Rural, suburban, city? (houses, to buy, pros and cons)

[bmurphy]

Just a purely light, fun thread. Discuss which one you like the best, rural, suburban or city? Pros and cons in your mind?

I like suburban the best, but the rural and city can be nice too. The plus of suburban is that it's not as hectic as a city, but has things you need in (usually quick) driving distance, whereas in a city it's loud and hectic and in a rural area you'd drive an hour a day to go get milk, which adds up and could end up offsetting the low rural cost of living in the first place!

Thoughts?

[Cosmic]

I doubt there is a best. You want each of them for different things.

These days I am going to take the rural / small town environment for the basic living situation. Lowest cost, lowest crime, lowest hassle, best general situations for having the most freedom. Plus you can't do most of the things possible in rural environments in those other places. Can't really go hunting, can't go for morel mushrooms, berry picking, just driving on lil goat trail roads messing around. You can take the dog out, off the leash and just go for a walk. Lot of those experiences you can't buy, in fact you probably don't even know they exist.

In some places peeps go bee hunting. They are looking for wild honey bee nests. There is a way to find them by tracking the bees from where they get water. Going out in the very rural counties in Ohio when it is snowing at just the right times. Can be incredible. You can go catfishing, go jugging all sorts of those type things you can not anywhere else. The OP shows a poor understanding of living out in the boonies. You do not make long runs for a quart of milk. Totally different game plan. Most folks have freezers and stock up on weekly or longer supply runs or they mix it in with going to work some place. Totally different way of living and priorities. Life is far more laid back. The peeps are better, far less plastic.

But the rural places don't have everything. So you go to the bigger city / towns to go shopping. To have the type fun it offers. To just get away. For the big cities I would like to be able to visit San Francisco for a couple weeks each year. That would probably be my big city fix for the year. Smaller places I like Wheeling, WV and Marietta, OH. Columbiana, OH and that surrounding area is nice. Always have a good time. Columbus, OH can be a good break for a change in pace.

Then go somewhere in CA or FL for part of the winter. Get a lot of variety. I like Ft. Lauderdale. Nice mix of city, shopping in kind of a low rise setting. Reminds me of how parts of Boston used to be before it went to Hell. Lot cleaner and less conjestion too. Lots of nice places to go for a visit, would not want to live there tho.

I generally don't like suburban anything. You tend to find the most anal peeps there, nothing in particular that is needed. I do like to go to the Ohio Valley Mall in St. Clairsville, OH, about as suburban as I want to be. I hate ticky-tac all in a row houses in mazes with all the stupid rules that normally goes with them. The burbs around bigger cities are also a bunch of nothing with all the hassles.

[plaidmom]

http://www.city-data.com/forum/gener...ban-rural.html

[christina0001]

Thanks plaidmom...I thought I had a feeling of deja vu. lol

[windflower]

Suburban gets my vote. I've had enough of the noise, hustle and bustle of city living to last a lifetime. Rural settings, while beautiful, are too isolated from conveniences for me. Suburban areas are close enough for access to the city when the mood strikes, yet have all the conveniences that are needed.

I haven't found people in general to be very different in suburban areas than in rural or city ones. The exception is in areas where religion tends to be a very strong force in local daily life. Someone who lives there but is not a religious person is likely to be uncomfortable. But I have not found that situation in cities nearly as often as in rural (most often) and suburban (somewhat often) areas.

[ontheroad]

79 people voted on that poll; now closed.

Rural won by a small but healthy margin.

Now that I've travelled over 2200 miles from a rural community to an urban community, more than ever I would vote for middle-sized town with the amenities of a city, and the presence of a community. Although I can't say I'd move to either, both Charleston, WVA and Columbia, MO came close to meeting many, but not all my ideas of amenities. Charleston lost because it doesn't have a full service art store; Columbia missed because it doesn't have the diversity of culture I am looking for in a community (ie., food, folks, events).

Originally Posted by plaidmom

http://www.city-data.com/forum/gener...ban-rural.html

[bmurphy]

I realize the topic has been discussed; however if the forum kills off any topics previously mentioned, then the forum wouldn't need to exist because a LOT of the things mentioned have been discussed over and over.

I still think suburban is the "best of both worlds". Unfortunately most suburban areas look EXACTLY the same in many areas of the country these days with sprawl, but that's what people want.

[Dancingearth]

I followed the artist town post and lost track of how you ended up going to the NE instead of the PNW in your search for a new town. I'm considering if I want to move and although I've never lived truly rural, I also find I like mid-size towns (Santa Fe, Olympia) not too far from urban areas. Eastern PA was too crowded, especially after living in NM for eight years. I'd only consider PA because of family but it would need to be more central or west--are there artist towns in PA? I thought of considering a sustainable intentional community but after checking it out, it was a little too weird and invasive.

I am new to this site - I'm interested in what you find out - any particular site that you post your observations about towns you are checking out?

[ontheroad]

Hi, Dancingearth, I believe you must be referring to me as I frequently posted on the artist towns in NM. I don't think after much consideration I am a West Coast person. I grew up in NYC, and while I spent many years in Europe, then more than a dozen in New England, where much of my family lives, there is something that doesn't gel for me out West, whether it is PNW or SW.

Right now I am in PA but only because my daughter is about to give birth and I am here to support her.

After that I'm going up to Nantucket Island (MA) to spend some time with my family, and decide where I'll find my nirvana.

Originally Posted by Dancingearth

I followed the artist town post and lost track of how you ended up going to the NE instead of the PNW in your search for a new town. I'm considering if I want to move and although I've never lived truly rural, I also find I like mid-size towns (Santa Fe, Olympia) not too far from urban areas. Eastern PA was too crowded, especially after living in NM for eight years. I'd only consider PA because of family but it would need to be more central or west--are there artist towns in PA? I thought of considering a sustainable intentional community but after checking it out, it was a little too weird and invasive.

I am new to this site - I'm interested in what you find out - any particular site that you post your observations about towns you are checking out?

[Cosmic]

Originally Posted by Dancingearth

I followed the artist town post and lost track of how you ended up going to the NE instead of the PNW in your search for a new town. I'm considering if I want to move and although I've never lived truly rural, I also find I like mid-size towns (Santa Fe, Olympia) not too far from urban areas. Eastern PA was too crowded, especially after living in NM for eight years. I'd only consider PA because of family but it would need to be more central or west--are there artist towns in PA? I thought of considering a sustainable intentional community but after checking it out, it was a little too weird and invasive.

I am new to this site - I'm interested in what you find out - any particular site that you post your observations about towns you are checking out?

Oil City, PA where even young kids are known to draw on walls.

Lake Placid, FL - The City of Muriels....... Where everybody draws on walls all over town. Tourists come on buses to see it. They even invite people to think about the event and then show one of peeps robbing a bank across the street from a real bank. H,mmm could the sponsor be the Police Dept.

All the Pix's have errors or lil animals or something in them. Only in Florida can you have a flawed product and peeps willing to pay big bucksto buy it. Certain parts of the town look like out of one of them sphagetti westerns that are made in Italy.