Big City or Small Town?

[Batman]

Firstly, I'm not sure a population of 100,000 really qualifies as a "big" city.

In the United States, a city with 100,000 people or more is generally considered to be a 'big city'. A city with that many people has a fairly large economy, a lot of infrastructure, important regional industrial and commerical sectors, and so on. Granted, a city with 100,000 people is not really that big, but definitely larger than big towns.

I live in a tiny town (~2,000 people) right now and don't like it. In the rare instances when a business actually wants to move in, the founding fathers poopoo it because it would hurt local business. (And then the local businesses go belly up anyway, so this is slowly turning into a ghost town.) Have been to NYC and think I'd probably enjoy living there, but cost of living is quite a bit higher there.

Like Simon said, there are many other big cities in the U.S. with a lower cost of living. Mega cities like Chicago, Huston, Philadelphia, Miami, San Francisco, etc. And average size big cities like Boston, Louisville, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Portland, Austin, and so on have even lower cost of living rates.

 

[Link8150]

I love small towns much better than big cities. I hate the huge buildings and skyscrapers that many cities have, and I hate places where there are a lot of people, so I wouldn't like to live in a place with over 100,000 people even if there were no skyscrapers. Washington D.C. is a pretty nice city, but I cannot stand being in New York City for more than a day.

 

[selicyc]

nonoitall's post describes exactly where I live at the moment. For me, all there is an old folks home and a secondhand store that doubles up as a food bank to help feed the less fortunate in the community. It's a nice place to live, but there's absolutely nothing for the young adult crowd to do, they refuse to bring in any big business, and the nearest job offering is well over 45 minutes away.

While the quaint air of the small town is nice, I have always been enamored with the big city. Ever since I was 13, my mother would take us to live with our friends in Toronto, ON for the summer. I've always enjoyed seeing all the different ethnicities and watching people pass by. I love how lively it is, even when the time is well into the night. The convenience of getting what I need, whenever I need it, is also a bonus.

But in the event of a major disaster, say, a tornado or zombie apocalypse, there would be mass panic and more infected to deal with then in a small town where your neighbor could be ready for both types of emergencies...

Regardless, the city gets my vote.

 

[TriforceHunter]

I would so much rather be in a big city, that's where I've been all of my life (LA, SD, TJ) but now I live in a small town in Kansas and it feels like there is nothing to do, not a fan of it.

 

[ghostdragon]

I grew up in a small town, with only one gas station and one stop light. Once I turned 18, I moved to a city, but it's not a big city. I don't really care for it too much, but better than living out in nowhere lol....

 

[Honorable Hero]

I prefer the busy craziness of a big city. That being said, I live in a quiet neighborhood, and it's also quite nice. Low crime and all is great.

 

[Simon]

In the United States, a city with 100,000 people or more is generally considered to be a 'big city'. A city with that many people has a fairly large economy, a lot of infrastructure, important regional industrial and commerical sectors, and so on. Granted, a city with 100,000 people is not really that big, but definitely larger than big towns.

I'd say 100,000 would qualify as a small city, although I'm not sure what the official definitions are in the US. Of course there are also mismatches between the population of a city and it's actual practical size. For example, Phoenix is the 6th most populous city in the US, larger than San Francisco, Boston, D.C. and Seattle, but a lot of that population comes from expansive suburbs and in real terms it isn't as "big" or important as those other cities.

 

[BlueBart]

I live and prefere Small Town

 

[nareky]

i'd prefer a small town that is close to the a big city so you get best of both

 

[gravira]

I live and prefer small town close to a big city. Have all the major things close but not live in the chaos so to speak.

 

[Batman]

Of course there are also mismatches between the population of a city and it's actual practical size. For example, Phoenix is the 6th most populous city in the US, larger than San Francisco, Boston, D.C. and Seattle, but a lot of that population comes from expansive suburbs and in real terms it isn't as "big" or important as those other cities.

Yeah, that's true. A city's size can be measured using multiple criteria. Population (city limits and metro), Economic importance/size, land area, regional influence, etc. For example, some may look at Cincinnati's skyline and think it must be a huge city, but actually it only has 296,000 people. So Cincinnati is a big city economically, but regarding population, it's one of the smaller big cities in the U.S. The same could also be said for Atlanta, New Orleans, Kansas City, etc.

 

[Leo Crimson]

Mine would probably be a medium-sized city, with a population of about 400000.

 

[Azkadilia]

Well it would actually all depend. I like in a pretty small town so I don't really mind it as much because i live pretty close to a big city where me and my friends head over during the weekend. So I like living in a small town as long as i can go to the big city for visits.

 

[RubenCrapton]

I rather like a small town. Cities can be dirty, confusing and smothering.

 

[Zollgax]

"Big" city