Do people like living in the city?

[Annoying]

a short drive away.

Our definitions of short are completely different. I live an hour away from a "major" city (it's only a few hundred thousand), and probably 6ish away from any large city. I like to do things with other people, and not have to drive really far to do it. The hour is already too much, and is quite the PITA. How do you keep yourself entertained. There seems like nothing to do the further away from a city you get.

There's less people in the middle of nowhere. That's a real benefit.

I'd disagree completely. That's a real detriment. I like people.

[Locruid]

I grew up in a city. For the past 10 yrs I've lived in BFE Country and I couldn't be happier.

I can crank my radio without someone bitching
I can work on my car without a Neighbor/HOA/Landlord yelling at me
Plenty of parking
Know everyone within 4 miles....all 30 of them....
Absolutely zero crime. I've had a Jeep Wrangler and every summer it's Topless and Doorless...hasn't been touched and has some spendy Audio
Neighbor Law Enforcement way more faster and effective than City version. Cop sin the city take a bit. We see a strange car and we all have shotguns above our door.
Something wrong? Neighbors will pitch in to help. This last winter had an unexpected snow fall that SERIOUSLY messed with things. The family down the road lost a water pipe on day one and no help available for 3-4 days. By that evening they had more water than they knew what to do with.
Everytime I go to the "big" town I get so goddamned pissed. Idiotic drivers, people driving slower than tractors, and bumper to bumper traffic. If theres more than 3 cars lined up near us we call it a traffic jam.
Noone raises a stink if you walk in your backyard buck ass nude (mainly cause noone can see you)



Downfalls:
Gotta drive 4-5 miles for a 32oz soda.
Gotta drive 10 miles so a Major Supermarket (or you can pay the exorbitant mini-mart fees)
Gas does get a bit spendy if you're unwise.
Slow Internet (well DSL speeds so not OMG 56k slow but slower than available in city)


The Biggest Benefits?
We are SOOO Zombie prepared.
And in case of War...we'll be doing Red Dawn LONG before they find our houses!

And how is City living cheaper?
I've got a 2500 sq ft mobile home with free water and about 10 acres. My garbage bill is almost zero as I can burn most of my garbage I pay $800/month rent. I'm also able to have chickens and have my own eggs.
Most comparable houses in town run about $1500/month and only need scissors to cut the lawn.
Even factoring in increased gas costs, it's still costing me like $500 cheaper to live in the country.
Not to mention most houses in the city want another $1000 deposit for an animal. In the country, the animals are pretty much expected and part of the family...

[Rukentuts]

I just don't see the benefits, you get all the fun of making sure your house receives essentials (water, gas, electricity and internet/tv,) you have to go far to get food, it basically requires you to own a car due to lack of public transport, you have to draw terrible maps for people visiting the first time! I just don't enjoy it. Even in a city of 90,000 I think it's bloody tiny and useless.

Commuting to work did it for me. An hour+ each way? Yeah I'm done with that shit.

Not to mention the high amount of miles and dirt roads played hell with my car.

[Xanjori]

Commuting to work did it for me. An hour+ each way? Yeah I'm done with that shit.

Not to mention the high amount of miles and dirt roads played hell with my car.

Yeah that's the real kicker. I don't have a driving licence, so bus or train is all I have for commuting.

[Annoying]

And how is City living cheaper?
I've got a 2500 sq ft mobile home with free water and about 10 acres. My garbage bill is almost zero as I can burn most of my garbage I pay $800/month rent. I'm also able to have chickens and have my own eggs.
Most comparable houses in town run about $1500/month and only need scissors to cut the lawn.
Even factoring in increased gas costs, it's still costing me like $500 cheaper to live in the country.
Not to mention most houses in the city want another $1000 deposit for an animal. In the country, the animals are pretty much expected and part of the family...

Cheaper is relative. How much can you possibly make living in "BFE"? I bet it's quite low.

[SL1200]

Internet access in the countryside is garbage. That's a good enough reason right there to want to live in the city.

[RoryTee]

I love living in Belfast,Northern Ireland.
Great people , and if you want a bit of the country then we are surrounded by hills/mountains and 45 miles away from the mourne mountain range.

Plus , this beautiful scene is 20 mins walk away from my house.




