Rodger Pettichord Posted September 11 Share Posted September 11 Hi all. I grew up in a rural area just outside a town of 1,200. Most of my life has been lived in rural or similar places. I like open skies, few people, lots of open land. I have friends who are exactly the opposite. For them, it's cities all the way. To them, the places I like are boring and need a lot more traffic, many more buildings, and some action. I guess the choice between rural and city is very much a matter of personal comfort. And that brings up this week's topic. THIS WEEK'S MEANINGLESS TOPIC: Are you a rural or a city person? 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillwater Posted September 11 Share Posted September 11 Uuuh, that can be a challenging poll... City, that´s me. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted September 11 Share Posted September 11 Rural. Or better yet small coastal village. I grew up in what had been the latter. By the time I came along, growing up in the 1950s, the village of East Rockaway had become a suburban community, a bedroom community for New York City. But still with fewer than 3500 people it had much of the ambiance of the coastal fishing and resort village it had been before WW2. But since the end of the War the county I lived in had become the "fastest growing county in the US." With the new Levittown leading the way, the rural and small town nature of the region was changing forever. But a couple of visionary men decided to preserve some of it before it was all lost. From this vision grew Old Bethpage Village Restoration, a living history museum which preserves a bit of pre Civil War agricultural Long Island. I've happily worked there for most of the last 35 years. Ken 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Cooper Posted September 11 Share Posted September 11 Hello, I suppose it's what you are brought up with. My parents always lived in villages when I was young but when I moved away from home, I lived in and around the City of Kingston upon Hull for around 25 years. When I lived there, you could buy everything you needed within a ten minute walk, including houses and cars. Then I moved away to a small market town and looking back, realised that Hull was in fact a dump, that I do not even like to visit these days. In 1997, I moved to a small village and realised that was what I really wanted and still live in another even smaller village now, where I have been for 26 years. There aren't even street lights, so at night it is actually dark. There is no pub, no phone box, no businesses and no shops. If I look out of the front windows, I can see the hills of the Yorkshire Wolds and out of the back ones, the Vale of York, which is flat. It's wonderful. 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryisenor Posted September 11 Share Posted September 11 I was born in the city but moved to a small town when I was about 1-2 years old. We lived in a number of small towns until I was 13 and moved back to the city. I liked the city better and have lived here since then. Even when on holiday I like the cities better. Larry 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gumbypickett Posted September 11 Share Posted September 11 I've always lived in the city.👍 cheers Gumby 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adambar Posted September 11 Share Posted September 11 I hate the cities although I'm only 40 miles from a large city I live in a rural area with forests and rolling hills and ridges. Actually I haven't been to the city for 20 yrs or so and it's not going to change anytime soon. They are are nothing but trouble especially in today's world. In fact I know of no one that been there for years. Used to be safe to walk around at any time of day or night buy yourself, not today. I have all kinds of stores, restaurants,malls for miles east or west of where I live and be there in 5min. 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Q Posted September 11 Share Posted September 11 2 minutes ago, adambar said: I hate the cities although I'm only 40 miles from a large city I live in a rural area with forests and rolling hills and ridges. Actually I haven't been to the city for 20 yrs or so and it's not going to change anytime soon. They are are nothing but trouble especially in today's world. In fact I know of no one that been there for years. Used to be safe to walk around at any time of day or night buy yourself, not today. I have all kinds of stores, restaurants,malls for miles east or west of where I live and be there in 5min. I live about an hour's train ride from New York City, but I haven't been there for at least 10 years. Years ago I used to enjoy visiting the "City" but no more. It is just too hard to get around for anyone with even mild disabilities. It is also very expensive. I have lived in my current town for 46 years. Settled in 1653, it is the fifth oldest English settlement on Long Island. Though now a large suburb rather than a small town, it still has areas with a small town feel, and we live in one. It has the advantage of quiet streets, lots of trees, and fairly large lots. There are lots of amenities nearby like shops and restaurants, but most important for people of our age, A large and excellent hospital is just two and a half miles away. When I was in college and newly enlisted in the Navy, I had s good friend named Billy who lived with his folks in the hamlet of Schultzville in upstate New York. His dad worked for the phone company, and ran a camp ground on Long Pond. It was a delightful rural retreat, and we had a great time there! But one January I was on leave from the Navy, and went to visit Billy for a week. The night I arrived Billy was having a severe asthma attack. Next morning we bundled him into the car, and rushed to the nearest hospital. It was about ten miles away. We didn't make it in time. Lovely and bucolic as a rural setting is, there is a downside. Ken 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodger Pettichord Posted September 11 Author Share Posted September 11 My trouble is that I like small towns and open spaces, but I keep ending up in places that get overrun by urban growth. My bucolic hometown is now a busy suburb of Portland. My last, twenty-year pastorate in the foothills of the Cascades near Mt. Rainier is now flooded with housing from Tacoma/Seattle. Our present place started out as a nowhere open spot west of Spokane but is now buried in traffic and construction. On the other hand --wait, there is no other hand. We're too old to move again! 