This or that---Do you/ would you prefer to live in the city or country

[debm55]

[leftieNanner]

1. City

With access to the country.

[debm55]

18. Best of both worlds.

[GPV]

28. Country w access to a city

[FalloutShelter]

2. Neither...townie

Just a suburban cliche.

[debm55]

19. Me too. I forgot to add to my title.

[debm55]

33. Me too.

[walkingman]

3. I like the country and have lived here the last 35 years. However that being said

I prefer the people that live in the city mainly because they think more like I do. The people where I live are good people but very conservative, religious, and not as educated as most of people I know in the city.

I like the privacy, the beauty and experiences of nature, it is more work and maintenance.

As we age being closer to healthcare is becoming more of an issue.

[tazkcmo]

9. You describe my situation perfectly.

Thanks for saving me the time to type it all out!

[debm55]

20. Yes, I live close to Pittsburgh but not in the city. More things going on and closer to health care.

[debm55]

34. I agree--more of a variety in the city

[unweird]

4. Sidewalks

City preferred and in a neighborhood with sidewalks. Looking at you North Seattle.

[debm55]

32. I live in an area with no sidewalks--not the city but not the country, It would be great for

walking Dolly

[Sky Jewels]

5. City!

TBH, even though I like getting out in nature and hiking, I often don't feel that comfortable outside of city limits.

I grew up in the suburbs but have mostly lived in urban or semi-urban areas since I was in college. When I was a kid, however, I was really into horses and thought for sure I'd grow up to be a country person and live on a ranch. But that's not happenin'...

[debm55]

35. I;m glad you found the place that is perfect for you.

[Jrose]

6. Prefer greater city area (NY City borough) as a senior

because there's easy access to public transportation (buses, subways and car services) nearby (a few blocks walk) shopping, eateries and parks, good internet access and variety of free tv stations.

Lived in NJ suburb for several years, but the necessity of a car and.too much distance to shops, restaurants or walkable roads just pushed me back to NY City area again.

To this 70+ yrs retired woman, the city/borough is more convenient and much less isolated.

[debm55]

36. Yes, there are so many pluses about the cities.

[Foolacious]

7. I like smallish satellite towns...

... that are real towns in their own right, but that are close to larger cities with access to airports, hospitals, specialized commercial goods, etc. I love being able to walk through a little downtown where I know shopkeepers and passersby, while still being able to "get to stuff" that I need.

And that's about what I have in my little slice of Mexico.

[debm55]

37. My little town has no puplic transportation. The stores , medical offices are a distance away. In

my town a car is a necessity. Your town sounds very nice,

[claudette]

8. The country

but not rural - more suburban, but definitely NOT a rowhouse ugly city. Had enough of that as a child (although I do like to visit relatives there).

[debm55]

38. That's where we live in suburban town.

[claudette]

49. 👍

[Different Drummer]

10. City.

And it's not even a coin flip.

[debm55]

51. Good

[we can do it]

11. City

[debm55]

52. Nice

[usonian]

12. Have been living in the country for 8 years.

Sparsely populated. Hard to meet people (especially single people).

Most people come here to get away from people!

Target practice (I hope it's just practice) every day somewhere nearby.

Have to drive 50 miles to buy a pair of pants not named Carhart, or Trader Joe's specialities ( uhhh, the Coffee Blast ice cream, for starters)

Most of my friends are also 50 miles away.

Power lines run through impassable terrain, so they take days to repair when trees fall or wildfires or windstorms hit, which is too damn often.

Deer eat everything you plant, so to have a small rose garden or a few veggies, you have to build a 7 foot fence (they are olympic jumpers), preferably a double 7 foot fence, and then there are the rabbits, groundhogs, ravens ....

In exchange, it's one of the most beautiful places on earth, with 140 degree views of the sunrise and sunset horizons, and plenty of wildflowers that are YUCK to the deer.

All in all, I'd rather live in a place where I can shop "just in time" for things I need, and meet friends any old time, and visit scenic places (I did that!) than live in a scenic place and drive 50 miles (most of which is windy roads with blind curves) to do daily necessities.

P.S. The V.A. medical facility is also 50 miles away, so I am still in a one-hospital town (where there's a giant brouhaha over funding and mismanagement and employee retention) and I use (redacted) insurance on top of medicare.