On that note , I'm going up there in an hour or two for a good BBQ with a few friends. Then the sun sets over it , with a beer in hand it is truly special.

P.s ,

Bring a coat if you ever go up , Ireland weather has moodswings!

[Jackmoves]

I love living in Belfast,Northern Ireland.
Great people , and if you want a bit of the country then we are surrounded by hills/mountains and 45 miles away from the mourne mountain range.

Plus , this beautiful scene is 20 mins walk away from my house.

On that note , I'm going up there in an hour or two for a good BBQ with a few friends. Then the sun sets over it , with a beer in hand it is truly special.

P.s ,

Bring a coat if you ever go up , Ireland weather has moodswings!

Idd, nature isnt far away unless you live in a megacity. A tram ride and a boat trip (public transport) and Im out in the archipelago, doesnt take long, great get away in the summer. If you want to make it really convinient for yourself and provide more flexibility you can just buy your own boat.

[N-7]

I like cities in general but I prefer moderately sized ones and certainly not crazy big like London/New York.

[zealo]

Its tolerable but i would prefer living outside any kind of city or large town.

[grimsanta]

I grew up living in Houston, TX. I left at 19 and if I can help it I won't live in another large city again.

I currently live 12 miles away from a town of 12k, on a 2 acre plot near my family. Collectively we own about 320 acres of the area around us.

Insurance Rates are lower. Crime is Lower. Property taxes are lower. Permitting for renovations are non-existent. Noise level is low (every day at 7:30 a train goes by about 3 miles away. Wildlife is around us and I know all of my nearby neighbors.

The only drawback is the fastest internet speed I can get is 3 meg.

Small price to pay for all the other benefits.

As an aside: my sister is the exact opposite. She left Houston like I did, but moved to San Diego. She hates it out here because they are so few people and you have to drive an hour + to get to a larger town with the social options she wants to engage in.

Houston really is a bad place to compare with other major cities though. It's known to be big with nothing particularly interesting about it.

[Reg]

I love living in a city. New York City is expensive, but I can't even imagine living somewhere else.

[Gemini Sunrise]

I like living by a city. Can't imagine living in one proper.

Nothing against those who live there, of course. Just not sure how I'd react to it.

[Jackdemenzes]

I have never understood why someone would want to live in a large city. I live on a small 340 acre farm that has been in my family since the early 1900s. When I wake up and walk my dog I hear birds, I see wildlife, and the smells are really nice especially in the spring when everything is in bloom. The people around here are good people. Everyone knows everyone and the crime rate is basically 0. I dont even have to lock my doors when I leave my house. Also pretty much the only bad traffic I have to endure is every now and then someone's farmer is on the road with his big ass tractor.

During the early spring I turkey hunt. In the fall and winter I deer and duck hunt. About the only time there isnt anything to do is the summer and Im fixing that by having a 12 acre pond put in. If I want to go to the beach its an hour and half. If I want to watch football games its about a 2 hour drive over to Charlotte, NC for Panther games. If I want Baseball I can hop on the interstate and its around 3.5 hours to Atlanta. If its Saturday well the Gamecocks have had three 10 win seasons in a row so things are good because its only an hour drive to Columbia.

Everything I want to do is either on my land or a short drive away. So why would someone want to live in a crowded ass city where theres no scenery, everything is overpriced, and there actually is bad crime? Do people actually like living in cities or are you only in a city because of family, school, or a job?

I have an apartment in the middle of Melbourne, which is a small city by international standards but I am right in the CBD, right in the most built-up area. Honestly, I love it. The largest negative is probably having enough storage space, but other than that I'm very happy in the city. I'm not a big fan of wildlife or trees (thank god I don't have a lawn to mow!) so that's not a big draw for me, and the traffic is no problem since I walk everywhere. I only leave the city a few times a year. The part where you say "Everyone knows everyone" horrifies me, my favourite thing about my neighbours is that I don't know them and they keep out of my business (but I do understand the appeal there; if my social life through work wasn't enjoyable it would be a lonely existence). But I'm surrounded by bars, restaurants and shopping and I can walk to work, which is a godsend if you know what Melbourne's public transport system is like.

