Comments (32)

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  Wow, great blog topic. -^_^-I was raised in a small, historic town (in the suburbs), but attended a high school of over 5,000 students-- so I understand both big and small environments. I now live in a city and I can see pro's and cons to both lifestyles. A smaller environment can absolutely feel more friendly and caring, the feel of a city is sometimes cold. I have found though, that a city has it's own kind of warmth sometimes-- it's a cool feeling to know that there are always new people to meet. I do miss the feeling of knowing everyone by name sometimes, I guess ultimately I'm torn between the two. -^_^- Report Spam Posted by bellitude at 6:02 AM on 07/29/09

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  Yay, for this post! Well, we've already discussed my dream location. But for everyone else my Hubby and I would like to live in a remote area. Kind of like where Diane Keaton ended up in Baby Boom. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwxe7UrDbuQ Report Spam Posted by capri at 6:03 AM on 07/29/09

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  Oh, and I love how the sign gives drivers the option to cruise M-F 6a-7pm ; O ) but not 7pm-6am. Report Spam Posted by capri at 6:08 AM on 07/29/09

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  @capri. Lol, yeah, I had to read it several times to get that. I thought that was pretty funny. Report Spam Posted by lamerchick at 6:16 AM on 07/29/09

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  I'm definitely a small-town girl. I have always lived in smaller towns away from the hustle and bustle of cities. I like living where I do, it's less busy and like bellitude said I always find cities to be colder. I once had a huuuge nosebleed in the middle of London and out of about 30 people, only one woman eventually stopped to see if I was okay. The same thing has happened where I live and I had plenty of people asking if I needed anything. Report Spam Posted by x0xsharicex0x at 6:21 AM on 07/29/09

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  I also see benefits to both types of living but I ultimately prefer a big city where I can get a soda at 3 AM if I want one. I also mostly want to be left alone by strangers, so I enjoy the cold feeling everyone mentions. When something is very seriously wrong with someone (unless that something is an attack of the crazies), I always see people rushing to help out. Too much politeness is out of place in a city because there are a lot of people and they all need to get where they're going, but, in my city, we don't ignore common courtesies and, when time permits, we're actually quite polite. On the down side, it's difficult to meet people you want to hang out with on a regular basis and there's a lot of infringing on personal space in the more crowded areas.When I'm in a small town, I enjoy the way everyone lives a little slower and has time for the niceties that we all associate with small towns. But I have also found many small towns are not as responsive to strangers and you have to work very hard to find your niche. Report Spam Posted by alicatstrut at 6:35 AM on 07/29/09

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  Uh...I think I'm a big city girl. I luv to be around people and all shops. when I was in the country at my dad's I didn't really feel at home. I'm used to being surrounded by people and stores, but down there I barely saw people or stores. The only store I saw was a gas station and I only saw people that worked with my father. I just felt out of place. But here where I live, I feel comfortable just being around lots of stores and people. Report Spam Posted by ultranerd101 at 6:38 AM on 07/29/09

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  I grew up in a little town where everyone knew EVERYONE's business. There are so many "small town politics" that go on. There were always those few families who could do no wrong and their children were the ones the rest of us were supposed to bend over backwards for (not the same as the popular crowd depicted in movies). My high school was tiny (My class of 131 was the largest they had ever had up to that point), we didn't have a football team or homecoming...We lived in the middle of nowhere and most everything was at least a half hour drive. Need a grocery store? 20 minutes. Want to go to the mall? Minimum of 35 minutes. Yep, centrally located in the middle of nowhere. I have never lived in a big city (SLC isn't what I would call a big city anyway), but I prefer the city life. I love having things nearby and knowing that there are multiple ways to get to one place. I love all the shops and restaurants and farmers markets. I could so live in Boston, Portland (OR or ME) or Seattle. We've even toyed with the idea of being brave and picking up and moving to Portland, OR. It hasn't happened yet, but I think about it every now and again. Report Spam Posted by gregsgal at 8:07 AM on 07/29/09

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  @gregsgal I live in NYC and need a good grocery store 20 minutes away! Everything is 20 or 30 minutes away or more because you probably want to go downtown or to midtown to shop. But at least there is food delivery and restaurants open past midnight. I get weirded out when I am in small towns at night when everything goes dark early on and closes and there aren't any people around. I'm used to there being people everywhere all the time. And public transportation 24hrs a day. I take the subway at 3 in the morning and there are always plenty of other people on the train. You don't even see people walking around at that hour in small towns. Report Spam Posted by lavabunny at 8:44 AM on 07/29/09

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  Where I live now, I'd guess there were a couple hundred grocery stores in a half hour radius from me. I mean, there's at least 4 within a 10 minute drive from my house that I can count just in one direction! Report Spam Posted by gregsgal at 9:05 AM on 07/29/09

