The City versus the Suburbs

I would never live in a noisy chaotic environment. I live in a city...but its more like a big town. I would never live in Chicago, Kansas City....or any place that loses that "big town" quality. Crazy places to drive and navigate.

 

I was born in Elmhurst, Illinois...a suburb of Chicago.

I would not want to live anywhere in Cook County. I think it's one of the most corrupt counties in these United States. From the city officials and fire/police department on down.

totally corrupt....it is a city run by Democrats...

What do you really expect.

 

I don't think there is much room to dispute the contention that life in the city stinks.

Why do you think the suburbs appeared in the first place? City dwellers in large numbers realized that city life stunk and got out of Dodge.

I don't see much of a viable defense for city life.

 

Fck the suburbs; in my view the suburbanization of the US is related to this country's decline in more ways than one. People think they are safer in the suburbs while not realizing that their kids are getting just as drunk and doing as many drugs as those who live in urban areas, but somehow it's easier to deny or overlook because there's the perception that they will be more successful, I guess. I will stay in the city.

 

I'm a city-dweller, too. Although living in Dallas isn't like living in Chicago. There are a few areas where people live downtown, but most who live in the city limits live in quiet little communities surrounded by mostly churches & schools. Suburbs don't have much 'character' in my opinion. Most around here are what we call 'freeway cities' and because of poor zoning, you might see a car lot open up right next door to your house. Don't have that problem in the city. I'd rather drive a little distance than live near retail outlets... and I can always hop a bus or train if I don't wanna drive. Can't do that in the suburbs. Gotta say, I do love working downtown, though. Enjoy the hustle-bustle during the day... and going home to my quiet, peaceful neighborhood at quitting time. IMHO, it's the best of both worlds.

 

Ok … so move out to Naperville …

Oh wait … there’s a population, and thus people who will be noisy, with barking Dogs, who drive cars, who are gun advocates who defend shooting aforementioned, who call 911 for various reasons like fires, who have sex, construal to not …

Ok try a Corn Field west of Sugar Grove …

 

I live in he middle of Chicago. like 5 blocks south of Wrigley Field. I wouldnt trade it for much. I grew up in the suburbs and moved into the city.

bottom line. Suburbs are insanely boring. There is no getting around that. Thats why I live in the city.

 

Why should one HAVE to deffend it? I dont get that statement.

I love living in the city. THats really all that matters at the end of the day.


I need to live in one of two extremes myself. I either live in the city. Or I live in the middle of the mountains or something.

Suburbs just suck. All of the people and traffic these days, but none of the fun.


Of course, if I did choose to live in the mountains, I guess I could kiss having a nice high paying job goodbye also.

 

I've had the privilege of living in a rural area, the suburbs and in a large city. I greatly prefer the rural area. I like having plenty of space and the freedom to do as I please on my own property - no zoning boards or homeowners associations trying to tell me what I can do on my own land. I like not having my windows overlook my neighbors' back yards and vice-versa.

Overall I hate the crowdedness, the dirtiness and the noise of the city. I like my space. Currently I live in a suburb, but once my life is my own again, I'll be moving to a nice, quiet piece of property fifteen miles from the nearest town and fifty miles from the nearest city - close enough that I can visit if I want, but far enough that I don't have to put up with it.

 

Just think - when the polar ice caps melt, you'll be able to visit Manhattan while enjoying the Atlantic Ocean - at the same time.

 

I can see the closest neighbor's house with a set of binos. I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

I CAN'T see mt closest neighbor, even with binoculars. (Trees in the way.) I like it!

 

You can keep your urban centers.


_

 

I have to agree with you.

But the real problem is that the cities have just become so jam-packed full of immigrants, which has caused the overcrowding, traffic congestion, and crime problems. Cities would not be such a bad place otherwise. This is not just a recent phenomena. New York and Chicago have historically been the recipients of masses of Jewish and Italian immigrants.

It is really too bad.

 

I was reminded in another thread of a big reason why I didn't like living in the city - everyone was so isolated. Not many people actually knew their neighbors. They said hi in passing or new gossip about them, but didn't actually know them. They had even less of a connection to the people a little farther off.

When I lived in a small town, I knew all of my neighbors. We'd share cookies and snacks at Christmas. One neighbor taught me to hunt. Another always gave us big baskets of fruit and vegetables that he raised. We'd compete to see who could shovel everyone's driveways first. Even in the rest of the town I knew many of the people. When I'd sit down to coffee, someone would either join me or invite me to join them. I'd get invited to dinner randomly by various people I barely knew, and we always had a few non-relatives at every holiday dinner.

This wasn't exclusive to people who lived there their whole live either. Every new neighbor would get flooded with food and snacks as soon as they moved in and invited to dinner right away. Some took to it quickly. You could tell the ones from cities, however. They were startled by the gifts, always refused the dinners, sometimes wouldn't even answer the door and never reciprocated. They tried to bring the city isolationism with them.

Big cities, for all their people, just lack the sense of community that you find in a small town or rural area.

 

I live in the country where the nearest neighbor is a mile away. The closest town (7 minute drive) has a population of about 700. The next town (10 minute drive) has a population of about 10,000.

Quite often, I have deer and turkeys (nasty things that crap all over the place) close to my house. Every once in a while, I wake up to a herd of elk in the field across from my house.

I don't lock my doors when I leave my house. Why bother, if someone wanted to burglarized my house, they would just break a window as no one would see or hear it.

I can chase my wife in the front yard.....naked (not a pretty sight) if I wanted to. Or "relieve myself" on the nearest tree.

I can enjoy the stars at night without city lights diluting them. I can hear owls call at night.....or the sweet sound of a morning dove.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

Thanks to the Obama Depression, the immigrants are leaving faster than less informed ones are coming in.