Is it just me or has anybody else noticed that the people moving from the cities to the developments in the rural areas are saying that they live in the country?  Or better yet, in the "boonies"?  Personally, I don't think they know the definition of the "country" or the "boonies".

I live in a small town, or what used to be a small town, in Eastern Pennsylvania.  Over the last 10 years we have had major development in the area.  Many developments, industrial parks and malls going up everywhere and roads getting congested.  When I moved here over 30 years ago (oh, oh!  I'm showing my age), there was farmland and open space everywhere outside of town.  There was maybe a small development here and there, but it was mostly farmland.  (This was one of the reasons I liked the area.)  Granted, it wasn't the boonies, but open space was what I was after, so that I can ride my horses without any worries.  Riding on well traveled roads is not exactly my favorite thing to do.  Somehow, traffic and horses don't seem to mix.

I owned a 10 acre farm in the area.  I had enough property for my home, horses, pastures and a hay field to harvest for my horses.  The neighboring farmers allowed me to ride on their properties as long as I did not disturb their crops.  It was great!  I was able to ride through the fields.  If I really wanted to, I could ride right into town just by riding through fields and back roads.  After being born and raised in a big city, this was a dream come true.  Slowly, the development started and the New Yorkers and Jersyites (people from NJ) came and started buying real estate here because taxes and prices were cheaper than where they lived.  Even the members of the local Board of Supervisors and Zoning Board consisted of mostly "city folk". 

The old "shed" my horses were living in was on it's last leg.  In all honesty, I wasn't sure how it was still standing.  Anyway, since there were underground springs on a portion of the pasture, I was limited as to where I was able to build a barn.  The ideal spot to build it was about 15 feet closer to the neighboring residences than what zoning stated.  Of course, we had to go for a hearing to get a variance.  To make a long story short, our neighbors showed up at the hearing and said that "the smell from the horses will be too strong if the barn is built there".  Do you really think 15 feet is going to make a big difference??  Needless to say, the Board turned us down.  They said we were able to put the barn where the springs were.  We would just have to reroute the water.  The couple of farmers that were on the board did try to help us in any way they could, but their hands were tied because they were not the majority.  Let me ask you this, now.  If I am unable to house my horses on 10 acres, where am I supposed to put them?  I thought this was the country.  Of course, the neighbors that showed up at the hearing are the ones that bring their children and grandchildren down to see the horses.  Now isn't that something.

The city people should stop converting the countryside and small towns into cities with their development.  If they are going to move into the country, then let's keep the open space and farm animals where they belong.  There are plenty of vacant homes in the towns and rural areas that we don't have to keep building new construction.  You can always update and add onto the older homes.  They certainly are built to last a long, long time.