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  @gregsgal there are a handful of supermarkets within a 5 minute or so distance, but they are really terrible and overpriced. And you can't drive anywhere, no one has cars, so if you really want to stock up on food it's hard, you are constantly shopping for groceries. Report Spam Posted by lavabunny at 9:15 AM on 07/29/09

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  Haha @ the sign. My Dad lived in a very small city about 3 hours south of me and that is exactly what kids did there to have fun. They went cruising at night because there wasn't sh*t around to do. My dad had remarried and my step sisters took me out one night when they went cruising. Just a bunch of high schoolers in cars driving really slow on the main drag of the town with their windows down and music loud. (and beer in tow - smart). Sometimes the kids would gather in parking lots and hangout and drink. It was the most ridiculous thing ever! I can see why they made that sign. Could you imagine how irritating it would be as a grown up with priorities to drive through those streets to try to get somewhere? I live in the suburbs of Dayton. Dayton is a decent size, but nothing in comparison to NYC or even Boston or Philadelphia at that rate. I've lived in the suburbs all my life, so I guess it is natural that I feel at home here. I've toyed with the idea of moving to NYC, where my (soon to be) sister in-law lives, and on the opposite end of the spectrum toyed with buying an old farm house north of me with a lot of land and no neighbors. I guess what it comes down to, is that I love big cities for their shopping and more so their restaurants but I am not much of a fan of big crowds and small living spaces. Ideally Id like to have a farmhouse & a lot of land but still be living within an hour driving distance of a big city so I could go get some good grub whenever I wanted. :) Report Spam Posted by hophead at 9:23 AM on 07/29/09

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  Well, i grew up in the suburbs of sacramento so i've never really been in a samll town or in the middle of a huge busy city. However, if I had to choose between a small town and a city, I would have to pick the city. It's just comforting to me. I love seeing all the lights at night and how there's always people driving around (i dont mind the noise). I also like big cities because everyone doesn't know everyone and isn't in everyone's business. It gives you the opportunity to meet new people, which i love. I guess cities are more unpredictale :] Report Spam Posted by crayola09 at 9:55 AM on 07/29/09

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  I grew up in the country, about 30 from downtown Portland. We had a post office, but we weren't a town or a city, we were just a community. It's kind of crazy, everyone back home knows me, my sister, my mother, my aunts and uncles and my grandparents. It's so beautiful out there, and close enough to the city that you don't really feel isolated. I love having the trees and quiet, but it can be a bit stifling when everyone is that aware of each others lives. I live in the suburbs now, and it's ok. I'm going to be moving into town next year, to a small house in one of the larger neighborhoods. I like being in town because you can walk places, and it is a lot more to do and more places to go. Honestly though, I think I'd feel at home anywhere where I have trees around and it's not too noisy. I wouldn't want to live downtown in a huge apartment building, but living in the city in a house is nice. Someday I'd like to move back to the country though... Maybe when I retire. =) Report Spam Posted by lynnie482 at 10:25 AM on 07/29/09

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  @lynnie482, I love trees too. I'm lucky there are some around where I live. It really makes a big difference. And I have a couple walking trails, too. It's really nice for such an urban setting. Report Spam Posted by lamerchick at 10:35 AM on 07/29/09

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  I can relate to @lavabunny. For the most part, I've always lived in cities. I'm house-sitting for my parents in the suburbs right now and it's terrifying! It's so quiet (no one can hear you scream!), everyone has their lights off by 8pm and that's when the town shuts down, weekends included. Everything is much easier in New York, I think. If I want food or groceries I can just have it delivered, but here I have to drive over and get it myself (and I don't drive). The suburbs are a fantastic place to raise children or retire but for someone in their twenties they can be pretty suffocating. It's 50 minutes away from NYC and I think I'm going to start walking back now :) Report Spam Posted by nocreativity at 11:50 AM on 07/29/09

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  @alicatstrut @nocreativity I'm with you. Even in San Jose/San Francisco, things close down early. Try getting dinner after 9pm. Ugh. It's ridiculous. I miss NYC a lot of the time. But, I'm from San Jo' and so I'm sort of partial to it, regardless of the shortcomings. That being said, I'd be fine with living in a big city again. Report Spam Posted by cristina at 11:54 AM on 07/29/09

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  I grew up in a small town, it wasnt so small that everyone knew everyones business but it was small enough that after 9:30ish it would be like a ghost town. Now, that im getting a bit older i want to live in the city, be around all the hustle and bustle and live! But also the city scares me, i am scared of bums and creeps lol. But i think i would like the settle down in a small ish town, but definetly not too small! Report Spam Posted by dreapuff at 12:08 PM on 07/29/09

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  wonderful topic! i live in a small town hoping to move to a large city. in my small town there is really nothing to do. you have to travel to the next town just for the nearest mall or amusement park. my town only has a movie theater and bowling alley..and not too many other places to hang. the city would be amazing to live in! :) Report Spam Posted by happie2smile at 2:42 PM on 07/29/09

