Though not a farmer, I have lived in rural areas for much of my life. The only big problem with the rural area is that it is often intellectually sterile, religion=ridden, and culturally limited.

Hahahaaaa, nope! I'd get run over by some outrageously large and complex machine, it'd take an ambulance half an hour to get there, then that'd be the end of me. No thanks.

Kind of. I did move to a farm in my 30s. Also held a full time job. The farmwork damn near did me in. I lasted three years.
Now, I'm in a happy compromise. Living in a semi-rural subdivision, a 10 minute drive to the southern suburbs of Dayton, ohio. Best of both worlds.

I’m not I the city now and hope I never am. The city is just not my space. But I can’t say that farming is my gig either; heck I’ll be retired in 5 years and farming is hard work - 7 days a week. I’d like a couple of secluded acres, within 45 minutes to an hour of a city or some place with good health care and a college.

If it didn't involve killing animals and the temperatures weren't too extreme, yes

We live on a small farm, down a dirt road, about 20 to 30 minutes from a small city, or maybe a large town. We have horses, pigs, goats, a donkey, chickens, geese, ducks, and guineas, and, of course dogs and cats. My daughter has a parrot too. All of our non human animals are loved, respected, and have good, normal lives. We eat them, but they are killed humanely, here at home, butchered by us, and we feel that if we did not feel sad when they are killed, and do not thank them and respect them, it would not be right to eat them. We have a large garden, berry bushes, fruit trees. We have friends who raise animals also, in the same way we do. We don't buy meat from a store. We barter with them for beef. We have a well, and are thinking about alternative electrical options. My daughter and son in law both work full time in addition to the farm. I am a retired midwife, so help on the farm. Our little city has an opera, playhouse, movie theaters, a beautiful library,a very vigorous art community, and wonderful little shops and antique stores. We can drive about an hour one direction and be at the ocean, or about an hour and a half and be in the mountains. It is a wonderful place to live and a wonderful life. I went to school in Newark, NJ, and spent a lot of time in NYC. I am so glad to be out of there. I am only about 3 hours from Boston, if I want to go, and also near some great little towns all along the coast. I have no desire to live in a city.

I got the roof on the micro house part of my tiny house today. The garden space is out of the picture, immediately to the left of the house. I have a container garden underneath the eave of the metal roof in the background where it catches runoff from rain and heavy morning dew. The structure in the right foreground is a greenhouse. The tiny house will have another green house built off of it. I'm headed to the country!

I like both. Since the 90's l have lived in small towns or in the country, and l like it. I definitely don't want a farm, too much work. A healthy life style can be achieved anywhere.

I love camping, hiking, trekking and nature. But I live for the urban life.

I'd love it-- so long as somebody else is doing the actual farming. I'd probably botch it up.

I live in the woods. No farming though, the deer eat everything.

yes, if at all possible. Have done this a few times, feels so good. Sadly, life's responsibilities drag me back to civilisation.

well fresh air horses. ponds rivers all that is nice.But country living is not healthier. meth addicts nothing to do.

I packing as I type__just let me know where to show up

I did in January. But a small holding not industrial.

Always lived near rural areas.. Would move into wilderness probably if could swing it.

No. I grew up on a farm.
Did not like it.
. I like smallish towns with a college nearby.
Moving from the remote to one in a few weeks.
Only so long I can sit watching the tumbleweeds roll by.

Is it really more healthy? What about bees?

The question sets up to imply that one can't have a healthier lifestyle in a town than someone on a farm. I beg to differ. I have almost 1 acre near a major intersection -- and I'm only 1 mile from a WalMart and Aldis...and just minutes to a college and hospital. I also have a fire station less than half a mile from me.

I grow more veggies and fruits that I can eat...so I share with neighbors and local shelters. I have huge raised bed gardens...and also have a ground level garden with rows of sweet corn. ((photos taken this morning)) I also have 80+ plants in containers along my fence line in a more shaded area for the veggies that don't need so much direct sun. I also live 20 minutes from a major Wildlife Refuge and hike and do other outdoor activities.

Having a few horses and a donkey in a pasture doesn't automatically make life healthy.

That is what it looks like where I live

I actually did that almost three years ago. I'm not exactly a farmer because I have only 9 acres, but I'm 7 miles from the closest convenience store. In fact, the only free-standing business is 3 miles from us, and it's a tavern. The closest neighbor is 1/4 mi. away. Gasoline is a 30-mi round trip at the nearest Safeway. We moved from a smallish town in southern CA back to where I spent my first couple of years at university. I haven't regretted the move for even a split second.

I like living in community just outside a small town. Rural lifestyle with a little bit of urban convenience. I’m not really into remote homesteading anymore. The reality is that my vocation and interests mean that I need to access denser population (the town I live near is 5000 people). Anything that is up a dirt road makes for a tedious commute. If you really mean to homestead, it means staying put and not driving out unless you have to. If you still commute every day, you’re fooling yourself thinking you want a country life. I have done some farming... and I’m not that into it. I like being around it tho! Which is why I prefer community. I’ll build you a house... you grow the food. I prefer construction and maintenance. Part of it is allergies, I get welts from grass and sneezing fits from pollen and dust (tho less reactive as I age)... this makes it no fun for me to work the landscape. I’m down with dirt and mud... I just don’t like the itchy skin, irritated eyes and sinuses, etc... I can work goats, but I’m over that. Goats are cool, but I’m done being the “goat guy”... 7 years was enough. Most people that say they want to learn how to grow their own food change their minds once they actually start trying to do it. It is actually work... and you have to be there when things need to be done... you can’t just forget to water and blow things off, thinking that things will work out. A good yield requires daily attention. Goats need to be milked twice a day, every day.

Sounds lovely but....I do too many things which satisfy me right here in the city!

That's where I have been living for the last forty years.