City People vs. Rural People (houses, live in, farm)

[What!]

Originally Posted by sterlinggirl

I'm absolutely serious. The 'do it for me' culture of the city along with the rush of life just makes it easier to call a repairman. Kids never see their dad fixing things, and they never learn as a result.

Whoa, slow down there. That's where I disagree. There are many people in the city who do their own maintanence. You're just generalizing the materialist snobs as being all city dwellers.

Anyway, another thing about the city is individuality. Yesterday I left Burnsville, MN, which is suburban but is really close to rural areas, and went to Minneapolis and walked around East Lake Street. I was pleasantly struck by the fact that there are more places to walk in the cities than in rural areas (excluding giant suburbs like Phoenix). There are a striking number of unique shops in Minneapolis: there was an 80s Miami restaurant with flashy paint; a cool vintage/retro clothing store; and I stopped into a bookstore that had posters, comic books, novels, non-fiction books, etc, all specializing in science fiction and horror. Now I definitely would not see that in rural areas. Most rural areas have very few stores. And the stores the have are usually chains and franchises. Although I will admit there are some small town stores that carry good things, and they aren't chains, most small town stores lack the individuality of the specialty stores in the cities.

I was also struck by the number of weirdos in the city. It was great because when I am in rural areas the outfits are very laidback and conformist. If those weirdos in the city bothered to wear the stuff they wore in rural areas they would be given funny looks and even received hostile attitudes from the locals in some cases, "We don't usually take to your kind around here!", despite the fact that these people weren't harming anybody.

In rural areas the most definite rule is conformity, even if you do have more time to think. Rural people don't believe in "sticking out" or individuality. Rural people believe in sticking toward a cliquish attitude of community and keeping toward traditional values in order keep away what they deem as negative foreign influences.

The true difference between rural and city is this: conformity (rural) vs. individuality (city).

[Tex?Il?]

The important thing to remember here is that these are generalizations.

There are many rural towns where people are more progressive and educated.

College towns first and foremost. Places all over New England like Hanover, NH, Burlington, VT. I went to school in Marquette, MI. Very awesome! A little too much snow for me though.

Places with extraordinary scenery are going to attract art colonies: Examples: Western: Sedona, AZ and Taos, NM.
Eastern: Woodstock, NY and Saugatuck, MI.

Thriving tourist places will eventually get progressive people to settle down there. Any ski town certainly, many coastal towns, many in the west coast states.

Now these are the exceptions rather than the rules. Basically small towns that are extremely flat, and have no recreational qualities or a University, then yes those places may not have as much going for them.

Then compare that with many cities that have large clannish ethnic enclaves with possibly many people clinging to older ideas.

IE: My big fat Greek Wedding. Perfect case in point.

Well these are just some ideas.

[JenniferLynn]

That was some brilliant writing. Very insightful, in fact so insightful that you made me realize why I like city living and my husband prefers rural living. I have low social needs and he has high social needs. That may seem like a contradiction, but it's not.

When I go downtown to work, just being in that busy high-density environment satisfies my social needs. When I come home, social needs being met, I tend to want to stay at home. I don't pay much attention to what is going on in the environment just outside my house.

My husband, however, wants to know everything that is going on in our neighborhood and spends a lot of time talking to neighbors and just observing things. Consequently, he does know everything that is going on and that is very satisfying to him. He's a bit of a neighborhood busy-body LOL.

Anyway, that's just us, but after reading KT13, perhaps a valid generalization could be made about environments and social needs.

[sterlinggirl]

Originally Posted by What!

Whoa, slow down there. That's where I disagree. There are many people in the city who do their own maintanence. You're just generalizing the materialist snobs as being all city dwellers.

I don't doubt that quite a few do it, but the percentage that do serious maintenance on their own is much lower. Your typical city dweller might brave changing their oil out in the street, but they aren't going to change an engine out there.

[KT13]

Originally Posted by JenniferLynn

That was some brilliant writing. Very insightful, in fact so insightful that you made me realize why I like city living and my husband prefers rural living. I have low social needs and he has high social needs. That may seem like a contradiction, but it's not.

When I go downtown to work, just being in that busy high-density environment satisfies my social needs. When I come home, social needs being met, I tend to want to stay at home. I don't pay much attention to what is going on in the environment just outside my house.

My husband, however, wants to know everything that is going on in our neighborhood and spends a lot of time talking to neighbors and just observing things. Consequently, he does know everything that is going on and that is very satisfying to him. He's a bit of a neighborhood busy-body LOL.

Anyway, that's just us, but after reading KT13, perhaps a valid generalization could be made about environments and social needs.

