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Why I like Towns
-quietness
-beauty
-smaller schools
-more authentic and historical downtowns
Why I don't like cities
-feeling that gov is pushing people to live in cities
-too much traffic
-too much corporation control
-pollution
The reasons I hear people liking cities over towns are that cities have more entertainment options, shopping and dining options, more cultural enclaves, and more job opportunities.
Well let me address all those reasons:
1) Sure, it's fun to have places like Disneyland and sports teams and all the night clubs to go to. In my opinion though, that is all a luxury and one I question if we need. City Sport games cause a lot of traffic and smaller cities, high school sports, and college sports teams in my opinion are just as fun to watch and route for. The land used for large sports arena could probably go to better use anyways. Regarding having a bunch of night clubs, I say get content with a couple favorites. Now, regarding places like Disneyland I think we don't need them to be so big. I think we have theme parks in big cities because they are close to a lot of population and major airports that bring in tourists from all over. In my opinion, I think theme parks will go out of popularity if they continue to be overcrowded and over charge.
2) How much shopping and dining do you need? Support local businesses, go back to getting a tailor and have them make what you want, and break away from this consumeristic and materialistic society. That $3000 designer dress Lady Gaga wore sold at Saks Fifth Avenue can be better spent traveling and gaining knowledge or helping some one in need.
3) Like my area, I think we are starting to see cultural enclaves break away from being a city only thing. I have seen ethnic markets in really smart towns.
4) I think we can get more economic opportunities in towns if we got gov to stop pushing them into cities. Having corporations cluttered in industrialized cities is an old idea. Now with technology we don't all need to be near cities to run large businesses. We just need more CEOs and businessmen to believe that city life isn't everything.
And if we get less people not living in cities, we cut down on traffic and pollution and the need for mass public transit like subways and commuter trains.
Anyways, I'm interested to hear people's thoughts.
I think small towns represent real living. There is no façade or fakeness about life there. It's the real thing, with down-to-earth people and sensible living for the most part.
Towns is how the cities should look like. Their are many places in cities that have great towns. Bottom line THAT WAR FROM 2001-20XX is WHAT IS CAUSING THIS. You want to save your towns you have to prevent government spending and somehow encourage people not to go to these place.
Thanks to the amount of shallow people. That can never be.
You need to go into politics with your buddies if you want to save your towns. That is how it works. Big people in high places know each other and when they can trample on your way of life. They will try to.
Why I like Towns
-quietness
-beauty
-smaller schools
-more authentic and historical downtowns
Why I don't like cities
-feeling that gov is pushing people to live in cities
-too much traffic
-too much corporation control
-pollution
Seems you are just addressing the stereotype of the cities. Have you ever lived in the city? If so, more than one?
Quote:
Originally Posted by the city
The reasons I hear people liking cities over towns are that cities have more entertainment options, shopping and dining options, more cultural enclaves, and more job opportunities.
Well, those are legitimate reasons for liking the city over a small town.
Well let me address all those reasons:
Quote:
Originally Posted by the city
1) Sure, it's fun to have places like Disneyland and sports teams and all the night clubs to go to. In my opinion though, that is all a luxury and one I question if we need. City Sport games cause a lot of traffic and smaller cities, high school sports, and college sports teams in my opinion are just as fun to watch and route for. The land used for large sports arena could probably go to better use anyways. Regarding having a bunch of night clubs, I say get content with a couple favorites. Now, regarding places like Disneyland I think we don't need them to be so big. I think we have theme parks in big cities because they are close to a lot of population and major airports that bring in tourists from all over. In my opinion, I think theme parks will go out of popularity if they continue to be overcrowded and over charge.
"If we need", of course it is not a need, it is a "want", people work and strive to get things they want. No one lives a utilitarian existence only doing things they need. HS sports are everywhere, college sports are only going to be where colleges are, and major league sports are where the market (the market are those who like it) can support. Why are you against people doing things they like?
