I live on rural property about an hour from SF. My neighbors aren't techies, but they really aren't that different. Lots of older/retired people, plenty of maker-type people. Out here there's space to have shops, tractors, and physically large projects. I can't discuss programming with my neighbors but welding, electronics, gardening, and construction are fun topics.
I still see many of my Bay Area friends; weekend parties at my place are way more fun than parties in their tiny city houses/apartments. And we still keep in touch remotely.
Not every rural area is the same; I also lived for a year in eastern Kentucky and the people are indeed a bit different there. But I still made friends, and I'm not a major extrovert or anything.
My property has burned over twice since I've been here, and two years ago a few hundred of my neighbors lost homes in the LNU fire. However, I'll still say that for rural California, it's actually not bad.
It's grasses and oaks here ("light flashy fuels") which burn with low intensity. If you prepare diligently, your home will most likely be fine. We don't get crazy conifer-fueled earth-sterilizing crown fires like the Sierras. By end of spring you can barely tell there was a fire.
I joined the fire service after the LNU fires (unincorporated Solano is all volunteer). So while fire is something that's never far from my mind, it's not something I really worry about.
Sadly, Starlink isn't servicing this area yet, no DSL or cable either. I have to bounce "wireless broadband" off a couple hillsides. It's dreadfully slow, but way better than Hughesnet. Starlink will be a gamechanger for sure.
Great answer, thank you for following up. Makes sense about considering the fuels around you. I see cool places for sale in Sebastopol to Guerneville, but seems like fire traps potentially on those windy roads.
Starlink and a backup mofi sim router that is config'd a bit will suffice, I'm in a pretty rural spot but more mountain west. It's on the base tripod in my backyard (no roof mount) and works fine.
Marin county is a poor choice if you want to build things. They are extremely uptight about permit enforcement. Sonoma is easier.
I'm in Solano, which is somewhat ok. We still sometimes struggle with the permit department. It would be even easier if we were about a mile north, in Yolo. But there isn't a huge inventory of properties for sale so you don't necessarily get to pick.
On the plus side, if you're trading in from a home in the inner bay area, everything will seem very cheap.
I still see many of my Bay Area friends; weekend parties at my place are way more fun than parties in their tiny city houses/apartments. And we still keep in touch remotely.
Not every rural area is the same; I also lived for a year in eastern Kentucky and the people are indeed a bit different there. But I still made friends, and I'm not a major extrovert or anything.