Looking for a community that values quietude

Calling all those who desire quietude!

Over the past several years I've experienced frequent noise issues from neighbors and would like to live somewhere where quietude is valued and prioritized.  A few examples :

* 4 wheelers  - vrooooom.... vroooom ..... vrooooom ...... vrooooom ... every evening
* garage bands - i don't want to hear anybody's band no matter how good they think they are - especially at 10pm and later
* barking dogs  - i stopped spending time in my backyard because my neighbors dogs would bark and bark and bark.  Neighbor simply told me "that's what dogs do, they bark."
* radios   - do some people assume that their neighbors want to hear their music?  for hours?

Some of you might relate to some or all of the above.

Maybe there is a Buddhist intentional community for laypersons that values quiet? (when I think of Buddhism I think of quiet)
Maybe there is a community that values quiet that has a couple/few designated periods a week that are for noisy activities (at least then the times are known and limited)?

I'm not interested in sharing a dwelling (e.g. coliving).
I work remotely and plan to continue to do so, so reliable internet is a must.

Some things I enjoy: plants, reading non-fiction, watching documentaries, meditation, jogging, photography, conversation, recently started learning about bonsai.

Currently located in southeastern Tennessee which I think is a beautiful region of the USA, and I appreciate the relatively short, mild winters.

Thank you for reading.

I value your post, and definitely vibe with you on the situation. I wish you luck but also want to give you a glimpse of my scenario so you don't remain too disapointed and go crazy. I'll add another, outdoor lighting all night long?

I moved rural several years ago and at first it seemed like heaven compared to the suburb, but over time things happen and adaptations shift. My eyes and ears are extra sensetive now, and without a steady city "white noise" EVERYTHING is amplified and carries long distances.

Neighbors got new LED lights...even from 1/2 mile away it's blinding at night!

I can actually hear dogs from 3/4 mile + away.

Gunshots, often.

Loud exhaust especially motorcycles.

1/8 mile away a noisy air conditioner.

Someone a bit over a mile away has been logging so chainsaws singing often especially during early morning hours.

It's wild and I too have been frustrated but learning to accept this as just life everywhere I go. I mean, sometimes I'm making noise too since Im trying to farm (pounding in fence, tractor work, etc).

Another property I help farm at is in the approach path of a small airport so its planes every few minutes overhead!! It's a real test sometimes this crazy life is my friend, hang in there and I hope you can find your peace, please update if you find any cool locations as this is something that intetests me as well.

Cole,  thank you for the thoughtful response.  I appreciate you sharing your experience.

Yeah, this topic resonates. We moved to the country in October of 2020. I have 20 acres of woods -- it ought to be a serene idyll. In some ways the noise pollution is way better -- the constant thrum is gone, but now it's punctuated by 'motorsport' vehicles at *all* hours, chainsaws, and gunshots. In some ways it's much more annoying and if I had it to do over, I'd have bought a different property. Even if my house was in the center of our land instead of 100' from the road, things would be glorious. I don't really mind the neighbors' lights the way Cole does, but it's a fact that I didn't quite realize what dark was until we'd lived here for a while.

Interesting post. I cant help you with finding a place, but I have a question. Could it be, possibly, that you're not really looking to get away from noise in general, but just to get away from man-made noise? Sometimes I find it very soul-refreshing to find a wild place to sit quietly with my eyes closed and listen to the noise. Places that seem quiet at first become filled with sounds-birds (always the first thing I notice), perhaps rushing water, wind in trees, broken tree branches creaking against each other, maybe a squirrel barking in the distance. It's amazing how a quiet place can turn quite loud, when you're used to listening to man-made noise all day, and have to adjust your hearing to nature.

Cole Tyler wrote:
I moved rural several years ago and at first it seemed like heaven compared to the suburb, but over time things happen and adaptations shift. My eyes and ears are extra sensetive now, and without a steady city "white noise" EVERYTHING is amplified and carries long distances.

Neighbors got new LED lights...even from 1/2 mile away it's blinding at night!

I can actually hear dogs from 3/4 mile + away.

Gunshots, often.

Loud exhaust especially motorcycles.

1/8 mile away a noisy air conditioner.

Someone a bit over a mile away has been logging so chainsaws singing often especially during early morning hours.

