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We are all equal in that our parents chose the location in which we were raised.
Very fortunately, I grew up in Chicago! I can't express enough satisfaction for having matured in that city. By my 15th year I had seen all sorts of things, some of which many people never see in a lifetime. I attended a high school with over 5,000 students. Each graduating class was at least 800. When I developed an interest in art I had access to one of the world's finest art museums. And all the movies one would want to see. I also appreciated the busy, dynamic hum that vibrated on a 24 hour basis. Chicago is a great place to be anonymous. The neighbors don't watch each other. I spent five years driving a cab in Chicago - that was one of the best learning experiences in my life. The pay was terrible, but I could write pages just about the people and situations I encountered.
For three consecutive summers my mother sent me to a friend's farm in central Wisconsin, where I stayed during the entire summer. So I have a good idea of tractors, cows, pigs, chickens, baling hay, etc.
With friends we often joked about smaller towns...What time do they roll up the sidewalks? That is, if they have any. What's the big thrill in town? When the drugstore changes its window display.
But I wonder what it's like to grow up in a town of about 50,000.
I grew up in the middle of a 100 acre farm about 20 miles from the closest town which had about 5,000 people. I cannot think of a better childhood. To each his own.
I think its great growing up in a small town,it might not have much to do but you learn to find stuff to do,I grew up in a town of about 11,000 people,it is a farm town with country roads and the north part of town is refered to as Taco Town,where everyone cruises on sundays and families have discos and ride their horses around,its like a cinco de mayo celebration every sunday.We had a small university so there were always college parties and high school parties.We would hang out at local spots and hang out with family,It is nice growing up in a small town without traffic concerns and always in a rush.
I grew up (and still live) on an island off the coast of Maine. The year-round population is less than 5000. I wouldn't trade it for a anything. And not for the scenery, either- it's about the people and the sense of community and social responsibility that comes from small town living. Our (very small) high school won 2 state championship games last year (basketball and baseball), and the feeling that prevailed when they arrived back on the island with a motorcade almost 6 miles long, and proud fellow islanders standing out beside the road to wave to the bus as it drove by is pretty much indescribable to those people who have never lived in a small town, but it is a major reason why I would never live elsewhere. Same thing when one of our lobstermen was recently lost while out on the boat, and the other lobstermen spent several days (volunteer) helping the Coast Guard try to recover the body- you don't just live in a town with 5000 other people... they really are your extended family and surround you in good times and bad. That sense of protection and love is a wonderful way to grow up.
Perhaps you and your friends a much different sense of humor than I, but this:
Quote:
With friends we often joked about smaller towns...What time do they roll up the sidewalks? That is, if they have any. What's the big thrill in town? When the drugstore changes its window display.
... I would find to be very condescending if someone said it to me. For most people who choose to live in small towns, they really don't have the need for "big thrills" or to be constantly entertained, and yet... we manage to live perfectly enjoyable lives. Perhaps before poking fun at us country folk for not knowing about all of what we are missing by not living in the big city and enjoying all of the amenities there, you might stop to think about the fact that most people in small towns HAVE lived in more urban settings (even if just for 4 years of college), and have made the conscious choice to make their lives way out here in Hickville....
Last edited by deerislesmile; 11-13-2007 at 08:19 AM..
Evidently there is more to do in rural areas than in city's. I was never so bored as to spend time putting down others.
Things to do in the country:
Slide down the hay in the barn.
Until our mother broke it up, we once had a corn cob fight, throwing from each side of the barn.
Play hide and seek with neighbor children at a molasses boiling.
Our entire church used to go on a picnic and have Sunday school service at Doughton Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Make cars out of tree limbs and make a road in the dirt and play with them.
Pile up leaves and make a leaf bed and ride a sled down the leaves--this was in the summer when we didn't have snow.
Take rocks and dam up a pond in the creek and go swimming.
Target practice and see who can pick off a leaf without damaging it with the beebee gun.
My brothers explored caves in the hillside. I didn't like this, it scared me.
We had a mica deposit to dig around. Interesting things in that area. It's still there.
We had a rock formation to climb around on, across the creek and up the hill on our property.
Fish, hunt, etc.
The choices are only limited by your imagination.
You can't really say which one is better having not experienced the other option. I grew up in the Chi too. Southside, to be exact ( ooooh, scary). Wouldn't change it for the world. I must say from a young age, my BS detector skills were greatly sharpened by hanging out downtown. Also, growing up I looked at some of the folks around me and learned how NOT to live. Which led me to a very non-stressful adult life. Never really cared about things to do since I was a loner anyway. But, yeah it was great for me.
