Living Near Ground Zero
I was recently asked a question on Quora about living in such a rural environment. I didn’t know how to explain rural life to someone outside of the US. Harder yet, is explaining that I live closer in average distance to everyone in the US, all 50 states, all 330 million people, except for the small population that lives in a 40 or so mile circle next to me. They live even closer to everyone than me, but it’s a small group.. I’ll try and explain as best I can.
I do live in a rural area. The US Census Bureau shows just 589 people in our entire census block. Population per square mile is just 69 people. Where I came from, near Seattle, the population density is over 9,000 people per square mile. New York City, it’s almost 30,000 people per square mile.
Every ten years, the US Census Bureau calculates the very center of population for the 50 US states. If more people are on one coast or the other, that point moves based on where they go. That center point moves a little west every ten years.
That very center is a little over 40 miles from me. From that center point, it’s the shortest distance on average to every human in the United States. Someone standing on that point, is on average, closer to everyone than anyone else. Because I live just 40 some miles away from that point, I too am closer to 99.9994% of the US population on average. (I did the math) So, in spite of my living in a remote place, I’m closer to everyone in the US all at once. There are only about 20,000 people who live closer to that center point than me. In spite of my being close to the very epicenter to everyone in the US, I may as well be in the middle of Montana.
I’ve been in Missouri just fourteen months now. This place feels like home, the people are nice and everywhere feels accessable. Living here in the population center of the US also feels like weather central where I get to experience every kind of weather the US has to offer, but in small doses. From very hot to extremely cold and everything in between, but what I love is, never for very long. I can’t think of a better place to live quietly while close to the entire US all at the same time. I feel lucky.