Which type of "town" or "city" do you live in? And what do you like about it?
I live in a suburb of the twin cities... just before that, I lived in St. Paul, and before that, a suburb of Sacramento. I've also lived in a small town in Northern Minnesota. I definitely prefer the suburbs... and here's why:
- Accesss to everything in the city w/o living in it
- Accesss to the country
- Lots of things to do
- Way more options for shopping than in a small town
- Lots of people around
- Major airport is close by
- Professional sports teams are in the area and you can go see a game last minute
- Freeways... knowing how to drive on them is huge... you can always tell when a small town resident is on the freeway because they are so scared and driving really slow or crazy
- Many more options for recreation, especially if you want it to be organized (like teams)
- You don't know everyone when you go to Target and consequently, you don't feel like you have to stop and say hi to people... and furthermore, you also don't have to worry about who you accidently cut off while driving, or who will hear the latest gossip spread about you, etc...
- Diversity... cultures, view points, religions, food, etc... and not just "hearing about them" but seeing them and being able to dissolve ignorant perceptions about people groups (I am not saying if you are from a small town you are ignorant... I'm just saying that living in a big city is one of the many ways people gain a broad and accurate world view).
- More job opportunities and earning potential
Okay that is my list for now... I realize that living in a small town, in the big city, in a foreign country (Redins), in the country, etc all have great features too and that is what I want to hear from you!
Where do you live and what do you love about it?!
12 comments:
although my address says i live in a big city, it's more like a suburb to me. i never see the tall buildings right downtown, so that's nice.
i like living in a big city, but at the same time i really miss small town life.
but it is great to have 4 targets within 15 minutes of my house!!
Hmmmnnnn, where do I live and what do I love about it?
I live in a medium sized city (200,000) in the middle of California which is high in crime, high in unemployment, high in foreclosures, and high in poor air quality. So, I can't really say I love too much about it!
Before you say I'm a Debbie Downer, I'll say that I do like being able to find my way about town easily, having plenty of shopping and restaurants close by. Because we are a city in the middle of agriculture all around, we get AWESOME fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts.
The good medical care that is available is a big plus for me; my doctor is a diabetes specialist known throughout California, and he knows me by name. I've been with him for 20 years now!
Family. That is the main reason we have tolerated the negatives here for as long as we have. But, little-by-little a lot (most) of our family has left the area.
That being said, we look forward to the day when we can sell our home and relocate.
When?
Where?
We don't know.
Why? That we do know: to escape the crime and weather here!
OH, and before someone else says it, I admit to loving being able to drive a couple of blocks EVERY morning to get a fountain Diet Coke at the local AM/PM store. I am an addict.
You CAN'T do that if you live in the country, so my dear husband knows he can't ever move me out of city limits!
Jess, you pretty much covered the bases of why I love suburban life. Convenience of shopping, culture, sports activities, choice between gyms (ha ha!), and echoing Erin- 4 Targets within 15 minutes here too, and Walmart is 1/4 mile away. However, looking forward to homeownership, I miss the lot size that comes with a small town home. Also, I miss LAKES!
I'll be your token foreigner =) We live in a large (almost 5 million) metropolitan city in SE Asia. I love the mesh of cultures here, the awesome (let me repeat that. . . AWESOME) food that's available from so many different cuisines (except Mexican). I love the world class zoo. I love that I can walk outside at any time of the day or night, in any area and feel safe. I love meeting people from all over the world (so far our friends include Chinese, Singaporean, Indian, South African, Australian, American, British, Danish, and New Zealand). I love that the best airport in the world is only 20 minutes away and that we can travel cheaply and quickly to so many different places. I love that I can see monkeys outside my window and geckos running around when we walk outside. I love the amazing thunderstorms and tropical showers. I love the predictably hot weather because it means my kids clothes are always the right season. I love being able to swim year-round. I love how amazingly green and lush it is here. I love riding in taxis. It makes me feel so sophisticated to hail a taxi for an evening out. I love that all the tropical fruit is cheap! I love that orchids are $1 a bunch at the street florists. Oh, and I love that this city is clean, like none other I've seen.
So there you go. . . that's just a few things that I like about living here in Singapore.
well i don't know about you, but i'm moving to singapore.
I guess most would say Roseville(sacramento) is a pretty big city. It still feels small to me compared to San Diego. I could not go smaller than this. Compared to SD, I feel there is not enough culture and things to do. I won't even start complaining about the weather or Mexican food...lol
I am definitely a big city girl and will probably end up moving back one day...
I'm with you Barbara! If I had to choose between bigger and smaller, I'd choose bigger.
My dream would be to move back to SD as I knew it in the 70s, but I know it's not like that anymore. I think that's why we like SLO. To me, it has a similar feel of SD 40 years ago.
seems like we have lots of people who prefer either city life or living with very close access to a big city... now how about some of you country folk... what do you love about living in a rural area?!
One vote for small town here! Grand Rapids is a thriving town of almost 8,000 - just right. We have a target, some nice resturants, an eight plex movie theatre, and an arts theatre (for those who like the artsy-fartsy stuff!!), a community college, a great garden center, and a nice hospital campus.
No real traffic to speak of, except for on fishing opener weekend, and you can go from one side of town to the other in less than 5 minutes.
If we get the bug to go to the big city, which isn't all that often, we can be in Duluth in 1.5 hrs or Minneapolis in 3.5 hrs - Car time. Much less in the "bird".
I cannot remember the last time we went to the grocery store and did not stop in the isle to talk to somebody we know. It seems like the bigger the city, the less you interact with people.
As I type this I am looking out the window at the lake, and If I stay here long enough odds are I'll see a couple Bald Eagles fly by, maybe even land on a perch on the neighbors tree.
I can't imagine living anywhere else.
fatheroftheblogger
fatheroftheblogger, you make me want to move to G.R.! AND, you forgot to mention that you even have a WAL-MART!! LOL.
Can you guarantee me easy access to fountain Diet Cokes?
To distinguish, we still need to hear from someone who lives in the country.
We live, as the bird flies, about 20 miles from NYC. We live in New Jersey, of course, but NJ is really the suburb of NYC! I LOVE the diversity! I work with people who were born and raised in India, China, Africa, Russia, and who vote Republican and ride Harley bikes! It's crazy. And the cool thing is, we all meld together so effortlessly.
I love that we have access to the best in arts/science museums/performing arts, etc, and yet, in our township, we have farms and small town events.
we live in an area and state, that makes no issue of our "non traditional family" status. Very important in raising our girls!
-Lori
Oh maybe I should add a "downer". People on the East coast are not nearly as laid-back. There is no such thing as eye-contact amongst strangers. Service people at stores, etc are not nearly as friendly as on the West coast. All that changes if you get to know "these people". :-)
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