I have always liked living in the country and plan to do so again some day. To that end, I have researched and explored areas I was interested in. I live near Chicago and my explorations of rural areas was somewhat limited to those within a days drive (eight to nine hours) of home. This was probably a good thing. If any property we end up buying was too much further away, spending a long weekend there would be out of the question.
After identifying an area we liked, we found and bought a piece of property.
As part of my research into that perfect place, I have come across some online resources and have added many books to the country/rural section of my bookshelf.