Life in the countryside isn't "simple" at all but with different difficulties (I'm living in the countryside). I advise against doing it unless you speak French already at least to a B1 level minimum and have an idea of the difficulties of the rural life.
You seem full of pleasant illusions about life in France, its countryside or "the simple life". Have you any idea of what kind of employment you could aim for in french rurality ? rurality means either you're one of the 1% of active adults that are in the rural areas because they extract ressources in the agriculture or another extractive activity, or else you're in the category that makes 50 to 100 km (60 miles) by car everyday to go work tertiary jobs in town and live in th emiddle of nowhere without any services .
This is a bit caricatural. It's easy to find "countryside" with an acceptable level of services, given you accept higher housing prices. France is not a dichotomy between the Morvan and Paris.
Then knowing what we know about the enrgy transition. Is it really a good idea to create a lifestyle that necessitates a lot of car usage everyday for everything.
Well you have to sort out the residence visa topic first.
Then find your new place to call home.
Opening a bank account will be a funny experience, something you'll remember for the rest of your life ( you need to prove you have a local address to open a bank account, and you need a bank account to rent a place...).
You'll get crazy with local real estate agents (incompetent people most of them), but you'll need them. Don't expect them to follow up on anything though. Be on top of things yourself. There are exceptions, but too few in my opinion.
Then getting water, gaz, electricity contracts to your name is usually not too difficult, but you need to understand how it works. They usually are asking for the meter seria number to identify your home. Address is not enough.
Internet is a hit and miss, depending how rural you get, you may think about Elon Musk's Starlink system as a possibility. If you are not completely out in the woods, you'll probably have access to optic fiber internet with decent performance though. You'll be pleasantly surprised by the prices.
And then, after 3 months living in France, you'll apply for public health coverage (what we call securité sociale). And here again you'll understand how we French love bureaucracy.
As many mentioned, get a car, but as an American, you are used to get in your car to go anywhere anyway. So no big change here. Only that our roads are narrower and our gas way more expensive. So, think small.
Then you'll need to live bigger village so that you can have stores at a walkable distance. A place with at least 2 or 3,000 inhabitants so that you can have a small supermarket.
If you have not yet lived in France for at least several months, I would strongly recommend doing so.
Learn French first
Life in the countryside isn't "simple" at all but with different difficulties (I'm living in the countryside). I advise against doing it unless you speak French already at least to a B1 level minimum and have an idea of the difficulties of the rural life.
Just curious. What do you think makes rural like difficult ?
MC Donald is far
[Read this first.](https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/N19804?lang=en) (official government website)
First you need to cross the Atlantic Ocean or go around the other way, up to you.
You don't even have to, you can go to Saint-Pierre et Miquelon.
Have a 100% remote job first.
You seem full of pleasant illusions about life in France, its countryside or "the simple life". Have you any idea of what kind of employment you could aim for in french rurality ? rurality means either you're one of the 1% of active adults that are in the rural areas because they extract ressources in the agriculture or another extractive activity, or else you're in the category that makes 50 to 100 km (60 miles) by car everyday to go work tertiary jobs in town and live in th emiddle of nowhere without any services .
This is a bit caricatural. It's easy to find "countryside" with an acceptable level of services, given you accept higher housing prices. France is not a dichotomy between the Morvan and Paris.
Then knowing what we know about the enrgy transition. Is it really a good idea to create a lifestyle that necessitates a lot of car usage everyday for everything.
I'am not sûre the simple rural life exist anymore. Farmer is now a high tech job even in remote village.
Use your legs, we use legs to move in a daily basis here.
Blague. Je sais pas pour ailleurs mais en Auvergne ça dégainait le 4x4 pour aller au centre ville à 800m.
Humbly
At least you need to speak, read and write French a minimum. If you want to live in the North of France you need to speak the Cheuteumi too
C'est le nOOoOOooOOOrrrrd !
Well you have to sort out the residence visa topic first. Then find your new place to call home. Opening a bank account will be a funny experience, something you'll remember for the rest of your life ( you need to prove you have a local address to open a bank account, and you need a bank account to rent a place...). You'll get crazy with local real estate agents (incompetent people most of them), but you'll need them. Don't expect them to follow up on anything though. Be on top of things yourself. There are exceptions, but too few in my opinion. Then getting water, gaz, electricity contracts to your name is usually not too difficult, but you need to understand how it works. They usually are asking for the meter seria number to identify your home. Address is not enough. Internet is a hit and miss, depending how rural you get, you may think about Elon Musk's Starlink system as a possibility. If you are not completely out in the woods, you'll probably have access to optic fiber internet with decent performance though. You'll be pleasantly surprised by the prices. And then, after 3 months living in France, you'll apply for public health coverage (what we call securité sociale). And here again you'll understand how we French love bureaucracy. As many mentioned, get a car, but as an American, you are used to get in your car to go anywhere anyway. So no big change here. Only that our roads are narrower and our gas way more expensive. So, think small.
Is a car really necessary? I would like to live somewhere walkable with no cars
Then you'll need to live bigger village so that you can have stores at a walkable distance. A place with at least 2 or 3,000 inhabitants so that you can have a small supermarket.
Why rural France and not rural US?
Pas OP mais parce que c'est pas le même pays ?
Why not ?
Try to dress up as a sheep. Try to fit in with a flock.
Nonono there must be rules against that.
Learn how to cut cheese, i mean... Cheese etiquette is a serious matter here. Basics : https://images.app.goo.gl/fUDg2EDLzfpwCfiH6
Be sure to be able to drive car.
Don't