😄 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillwater Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 I knew this is going to be a hot topic, and the posts above show that. I would not like to turn it into a "city versus land" discussion, but I can just remark: We live in a quiet place, where often the birds make the biggest noise around sunset and sunrise (while we are sitting with a glass of something on the balcony, I mean in the evenings). In a circle of about 500 m we have all kinds of doctors, a hospital, numerous pharmacies, 5 supermarkets, dozens of restaurants of all kinds, 5 bookshops 2 childrens playgrounds, 3 schools (all levels). I join the above comments: We (nearly) never go to the city center - why should we, everything is here. Our kids always had their friends or party locations in handy distance, either walking or by bike. We commute to work via bike through the main railway station, which is a 5 min ride (or 20 min walk) away, though I had to use the subway (2 stations) yesterday because of rain. And this railway station has a high speed train (ok, German speed) connection directly in all 4 directions: Amsterdam, Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Munich. Around the station we have numerous cimenas, theatres and the opera. In addition, the airport is a 15 Min taxi ride away. Before Covid I left home 60 Minutes before takeoff, but now the processes in airports are much slower. I think we have the best of all worlds. Others think the same in a different setting. So there can not be final judgements, just observation reports in this thread. 2 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilot100 Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 What was that question again? Are you a rural or a city person? It depends on my location at the time, and the weather is also an influence, we are all lucky to be able to have a choice. I'm not really in favour of assignments like rural and city, makes for divisiveness (or is that divisivness?) and there's enough of that around. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Cooper Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 2 hours ago, pilot100 said: makes for divisiveness (or is that divisivness?) and there's enough of that around. I don't think so, at least not here in the company of you erudite people. Any problems originate from those who cannot help themselves from knowing what is best and then trying to impose that on others. Indeed there are plenty of them, but not here. We have indeed had newcomers to our village, even newer than us, as after 26 years we are still "new", who have tried to impose street lights (failed) a physical bus stop (failed), install a large pig unit (failed) and six new houses (succeeded). Ironically, the purchaser of the largest new house put up his own street light and was promptly made to take it back down. Live and let live prevails here in this corner of the forums and Rodger was just asking us how we feel. 2 1 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilot100 Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 No offence intended Roger, keep your questions coming..... 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikbenik Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 (edited) I'm a City-born citizen, first 22 years at Belgian's Coastal City Oostende(the largest at our small coastline of 65Km). Did my military duty period(15 months) in Germany. Had the qualification for an Officer rank and took the opportunity to enlist for a further 10 years located mostly in the region of the large German City Koeln. Then changed my uniform for the civil life till my pre-retirement at the age of 57. Since only 2 weeks moved with my wife and dog(Tequila) more inland to a smaller town(20000 inh). Now comfortable in a pretty large flat with 2 terrasses and my own place for virtual flying and other PC-things. Edited September 12 by ikbenik 7 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boetie Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 Spent last weekend in Brisbane and can say that I'm definitely not a city person. It's a beautiful city but so many people! Give me our beautiful beaches and luscious hinterland any day. If I'm within 10 minutes of a butcher I'm happy Cheers Graeme 3 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillwater Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 4 hours ago, ikbenik said: my pre-retirement at the age of 57. Since only 2 weeks moved with my wife and dog(Tequila) more inland to a smaller town(20000 inh). Now comfortable in a pretty large flat with 2 terrasses and my own place for virtual flying and other PC-things. That sounds really good, Johny. From the pre-retirement (I wish we had such) to your home and your dog. Really good... I just imagine you enter a bar, the dog misbehaves and you shout his name... 