the sticks
Far from civilization
The sticks is informal for rural or remote areas, especially those perceived as unsophisticated or far from urban centers: He grew up out in the sticks, They moved to the sticks to get away from city life.
The term carries a mildly dismissive tone, suggesting backwardness or isolation.
It likely derives from the image of wooded, undeveloped land.
Rural area beyond towns
- backwoodsRemote, undeveloped rural area
- booniesRemote rural areas
- boondocksRemote rural areas
- hinterlandRemote area beyond settlements
outback · farmland · hamlet · village · township · acreage · homestead · barnyard
Quality of being faraway
- seclusionVoluntary withdrawal from society
- solitudeState of being alone
- middle of nowhereExtremely remote location
- off the gridIndependent of infrastructure
cut off · inaccessibility · disconnection · quiet · stillness · emptiness · sparse · scattered
Without permanent road covering
- dirt roadsUnpaved travel surfaces
- poor receptionInadequate transmission quality
- spotty coverageUnreliable signal availability
- unincorporatedNot legally chartered
unmapped · backroads · gravel · rutted · overgrown · neglected · unimproved · raw
Regional or narrow-minded
- small-townLimited local outlook
- country lifeExistence in agricultural areas
- simplicityLack of complexity
- quaintAttractively unfamiliar, outdated
old-fashioned · homespun · folksy · down-home · artisanal · handcrafted · hearth · woodstove
countryside
Rural area beyond towns
hinterland · outback · farmland · hamlet · village · township · acreage · homestead · barnyard · pasture
remoteness
Quality of being faraway
- seclusionVoluntary withdrawal from society
- solitudeState of being alone
- middle of nowhereExtremely remote location
off the grid · cut off · inaccessibility · disconnection · quiet · stillness · emptiness · sparse · scattered · distant
unpaved
Without permanent road covering
- dirt roadsUnpaved travel surfaces
- poor receptionInadequate transmission quality
- spotty coverageUnreliable signal availability
unincorporated · unmapped · backroads · gravel · rutted · overgrown · neglected · unimproved · raw · rough
provincial
Regional or narrow-minded
- small-townLimited local outlook
- country lifeExistence in agricultural areas
- simplicityLack of complexity
quaint · old-fashioned · homespun · folksy · down-home · artisanal · handcrafted · hearth · woodstove · well water
- suburbiasuburb, suburbs, suburbia, burbs, subdivision
the sticksdowntown
Central business district
metropolitan area · city center · urban center · the hub · civilization
the stickscivilization
Advanced organized human society
the bright lights · high society · Broadway · Hollywood · Wall Street
stick, sticky, stuck, sticks, sticking, stickiness, unstuck, stickler, unstick