City or Country? Where Do You Live?

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

13 Feb 2009 12:00 PM

Are you a fan of the big city? Do you love living the country life? Or do you prefer a location somewhere in between, such as suburbia? Statistically, you are most likely to live in a city.

One interesting fact is that sometime in August of last year, the number of people that live in a major city somewhere in the world surpassed the number of people who live in more rural areas. This phenomena is being studied closely by scientists in order to determine what, if any, impact this has.

Having lived in both city (New York), suburb (of Philadelphia), somewhat rural (our current home), and very rural (Ringe, NH), I can say that I found many things I loved and hated about each situation. You can't beat the city for culture, energy and new experiences. The rural life supplies you with plenty of fresh air, exposure to nature and self reliance. The suburbs usually offer family community as well as some of the features of both city and rural life.

Why do you live where you do? Did you grow up in your current area? Did you decide to move for a career or to raise children? Are you a good fit for the area in which you live now or do you have dreams of being somewhere else?

One way to try out a different lifestyle is to go on vacation in an area that you are curious about. Instead of getting a hotel, rent a home in the area, and plan on staying at least a week or two. This may give you a better idea of what daily life might be like. Of course, you may never really know until you take the plunge and make it more permanent.

If you do decide to trade one type of location for another, understand that it may take a while before you are really settled in. You may go through a honeymoon period where everything is great or you may feel frustration and regret about your move.

What are the best things about where you live?

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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Samual (11722) 14 Feb 2009 03:36 AM

I grew up in a Lincolnshire which is a farming county, we lived in a hamlet with two houses including my own, the nearest town was called Scunthorpe and about fourty minutes away, there was a village 30 minutes away in the opposite direction. Now I live in Cymru, in the county of Ceredigion in a lone house about half an hour from Aberystwyth. I had to live on the outskirts of a town when I was at university, it was possibly the worst experience of my life. People were very rude and would swear whenever they felt like it, streets sometimes had litter strewn about, grass verges were not kept properly, not only that but houses are so close together you could probably have a conversation with your neighbour out of a window, it felt like being in a prison.

Mary Ann Romans (26886) 14 Feb 2009 06:10 AM

I've never had the experience of living in an actual village. I bet the scenery is wonderful. Thanks Samual.