Always a small town. I like to have a big house and a semblance of nature available. Although I could do with less right wing neighbours.
City, no doubt in my mind.
Being able to walk, bike and take transit instead of having to own a car is important for me. I’m not interested in the additional maintenance involved with owning a house, an apartment suits me a lot better. I also like having good access to plenty of things to do in the form of a great selection of restaurants and being close to international transportation options. Good access to nature without having to drive a car is also important to me.
Sounds like a city that’s not in North America. But OP didn’t specify.
I already live in a huge city and I like it that way.
There is always something happening, and always a way to get there.
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What’s that? Big city filled with cars, roads and useless pocket greenspaces, but with no small town community or flexibility?
- North American city planners, circa one city construction ago.
Oil industry lobbyists are a bitch, eh?
It wasn’t just them, or the auto manufacture lobbyists that were probably more powerful at the time. There was also the influence of slightly older conspicuous consumption, so suburban lots were designed to look like mini country estates, and generally the re-emphasis of connection with the outdoors and nature that came in the midcentury. Plus, if it’s a totally new neighborhood, you can keep minorities out from the start.
It seems designers thought people in suburbs would, like, be close friends with everyone on the cul-de-sac, and they’d spend all weekend chilling outdoors and having barbecues. Maybe make one giant croquet course all down the street. Instead, you barely know your immediate neighbor’s names, and anyone two doors down is under suspicion of being a violent criminal.
To be fair, they aren’t the first or last designers to fundamentally misunderstand how the public will interact with the infrastructure; that’s still a source of surprises today. I just wish we had changed course as soon as the truth became clear.
that includes mini scooters for me, and guys on racing bikes in full spandex gear yelling “cmon!” to people
And if they’re not yelling “c’mon” at you they’ll be yelling “cheater!”. Like bro this isn’t tour de france, I’m just tryna get to work…
Small town. Cities are high energy. I like visiting but get worn down by the hustle and bustle.
Mid-sized stand-alone city. Think 50-200K people.
If I explicitly have to choose between big city or small town, then it comes down to employment options. If that is a non-factor (e.g. remote work) then small town.
For those saying culture or whatever, I’m ok with commuting to a big city once a month or whatever for that stuff. I don’t need cultural attractions for my day-to-day life.
Countryside.
Small town. I was born and raised in Toronto/GTA. Moved to a small town during Covid, where my dad was born and raised… Absolutely love it. I do of things I was never able to do (or did) in the city. I can do all of those things alone and without people watching (wonderful, as an introvert).
I do occasionally travel to Toronto for work, and I absolutely despise it. First day, I want to go back home. Too much chaos. Too much traffic. Too much people. I simply don’t know what to do when I’m there and have free time.
I live 15 minutes outside a small town, 1 hour away from the city.
Love it.
I prefer to live in the middle of nowhere(ish) aside from the conservative culture which inevitably comes with it. I also like walkable city areas. I completely hate anything in between.
Suburbia has no redeeming features. ! [email protected]
City.
Fewer bigots, fewer people in your business, there’s community spaces other than the church, the food is better, and most of all, there’s work to be had.
It is a matter of personal preference, but there is a reason most people are migrating into cities right now.
Edit: I was wrong. While most people were migrating to cities for work, that isn’t necessarily true anymore nationwide. In my state, it is still happening, but we have a large influx of people from other states.
Isn’t that reason return to office policies though, and the majority of people would happily leave the city life behind if they were not forced to go back?
Appreciate you are answering a question and each one of us has their own preference but not sure you can say most people agree with yours.
So I looked it up, and this isn’t true anymore most places.
It used to be, young people flocked to cities both for work and for things to do. It looks to me based on where this is/isn’t happening now that the main factor is cost of living.
Small town for sure. I love the outdoors, I love the quiet life, I love the community cohesion, I love pretty little houses and cottages and I love animals. I adore hills and crags and mountains and valleys.
The city itself isn’t really my scene. I don’t like cars, I don’t like shopping centres, I don’t like big flashing lights, and loud noises, and I don’t like sirens or clubs. I especially don’t like loud cars and pollution.
I live in a city now and I just miss the colour green and ponds and lakes and people that smile and say hello. I realise the country isnt perfect and there’s still things I’d miss about the city but by far I’d rather live out there than the middle of a city.
Small town. Less traffic, crime, pollution, expense. More sense of community.
Less walkable / car dependent, further away from medical attention or emergency services, the community is awful
Small towns are typically going to have hospitals within the same distance. The only difference is they will helicopter you to a large city if its a severe medical problem.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_city
wealthy+nontechie+extrovert+nocar=city middleincome+techie+introvert+car=rural
I’ve done both, neither, just kill me now. Unless the small town is near a big city, so I can have cheaper housing but also access to more than a dollar general without driving for an hour.