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wain71 Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 I was born and have returned to my City, we now have 750K people here, was only 500k when I was born in the mid 60s, the wife comes from a place that the locals consider to be big, 19k people, a lot are military, which I was when I met her...I like the convenience of where I live and the noise doesn't bother me but once we get near to retirement we will move out somewhere a little slower and not so crowded, here though our small family business can keep us very busy which pays the bills and mortgage.... Mind you tomorrow I will be at a Center Parcs resort until Monday, limited phone signal, lots of forest to go walking in and we both can't wait...oh and the Pancake House will sure be calling my name.... Honestly though, this may sound cringe to some but I would live anywhere as long as my wife, who I met in 1985 is with me, that's all I need...and WiFi for MSFS... 3 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stiletto2 Posted September 12 Share Posted September 12 Since I was 7, I have almost always lived in a suburb of a sizeable U.S. city (Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Tampa etc.), usually around 45 minutes to an hour away from downtown, so don't know if I would like living in the middle of a large city or not. I currently live at the edge of a town of 25,000, in a far out suburb of Cleveland, which has it's own town center. The town center features its own little "uptown" park (with gazebo) surrounded on four sides by local businesses. The large chain grocery stores etc. are on on the edges of the town which puts many of them within a 5 minute drive of my house. My son and his family live 10 minutes away from my house. Though our house is in a subdivision, our backyard borders on a small pond and there is a farm beyond that. My wife and I are very happy here in this, mostly small town environment and enjoy watching geese, ducks, deer, turkeys, birds (saw two bald eagles the other day) etc. along with watching the farmer sow crops and reap his harvest. Rod 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodger Pettichord Posted September 12 Author Share Posted September 12 7 hours ago, pilot100 said: No offence intended Roger, keep your questions coming..... No offense taken, Brian. I know you are a good guy, and I share your opinion about divisiveness. That's why I appreciate this forum and our moderator Nick. Folks here work hard to stay on common ground. Like you just did. Good on ya! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingleaf Posted September 13 Share Posted September 13 Born in a big city and love the big city. More Tav....ooops sorry can't help it since its true. I do like the great outdoors though even if I do have to lug my B..rs in on my back. Ah man here I go again. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TuFun Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 I currently live in what was a military town until the base closed with about 32k population. It's a great place to live, weather is mostly nice year-round. Never snows! Many friends have moved out of state... probably one of the worst states to live in (expensive) sad to say. Cities are not safe to visit. If you have to use a rental car. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebear Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 I was born in a small town that was later incorporated into the next largest city. It currently has half a million inhabitants. When I got married, I built my house in a rural village and lived there for almost ten years. I've been back in the city where I was born for just over twenty years now. Unfortunately, the larger cities in Germany are becoming increasingly unsafe, so I prefer to spend my time in the countryside area. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillwater Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 6 hours ago, Bluebear said: larger cities in Germany are becoming increasingly unsafe Maybe we should comment this for the international readers: This is a relative statement, not easy to compare with other contries, continents - or just other places. I do not like all those people I see around some places, but I do not see a negative development over the decades - and I will not set it in relation to really unsafe places. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluebear Posted September 14 Share Posted September 14 Yes, you're certainly right, Gerold, you can't and shouldn't compare it with other places in the world. That is certainly a personal impression, but my own experience and the official figures speak for themselves. Unfortunately, I see a very big change in my city in recent years, but such a topic is certainly out of place in this forum and we shouldn't go into it any further. 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Abernathy Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 Throughly enjoying this thread as it allows me to know y'all a bit better. There is no other flt sim forum like this one. Personally, I like both city and rural. Grew up across the bay from San Francisco in a rural town with a creek behind my house. This allowed me both the joys of quite hills or a 30 minute bus/car ride over to the City. Loved San Francisco in the 50's-70's but find it lacking now. I love going to Seattle though and have walked around almost all of it. Was just there for a week this month but balanced that with some rural time on Vancouver Island, BC. That's what I like.... a balance of both! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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