People Who Desperately Want To Leave The City & Start Their Homesteading Era Usually Have These 9 Reasons
The dream of homesteading isn’t just about chickens and compost.
PEPPERSMINT / Shutterstock There’s something quietly magnetic about the idea of starting over somewhere quieter, greener, and more grounded. For some, it’s a passing daydream — an Instagram-worthy fantasy of linen aprons and herb gardens. But for others, the desire to leave the city behind and start a homesteading life feels urgent and deeply rooted. They're craving something they can’t seem to find in crowded streets or high-rise buildings.
People who feel this pull often can’t stop thinking about space, simplicity, and self-reliance. They want to get their hands dirty, hear crickets at night, and reconnect with a slower rhythm. And while some might dismiss it as impractical, those who want this shift usually have strong, emotional reasons for doing so.
People who desperately want to leave the city and start their homesteading era usually have these 9 reasons
1. They’re tired of the noise that never stops
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City living comes with a soundtrack, complete with sirens, honking horns, construction, and neighbors yelling through the walls. After years of absorbing it all, some people reach a breaking point.
The idea of hearing birds in the morning instead of garbage trucks starts to feel not just appealing, but necessary. They crave a kind of quiet that feels clean, natural, and soothing to the nervous system. For many, the dream of homesteading begins with a longing for silence that isn’t filled with chaos.
2. They’re emotionally burned out
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The city is always moving. Always building, scrolling, rushing, spending. At some point, the endless push to keep up starts to feel like it’s draining more than it’s giving back. People who dream of homesteading often want the opposite of hustle.
They want slowness, presence, and a rhythm they can actually keep up with. They’re just tired of living on a treadmill, and homesteading represents a chance to build a life, not just survive one.
3. They want to reconnect with their food
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There’s something profound about eating something you’ve grown with your own hands. Many people who long for homesteading are craving a more honest, connected relationship with the food they eat.
Grocery stores and takeout have their place, but there’s something deeply grounding about collecting your own eggs, growing your own tomatoes, or baking bread with wheat you milled. It’s about nourishment, not just nutrition.
4. They feel overstimulated and underfulfilled
Modern life is full of screens, notifications, and distractions, but often light on meaning. People who crave the homesteading life are usually looking to swap stimulation for satisfaction. They’re tired of shallow dopamine hits and long for something more rooted.
Chopping wood, feeding animals, and tending to land may sound simple, but these things carry a sense of purpose many people are quietly starving for. It’s less about escaping work than it is about choosing work that feels real.
5. They want space to breathe, both literally and emotionally
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In cities, space is always at a premium: space in apartments, space on sidewalks, space in your own head. Homesteading offers the kind of spaciousness that doesn’t just feel physical, but emotional.
There’s room to think, feel, stretch out, and exist without constant intrusion. Wanting the open sky, the fields, and the trees isn't just about the view. It’s about how your nervous system responds when you’re finally not boxed in.
6. They crave independence
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The systems we rely on in cities, such as utilities, deliveries, and other services, are convenient, but they can also create a quiet sense of helplessness. People drawn to homesteading often want to break that dependency.
They want to generate their own power, grow their own food, solve their own problems, not because they think it’ll be easy, but because they want to feel capable. There’s a kind of dignity in learning how to meet your own needs, and homesteading offers that in a way few modern lifestyles can.
7. They want to raise kids (or themselves) differently
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For those with children, or even inner children needing healing, the lifestyle shift isn’t just about escape. It’s about intention. They picture kids chasing chickens instead of chasing Wi-Fi signals. They imagine dirt under fingernails, bedtime under starlight, and lessons that come from nature instead of screens.
Even people without kids often say they want to live the way they wish they had grown up. Homesteading becomes a way to rewrite the story for the next generation, as well as for yourself.
8. They’re disillusioned with modern ideas of success
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Climbing ladders, hitting milestones, and checking boxes don’t always add up to joy. Many people find that even after doing everything right, they still feel empty. For some, the homesteading dream is all about redefining ambition.
Instead of corner offices and performance reviews, they want harvest seasons and a pantry full of jars they filled themselves. It’s a different kind of wealth, and it feels more real.
9. They long to feel they are a part of something natural
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Living in cities can make people feel like visitors on their own planet. Everything is built, bought, paved, and filtered. Homesteading, on the other hand, offers a return to something elemental. You plant, you harvest, you wake with the sun and sleep when it’s dark.
People who long for that life often say it’s because they want to feel like they’re in the world, not just surviving on it. Rather than wanting to dominate nature, they want to belong to it.
Sloane Bradshaw is a writer and essayist who frequently contributes to YourTango.
