(edit title) Life in Rural Sweden Rural and Remoteness Options

[w_wallace]

[mjennin2]

[*Guest*]

I wonder when you say rural, do you mean rural or just a small town? Rurally I find the same as above, it's stopping folk talking when you need to get a move on is more of a problem than them not saying anything. Small towns are like the worst, none of the benefits of being out in the sticks and all the problems of cities.

Where we are houses are perhaps 500m to a km apart but in a 10km radius there are quite few folk, any event in the local village hall can easily push 100 folk and challenge the fire regs capacity, which being swedes they tend to take very seriously.

The only things folk won't share are mushroom and cloudberry locations!

[w_wallace]

[ChocOwl]

We live very rurally and remotely and our community is very close and work together to care for one another.

I have had a similar experience, living in a village of about 40 people with 15 km to a small town, 30 km to a large town, 400-ish people within 10 km radius.

I wonder when you say rural, do you mean rural or just a small town? Rurally I find the same as above, it's stopping folk talking when you need to get a move on is more of ... (show full quote)

I wonder when you say rural, do you mean rural or just a small town? Rurally I find the same as above, it's stopping folk talking when you need to get a move on is more of a problem than them not saying anything. Small towns are like the worst, none of the benefits of being out in the sticks and all the problems of cities. ... (hide full quote)

+1

[yonisan]

I live in Stockholm and I rarely come accross more rudeness than I have encountered in any of he cities in the UK or NL.

I talk with everyone in the apartment, help them where needed with shopping and lift and generally try to be a good neighbour. I find if you smile at people or say hello when on a walk then it is returned.

[w_wallace]

Thanks for your reply yonisan. That sounds great actually and it makes what I experience feel much more like a quality of life in a particular set of sticks. I have lived short stints in the UK, Singapore and longer ones in the states. Comparatively this level of not so much rudeness, but indifference just felt and feels heavier: more substantive.

Unfortunately, I am tied to a house and have to children that I could not live without seeing every other week, but as soon as the world rights itself again, it might be good for me to rediscover Sweden.

Thanks again for the replies here.

[w_wallace]

I have had a similar experience, living in a village of about 40 people with 15 km to a small town, 30 km to a large town, 400-ish people within 10 km radius.

Thanks ChocOwl, this feels rather similar to my variables. 60,000 total population, 33 km from large town, 10 to small town, maybe 100 people rather spread out in a 15km radius. There may not be enough glue to hold it together outside of the extended familial connections (there are generations upon generations here).

[*Guest*]

Thanks ChocOwl, this feels rather similar to my variables. 60,000 total population, 33 km from large town, 10 to small town, maybe 100 people rather spread out in a 15km radiu ... (show full quote)

Thanks ChocOwl, this feels rather similar to my variables. 60,000 total population, 33 km from large town, 10 to small town, maybe 100 people rather spread out in a 15km radius. There may not be enough glue to hold it together outside of the extended familial connections (there are generations upon generations here). ... (hide full quote)

Your local population isn't that different to us, it's a bit further to any form of shop or school here at around 15km. What is likely missing are motivated folk to get things rolling. Do you have a local hall, a local voluntary unpaid council committe etc.?

We put events on in our hall; Xmas markets, Lucia, Easter, walburga... the least any event has is coffee and cake; we comfortably draw from beyond the residents radius, especially if we put bands, a buffet, or comedians on, pre covid we did monthly talks where you pay someone of interest to do a presentation on themselves or whatever their niche is, charge 100sek a ticket(coffee and cake included) and folk come by the dozen. There are grants available for maintaining buildings used for the community and it's likely there will be someone of every trade imaginable in the area. Ours now has free WiFi via fibre, air sourced heating, a modern catering standard kitchen. We hire it out for people functions(weddings, graduations, birthdays...), the income subsidises the smaller events for locals.

Make it happen!

[Martin565]

Always got to be careful with country people wherever you are in the world, they like to stick to their own if you know what I mean.

[Martin565]

[Grommet]

Your local population isn't that different to us, it's a bit further to any form of shop or school here at around 15km. What is likely missing are motivated folk to ge ... (show full quote)

Your local population isn't that different to us, it's a bit further to any form of shop or school here at around 15km. What is likely missing are motivated folk to get things rolling. Do you have a local hall, a local voluntary unpaid council committe etc.?

We put events on in our hall; Xmas markets, Lucia, Easter, walburga... the least any event has is coffee and cake; we comfortably draw from beyond the residents radius, especially if we put bands, a buffet, or comedians on, pre covid we did monthly talks where you pay someone of interest to do a presentation on themselves or whatever their niche is, charge 100sek a ticket(coffee and cake included) and folk come by the dozen. There are grants available for maintaining buildings used for the community and it's likely there will be someone of every trade imaginable in the area. Ours now has free WiFi via fibre, air sourced heating, a modern catering standard kitchen. We hire it out for people functions(weddings, graduations, birthdays...), the income subsidises the smaller events for locals.

Make it happen! ... (hide full quote)

I'm guessing you also put out those canned meats, to really entice the crowds?

Things are a bit worse in your area than I ever could have imagined. Red-neck Swedes.

Interesting he wrote "by-the-dozen". Not "by-the-dozens".

Why, he makes living in the middle of nowhere, in the Meatball Land, sound a real dream. (shudders to self)

[*Guest*]

I'm guessing you also put out those canned meats, to really entice the crowds?

Yeah something like that... one of locals is a chef in a relatively near Michelin starred restaurant, but we suffer the catering for the cause!

Still jealous I see, new year soon, will it be another new screen name too?

[Grommet]

Yeah something like that... one of locals is a chef in a relatively near Michelin starred restaurant, but we suffer the catering for the cause! Still jealous I see, new ye ... (show full quote)

Yeah something like that... one of locals is a chef in a relatively near Michelin starred restaurant, but we suffer the catering for the cause!

Still jealous I see, new year soon, will it be another new screen name too? ... (hide full quote)

Ya! You're really winning! Oh how I truly wish I could trade places with you!

[w_wallace]

Thanks for the posts here. If I can be truthfully,I am not sure when I will have the energy to try to start something social here. It is definitely a good idea and one that I will revisit perhaps when the sun returns and Covid looms less in all of our lives.