So yeah, it's not for everyone that's for sure, but I do genuinely enjoy it. To respond to your summary of "no scenery, everything is overpriced, and there actually is bad crime", I don't really like nature, I don't find it to be too overpriced really, and...well, Melbourne is a small city so the crime question might be different for me. There are nights when I wouldn't feel 100% safe in certain areas, but it's manageable.

[Reeve]

Houston really is a bad place to compare with other major cities though. It's known to be big with nothing particularly interesting about it.

Sadly true.

Even in Houston though, we have some really great museums and theaters, great restaurants and pubs.

But yeah, if I could keep my job and move to San Francisco, Chicago, Portland, NYC or whatever, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

- - - Updated - - -

I have an apartment in the middle of Melbourne, which is a small city by international standards but I am right in the CBD, right in the most built-up area. Honestly, I love it. The largest negative is probably having enough storage space, but other than that I'm very happy in the city. I'm not a big fan of wildlife or trees (thank god I don't have a lawn to mow!) so that's not a big draw for me, and the traffic is no problem since I walk everywhere. I only leave the city a few times a year. The part where you say "Everyone knows everyone" horrifies me, my favourite thing about my neighbours is that I don't know them and they keep out of my business (but I do understand the appeal there; if my social life through work wasn't enjoyable it would be a lonely existence). But I'm surrounded by bars, restaurants and shopping and I can walk to work, which is a godsend if you know what Melbourne's public transport system is like.

So yeah, it's not for everyone that's for sure, but I do genuinely enjoy it. To respond to your summary of "no scenery, everything is overpriced, and there actually is bad crime", I don't really like nature, I don't find it to be too overpriced really, and...well, Melbourne is a small city so the crime question might be different for me. There are nights when I wouldn't feel 100% safe in certain areas, but it's manageable.

Sydney is probably the best city I've ever visited (and I've been to many MANY cities), and I've heard Melbourne is even better.

[oxymoronic]

Living in a city is by far superior to living in the suburbs... unless you're raising children.

suburbs are vastly different than the countryside OP is describing.

[Shakadam]

I'm not sure I'd like living in the absolute centre of a big city, but on the outskirts of the centre... hell yes. I live on the outskirts of a medium sized city (with Finnish standards) of about 250k people. When I look out the window of my apartment I see a river, some farmland, trees, apartment buildings and a supermarket. Yet the city centre is within walking distance (takes half an hour, or ~10 minutes by bus), the bus stops 50m from my building, 3-4 times every hour, and I have several mini- or supermarkets within 300m as well as a few pubs, and if I walk 1km in one direction I'm basically in the countryside, with lots of trees and even a stable nearby.

I get all of the benefits of living in the countryside (minus the fact that I live in a flat, so no garden that I can have all to myself) with all of the benefits of living in a city, so speedy internet, everything is close and within walking distance, I don't have to plan my shopping because I can just go to the nearby store whenever I feel like, I can go to the pub and grab a beer whenever I want to without having to drive anywhere. Hell, I don't even need a car.


Living in the countryside is fine if you never want to do anything. My parents live 6km from the nearest town, and there's just nothing to do there unless you like to spend all your time outdoors, or all your time driving back and forth. I like going to the pub, and that's just impossible at my parents because I'd first have to take the car and drive to the pub (there's ofc no public transportation in the countryside), and then I can't drive back home because I've had a few beers.

[Uproot]

Grew up on a Farm similar to OP's and I do prefer the quiet and solitude that country life offers. However later in life I moved to a rather large city and found i got used to everything being right around the corner(I f'ing hated the traffic especially when the PGA tour came thru).

Now that I've gotten my choice of places to live I chose a nice piece of land about 30 minutes outside of a smaller city that has most of my needs.

[Sky High]

I prefer to live in the outskirts/suburbs. I like big cities and all but LA is one of the ugliest and most pain in the ass places to live ( plenty of friends can testify). I can't say that's unique either, me I like being it's out of the way where the traffic is manageable but close enough to where I can make a day trip out to hermosa beach or down town LA.

I grew up in Wyoming so I know that small town/vast open space feel. and I don't miss it, I prefer my big ass malls and 20+ theater movie palaces.

[Warpaladin]

I love living in a city. New York City is expensive, but I can't even imagine living somewhere else.

This. One thing I like about big cities is you could meet tons of new people every day.