Old Lassie episodes on TV make me think farmers old-fashioned.

[JonBailey64]

There was one episode where the Martin's got an electric refrigerator to replace the ice box that the old man used to deliver ice blocks to in his truck. This was late 1950's America. Getting an electric fridge is something a California suburban boy like me would just take for granted. 

I get a kick out of those party lines too and the wooden telephone on the wall you have to crank to summon the old lady operator. How back woods! There was one episode where a neighbor woman was on the line yacking away and would not give the line up to the little boy in a life-or-death emergency. It makes me feel it prudent for country farms to have two-way VHF radios. 

The was no pavement in the driveway in front of the Martin's farm house. Just dirt. 

I have lived in the suburbs most of my life. 

Don't tell me YOUR farm has a septic tank or even an outhouse! 

[nwobcw]

guilty on both counts

[Shaggy98]

What's a suburb?

[farm160]

They may have been gritty, but they were resourceful.   Rural areas are working entites and that is reflected in the things you see and the way things are done.  Fortunately things aren't quite as old fashioned as that anymore.  

[JonBailey64]

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/suburb?s=ts

suburb

[suhb-urb]

Spell Syllables

• Examples
• Word Origin

noun

1.

a district lying immediately outside a city or town, especially a smallerresidential community.

2.

the suburbs, the area composed of such districts.

3.

an outlying part.

OriginExpand

Middle English

Latin

1350-1400

1350-1400; Middle English < Latin suburbium, equivalent to sub- sub- +urb (s) city + -ium -ium

Related formsExpand

suburbed, adjective

unsuburbed, adjective

[tree fmr]

Doing my best to keep up with the suburbanites, I put a phone in the outhouse!

[nwobcw]

suburb equals wasted firm ground

[WCMO]

Landlord put power in his to get some lights & heat, already had a hydrant just outside the door.

[WCMO]

So, the suburb is to the city as the farm is to the midwest town, who knew.  And, I thought the area just outside the city was either the manufacturing district or the dump.

There might have been some relevant comparisons between rural life and 1950's sitcoms, back in the 1950's, when many rural areas were first getting electricity, the Interstate Highway system was under construction, cars were made to last, and even strangers were generally trustworthy.  We had one of those party-line phones all the way up to sometime in the mid-1970's, sometimes had to ask the neighbor to hang up so we could make a phone call.

[Kay/NC]

 A couple of things have changed since sixty years ago. I am glad wireless and satellite technology have come so far, before a lot of wires were buried, for us to have to work around.  Many of us live pretty wirelessly now.  We go further that direction every year. 

Both of our house were built pre-REA, and one has a very moderate connection to the grid, even as it is today.  I think we could run it on solar panels easily, but the rates there are so reasonable, it isn't worth the investment.  We turned off the telephone landline there a while back.  Good enough cell signal to stream HD. 

I think the days of party lines are over....