Towns vs. Cities

A friend of mine recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Apart from the knowledge he acquired through his book learning, there was one other fact he discovered in college: that he never wants to live in a big city ever again. He now lives in a town of 600 people in South Dakota. He absolutely loves it. He once told me that he prefers living in South Dakota over Iowa because Iowa has too many people!

I wouldn?t say I?m as averse to cities as my friend, but I sympathize with his point of view. So do my parents. Both of my parents were raised in Pocahontas, Iowa. They lived in other cities after college, but before long they had settled back in their home town. And as far as I can tell, they are glad they did. Both of them live within two blocks of their work. How many couples can say that?

My father in particular likes the slow pace of small towns. When we took a family vacation to Chicago in 1999, we got stuck in heavy traffic. My dad was sitting in the passenger?s seat, and he turned around to tell my sisters and me, ?Kids, this is why we don?t live in a big city.?

Traffic has to be the biggest drawback of living in a city. In some cities, it?s not just the street traffic that is stressful. When our family visited New York City in 2003, I was amazed by the constant flow of people on the sidewalks. You don?t dare stop to tie your shoelaces in Times Square because you will be bowled over by the person behind you.

City folks have a reputation for being cold, or in the case of New Yorkers, brusque. Walking the streets of Manhattan made me realize why city folks appear to behave that way. In a small town, it is a common sight for strangers to greet one another on the sidewalk or wave to one another from their cars. There is no way you could do that in a big city. Your voice would grow hoarse and your arms would get tired.

My friend who lived in Philadelphia said there was one thing he missed about city life, and that was the range of culinary options. He became especially fond of Lebanese food while he was there, and was disappointed to learn the grocery store in his South Dakota town doesn?t carry any. Niche goods that only appeal to a tiny fraction of the population can thrive in a city of several million. Cities do have that going for them. Still, I?m partial to my one-block walk to work, and a stress-free walk to boot.