I was raised in a small town in NJ... and now live in a large city. I liked living in the small town because you felt safe and knew a lot of people. But I like living in a large city now because things are easier to access and I can walk everywhere. Also anonymity has become my best friend.

Big cities can be noisey, impersonal, somewhat hard and often polluted. But they frequently offer financial, cultural and travel opportunities and a degree of anonymnity. Small towns can be provencial, nosey, inefficent, limiting and restrictive. They can also be gracious, friendy personal and comfortable. I've lived in both types both before and after the internet-really hasn't changed things that much. I was raised as a fourth generation in an "in-between". While it has it's appeal it also seems to in some ways be the worst of both worlds.

I was raised in Lafayette, Indiana, got a job and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana for four-five years, then moved to Lebanon, Indiana. The advantages of living in Indy (relatively big city) were that there were more choices of almost everything nearby. The disadvantages was the crime and feeling of safety. (The last apartment we were in was by the mailboxes. One night, I called the cops on a guy who was trying to get a lady's money and kidnap her. He took off when I yelled down that I was calling them. There were also parties in the nearby clubhouse where, when it broke up, people shot guns into the air. My kids also were attacked a couple of times just getting off their school bus.) Then we bought a house in Lebanon, about 30 miles north of Indy. My wife and I commuted. Advantages - MUCH quieter, safer, and I believe friendlier. There's still some crime that goes on here, but more vandalism and theft, not NEAR as many robberies and shootings. Lebanon has a couple of good groceries (one local & two chains), a Wal-Mart, and a number of restaurants. We can drive 30 minutes or so and hit a mall, and a number of larger restaurants that aren't in Lebanon. Disadvantages? In OUR town, less diversity of races and religions - but that seems to be changing; we have SOME factories and warehouses, but they usually pay less than in Indy - but there are those who drive from Indy and FURTHER to work here; some things cost a bit more here than in Indy - but you're also paying for convenience; SOME things require driving 1/2 hour to get - Sam's/Costco, larger restaurants, etc.; We are growing, BECAUSE we are so close to Indy - a bedroom community - There's a new TOWN being built between Indy and Lebanon, new subdivisions going in, etc.; And there are fewer (if any) museums, but again, less than an hour away is Indianapolis, Lafayette, and a large number of smaller towns. (Some of the subdivisions complain about nearby farms and noise - See http://www.orangefrogproductions.com/ofp2o_auth_ops_progress.shtml ). Remember, too, that smaller towns tend to "roll up the sidewalks" earlier than the bigger cities. Lafayette is a mid-sized city (to me). It grows by over 30,000 every year, due to students at Purdue. While I heard a lot of complaints from kids from BIG cities (Chicago, Cincinnati, Rochester NY, etc.) that there was "nothing to do" in Lafayette, they WERE there to go to Purdue, right? Purdue had (and still does) quite a few student clubs, and BOTH Purdue and Greater Lafayette have quite a few concerts - Not as many as Indy, but... My argument was that you are only 1 hour from Indy, 2 hours from Chicago, 3 hours from Evansville or Cincinnati, and all are easily reached on the interstates. Crime is less of a problem in most mid-sized cities than in the big ones, so you feel safer. There are MUCH fewer gangs and criminals, there, too, usually. I like Lebanon (or a similar locale) which would be 1/2-way between Lafayette (where my parents and some family still live) and Indy (where one of my sons live). I keep trying to find a job, and after commuting to Indy then Carmel (actually a suburb of Indy and almost, if not completely tied to it) - about 1/2 hour either way, you get REAL used to driving it. Of course, with the cost of gas...

Well for me the pros of a big city is that everything is accessable. The cons to me has been that people you live near aren't as social even though in much closer settings. The pro's of being in a small area is that your neighbors are very social and are more willing to sacrafice their time to help you. Things move slower so there is less of a overwelming rush to do things. The cons are public transportation and accesability. You are subject to having to drive no matter what you do. I was born in Honolulu but raised in San Antonio Texas 7 to 14 years old, and in Washington DC from 14 to 25 years old. Now I live in the suburbs of Atlanta. I chose the suburbs as opposed to the city because my wife and I wanted to raise kids outside of the city. My wife was born and raised in NYC Manhattan specifically. So I was surprised to hear her agree with me on reasons we should move to the burbs.