and got 4 responses -- all Boston area.

I left Atlanta and moved to the country.

for the call center change. Business continuity, i.e. protection from disasters by having facilities duplicated in geographically dispersed locations.

That one left me a little unnerved. The company I work for is not one of the "mover and shaker" disaster capitalists that have brought financial calamities and possible 9/11 upon us. They may be one of the outsourced operations of some of those companies, however, and as such would be advised in advance in order to be able to protect the big boys' biz.

then I am hoping you can sell your house.......

That's interesting about bringing the India call center back to the USA.

I've never understood why companies want to piss off their customers, but it seems to be the flavor of the decade(s).

Thanks for sharing that. :)

and I thank my lucky stars every time I drive down to Sacramento that:

a) nothing happens while I am down there at school, like and earthquake or a meltdown of some sort...

b) and that there is such a HUGE band of mountains/foothills and wild forest between ME and THEM so that when the shit DOES hit the fan, those who try to run to the mtns will be 'weeded' outby the elements...

I believe that there are changes afoot and those of us who are farther from the denser populated areas will not only have less stuff happen to us, but we are in a closer relationship to the land and such and we have better surival skills as a result.

Quite near, actually. We're on the southwest outskirts of the city, and it's not so bad here. Quite nice, really. My neighbors and I are gardeners. We share our veggies. We have lots of fruit trees that are maturing nicely. My neighbors have chickens and we get fresh eggs from them. Another has ducks, and another geese. It's the closest thing I've found to country living in the city. I'd love to be back out in the country again, but it just wasn't to be for me at this time. My survival skills are pretty good since I spent a good 10 years living out in the hills in Tennessee back in the 70s. I feel OK about it.

Hey, where do you go to school? Sac State?

but I would rather take my chances and even die in my city of 260,000 than live out in the country with the confederate flags, meth labs, and hate-mongers that listen to Rush; which is a description of modern "country" in Kentucky, no matter what the apologists say. My Sister and Brother-in-law live in the country on a nice little farm and are hoping to get out because of the giant confederate flag waving on one side of them and the drug dealer on the other.

I am not shocked that people in sane/blue areas of the country are leaving the city though, it would probably be MUCH different if "country" meant being around people who cared about the land, environment, nature, animals, and other people. I would seriously like that kind of environment and people like that. So many things I enjoy go along with that like knitting, cooking, baking; and I love animals.

I wish I had been born in the north.

I live in upstate NY. I live in a 'burb outside of a mid-sized city, somewhat close to the Canadian border -- it takes about the same amt. of time to get to NYC or Ontario Canada. Pittsburgh, Cleveland or Boston are also about equal time trips. I am also in easy driving distance to many organic farms, apple orchards and superb fishing. The Adirondacks are a couple of hours East. It takes about 2-3 hours to get to Lilydale which is to the south west.

We get lots of snow in the winter and the occasional ice storm but no tornados, massive hurricanes, only very mild rare earthquakes and no tsunami... we also get no drought. There is a tea party contingent here, like everywhere else however no rebel flags. We talk fast but let people "in" when driving and most commutes never exceed 30 minutes unless you really need to live far out there (some do) but the traffic is only bad for about an hour each morning and evening. We have had so many people leave for greener job pastures, our roads are easy to travel on.

Our Spring, Summer and Fall are spectacular. Even on the hottest day of the summer the early morning air has a new chill to it and the water comes cool out of the tap. You should have seen the foliage today! And... we have Wegmans.

Our water is amazing, mostly from clean finger lakes. I drink from the tap. We are the best kept secret of the country (and I've just spilled the beans). We do have higher taxes than most states. Our jobs outlook isn't the greatest and our pay scales reflect the cost of living here. Rents can be low or high depending on where you want to live but you can still buy a house here for under $100,000 (cheaper in the city-- way cheaper and nice old housing stock). Our state government has lately been a headshaking shame but it could be a lot worse. Our parks are amazing.

Better, we have a diverse population. People here are Irish, Polish, Somalian, Kenyan, Black/African American, Italian, Lebanese, German, Islander, Ukranian, Latino, Vietemese, Laotian, etc. We are also mostly all American... but do not ever refer to ourselves as being "just Northern". We are New Yorkers but not Yankees -- Yankees live in New England unless you are playing in Yankee Stadium. We are underrepresented and as upstaters, regularly ignored. You will run into Catholics and Jewish people here, although the COC's, SB's, and probably every flavor of Christianity as well as Sikhs, Bnai's, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Unitarians, and UU's. Plenty of different Pagan types as well and nearby Mennonite and Amish communities. There is little religious pressure here, I think, due to the amount of diverse faiths.

We do have Rush here on the main am station along with his friends Glenn and Sean-- and they have their followers. I listen to NPR in the car or the alternative rock station all the time anyway. We have inner city crime, gangs and violence that sort of thing brings in depressed urban areas at night-- like every where else.

The pizza and Italian bread is worth the move alone. Right now I think NY is at #28 on the unemployment statistics. (Higher number= higher level of unemployment).

My former elder said quite often that if the shit ever did hit the fan, upstate NY would be one of the areas that would remain safe and untouched.

"And...we have Wegmans." :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: Too true!

A great description of the area--good job. You only forgot one thing: Zweigels! Whenever my mom visits my brother in California she brings a cooler full of them. (Well, she hasn't lately due to the hassles of airport security, although they do let them through when she makes the attempt.) The things that they call hot dogs out there... :scared:

Was born in the Catskills...I love my mountains, and the Delaware River Valley. I asked my daughter who lives in Elmira, if I could come and live with her and her husband, but she know's I couldn't leave my "little man",Aidan. Of all my kids though...she is the one I would want to live with. (the least like me)

We used to go to Heids for them.



Heid's is a Central New York landmark. It's been around since 1917...one of the oldest drive-ins, anywhere. It's a must-stop for old friends to gather from all over the world, and for all of our CNY friends.

But then Hoffmans opened up their own restaurants and now Heid's uses a different dog-- it's still good, just not a Hoffmans.



MG -- you must be in Rochester-- Love that town!

except being near the sea is it's own kind of special.

But I came very close to moving to the Finger Lakes area. Beautiful country out there, but couldn't find a job. Then I tried to buy a farm more in central NY (forget the town name now) with boarding/training horse business. Couldn't get the schedule lined up w/seller, and was visitng the area when I saw her farm in a realtor's window. I walked in, introduced myself, and the realtor put his arm around me and told me I was a "renter, not a buyer" and that he didn't "deal with renters" as he walked me out the door. :o

Here in Maine, everybody was so friendly. Until I actually moved here and the crap got going, lol.

and came home to a message from someone local on my answering machine. Race is on, I guess, to get moved before the tax credit runs out...and 12/12?

i'd rather die in the city than face aftermath in the country, and i prefer concrete and steel to weeds and bugs. the countryside offers me nothing i really desire that cannot be imported in. once we can get urban extensive hydro/aeroponic agriculture going on, i'd have next to no reason to visit the rural/wild areas except for the occasional national park. really, really a city person at heart.

but i respect people's desires to move out there -- as long as it's not contributing to the endless exurb sprawl of late. i've always been sad to see small towns and communities get utterly shafted when it comes to modern economics. hopefully there's a way to help stabilize these communities so they don't hemorrhage their talent and youth.