Why Hard Times May Revive Dying Rural Idaho

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I guess if you live in King Hill, you’re thankful it’s not Richfield.  Both have probably seen better days and decline is usually related to a sudden economic change.  A rail line no longer passes through or a major highway changes course.  On the plus side, real estate is often more reasonable.  I visited a ghost town last summer in Nevada.  Some people built a large and beautiful house on one end.  While you look immediately at some run-down properties, the view beyond is of a beautiful valley unfolding for miles.

I increasingly believe the future is escaping towns and cities and looking for some isolation in more rural places in Idaho.  This is quite the opposite of where we’ve been in recent decades.  The state’s urban areas have grown at the expense of small towns.  Sometimes, social trends have an inversion.  Economics drastically changes or some other challenge confronts modern civilization.  I was watching a video a few days ago and the host predicted there wouldn’t be a quick end to inflation.  He predicted it would continue for at least another half a dozen years and sometimes at a rate as high as 15 percent.  That’s not exactly as bad as Argentina but it’s going to be a shock to the American system and psyche.

55 Years ago there was a brief back-to-the-land movement.  This time, it could be a torrent.  Many friends in recent weeks have told me they’ve learned to grow what they need and to can.  You can store these things quietly in rural Idaho.  If you’re in Boise, Pocatello, or Twin Falls, chances are, neighbors will know you have a garden and that you’re a source of food when times get tough.