squegeeboo

One more round.

Rowan

Originally, child support.

Then more bikes.

Then travel.

Then higher quality rental accommodation.

Then a better paying job.

Along the way, improved health, and a circle of friends (although some of them evolved out of sailing as well).

And a wife/life partner.

I don't think I could have done much better than that.

Rowan

Just thinking further on this, one of the greatest advances for a car-free individual, especially one living in a location remote from city services -- as I did for six or seven years -- is internet shopping.

The distinct advantage is that I don't have to have transport of any type to get to an LBS, a travel agent, or even a supermarket anymore. I can order and have delivered just about anything I desire.

I suppose that living without owning a motor vehicle and therefore not having easy and instantaneous access to the things I needed or wanted meant my knowledge of internet purchasing and banking became very well developed.

Roody

I agree totally, but there are further advantages of the Internet for carfree rural people beyond shopping. Culture is a big one. People can watch new movies, plays, concerts, operas, books, and so forth wherever the live. They're no more cut off from news and political/cultural opinion than people living in New York or London. They can also put their own opinions on the public stage, and publish or broadcast their creative works even if they live far from media centers.

I wonder if young people of the future will continue to flock to big cities as they have for the last 100 years? If they feel they can participate in the big world of new ideas from a rural area, they might feel less pressure to migrate to urban centers.

cycleobsidian

I hope not. Sounds depressing to me. Socializing mainly through the internet. Sounds like a great way to eventually suffer from isolation and mental illness.

People who live in rural environments would be best to make their money off the land...farming, etc. Otherwise you've just cleared out a landscape for yourself from forest, meadow or farm, and made the municipality provide expensive services for you. I myself prefer to see humans gravitate towards cities; it preserves other land for farm and wilderness.

Artkansas 

They will follow the money I imagine. Working from home is popular with employees, many employers want face time though, and they still tend to aggregate in urban areas.

Roody

Wow, I hadn't even thought about the social aspects. I was only considering exposure to culture, ideas, the arts, and opinions.

I don't think the interactive social aspects of the Internet (including forums) are a replacement for real life socializing, but they can be an excellent supplement. For example, I don't know many people with whom I can discuss these LCF topics on a face to face basis.

wipekitty

I think the social aspect may be precisely what drives younger people to the cities...

Online shopping makes day to day living convenient enough. But if you have to rent a car and drive to go to a show or gallery opening, you can forget about being part of any art/music/whatever kind of scene.

On the other hand, this might be less of a concern for the Gen Y (and even younger) types. My impression is that the live interaction is less important for folks who are used to doing everything through technology. I'm thinking here of the teenagers who are OK not getting a license because they can just hang out with their friends on the internet, and only would have needed the car to get to the job that pays for the car.