Living in Small Town America versus Living in LA

[John23]

Originally Posted by puffle

Great pics John23. Reminded me of most of the towns in Ma. I never felt so much pride in being American as I did when I lived there. Houses kept their American flags up everyday, not just holidays, especially the older Victorian homes. And the great parades they had for kids like opening day of little league where families lined the main streets cheering on the neighborhood kids dressed in uniform. The plus was it wasn't small town mentallity...

It's certainly different back there.

A few years ago, I came back from a trip to Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine...and then landed at LAX...culture shock. Everything is so clean back there. We think orange county is clean, or maybe parts of san diego, but they dont come close.

People are too wired up to see parades out here....I think the hollywood christmas parade closed last year. The Rose Parade is nice..but it doesnt have the same spirit as a little league parade or something like that.

[sydney2391]

HMMM..interesting. i live in kansas city, actually overland park.. one of the greatest places to raise kids, well , thats what they say anyway.. and i believed it to a certain degree.. and was afraid to move with them(stability is everything. right?) yes, it had a "safe" appeal, kinda boring, no diversity, unless you go to the hood, and NO! im only 25 mins from concerts and things, but not like a big city.. well, i've raised the kids, and failed miserably, its always the moms fault.. anyway.. im ready to move on.. and im thinking of the L.A. area.. and that way at least they can visit and get some culture, beaches, mountains, vegas would be amazing to see(for them, i think its the best,, lots to see). i have been searching online for somewhere, anywhere but here.. but i keep coming back to the idea of Los Angeles..im a little intimidated..

[majoun]

Originally Posted by John23

It's certainly different back there.

A few years ago, I came back from a trip to Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine...and then landed at LAX...culture shock. Everything is so clean back there. We think orange county is clean, or maybe parts of san diego, but they dont come close.

I'd agree with you. Northern New England is very nice and beautiful and also has more respect for freedom than California.

People are too wired up to see parades out here....I think the hollywood christmas parade closed last year. The Rose Parade is nice..but it doesnt have the same spirit as a little league parade or something like that.

Try the El Sereno 4th of July parade if you want to see a parade with community spirit. Way off the beaten track if you're a westsider, but it's almost Norman Rockwell-like in its small town qualities and homespun patriotism. Some here might find it interesting that an overwhelmingly Latino eastside neighborhood clings to "traditional America" much more than "whiter" and more affluent areas in this respect. However, to those of us more seasoned in L.A.'s many diverse ways, it's no surprise at all - it's just part of the complex and varied metropolis, and one of the things that makes L.A. an interesting place.

[Chatteress]

I'd never lived in a small town and I imagine that I would hate small town living for the following reasons:

• Mass transit is a must as I don't drive
• Variety of ethnic food options is important to me as am not much for American-style food day in and day out.
• Small town mindsets is not something I am comfortable with as I'm used to diversity
• Variety of shops as well as things to do is also important also

[ldadancer]

Can people name positive things about small towns? Everyone is usually frienly, there ar so many unique shops and places to visit and really, fasion or the most up to date look is not important.

[BROWNPLAYBOY310]

Originally Posted by Charles

Those describe one small town - not all small towns. I wouldn't want to live in the place you described either.

I live near a small town, Monument, CO: 53 miles from downtown Denver and 25 miles from downtown Colorado Springs. I can get to any big city event in Denver faster than I could have traveled from Thousand Oaks to any big city event in Los Angeles. Yes, I am five miles from pizza, library, groceries, gas, etc. but I can pick stuff up on the way home from work or make a weekend errand run.
The schools are better (at least equivalent to Conejo Valley), there is no traffic, I can order anything on the internet, the air is cleaner. I have a well so other than the electricity to pump, my water is free. Septic is free except for emptying charges every few years. Within a 35 mile radius I can get to many more jobs faster than in Southern California. I like looking out my windows out at the Searle Ranch's Texas longhorn cattle in the grazing land about a mile away. There are no smells and no flies.

Yes, good ethnic food requires a longer trip (and higher babysitting fees), but OK, that is maybe once a month. In the past we'd have to go to Castle Rock or Colorado Springs to get Thai or Korean, but they've recently opened a combo Korean, Thai, Chinese place about ten minutes away. Sushi is about 25 minutes away. OK, it's a trade off.
Another bummer is cable and internet is less competitive so I am stuck with Direct TV and radio (RF to an antenna on my roof) wireless internet (only around 1.5 Mbps). No DSL, No Comcast.
Also, most doctor specialists are in the Springs so that does require an extra trip hassle.

Small/medium sized towns are great. Almost all of the good and almost none of the bad.

PS. Interesting about the KNX reference. I listen to Jack Salvatore on KNX at 5AM (4AM in LA) each morning on my way to work driving down from the Palmer Divide. Comes in 5X5. Must be ionosphere bounce. (The best thing is not caring about the "on the 5s" traffic reports.)

Monument is RIGHT outside of Colorado Springs though. I used to date a girl in Monument when I lived in the Springs, and it didn't take long for her to get to anything decent, especially since the best mall is on the north side and there are plenty of restaurants up that way near the Academy.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by ldadancer

Can people name positive things about small towns? Everyone is usually frienly, there ar so many unique shops and places to visit and really, fasion or the most up to date look is not important.

Can we talk about...stuff? (since we're being so specific).

[LAMayBeMaybeNot]

Heh...

I'm due to be in LA within the next two months, and I know I'm going to be overwhelmed at first.

I grew up in a town of 6500, and moved to Charlotte four years ago. Charlotte, I would imagine, is a ghost town compared to LA, but when I got there...

...even it was overwhelming.

I laugh at the way people talk about Charlotte on this forum, because to someone who grew up in a small town, visiting a city the size of Charlotte is almost no different than visiting NYC. It's all overwhelming, until you adjust.