What is Semi-Rural Homesteading?

Many people believe that homesteading has to be remote off-grid living, away from any signs of civilization, and surrounded by un-manicured land and ravenous predators. However, homesteading is a complex issue that transcends mere self-sufficiency and the perils of predation. There are many types of homesteading to consider. Whether it be Urban, Rural, or Semi-Rural Homesteading, these are not what many perceive when you mention ‘Homesteading’, but yet they can be an appealing alternative to anyone regardless of location.

Did you know you could already be well on your way to homesteading… right now… doing what you already do… where you already live…?

Modern homesteading is making a resurgence in the US and taking it by storm. Those of us who chose this lifestyle or were somehow innately driven to the benefits of this lifestyle, it isn’t surprising that many others are too now finding their own ‘niche’ under the umbrella veil of ‘Homesteading’.  In basic terms, homesteading fulfills a psychological need within a complex series of economic and social problems facing the US population and is now becoming an acceptable long-term solution for a growing nation. 

Historically Homesteading:

Homesteading… it’s not a new concept. Homesteading goes back hundreds of years. To our ancestors – being a settler on a homestead was a family necessity and a natural way of living. Families were large so having more sons in a family meant more workers were available to help plant the fields and hunt for food. Conversely, having more daughters within the families meant more workers to clean the homestead, for picking greater numbers of vegetables from the crops, and they performed all of the laundry/cooking duties. It was a essential way of life for anyone NOT living in a town. Families flourished and the nation was growing…

The Homestead Act of 1862-

The Homestead Act of 1862 was signed by President Abraham Lincoln to encourage poor immigrant settlers to move Westward in the attempts to expand the country and to boost the nation’s economy.  These settlers applied to claim 160 acres of FREE land given to them by the Federal Government. The only contract stipulation for these families was that they needed to live and work the land they wished to lay claim to for 5 years to receive it as their prize. However, the move West was laden by danger, natural disaster, and death for families convoying in covered wagons. Those Westward settlers who did survive the trip, found that often times the land was so dry that their crops were too difficult to grow. The heart of the American settler, their determination, strength, and self-fortitude surpassed these problems and helped the nation expand, grow, and flourish into the advanced civilization we know today.

Modern Communities in the US:

There are 3 types of communities in the modern US: Urban, Suburban, and Rural.

Urban:

These areas are populated by 80% of the nation and consist of the younger generation of millennials, industry, and commerce. The majority of the nation’s infrastructure, sanitation, communication, and education are concentrated in these areas which accounts for increased educational and economic opportunities, public transportation, and access to healthcare for its residents. Conversely, these areas have increased crime rates, reduced privacy, and smaller living square footage per individual.

The Urban Homesteader is faced with unique challenges in growing space but not in access to the resources to successfully navigate this homesteading lifestyle. Urbanite Homesteaders are growing gardens on rooftops, using non-traditional planting systems, and keeping caged chickens for meat and egg-laying functions. When there is a will… there is a way.

Suburban:

These areas are just outside heavily populated areas and they boomed post WW2 with FHA housing loans. Many saw opportunity and built new homes in these areas to be away from crime, for a larger plot of land, and to fulfill the American Dream of a house with a white picket fence and 2.5 kids (and a dog). Doctor’s offices expanded and businesses moved to (or opened satellite offices in) these areas to account for the growing suburban populations. Crime was lower and highly specialized medical services were further away, but suburbanites appreciated the slower pace, larger space, cookie-cutter homes, and increased privacy that Suburbia provided. Conversely, with no public transportation systems, many needed automobiles to commute to work (which still predominated in urban areas), and educational systems (schools and Universities) either received less funding for books or were further away (yet close enough) that commuting over campus-dorms was a viable option for many if they had a car.

Today’s millennials are social media driven, fond of online shopping, want short commutes to work, and they no longer think the American Dream is a big house with a white picket fence. These millennials are moving back to the Urban communities and modern day Suburbia is seeing an insurgence of closing Shopping malls and local “Ma & Pa” corner shops. The proximity of the fast-food industry is returning to an Urban commonality, and while many Industries that haven’t already moved to locations overseas, the remaining are now pulling out of the suburbs for urban manufacturing facilities whom attract a long-term millennial workforce. This is why some even surmise to claim that modern Suburbia in the US is dying.

Rural:

Rural areas account for 97% of the nation’s land and 19.3% of the population (approximately 60 million). To people living in rural areas, rural is not defined but rather just is… rural. There is no clear cut definition of rural, in fact our US lawmakers haven’t been able to adequately define rural. To many lawmakers and the US Census, rural areas are simply “those areas that are not urban”. They use this definition to address economic and social programing funding needs and population diversity.  The one thing we can agree on however is that these areas are designated with low population density, low economic stability, but yet can be highly agricultural based on the existence of bigger farms. Social norms and social diversity is a stark contrast to urban and suburban areas making living in social disconnect from modern urban society a challenge for those not already predisposed to ‘Country Living’. Median incomes in rural areas are lower and many resort from living off the land or by private enterprise (sparked by on-line selling platforms such as Etsy, Ebay, and Amazon).

The difference between a Farm and a Homestead:

Many of us see farms on the US countryside. They are typically large acres of land with polka-dots of black and white cows on a green background of lush pasture. Rows of corn husks, blankets of green soybeans, or tan wheat spikes waving in the breeze are the foregrounds to the accent colors of red barns and green farm tractors in a beautiful artistic rendering of simple “Country Life” that only Mother Nature herself could paint. The difference between these iconic US farm depictions and the modern homesteading lifestyle is that farmers raise the cows and plant the crops to sell to a hungry, growing US population, whereas homesteaders raise and plant to be self-sufficient in feeding their own families. A farm can sell meat or crops AND be a homestead… consequentially.. a homestead can also sell vegetables and fruit to help sustain itself so it too can be classified as a farm (a self-sufficient homestead that doesn’t sell what it raises is just a homestead). Either way, from the farm fields across the US to the Urban homestead in the big city, the lifestyle often appears as an underappreciated and misunderstood labor of love.

