take a hard look around you

[scotsman]

I live in the Missouri Ozarks and it has always been a poor region of our country. No news there. Our best and brightest have left the area looking for better opportunities for decades. (you may draw your own conclusions as to why I am still here). But seriously I have been taking a hard look at economic and social problems in my area. Jobs are becoming non existent, worse than in the early 80"s. Many that are available actually pay less than they did 25 years ago. The meth problem is rampant and has ruined countless lives here. Child abuse and domestic violence is higher here than anywhere else in the state. More than 40 percent of kids in school live below the poverty line. All the little towns around are losing population and businesses. All this has been happenning over the course of years but is worse with the current economic conditions. I fear the area is in real danger of becoming a rural all white ghetto. My question is if you live in a rural area what do you see when you take a good hard look around you?

[Conan The Librarian]

I live semi-rural and am in rural a lot. Conditions vary widely, but there's a lot of what you describe around. Oklahoma probably has more meth labs than anyplace else on earth, but that's just a regional flourish.

One place I go is rural with a lot of blacks and low jobs and not much prospects for growth. 100% of the kids graduate high school, and very rare to encounter troublemakers.

[magooch]

Few areas outside of D.C. in this country have been immune to the Obama/Dumycrat Depression, so welcome to hope and change. 

[45-70.gov]

i have  been  buying all the property  i can   

with this depressed economy  prices are great

i  suggest you do the same....the  prices  will go  up

go  up sooner  if you let the meth-heads  alone  so they can  die  sooner

the quality  of my renters  seems to be declining....and  i have  had to lower rents

but  if  i don't get good  people  i just throw them  out and give someone else a chance

its  been  hard  lately to find  people with  months rent  & deposit
so  i let some in with out the deposit.....often  a mistake

[mechanic]

i have  been  buying all the property  i can   

with this depressed economy  prices are great

i  suggest you do the same....the  prices  will go  up

go  up sooner  if you let the meth-heads  alone  so they can  die  sooner

the quality  of my renters  seems to be declining....and  i have  had to lower rents

but  if  i don't get good  people  i just throw them  out and give someone else a chance

its  been  hard  lately to find  people with  months rent  & deposit
so  i let some in with out the deposit.....often  a mistake

     

I've been lucky I guess.  I had a house I planned to sell when I bought the one I'm living in.  I timed it perfectly so that It lost a lot of value before I put it on the market.  I've had a widow woman in it for 4 years now who hasn't missed a payment.  It doen't look like it's gonna' gain value again in my lifetime......

Some of the rural areas around here are referred to as "little Miami".

Ben

[Hit or Miss]

I live in a small rural town and spend a lot of time in others due to work.  They are on a decline.  No way to keep the younger generation out here anymore.  Our greatest export is our kids.  We send them away to find decent jobs.  Property values in small towns are declining, bringing more trash as they can buy a cheap house.  I better quit before I start to wondering why I quit drinking again!