The school children of North Carolina were so excited that a ship was named after our state, that they gave their dimes to bring the ship home and it is anchored at Wilmington, N. C. The USS North Carolina. I was one of those school children. I think it is exciting that a ship be named for a city.
NOTE: This quote is from a different thread: Navy War Ships named after American Cities. I figured it kind of pertained to this thread, so I posted it here
I can understand why small-town folk (which you have said you are) would be excited about having a ship named after their city, or even state. I mean, it seems that small towns don't get a lot of excitement like that, and they can appreciate it more. For example, I have talked to a lot of people who live in small towns, and they tell me that people get excited when a store like Lowes comes to their community. Still, living in a medium-to-large city, it just doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Hell, even when Ikea opened here, it really wasn't a very big deal. It was just another store in a city full of stores.
I'm not dissing here (saying they roll up the sidewalks), but it is very hard for me to understand the excitement of living in a small town. I totally respect those who do enjoy it, but it just seems strange to me . I enjoy having museums, theater, art galleries, zoos (though I feel they're cruel), ethnic restaurants, and so on. My parents moved to Missoula, Montana when I was 16, and I couldn't wait to get out of there! It was so boring for me living in a town of 60,000 people. However, there were so many people around me who just loved it. The difference was in our tastes. I would rather eat authentic Korean BBQ and then catch some live music, and they would rather go fishing.
Still, I left Missoula with a new appreciation for many things, and a ton of new hobbies. I now snowboard (terribly), enjoy swimming in lakes and drinking beer around a bonfire, camping, and exploring hills / mountains / countryside. For me, the nice thing about living in the city is that I have all the things that I enjoy, such as live music, and yet I am still a 50 mile drive from a ski resort, the ocean, lakes for camping, and many other amenities that country folks enjoy. It seems that often rural areas (such as Missoula) are so far away from cities (475 miles to Seattle) that it's a pain to actually enjoy the amenities a city has to offer. Although, I'm really glad my parents moved me to Missoula as a kid, because now I have an appreciation for both lifestyles, and I am able to enjoy different activities from each.
NOTE: Oh yeah, I also lived in Miles City, Montana for 6 months before we moved to Missoula. Miles City is a town of about 8,000 people (even less when I lived there), with only one real main street. The biggest thing that happens there is a horse sale (no kidding). So yeah, I have experienced all the different lifestyles. I grew up in San Francisco / San Jose, moved to Miles City at about 16, then Missoula, then to Portland, and now Corvallis, with a few detours in-between.
Big cities are more cosmopolitan. I appreciated the diversity of various ethnic groups with their stores, restaurants, and media.
Like ParkerP says, one becomes more street wise in a large city, and isn't as easy to fool.
A large city also has a window to the world. People are more aware of current events on an international scale. There's more interest for other countries and cultures. People in larger cities have traveled and experienced other nations and cultures.
In smaller towns the populations are homogenous, and a bit suspicious of anything (including people) that is different. The people tend to focus on themselves without much interest for global current events. Local high school sports events overshadow everything else in the news.
I love the fact that I grew up in the suburbs because now I know that I'll never subject my own children to such a sterile, boring, hellish environment! I might not have known better had I grown up in the city or out in a rural locale and might have fallen victim to the fake yet gratifying allure of the 'burbs.
I grew up in the hood. It was a lot of fun and very eye-opening cause I was exposed to all kinds of people. Would change a thing.
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ooooh, scary). Wouldn't change it for the world. I must say from a young age, my BS detector skills were greatly sharpened by hanging out downtown. Also, growing up I looked at some of the folks around me and learned how NOT to live. Which led me to a very non-stressful adult life. Never really cared about things to do since I was a loner anyway. But, yeah it was great for me.
. I enjoy having museums, theater, art galleries, zoos (though I feel they're cruel), ethnic restaurants, and so on. My parents moved to Missoula, Montana when I was 16, and I couldn't wait to get out of there! It was so boring for me living in a town of 60,000 people. However, there were so many people around me who just loved it. The difference was in our tastes. I would rather eat authentic Korean BBQ and then catch some live music, and they would rather go fishing. 
I might not have known better had I grown up in the city or out in a rural locale and might have fallen victim to the fake yet gratifying allure of the 'burbs.