You are so right! It really does have to do a lot with one's social needs. And it is a very good indicator of why one would prefer a rural setting or an urban setting. I am like you, have pretty low social needs that are easily satisfied by just being in the city's hustle and bustle and by socializing with my friends and coworkers. I don't really need any more interaction with my neighbors other than 'hello and how do you do'.

[bostoner]

Originally Posted by StuckPA

Wal-Mart,Dell computers,Ben & Jerry's etc etc,even the invention of the light bulb and airplane...did not originate in big cities. Were you trying to imply that there are no 'best or bright' people in rural areas?

I don't mean to quibble, but Michael Dell was born and raised in Houston. He had a business while still a high school student before founding Dell Computers in Austin, where he was attending college at the time. I wouldn't exactly consider Austin, or any college town really, rural. I don't know how rural Ben & Jerry's Burlington, Vermont is. Now Wal-Mart on the other hand...

[StuckPA]

Originally Posted by KT13

People seeking urban environments sometimes are looking for anonymity and personal privacy, it's easier to get lost in a sea of people than it is in a small town. Your neighbors are less likely to be into your business and it's a lot easier to keep your distance if you want it to be so.

Not so in most neighborhoods in Philly...they're nosy as a shiznit here!
Plus you can't 'keep your distance' even if you wanted to,no room.
You can barely go about your business here without everyone out on their 'porches' analyzing your every move,wondering everything about you.
That gossip gets around quick here,I've seen it.
Of the smallest towns I've lived in,this 'big city'feels like the smallest^

I'm not sure about other cities,perhaps they have 'more of a life'.Or you might have been referring more to the center of town areas where most of the commerce is,where there's more of the 'hustle and bustle'.

[JulianJT]

I hate to bump an old thread, but I think this is a good conversation.

sterlinggirl, no disrespect by any means, but it looks like your opinions are drawn from Sex and the City and Real Women of OC.

I would suggest that anyone who really wants to explore the idea, get out and look. Don't draw your opinions from watching "Deliverance" and "Law & Order."

I spent the first 22 years of my life in a small town, and moved to the city when I graduated from college. The opinion that us city folk "don't have the desire to figure out difficult situations" because of our "hectic lives" are way off base. Where is this information coming from?

When I get home from work, I eat either a home cooked meal or something out...then I take my son to one of the many parks surrounding my home, or just relax and watch TV. I don't get home from work and say "MAN! What a HECTIC day! I'm just going to sit here and throw money at all of my problems!" Since when does everyone in the city have money to "throw" at their problems? Maybe a lot of the "hectic" problems would be resolved if people didn't live 40 miles away from their work and then complain about traffic.

But, if I were ready to move back to a rural area (uhh...maybe in 20 years, or retirement age..or never), I would have very few options on where to work. If I did find a job (after a year or 2 of searching, no doubt), I would have hardly any, if any, options to move to a new position.

In my old rural area, I think my field (IT) is viewed as a cost center, where most progressive companies (typically hq'd in bigger cities) know that IT is a major enabler. When I worked for a factory in rural America, the need for my position was constantly questioned by our [genius...right] CFO.

As far as being more small minded in rural areas, I can only speak for my area, where it is absolutely true. Despite being a union state, you see confederate flags everywhere. They are often justified by bumper stickers that say "Heritage...not hate." I have friends who have huge Confederate flags flying in their garages, yet they have no family history in a southern state. Are they flying flags to pay homage to American history, or are they saying "I don't like people who aren't like me." Much of the population is very racist, yet they have never lived around other races. They watch movies like "Menace II Society" and watch rap videos and use that as their justification for hating an entire race of people. I remember working at a pizza delivery place in this rural town and when I wore a sock cap into work (bearing the company logo), I overheard someone telling another employee that I am wearing the sock cap because I am an "N-- lover."

While I don't condone any racist ideals, and think that if you are that ignorant, they should stay in your head, at least some people who have lived in a rough area are speaking from their clouded experience. They aren't just saying it because the latest song from David Allen Coe says they should hate other races.

No one is going to win in a rural vs. urban fight. It's like arguing abortion; chances are, you aren't going to change the other person's mind. But, these are my thoughts.

[money23]

i a city guy compare city vs rural area means country or small city mind set thats what city ppl think of it

[justalicious6989]

WE NEED BOTH and thats a fact!
City- without out rural wouldnt be able to eat.
Rural- without city would not make money on agraculture and ethonal (LOL).
Rural- without it we city people would not be able to go on a quiet vacation or have summer homes
City- without it many rural area's would not have a BIG city adventure
CIty/Rural - without city-data.com we would not have this post.
but all in all bothaare great and it shouldnt matter were you live as long as you enjoy it