It's wild and I too have been frustrated but learning to accept this as just life everywhere I go. I mean, sometimes I'm making noise too since Im trying to farm (pounding in fence, tractor work, etc).

this is totally the truth - after 14 years "in the woods" anything manmade is incredibly loud, (including my own power tools/tractor/weedwacker)... when i go to town to noise pollution is crazy (as well as all the bloody signs)..

there is forestry 8 k away, i can feel the vibrations.. i hear generators from the summer trailer folk.. hunting season announces itself..

birds, squirrels, loons etc. are now the white noise though - even wind and rain..

i am in a very low density section of eastern cb 4 k from the wide open coast so i have it good.. lotsa wind and rain, LOTS of bugs... cool and damp most of the time... living here is work to an extent so most people avoid it (like a tiny dead zone).. the more comfortable the location, the more people it seems.. 30 k from me in either direction == people and noise, nothing compared to the city mind you

when there is fog at night i totally see all the nearby streetlights.. it is VERY difficult to get away... and you def notice more the less you expose yourself to

good luck - cheers!

An introvert community would be pretty desirable

I feel you.  Seems like most of our nice weather/evenings are polluted with noise.

Plenty of folks in our rural area enjoy turning fossil fuels into noise via unmuffled trucks/ATVs/dirtbikes and mowing obscene amounts of lawn.

Recently did a section hike on the AT.  Most of the time, I could still hear sirens, airplanes, weedeaters, etc.

Toured an ecovillage last year.  Stayed after the tour to chat, and all the equipment fired up.  Apparently tour hours were quiet hours.  

Visited a permaculture retreat last week.  They were using an electric mower on the paths.  Almost as loud as a gas mower.  Turns out most of the noise is from the blades.

I run a chainsaw.  A LOT at times.  See biochar link below.

Fact is, growing/hunting food and natural building are hard, and almost all of us appreciate a bit of mechanical help from time to time.  I rather enjoy the sound of splitting wood with a maul or the sound of a blacksmith’s hammer.

Any thoughts on roosters, guineas, cows in heat, baby lambs/goats etc?  They all make a racket.  

Quiet hours might be tough to manage for folks with outside jobs, but seem to be the best compromise.

James Bridger wrote:Interesting post. I cant help you with finding a place, but I have a question. Could it be, possibly, that you're not really looking to get away from noise in general, but just to get away from man-made noise? Sometimes I find it very soul-refreshing to find a wild place to sit quietly with my eyes closed and listen to the noise. Places that seem quiet at first become filled with sounds-birds (always the first thing I notice), perhaps rushing water, wind in trees, broken tree branches creaking against each other, maybe a squirrel barking in the distance. It's amazing how a quiet place can turn quite loud, when you're used to listening to man-made noise all day, and have to adjust your hearing to nature.

Yes, looking to minimize the man-made noise.

Totally agree, I've been trying to start a community in TN that might be a good fit. Quietude is not a stated goal but definitely a by product of living a simple, largely self sufficient life. Honestly, once you give up fossil fuels, reliance on machinery and living near anyone that hasn't, humans can be very quiet. I've been living about a mile from anyone else for almost 3 years and rarely hear anyone else. The trees and terrain help to isolate the noise, in the summer the underbrush and canopy is thick enough to block almost all noise except gunshots about once a week and a car or two a day. In the winter I definitely hear domestic dogs (sometimes) and coyotes (more often) from a mile+ away. Logging operations (several days a year) and chainsaws from maybe 2+ miles depending on direction/terrain. I'm deep enough in the forest that light pollution is basically non-existent (when I turn my lights off). I like the idea of limiting noise to certain hours a week but I'm struggling to think if there are enough loud tasks to even warrant that.

Adam Pine wrote:Totally agree, I've been trying to start a community in TN that might be a good fit. Quietude is not a stated goal but definitely a by product of living a simple, largely self sufficient life. Honestly, once you give up fossil fuels, reliance on machinery and living near anyone that hasn't, humans can be very quiet. I've been living about a mile from anyone else for almost 3 years and rarely hear anyone else. The trees and terrain help to isolate the noise, in the summer the underbrush and canopy is thick enough to block almost all noise except gunshots about once a week and a car or two a day. In the winter I definitely hear domestic dogs (sometimes) and coyotes (more often) from a mile+ away. Logging operations (several days a year) and chainsaws from maybe 2+ miles depending on direction/terrain. I'm deep enough in the forest that light pollution is basically non-existent (when I turn my lights off). I like the idea of limiting noise to certain hours a week but I'm struggling to think if there are enough loud tasks to even warrant that.

Adam, what you have sounds great.

I have a property in SW Colorado that's pretty dang quiet. As other people in this thread have mentioned, the longer I've lived away from the city the more I've noticed any tiny little noise. But I only hear gunshots for a few minutes maybe once a week (and hey, if you have a reason to own a gun, you should at least be proficient with it, so I don't object to the target practice). I never hear any 4x4s. Maybe once or twice a day, a loud truck drives by, and once every other day a plane flies low. But to get as far away into the quiet as I have, you have to get pretty freakin far out there.

If you're looking for a place, I recently posted a few more details about my place here.