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A lot of people in the suburbs of NYC here are probably considered urbanites to people around the country.
I disagree with this(the urban dictionary definition). The affluent consumer is one type of urbanite, but not the only type. Blue collar families living in the city are also urbanites. They are no less urban because they aren't trendy hipsters. Basically, and urbanite means you live in and are familiar with a large city.
I agree with the second part. A lot of suburbs in the northeast are more urban than cities in the midwest or south.
It's not merely someone who lives in the the city but who also enjoys living in the city and urban culture. Here in New York, there is a significant population that lives in Manhattan for work (high-end executives, lawyers, etc.) who would much rather live in the country.
They don't enjoy walking, have no particular interest in restaurants or attending live performances. They live here for work but would be just as happy watching TV on a ranch in Texas. They are not "urbanites" in any meaningful way.
Keep in mind most families who reside in city limits in places like NYC or SF or LA or Chic are (most often) poor and live in old urban slums or (far less often) rather wealthy; send kids to private schools; and can afford a suburban lifestyle (often in a new tear-down house or condo tower) in a costly, dense city
Suspect vast majority of yuppies in NYC or SF/SV are kids who grew up in middle-income suburbs of major cities all over US; often attended one of top 5-10 colleges; and were able to obtain more lucrative jobs in finance or tech industries, thus their migration to one of these two economic epicenters
Any powerful city is all about upward mobility and annually attracting the smartest, most ambitious kids from top colleges everywhere...who eventually become the "old-money" urbanites of these towns (or at least their upscale suburbs after they have kids) ~20yrs after they arrive fresh from college as penniless yuppies/urbanites
It's not merely someone who lives in the the city but who also enjoys living in the city and urban culture. Here in New York, there is a significant population that lives in Manhattan for work (high-end executives, lawyers, etc.) who would much rather live in the country.
They don't enjoy walking, have no particular interest in restaurants or attending live performances. They live here for work but would be just as happy watching TV on a ranch in Texas. They are not "urbanites" in any meaningful way.
So then would someone from Podunk, TX who yearns to live in the city be considered an "urbanite"?
So then would someone from Podunk, TX who yearns to live in the city be considered an "urbanite"?
My proposed definition had two parts: living in a city and wanting to live in a city. I think the word connotes a certain world-view and aesthetic that transcends political geography.
The word is politically-charged: both as an insult and as a badge of honor. For a word to have that kind of power, it has to be about something more than a line on a map.
Anyone who lives in an urban setting who identifies with an urban lifestyle.
I think this is the best definition yet. It encompasses both the rich and the poor (because I don't think you have to be a yuppie or a hipster to be an "urbanite"), and it covers urban areas located both in and out of official "city" limits.
I think this is the best definition yet. It encompasses both the rich and the poor (because I don't think you have to be a yuppie or a hipster to be an "urbanite"), and it covers urban areas located both in and out of official "city" limits.
What does it mean to "Identify with an urban lifestyle?" Also, what exactly is an "urban lifestyle?"
And how exactly is one to define a city? Columbus, Ohio (not meant to offend! I live in the Columbus of Texas) is a city, but is it as urban or urbane as as New York? Again, not saying one is better than the other, but merely proposing that the standards vary with each part of the country, not to mention each part of the world.
I think self-identification comes into this. If you live in an urban area and consider yourself to be oriented towards an urban lifestyle, however you personally define that, then I think you should be considered an "urbanite." I don't really see what the alternatives would be. Not everyone might agree that you're a "true" urbanite -- I know plenty of people living in urban areas living what are essentially stereotypical suburban lifestyles -- but they consider themselves to be city people, and they do technically live in a city, so yes, I'd call them urbanites.
I personally define an urban lifestyle as one that's not car-dependent, where one can and will walk places for a purpose (i.e. not just recreation), and where housing isn't strongly segregated from commercial activity (you can find corner stores, for example), and there's some public transportation. It also needs to be a community of a certain size -- not sure what size, but it's got to be bigger than a town; maybe something along the lines of there is a central business district as well as a certain number of well-defined neighborhoods, each in turn supporting their own smaller business district.
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get out of your burb much?