The reason there are a lot of night clubs in cities is because there are a lot of people; are you really this clueless regarding economics? You also have this mentality that if you do not like it, no one should, so it should not exist.
Quote:
Originally Posted by the city
2) How much shopping and dining do you need? Support local businesses, go back to getting a tailor and have them make what you want, and break away from this consumeristic and materialistic society. That $3000 designer dress Lady Gaga wore sold at Saks Fifth Avenue can be better spent traveling and gaining knowledge or helping some one in need.
You think everyone wears $3000 dresses or something? Clothing options in the city are much cheaper and diverse than small towns. A person has everything ranging from very low cost H&M and Forever 21, to high end Saks and Nordstrom. If they want to be consumeristic, that is their business, their money.
Quote:
Originally Posted by the city
3) Like my area, I think we are starting to see cultural enclaves break away from being a city only thing. I have seen ethnic markets in really smart towns.
They have never been a city only thing, seems you have little experience in the world and clinge to stereotyping.
Quote:
Originally Posted by the city
4) I think we can get more economic opportunities in towns if we got gov to stop pushing them into cities. Having corporations cluttered in industrialized cities is an old idea. Now with technology we don't all need to be near cities to run large businesses. We just need more CEOs and businessmen to believe that city life isn't everything.
The gov is pushing no one into cities, businesses are concentrated there due to competitive advantages obtained from being in the city, just as there are companies that have competitive advantages from not being in the city. Everything ranging from employment pool to supply chain are factored into a business location. And again, many people like living in the city, you seem to have an issue with this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by the city
And if we get less people not living in cities, we cut down on traffic and pollution and the need for mass public transit like subways and commuter trains.
How is pollution cut down? Do people in a small town not need to get around? Small towns are notorious for having poor transportation choices, whereas where I live, I have my car, the metro train, bus, van pool, bicycling, and I am within walking distance of everything I need for my daily living. Rural living causes more pollution per capita than urban living.
Quote:
Originally Posted by the city
Anyways, I'm interested to hear people's thoughts.
My thoughts are that you have never lived in a city, you go completely by what a stereotype of a city is for the basis of your argument. For example, quietness. Cities unless you live in an entertainment district, are quiet, very quiet at night, and unless you live near a main road, during the day as well with the exception of nuisances like construction, landscaping, etc. If you lived there, you would know this. You have this stereotype that an entire city of some sort of 24/7 loud noise area, which is far from the truth.
You also have issues, or maybe it is the way you present it, of people doing things you are not into, therefore you feel it is not needed, and people are wasting resources on doing these things when they should be doing something else.
There is a loan program that is funded thru the federal government. It is called a rural development loan. Its criteria is for rural areas not cities. It is a low/no downpayment plan. Maybe there is a city program from the federal government as well, but I have never heard of one. I think Cities often attempt to draw more people in, but I am not aware that the fed has been trying to push people to move to the city.
OP I bet there are more Tailors on 5th Ave than in my entire state.
Traffic and Corporate control are the 2 legitimate things I see, in your post - the other just seems like misinformed impressions.
I prefer rural living, but I am not sure your comments are consistent with people I know in cities or rural areas.
Also saving money to travel, and your thoughts on less pollution don't mesh either. City people typically use less per capita on fossil fuels in concentrated living. The appearance of more pollution is due to seeing so much in a small space.
Also, if you want to keep the rural feel of where you are, then encouraging people to move to the country kinda defeats what you seem to like about it. Imagine the California Countryside if 4 million people left the city to enjoy it all the sudden.
Seems you are just addressing the stereotype of the cities. Have you ever lived in the city? If so, more than one?
Well, those are legitimate reasons for liking the city over a small town.
Well let me address all those reasons:
"If we need", of course it is not a need, it is a "want", people work and strive to get things they want. No one lives a utilitarian existence only doing things they need. HS sports are everywhere, college sports are only going to be where colleges are, and major league sports are where the market (the market are those who like it) can support. Why are you against people doing things they like?