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  I live directly across the river from nyc, so you can imagine my town isnt very country like. I love the country, and the city so Im torn.But I have always felt that I belong somewhere more like California where the surfer boys are at ;) haha justtt kidding. But I feel like Im ...too white? for where I live lol, all the people around here are "ghetto" lolBut dont get me wrong, I do know how to keep it G. XD! Report Spam Posted by kaylax3 at 1:38 AM on 07/30/09

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  love this topic too. i live right outside of chicago. i actually grew up in chicago all my life. i live about twenty minutes from downtown. and i have to say, i love it! im pretty much a homebody and am i private person, which is nice when living in the suburbs. plus, where i live things are just close enough. target, grocery stores, beautiful outside mall. so i really enjoy that. ohh, and might i add the parking where i live is wonderful!! thats one thing i cant stand about the city. parking fees, nowhere to park, parellel parking...its all blahhh. but i live just close enough to get on the highway and make it into the city in no time. i love that. when i feel like shopping or visiting family, or hitting up a nice restaurant or bar, its not a drag to drive and get there. i love around one of the most fun and trendy cities of the world. it makes me happy i can ejoy the perks of it, without having to live right there. :] ♥ Report Spam Posted by cupcakexo at 7:19 AM on 07/30/09

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  Great topic! I've been lucky enough to live in LA, NY, the SF Bay Area and a few other places in between. There are things that I love about both smaller towns and the bigger cities. I need to win the lottery so I can have a country home AND a city pad and not have to make the choice! :-) Report Spam Posted by sasha_d at 2:24 PM on 07/30/09

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  I'm from what's considered a small town, since I'm so close to a gigantic city (Grand Rapids). It's not too small, but not too big either. My graduating class was 415 people. I have no problem with either big cities or small towns, they both have a certain charm about them. Just so everyone knows, Grand Haven does have signs that state similar things to that one. There are streets you can't turn on past certain times at night too, just weird if you ask me. Report Spam Posted by keeperofsouls at 2:49 PM on 07/30/09

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  i would love to live in NY which means i prefer big big city :) but sometimes i do get bored of the city life especially of city people. Report Spam Posted by tort at 3:44 PM on 07/30/09

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  I'm definitely a big city girl!! Report Spam Posted by gabyee at 6:12 PM on 07/30/09

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  This was a great topic convo. I sort of want the best of both worlds. I would want to live right outside a city. Like a 20-25 min drive. This way I could live in the subburbs and still have a yard, etc. But I could be close to the city for shopping and other cultural type activities. Report Spam Posted by jessicachanel at 12:52 AM on 07/31/09

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  great post! :) i have moved around quite a bit but i have always lived in medium sized towns. i think i like the medium size although i don't really know because i haven't really experienced anything else. Report Spam Posted by jennic at 6:05 AM on 07/31/09

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  I think it really depends on where you are in your life. When I was single and in my mid-20s, I wanted to be in the city. So I moved to a great part of San Francisco. But now I'm in my late 20s, getting ready to get married and looking at places to buy and (within a few years) start a family. So I'm all about the 'burbs now. ;) Report Spam Posted by jinnyjinn at 11:03 AM on 08/02/09

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  I grew up in a small town but packed up and moved to the SLC suburb West Jordan when I was 14. I feel I fit in better in the small town setting for many reasons aside from I grew up with people back there. UT has too many double standards, people don't really have those friends they have known their whole lives because it's popular to up and move every couple years, and people feel it is their business when they first meet you to know what religion you are and how much you make. I find it rather irritating. There is a lot more to do in SLC area than where we grew up, I will give UT that. And to have a public transportation system. It's pretty awesome. They didn't have one where we lived.However, when we lived back east, we didn't have much to do because we lived so far from everything. It would be the best day off from school to go to Portsmouth and go to the mall. Yeah, we didn't go that often really. I guess I don't really know whether I'm a big city or small town girl. There are pros and cons of each. However I totally don't want to go back to an hour drive from the closest city area. That's for dang sure! Report Spam Posted by adri_ba_dadri at 11:38 PM on 08/02/09

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  it depends on the city because sometimes i like both Report Spam Posted by alysiawho at 11:53 AM on 08/12/09

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  I live in a small town where the closest place to buy clothes is 1 hour drive & to have the best stores it's about 4 hours! I'm pretty used to this lifestyle even if i don't like the fact that everyone knows everything about your life! I'm moving into a bigger city & i don't know if i could get used to it! I was always in a place that you can go to school in 2 minutes in car and everyone says hi on the street! Later i wish to stay in a place where everything i need is close but i still can have a house with a big yard & a forest near! Report Spam Posted by laroxane at 8:11 AM on 08/29/09

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  Small town - as long as I have internet access. LOL Hope you are doing okay..... Report Spam Posted by vntgbabe at 8:26 AM on 09/22/09