The closest store to me is 5 miles away. And even then, it’s a gas station, not a full-on store.
Fascinating, is this a rural area? How far away is your usual destination for groceries? Can you buy groceries, when you are unable to operate a vehicle?
5 miles is within cycling range for me, but it is somewhat longer than my way to work.
Thankfully an actual grocery store is not too much further, but no - it would be nearly impossible to purchase enough food for a house of 5 on a bicycle. Having a car is a necessity.
The closest grocery store is, unfortunately both the most convenient, and the most expensive. If I were to travel 20-25 minutes by car, I could get to a cheaper grocery store. And I’m not in a particularly ‘rural’ area - there are places much worse than this. I even have symmetrical gigabit fiber, but barely a store nearby (unless you count a bar).
If I got any closer to the city, I wouldn’t have been able to afford a house.
Unfortunately it seems I’m somewhat of an enigma. I’m fairly left leaning, but live in the middle of people who are hard-right. I tend to have experiences which reflect rural life, and end up arguing with people who have never left the city. And it’s pretty clear why our founding fathers set up the nation the way they did; because it’s clear as fucking day that people in the cities have no clue what it’s like outside of them, and the reverse is true as well - many rural people not only don’t know about city life, but actively despise it (myself included).
I love not having a lot of people around me. I don’t have to deal with drug dealers, homeless people, and all the shit-stains littered around the city. I drive to work, and that little bit of time between work and home is the only solace I get to myself. I enjoy my car and not having to share it. If I could purchase a single-seat micro car, I’d jump alllll over that shit. Much unlike the folk I live around, who all drive 100k+ jacked up trucks.
