Going Rural for Peak Oil: Bad Idea

I’ve often thought that moving to the country is one of dumber things you could do in response to peak oil.

My reasoning for this is simple: people in the country have a massive dependence on cars and gasoline. For example, my brother used to live on a ranch in the extreme boondocks of Idaho (the area was only electrified in the 1980s) and he and his wife had to drive about 100 miles to go to the supermarket. That’s an extreme case, but the general principle is very true. The country has incredible sprawl, and you have to drive really long distances to take care of your daily business.
Urban dwellers like myself, on the other hand, don’t have to drive at all. My supermarket is a 3 minute walk from my front door. It seems obvious to me that country people — at least those who aren’t making good money from serious agriculture or some other business — are the ones who will get it in the neck first from peak oil.

If you think about it, it’s just a straightforward extension of Kunstler’s logic. If the suburbs/exurbs are going to die because they’re too oil dependent, then surely the rural areas will die even quicker because they are even more oil dependent.

Peak Oil Debunked