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I lived in Ashland, Oregon for four years, which has a population of 20,000 and that seemed way too small for me. Santa Cruz, California where I was born and spent most of my childhood is about 50,000 and seems fairly small as well. I'm not averse to living in a smaller city in the future, but to live in a small town, it'd have to be pretty spectacularly located to keep me interested--either on the edge of some huge mountains or near scenic coastline. I'm just more into the energy of the cities--and Portland, Oregon itself feels kind of small after living here a while.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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For many people it largely depends at what stage in life they are at. Common American story, growing up in the suburbs kids like it, parents do too, teenagers get bored, early twenty something’s feel stifled and move to the big city. Late twenties they want more space and start a family evolving into their thirties and they are back to the suburbs.
There are also many people who are set in their ways like the New Yorker that could not ever fathom leaving the city; the thought of moving to a rural area makes their skin crawl. Or the country bumpkin in the forests of Vermont, hills of Tennessee, or a ranch in Montana where life in the country for them is written in the stars, always and forever.
It's nice to live in a country with so many choices and options for living. For me I like a big city with wide open spaces on the periphery, cities like Denver or Albuquerque suit me well. City stimulation with a quick escape from the rat race into bountiful nature is perfect.
My ideal size town is between 20-40K in population. I like being able to know a lot of people in town, being involved (more easily) in groups and organizations, and NOT BEING IN A RAT RACE type of culture. I do not do well in large cities as I tend to get over-stimulated easily. However, I don't mind navigating through cities to get to the airport. However, I prefer the country as it has the more live and let live attitude that I prefer. This is particularly true in the Appalachians, but not so much in the Midwest where everything is much more conformist in general.
I think it really depends on the individual. I was born and raised in Los Angeles-the second most populated city in the U.S. and it is what I'm used to and what I love. There are so many things to do out here-from the Griffith Observatory and Getty Museum to the beautiful Malibu and Zuma beaches to all the clubs and attractions in Hollywood. Not to mention the weather is perfect! That being said there are negatives such as poverty, pollution, traffic (LA has a horrible transportation system) and higher crime rates (but it's really not as scary as people make it out to be). But I also think small towns are great.There's a stronger sense of community, they're less chaotic and obviously there is less poverty, pollution and crime. I could never live in one mainly because all my family resides in LA and a big city is what I'm used to. I'm also seventeen and as a young women, love the fast-paced life and the resources which Los Angeles has to offer. But you really have to make that decision for yourself based on what you prefer.
I have only ever lived in LA, SF and Seattle. Admittedly, I also lived in a small city (not suburb) of about 100,000 ppl that I prefer to leave un-named.
To me, any city under 1 million is "small" and any metro under 3 million is not quite a big city.
I like the vibrancy, buzz and cosmopolitan nature that comes with big cities. I do like to visit smaller areas once in awhile- for a break- but not to live in. Infact, even when I'm elderly I will not move out of the big city.
-Everybody knows your business
-You have to be part of a church or you are out
-Too conservative
-Mostly republican
-Horrible weather
-Nothing to do
-Boring (see above)
-Lack od diversity
-Closed minded people
So basically people in a small town get brainwashed into thinking that the world doesn't extend past the outskirts of town and get too caught up in their small town struggles to see the world beyond.
^ Most of those (weather?) have zero to do with small towns (obviously), and the rest are provably wrong (many small towns are quite liberal) or completely unfounded subjective opinions (nothing to see). The funniest part is you say the exact same thing numerous times.
I grew up in small towns, live in a city currently, and will probably move to a small town (most likely the sticks and not even a town) in the coming years. Both have their bennies. For me it's nowhere or somewhere, small cities and suburbs just don't do it for me.
Revived old post, huh? This is a constant topic, and everyone has different needs and likes based on personal experiences. I say - don't knock what you don't know!
I've lived in every type of community EXCEPT a suburb. So: rural, small town, small city, and large city.
The reality is, most of us lead our daily lives - work and family - and don't bother to take daily advantage of the touted amenities of large cities.
So, I've found it's best to live in a small, crime and pollution free town and drive into the large city every couple of months or so for museums/theaters/special events.
Small towns usually have much more variety and cultural opportunities than those who have never lived in one may think. For example, within a 20 mile radius of my small town of 965 we have chinese, vietnamese, jewish, mexican, italian, caribbean, and "health food" restaurants. We have unique cultural opportunities (La Boheme will be performed next week with artists from around the world. The musical director is Russian.) Lectures on a variety of topics are held at area community colleges, libraries, and arts centers. And all this is accesible without having to fight traffic or pay for parking! And with interlibrary loan, which all libraries in America can access, I can read obscure books held by large research libraries while sitting outside on my porch and listening to the loons.
With internet access and a paypal account, any kind of specialty goods are available to anyone living anywhere.
There's really not much need to live in a city anymore.
The only exception is if your field of work can ONLY be found in a large city.
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