I personally prefer a rural lifestyle. I just don’t like city-life and for some weird reason it depresses me. I also hate overpopulation and heavy traffic. I like my living place to be open spaces and not such a busy environment. I also find a rural lifestyle to be more relaxing.
What are your opinions?
Neither. Why no option for the suburban lifestyle? It combines access to amenities with less crowded living spaces.
I also find cities depressing, but I’d be just as depressed in the middle of nowhere with few to no restaurants, movie theaters or shopping centers.
Urban. I was raised in a very rural lifestyle. Enough said.
I’ve done both, and slightly prefer the city… The little city!
Country living has a lot going for it. But I feel a little happier with more connections. I can walk to the supermarket, and the fire department can respond in minutes. Also… Brush Fires. Egad.
Sorry for not including the suburban option. :smack: For suburban, vote “undecided”.
True urban living meaning Manhattan, downtown Boston, Chicago or other major city is my absolute last choice and I would probably kill myself if I knew I had to do it permanently. I live in outer suburbia now and commute to an even less populated area and it is fine overall. I grew up in a truly rural area and loved it but it was inconvenient at times. I think I could go as rural or remote as possible now just fine now as long as I had a good internet connection and a Amazon Prime membership. Smaller is better for me with just a few caveats. I hear people say they want to live near but not in a big city because they can just drive to get to cultural events. Let’s face facts, the vast majority of people (especially those with kids) hardly even take advantage of that stuff on a semi-regular basis. I do stuff like that much more frequently when I travel far away than I do in Boston.
Rural, because it’s better.
Midway, because driving 20 minutes to get to a grocery store and an hour to get to the nearest Best Buy or movie theater sucks.
I was raised in the city and prefer rural life. I loved living in the city when I was young and always wanted something going on. Now I like peace and quiet and being able to live my life basically as I wish, without some Department of Inspections making me paint my garage.
I do miss being able to walk everywhere, though.
I was raised in a suburban/small city, lived in a few large cities, and now live in a small town. I am a homebody no matter where I live so at this point I prefer where I am because when I do go out, traffic is light and everything is accessible and not a hassle. And no pesky lights to stop at 
My preference is entirely practical. I am mostly blind, and would lose whatever independence I now have if I lived in a low density, public-transit-free place. As it is, I live in a small city with barely adequate public transit and walkability.
I can’t imagine living in the country with a mobility-limiting disability.
-Rick
Given my preference, I’d own 500 acres and live in the middle of it. Unfortunately, money IS an object, so I live in a (very) small town instead. And when I say ‘small’, I mean no traffic lights, and the only job in town is that of postmaster—and they’re threatening to close our PO!
What I would really love is a big wooded property right in the middle of the city. Then I could pretend I lived in the country, but it would still be convenient.
Urban, by a long shot. On a Sunday morning I want to walk outside, amble into a sidewalk cafe, and do some good people watching while I drink my coffee. I want to step outside my door and see people going about their lives. And I want the full range of restaurants, events, and social activities that a city has to offer (and yes, I do take advantage of them).
Suburban living makes me feel isolated and unhappy. I have been enjoyed in small towns, though- as long as there is a vibrant urban center.
Grew up as a kid in a very rural area - loved it. Moved to a small city for teen years/twenties-early thirties - liked a few things, hated many, many others. Mainly people-related. Man, city folk can often be some seriously major asshats relative to (most of) their country brethren. I’ve found this to be true across geographical/culturally different areas throughout my life (I’m almost fifty). Maybe all that ‘convenience’ gets on everyone’s nerves, I dunno…
Not to say I haven’t met some of the coolest people of my life in some large and small cities. This was one of the ‘likes’ mentioned above. The ratio is way off vs. the asshats though.
Currently live in rural far northern VT. Ahhhh…
A little expensive sometimes, but the natural beauty of the area (lakes, mountains, trails & bike paths, etc.), being able to walk my dogs off-leash in the woods out back, grow whatever I want in the yard - priceless.
And I’m still only a half-hour from all those must-have big box stores, so I just plan accordingly. Once a week for shopping, as needed.
To each their own, though. It is a difficult thing to put a price on peace of mind.
Final note: I do love to visit and enjoy all the amenities of larger cities from time to time, but I have the luxury of knowing that when I’ve burned out the urge, I can retire to my rural back deck and lay in the sun nekkid without worrying about anything other than sunburn.
Well, OK, these days, I guess domestic drones too. Screw 'em, says I. You wanna go all voyeur on my fifty-year-old butt? Knock yerself out!
Rural. Human beings weren’t meant to live in an environment of glass and concrete. I like green and lots of water around me. Rocks and trees and stuff, be able to see the stars at night and lots of sky in the day. I like long solitary walks on the prairie without worrying about my safety. Being able to swim in relatively clean water. And all the creatures.
I like to live in the midst of people I know well and can trust. Well, at least know who I can trust, which in a rural setting is almost everybody because we are so much more interdependent.
Not so many years ago if you weren’t trustworthy on the prairie chances are good you and your family were at serious risk. If people wouldn’t buy from you or trade with you, you didn’t eat. Sounds cruel and it was just a fact of life. That Darwinistic situation created a hardy group of folks who learned how to get along in spite of their differences.
We didn’t need social services because we took care of each other. But there was strong social pressure to keep your less savory business to yourself and people were much more polite. I guess you could say people were very much the same as today but they had a better sense of social boundaries. It’s changing, like everything, but at a much slower pace.
For the last thirty-some years I’ve lived in a smallish rural city but it’s only a quick walk to the woods and slough, a short drive to the swimming spot and an hour’s drive “back home” where even though most everyone I knew well is gone, just a mention of who I am will bring friendly welcomes. How neat is that?
Rural fer sure.
Here is a photo of the place I lived for 3 years, from 2000 to 2003. I thought it was like living in the Garden of Eden.
If it rained a lot in the winter, then in the spring the area was totally knee-deep in wildflowers.
ETA: Gawd, I miss living there.
ETA: And the rent was only $450 a month!
ETA: Cities, in particular large ones, are fucking cesspools.
keep Manhattan just give me that countryside
I prefer a suburban lifestyle but a rural setting. Give me a 5 acre block just out of the city and within 45 minutes drive from work and I’ll be happy.
Rural for me. That is hard for me to believe because I have always been a fan of cities.
But, after decades of long commutes, working from home in the middle of the woods is pretty dang great.