TBH, small town hospitals are in a desperate crisis, and many sell out to large chains or investment companies.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/10/upshot/private-equity-doctors-offices.html
https://archive.is/aIm0w
Who Employs Your Doctor? Increasingly, a Private Equity Firm.
A new study finds that private equity firms own more than half of all specialists in certain U.S. markets.
(and small hospitals ... but that's in another article)

[debm55]

39. It sounds like you have a give and take, I complain about driving 10 miles to Pittsburgh. But the

beauty of your area is something you won't get in the city.

[usonian]

48. Nearest "town" is 50 miles. This IS California.

I used to drive all over the state. Especially when Mom visited from Mass.

When I was in New England, the travel distances were shorter, and I made my annual pilgrimage to Vermont to get foliage pictures. I took 2 1/4" square color slides at the time. I chose wisely.

TBH, anyone can take a bus to this area (meaning a bus to Yosemite) or the Amtrak to Merced and then a bus to my downtown and then Yosemite. Just don't do it between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Yosemite actually is prettier than my place.

Winter is best. I'll post a photo or two later on.

[MiHale]

13. My mind has always been wired for rural life...

The city has way too many adverse elements, too much noise, unnatural smells, random flashing lights, mobs of people, too many hard surfaces to walk on, time moves at light speed and too little beauty; rural life has wind rustling in the trees, bird songs, smells of flowers and fruit trees, sunsets over fields of ripening corn, the playful tree shadows dancing over me as I cut grass and time moves slowly so we can enjoy those things.

[debm55]

40. What a wonderful description of your homestead,

[thatcrowwoman]

56. I'm with you, MiHale. Except my sunsets are over the cedar windbreak and the mountains beyond.

And instead of fields, I have forest. I love how cool the surrounding forest is, and that rich earthy smell, and all that good oxygen the trees give us. I’m definitely wired to live in the mountains, or at least in the woods.

I love splashing in the creek, but I’m not much for rock hopping there anymore. It’s a concession to my advancing age and the slippery-making moss on the rocks under water, and a request from my daughter to please not fall.
🕊thatcrowwoman

[nevergiveup]

14. Although I am now an old man

and find it more convenient to live in the city my heart will forever remain in the country.

[debm55]

41. But you have those memories of the country to keep in your heart, as you take advantage of the city.

[underpants]

15. City but I live in the 'burbs

[multigraincracker]

16. College towns.

With old hippies.

[walkingman]

25. Agreed - in my next life that is my plan.

[debm55]

42. I lived in State College in the Nittany Mts of central PA for a year that I took off from school. I

agree, I loved it,

[Luciferous]

17. Small city. I like having conveniences but not

a ton of people. My husband and I have talked about finding property on a lake for retirement but it will have to be near a city for things like healthcare and shopping.

[debm55]

43. Agree, I like conveniences also

[Chautauquas]

21. When my wife and I retired we left the city (Madison WI)

and now we live in a small town 30 minutes away. I like the change and I plan to stay. Two of my 3 kids live in Madison so I have good reason to go there a lot.

[kimbutgar]

22. Lived in a city, suburb and country

I'll take city anyday.

[debm55]

44. I think that way too. I am out in the suburbs. If it wasn't for lack of public transportation. I

like it here more.

[Elessar Zappa]

23. I'd split my time.

I’d love to live in Manhattan half the year and somewhere rural and forested, like Vermont or the Rocky Mountains, for the other half of the year.

[walkingman]

26. Sounds really nice!!

[debm55]

45. Yes, I would like that too. We used to have a cabin in the Alleghany Mts. and spent every week end

there. Sold it though.

[highplainsdem]

24. Suburb of a city, with lots of mature trees around, a lake or

stream close by, and a park nearby, as well as good shopping and restaurants and a hospital within minutes.

I've lived most of my life in suburbs of Midwestern cities. Also lived in NYC (Manhattan - Upper East Side and West Side and Murray Hill), in a couple of small towns when I was a kid, and for a few years in the country when my dad rented a large farmhouse on a farm where there were horses to ride and a quarter-mile paved driveway that was great for skating or a motorized go-kart he built for us. And there were lots of visits to my grandfather's farm. But mostly it was suburbs.

Lots of good things to be said for country living, but it can be a long way from good shopping and culture and medical care.

Lots of good things to be said for cities, and I spent a lot of time in Central Park when I lived in NYC, but it's just too much concrete, too many people. And I'm a bit claustrophobic.

[debm55]

46. I agree there are goods and not so goods about each.

[Mr.Bill]

27. When I was younger and more active, I lived in Silicon Valley.

I lived in crowded suburbia, never in the downtown af a city. At age 38 I moved 150 miles north to a small town. I like this better in my Senior years. The only way I could live in a city like New York would be if I was very rich. I mean step out of my building to a chauffeur opening the door of my limo to go out to dinner, theater, etc. rich.

