1. Home postal delivery is efficient in densely populated areas. In rural areas, it is grossly inefficient for the most part. Definitely far LESS efficient than communicating via cell phone. Yes, the act of writing letters is efficient. Transporting them is far less efficient than sending bytes of data via radio waves. I live in a spread out rural, offgrid, neighborhood. Terrain dictates that no one is driving faster than about 20mph. If I had to physically take messages every time I needed to talk to a neighbor, it would get real unworkable real fast, even with the ability to send a kid on an atv with the message. Coms up here are generally via text, where there is cell service or satellite internet on both ends, walkie talkie or send a kid where there is not.
(I have both texts and emails that I cherish)
6. Good idea, in general. There are plenty of companies willing to supply such co-ops. Azure Standard is the one we use. I facilitate our neighborhood's order, and we cooperate on meeting the truck and bringing stuff back. For us, most shopping is 75 miles, which takes 2 hours. There is NO "run to the store". Being willing to grab something from a store for your neighbor, pick up someone's mail, etc, is also huge. It reduces trips, makes everyone's life easier, and builds community.
8. Trains and ships are the best way to transport cargo long distances. For passenger transit, they are only efficient if schedules are sufficiently convenient and passengers within walking distance. If I have to drive 50 miles, take a train 100 miles, and then have someone pick me up at the other end, trains get real inefficient real fast. When it comes to transporting people quickly over long distance, trains require much more infrastructure than planes, and that infrastructure must be impeccably maintained, every mile of it. Passenger rail only approaches being self supporting where population densities are very high.
Indeed, rural areas do have different issues. However, folks in the country are not putting down a huge footprint. But their cattle are, according to the climate change gurus.
Having something written on a piece of paper means you can put in under your pillow when you sleep, or in an old book where it falls out years later. Of course, one can print out texts and emails.
Trains are one of those "wishful thinking" items that Americans have, but have never really embraced. If the climate change folks were true believers, they would take this issue seriously. But they don't. Which means they don't believe the problem exists. It's all lip service to follow the in-crowd. That said, rural areas do not have airports that can handle big airliners. So one has to drive to the city to grab a plane. From Bakersfield, it's a 2.5 hour drive into Los Angeles.
Actually, air travel is more accessible to rural America than you might think. IME (over the years, I have lived in everything from urban core of a major city to isolated mountain community), the farther away one is from a major metro area, the more the largest local towns have to offer. Example: I am 75-ish miles from Butte (about 35K people), Missoula (about 85K people, hq of the U of MT, and Helena (about 65K people, state capitol). The 2 larger towns have a fairly full spectrum of shopping. Butte lacks Costco and a few other stores I like to shop at. All 3 have 4 year colleges, jet airport service to the nearest hub cities, hospitals etc. (Butte is fairly close to both Helena and Bozeman, which probably explains its shopping deficiencies). I can hop a jet in any of the towns big enough to have a SuperWalmart. And airports that handle small planes are everywhere. Even the 300-person town that has our closest gas station has one.
The one thing that does get difficult with no large cities around is specialty medical care. That, depending upon the specialty needed, means travel to Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, or even Denver (the best spinal cord injury specialists seem to be in Denver). SLC is the closest of these, a bit under 500 miles. There is a network of volunteer pilots who help people with medical needs with transport to and from big city medical facilities
Only so many specialist doctors and facilities to go around. My cousin, living in Las Vegas, had to come into Los Angeles to treat his Hepatitis with a new med. Very expensive pill, that. Methinks it was $1200. But he was able to get a grant to pay for it. UCLA is good at such things.
I found out Bakersfield has service to Phoenix, and from Phoenix, I can travel the world. So much nicer than having to deal with LAX. That will be my MO for my next trip out.
I take it you buy in bulk when you get to those "big" cities. Ha!
1. Home postal delivery is efficient in densely populated areas. In rural areas, it is grossly inefficient for the most part. Definitely far LESS efficient than communicating via cell phone. Yes, the act of writing letters is efficient. Transporting them is far less efficient than sending bytes of data via radio waves. I live in a spread out rural, offgrid, neighborhood. Terrain dictates that no one is driving faster than about 20mph. If I had to physically take messages every time I needed to talk to a neighbor, it would get real unworkable real fast, even with the ability to send a kid on an atv with the message. Coms up here are generally via text, where there is cell service or satellite internet on both ends, walkie talkie or send a kid where there is not.
(I have both texts and emails that I cherish)
6. Good idea, in general. There are plenty of companies willing to supply such co-ops. Azure Standard is the one we use. I facilitate our neighborhood's order, and we cooperate on meeting the truck and bringing stuff back. For us, most shopping is 75 miles, which takes 2 hours. There is NO "run to the store". Being willing to grab something from a store for your neighbor, pick up someone's mail, etc, is also huge. It reduces trips, makes everyone's life easier, and builds community.
8. Trains and ships are the best way to transport cargo long distances. For passenger transit, they are only efficient if schedules are sufficiently convenient and passengers within walking distance. If I have to drive 50 miles, take a train 100 miles, and then have someone pick me up at the other end, trains get real inefficient real fast. When it comes to transporting people quickly over long distance, trains require much more infrastructure than planes, and that infrastructure must be impeccably maintained, every mile of it. Passenger rail only approaches being self supporting where population densities are very high.
Thanks for your comment.
Indeed, rural areas do have different issues. However, folks in the country are not putting down a huge footprint. But their cattle are, according to the climate change gurus.
Having something written on a piece of paper means you can put in under your pillow when you sleep, or in an old book where it falls out years later. Of course, one can print out texts and emails.
Trains are one of those "wishful thinking" items that Americans have, but have never really embraced. If the climate change folks were true believers, they would take this issue seriously. But they don't. Which means they don't believe the problem exists. It's all lip service to follow the in-crowd. That said, rural areas do not have airports that can handle big airliners. So one has to drive to the city to grab a plane. From Bakersfield, it's a 2.5 hour drive into Los Angeles.
Actually, air travel is more accessible to rural America than you might think. IME (over the years, I have lived in everything from urban core of a major city to isolated mountain community), the farther away one is from a major metro area, the more the largest local towns have to offer. Example: I am 75-ish miles from Butte (about 35K people), Missoula (about 85K people, hq of the U of MT, and Helena (about 65K people, state capitol). The 2 larger towns have a fairly full spectrum of shopping. Butte lacks Costco and a few other stores I like to shop at. All 3 have 4 year colleges, jet airport service to the nearest hub cities, hospitals etc. (Butte is fairly close to both Helena and Bozeman, which probably explains its shopping deficiencies). I can hop a jet in any of the towns big enough to have a SuperWalmart. And airports that handle small planes are everywhere. Even the 300-person town that has our closest gas station has one.
The one thing that does get difficult with no large cities around is specialty medical care. That, depending upon the specialty needed, means travel to Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, or even Denver (the best spinal cord injury specialists seem to be in Denver). SLC is the closest of these, a bit under 500 miles. There is a network of volunteer pilots who help people with medical needs with transport to and from big city medical facilities
Only so many specialist doctors and facilities to go around. My cousin, living in Las Vegas, had to come into Los Angeles to treat his Hepatitis with a new med. Very expensive pill, that. Methinks it was $1200. But he was able to get a grant to pay for it. UCLA is good at such things.
I found out Bakersfield has service to Phoenix, and from Phoenix, I can travel the world. So much nicer than having to deal with LAX. That will be my MO for my next trip out.
I take it you buy in bulk when you get to those "big" cities. Ha!
btw, Bakersfield has jet air service, from American Airlines and others. LA likely has a lot more in the way of nonstop flights, and is likely cheaper