The reason there are a lot of night clubs in cities is because there are a lot of people; are you really this clueless regarding economics? You also have this mentality that if you do not like it, no one should, so it should not exist.
You think everyone wears $3000 dresses or something? Clothing options in the city are much cheaper and diverse than small towns. A person has everything ranging from very low cost H&M and Forever 21, to high end Saks and Nordstrom. If they want to be consumeristic, that is their business, their money.
They have never been a city only thing, seems you have little experience in the world and clinge to stereotyping.
The gov is pushing no one into cities, businesses are concentrated there due to competitive advantages obtained from being in the city, just as there are companies that have competitive advantages from not being in the city. Everything ranging from employment pool to supply chain are factored into a business location. And again, many people like living in the city, you seem to have an issue with this.
How is pollution cut down? Do people in a small town not need to get around? Small towns are notorious for having poor transportation choices, whereas where I live, I have my car, the metro train, bus, van pool, bicycling, and I am within walking distance of everything I need for my daily living. Rural living causes more pollution per capita than urban living.
My thoughts are that you have never lived in a city, you go completely by what a stereotype of a city is for the basis of your argument. For example, quietness. Cities unless you live in an entertainment district, are quiet, very quiet at night, and unless you live near a main road, during the day as well with the exception of nuisances like construction, landscaping, etc. If you lived there, you would know this. You have this stereotype that an entire city of some sort of 24/7 loud noise area, which is far from the truth.
You also have issues, or maybe it is the way you present it, of people doing things you are not into, therefore you feel it is not needed, and people are wasting resources on doing these things when they should be doing something else.
I lived in LA for a year.
I have a hard time believing rural living creates smog and pollution. People that live in town tend to bike. We have bus systems in our three largest towns. Many people grow their own food since they have a lot of land.
I will admit living in suburbs are quieter than living in busy urban districts. But relatively speaking, the suburban neighborhood I lived in was way busier and noisier in the morning and day than even the largest town in my area.
There are certain government policies like the one where if a city has 50,000 population it can get more funding. In CA, people lost land to pave way for the planned high-speed rail. Usually if you want section 8 housing, you are forced to move to where these projects are and usually in cities. Restrictions on farming have become tougher.
Many of small towns I know have a nice downtown with local stores, your Target, sometimes you have a mall. Middle to high end places in the places to shop I mentioned. Occasionally a tourist town or really wealthy town will have some really expensive stores. The norm for small towns seems to be less expensive, high end stores. And yes, not all small towns are the same.
Some rare examples are towns like Destin, FL and Carmel, CA that have higher end stores.
Besides high school sports in almost any community, like one of the larger towns where I used to live (30,000 population), had a baseball team. Towns from 20,000 population to 90,000 I've seen have small league teams.
I think small towns represent real living. There is no façade or fakeness about life there. It's the real thing, with down-to-earth people and sensible living for the most part.
oh how I agree and that is why I am so happy we decided to spend our autumn and winter years in a small town, but we are close enough to city living to have good schools, medical facilities and even shopping. it isn't just our town, but many in our region I would not mind calling home. Some are much smaller than Bella Vista. This afternoon after I play bridge I will head to the little farm stand not far from here. I am picking up some okra and a few other freshly picked produce. We didn't have this in the big city. Sure, we could drive out of town an hour or so, but we couldn't just drive 2 or 3 miles to pick up our produce. When I drive some of the back roads I just think: this is the real America. I guess my age is showing.
I sometimes wonder if my dad is in heaven, looking down and saying, Nita you made the entire circle. He was born in a small town in OK, not too far from here. As years went by his family moved to Colorado and that is pretty much where he grew up. After he graduated from college, 1932 he and mom moved to Los Angeles for job opportunities and that is where they raised us 4 kids. Now, I am back to his beginning over 100 years later.
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