We are now in the process of following our children and grandchildren and moving to a slightly bigger town that is closer to better medical care, and just staying closer to family. They followed us to where we are now, and now we are following them to a place better suited to their careers.

[Hassler]

29. Small Town with a college, an hour from a city. Pop of around 15K. Unfortunately,

Circumstances mean living in a smaller city, pop 175K, but a college town, so there's that.

[Niagara]

30. I haven't decided yet.

We have a house, live in a suburb and have a few neighbors who drive me bonkers. Most of my immediate neighbors are friendly and quiet, except one to our left. They let their dog bark at 4:30am, 5:30am, sometimes at 11:00pm and at midnight. It wakes me up and I want to go bang on their door and tell them to bring their dog inside. Our mail carrier had to call the Sheriff's Dpt. several times since the dog gets loose, barks uncontrollably at said mail carrier and they can't deliver the mail to that house because they're frightened of the dog.


On July 9th, (Sunday) I had to call the Sheriff's Department since some residential nincompoop decided to set off class 4 fireworks at 11:00 at night. It wasn't a consecutive firing off, it was stop for about 10 minutes and the nincompoop would shoot them off again and stop again. So when I was almost asleep, BANG, BANG, BANG! This didn't happen on Friday or Saturday evening/night, oh no, it started when typically most people go back to work for Monday. I walked about a half mile to figure out what house was setting them, I called the Sheriff's Dept. at 11:32 and then it stopped after the SD visit.


I would like to live in the country, but with my luck, there would be a jerk somewhere who has absolutely zero consideration for their neighbors and would keep me awake when I'd rather be resting.


It's absolutely maddening.

[debm55]

50. My neighbors are like that too. We have an abandon house next ours--we call it the JUNGLE.

Grandmother died and did not put the house in her daughters name. Daughter died. The house is caving in, Have contacted the Boro numerous times--they put a condemned sign on the door, Trumpers to the back of my house have their "Don't blame me, I voted for Trump." flag up. and the US flag upside down. To the right I have a neighbor that had 2 pit bulls. and 4 smaller dogs. I untrained purebreed mauled my husbands arm. They told us not to call police as he would be put down. So they fenced in their yard. I have to walk past them to get to my gate. I fell and the pittie charged the fence. I fell on the way to my yard and as I did the charging dog broke through the fence. Niagara, you have never seen a 68 year old pick herself up and run like I did that day. Oh yes, we still have fireworks with going off. Called police--every year-they tell me it;s not their problem. Screw them. Neighbors down the street are better went to a grad party on Sunday and another one with free range hens on his property. I am surprised that the Sheriffs office came --mine won't come.

[Niagara]

53. I certainly hope that you didn't hurt yourself from falling and running from untrained purebreed.

[debm55]

58. No, but I didn't know a 68 year old could get up and run that fast in my life.

[SamKnause]

31. Country.

[debm55]

47. Thank you

[BluesRunTheGame]

54. I like smaller cities...

25,000 to 100,000. I recently bought a place in a city of 35,000. Seems to have most of what I need. Couple of larger cities close by.

When I was younger I lived in a couple different University towns and and a couple different tiny mountain towns. Glad I did. Nothing like grizzly bears and wolves in the front yard. Hippies and river rats for neighbors.

Lived in a somewhat larger city when I was an art student. 850,000. That was okay too. Happy to have done all that, glad to be where I am.

[Iggo]

55. Fool For The City -- Foghat

“Breathing all the clean air.
Sitting in the sun.
When I get my train fare
I get up and run.
I’m headed for the city.
Air pollution*, here I come!
Cause I’m a fool for the city!”

* I’ll be 62 later this year, and my whole damn grown life I thought that line was “Evolution, here I come!” Made sense, too. I was all, “Damn right!”

[debm55]

59. Thank you, Iggo. I always liked that song.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

57. Wilderness. I can't do city. I can't understand the appeal of city.

If it's more than a hundred feet to the nearest tree, it's damn near a desert. If there's more asphalt and concrete than dirt, it's a hostile, alien landscape. It's unhealthy to be unable to hear the critters because of machinery and people.

[debm55]

60. We all have to find our place in the world. You have found a lovely place to call home. I don't live

in the city per say, but on the outskirts.

[Emile]

61. Country boy here!