Is rural living always better than urban?

[Rasulis]

Interesting article on rural America which contradicts the conventional wisdom that rural is always better than urban.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/marke...cid=spartandhp

I saw a lot of this when our firm provided engineering design and construction observation services for a CA wind farm company with facilities in Illinois and Tennessee. Their facilities are generally located in rural areas in close vicinity to small- to medium-size cities like Fithian or Danville. I still recall all the boarded up retail businesses, empty factories, barely occupied office complex’s parking lots, and beautiful Victorian houses that looked like trash because of lack of care & maintenance.

[Puupi]

Always​.........?

[Deleted]

Why would rural ever be better than urban?

[Puupi]

Why would rural ever be better than urban?

I vastly prefer rural living compared to urban.

[Prifter]

There's less chemicals in the water, I can pretty much do anything I want when I want on my land. Only downside is no cable internet in my area.

[Shadowferal]

I live in a suburb....and I'm not fond of it.
But I'm nearly certain I would absolutely despise living in the city.

[Deleted]

Why would rural ever be better than urban?

Honestly, I think it depends largely on your individual living situation.
For example, if you are a young family with kids, I feel like living in a more rural place can be an advantage - be it because bigger houses are more affordable, you are more likely to have a garden, it's quiter, sometimes safer etc. While when being alone or in a relationship without kids, living in a city can be nice due to the overall better infrastructure coupled with the lower space requirements etc.

Personally, I moved from a 7.000 people town to a big city and love it, I would not want to go back right now.

[Dug]

Both have their pros and cons

I prefer living in rural but close enough to urban to make frequent trips feasible. Like hour ish max.

[jackofwind]

Because people are annoying.

So is living in buttfuck nowhere with no decent access to anything metropolitan.

Rural =/= suburban. You can live quite a ways out of a city, and well away from the core (which you never need to visit), and still not be in a rural area. There are huge lots with either homesteads, farms, or just giant houses in suburban areas. Many people who think they live "out in the country" are just on big lots in the suburbs.

[Alydael]

I think it depends on your personality.

Your age is also a factor. I would imagine the younger crowd would like the urban area with the clubs, bars and restaurants. Lots of events and shows happening, cool stores.

Think the older crowd might opt for rural.

Even though I think I am from the younger crowd on this forum (hard to tell really), I prefer the rural setting. Just because I would rather look at trees or beach than a million buildings, smog, traffic and the general dirty-ness of the urban areas.

I worked in downtown Manhattan one year and couldn't believe how dirty it was (and I come from an urban area). Everyday I looked at the gum all over the pavement, all the traffic, the pigeons, the rats and couldn't help but think "people are paying top dollar (millions) to live here?"

[Kellhound]

Generally, rural beats urban hands down unless you like living in a rats nest full of crime, pollution, and people.

[jackofwind]

I personally think so, yes. I wouldn't want to live in the city. I don't even like living in large towns. Too many people, too noisy, too much crime, too many cars... I'd much prefer a life in a rural area.

Define "the city", and which part of a "large town"?

You can live in a nice part of a city and never have to visit the core, or any of the other municipalities. You can live where there's no crime, on a big lot, in the woods, or on a farm, and still be "in the city."

[Puupi]

I've lived in the absolute center of two big cities. I've lived in a suburb. I've lived in the middle of a forest in the middle of nowhere. I've lived in semi-rural countryside. I've lived in the not-so-center of two cities. I've lived in the center of a small town.

Out of these options I prefer countryside > forest > suburb > absolute center of a big city.

Cityghettos are the worst.

[Deleted]

In SHTF scenarios, it's better just be away from other people.

[MacMathan]

You couldn't pay me enough to live in any "urban" big city hellhole.

[Deleted]

Well considering rural America is now troubled America thanks to decades of lawmakers ignoring it and only focusing on cities, that'd be a decisive NOPE.

[Deleted]

Resistance is futile. You will be urbanizated.

[ComputerNerd]

Facilities, ease of transportation, weather conditions during winter etc.
And your willingness to compromise in one area to make gains in another.
There is no simple answer there.
There are pros and cons, which will vary considerably in each specific case and for each person.

[Clone]

I've lived in both rural and urban areas. Both have pros and cons but having to drive 40 minutes three towns away to have some fun on weekends gets old.

[Independent voter]

Lot's more to do in a big city, concerts, exhibits, more places to eat, etc. Where I live now is rural, we know the neighbors, we mostly are home bodies because the city is a ways off.

On the plus side I can go out in my front yard and shoot my guns.