Have you ever seen a farmer in a Mercedes or BMW?…. Probably not. If you like the prettier, finer, and most expensive of adornments riddling your life, homesteading is probably not for you. Living simply means that making it rich in rural America is not a reality. However, if you choose… and when you do become self-sufficient (such as those ancestral homesteaders) while living somewhere between the rural social disconnect and a dying ‘cookie-cutter’ Suburbia, you’ve have just entered the homesteaders realm of Semi-Rural Homesteading – and it isn’t luxurious or pretty.

Semi-Rural Homesteading:

Semi-Rural Homesteading is a great way of life if you cherish simplicity and self-sufficiency. It is a cyclical validation of your own abilities to start growing and raising your own food, getting your hands extremely dirty, and giving something of it back to nature. It’s making it on your own without needing to buy everything at the Walmart or Home Depot. But Homesteading today doesn’t have to necessarily be about living off-grid, in the wilderness, or having to self-sacrifice. In modern times, Semi-Rural Homesteading is the off-spring produced from the marriage of rural ‘country living’ and Suburbanite wishes of a proximity to modern conveniences. Healthcare, job opportunities, and social belonging are still important aspects of the Semi-Rural Homesteader’s lifestyle, but they conflict with the psychological desire of living off the land, to be self-sufficient in other life aspects, and the “I can do” attitude that many of these people possess. They are living on-grid with well and septic systems, 60-100 amp electrical services, and social fulfillment with nearby churches, neighbors, and schools. The goal for many Semi-Rural Homesteaders is to increase the functionality and profitability of the homestead so that it BECOMES their full-time job. It is with the whole-heartedness desire, self-determination, and a psychological need of self-fulfillment, which makes the realization of economic elimination of on-grid electrical services and necessary grocery store trips – a evident Semi-Rural possibility.

Many start this lifestyle as stay-at-home mothers, homeschooling families, displaced workers, or those who wish to work at home while their ‘significant other’ commutes to a 9-5 career in a nearby urban area. Some working families continue full-time employment until home based economic potentials can be reached utilizing homesteading methods (selling eggs, meat, animals, or fruits and vegetables) or hobby craft talents (woodworking, metalworking, sewing, knitting, crocheting, or quilt making to name a few). Those who can sell both homestead and hobby talents have a greater chance of making any homestead profitable. Anyone who knows business also knows that profitability means keeping expenses low, therefore, homesteading requires a creative mind in utilization of ‘on-hand’ supplies without regard for modern day ‘store-bought’ aesthetics. There is a sense of simplicity and a great feeling of creative accomplishment when you use what you already have on hand to solve a problem that takes the ordinary and makes it uniquely yours.

Some aspects of a Semi-Rural Homesteading lifestyle include (not in any specific order):

• Growing your own fruits and/or vegetables
• Raising your own meat (chicken, eggs, duck, beef, lamb, or rabbit, etc…) in the space available
• Solving everyday problems with scraps or whatever you have on hand
• Finding creative ways to source materials and other resources
• Living on-grid with nearby neighbors, churches, schools, and other modern conveniences
• The ability to work toward full self-sustainability and alternative water, and power sources
• An attitude of “I can” that flourishes in the heart of confident abilities, desire, and creativity (and a lot of trial and error)
• A psychological need for simplicity and self-sufficiency
• Accomplishment in the feeling that “you CAN do it”
• Getting your hands dirty and having fun
• Not being afraid to try

So how does someone start Homesteading (or Semi-Rural Homesteading) :

Anyone can start homesteading anytime or anywhere. Whether you’re living on 1+ acre rural farm and want to raise some cows for meat, living on the ‘block’ in the Suburbs and plant a garden to last you through the Winter, or living in an Urban apartment building and planting some fresh herbs to cut-back on grocery store trips, you are already enjoying a small portion of the benefits of a Homesteading lifestyle. The sky is the limit in homesteading and you are only bound by your own desire and creativity. Most homesteaders started out small completely unaware of where their efforts would lead. It isn’t easy… it doesn’t happen quick… but it sure is fun.

Wanna know more about Semi-Rural Homesteading? Follow along on our journey. We’ll cover gardening, raising animals for pets/food, and how to creatively solve common problems on the Semi-Rural Homestead.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya soon…

Enjoying it simple…

~Sue 😊

References:

Homestead Act. Primary Documents in American History. Library of Congress. Web Guides. March 28, 2018. Web. Retrieved March 16, 2020 from: https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/homestead.html

Mattern, Jessica Leigh. (2017). “Here’s why American suburbs are dying: The times they are a-changing”. Country Living. Web. Retrieved March 30, 2020 from: https://www.countryliving.com/life/a42035/american-suburbs-are-dying/

New Census Data Show Differences Between Urban and Rural Populations. United States Census Bureau. Web. Press Release Thursday December 8, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2020 from: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2016/cb16-210.html

Ricketts, Thomas C. Phd., Johnson-Webb, Karen, D. M.A., & Taylor, Patricia. PhD. (1998). Definitions of Rural: A handbook for health, policy makers, and researchers. Federal Office of Rural Health Policy to the North Carolina Rural Health Research Program. Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research University of North Carolina: Chapel Hill. Web. Retrieved March 30, 2020 from: https://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/rural/pubs/report/ruralit.pdf