Lovely thread. I think of this same thing at times, how there is constant artificial noise surrounding us. I have wondered what it must have been like in the days of settlers, pioneers etc. where the only sound, other that what you might make such as a cross cut saw, or hammering, was made by nature. Probably a neighbor (if any) would be so far away their sounds would not be audible and if the sound was not generated by yourself, the only sound then would be the sound of nature!
I live in a very small town and it is amazing the amount of artificial light there is at night. Noise not as much, but so many streetlights the night sky is hard to see. We had a power failure last year and the beauty of the night sky was breathtaking - all the stars!