country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

in this thread we discuss the merits of urban areas vs. rural ones.

well you have all heard me say many times how much i hate living in NYC. and i am still planning to leave here ASAP. but after over a year in a major city i have to concede that there are a few ways in which cities are pretty good.

1. barbers. i get pretty basic haircuts and the barbers in the hood are great. i get a lot more attention to detail for my twelve bucks than i would at some place in a strip mall. if you are the salon-going type disregard this i guess, but for those of us who don't carry man-purses, going to barbershops where you are the only white person in the room is generally +EV, especially for beard trimming.

2. not having to drive home after a night of heavy drinking.

3. drop-off laundry service. it's a lot easier to get an apartment or house with washer/dryer in a more rural area, but if you can't, you can pretty much bet there's a place or two on your block in NYC that will wash and fold your laundry for not much more than it would cost to do it yourself. huge timesaver. laundromats are sometimes a lot farther away when you live in the sticks and they may not have drop-off. if they do it's probably expensive.

i am still a country boy for life, but ok NYC, you can cut my hair and wash my underwear for me.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

I have a convenience store on either side of my apartment building, it's amazing.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

it'd be a lot easier to list the things about rural regions thats better.


plenty of livestock to sex

inbred populations means if you can blink you are an 8+

more churches than restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores combined.

you can say the N word all you want without getting knocked out.

women were all molested by uncles and have emotional issues so they are very easy to score with.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

things i like better about living in a city

5 minutes from my house in each direction (off the top of my head) is a total of about 70 restaurants, 10 7/11's and two grocery stores.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

kkf,

i work with little kids in the city, they are just as likely if not more so to be molested here. so scratch that one off your list i guess. plus there are so many hot women in big cities that they are easier to score with because they are no longer special.

things that i actually prefer about rural regions:

--better air quality, ample trees and all that kind of hippie crap
--those of us who are not ballers can actually afford to live somewhere nice
--people are nicer and less likely to kill you for your shoes
--just about everything is cheaper
--no terrorists are going to blow up a town with pop <100000 unless it is in israel or something

and many others

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
things i like better about living in a city

5 minutes from my house in each direction (off the top of my head) is a total of about 70 restaurants, 10 7/11's and two grocery stores.

[/ QUOTE ]

i think this is a legit reason, but i am poor and there isn't a decent grocery store within 40 blocks of me. even worse for my girlfriend who likes to shop organic and all that. same for banks, restaurants, etc. really my only options are chinese food and overpriced convenience store beer. oh and mofongo obv

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
--no terrorists are going to blow up a town with pop <100000 unless it is in israel or something

[/ QUOTE ]

this is not true. there are several reasons why terrorists would strike small towns.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

WTF, NT, I thought you played like 50-100 PLO and the social work [censored] was just what you did to keep up appearances.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
--no terrorists are going to blow up a town with pop <100000 unless it is in israel or something

[/ QUOTE ]

this is not true. there are several reasons why terrorists would strike small towns.

[/ QUOTE ]

well this is a whole other debate, but in general it doesn't seem like they are actually picking up on this strategy, based on the last 50 years or so as evidence.

really the only terrorists you have to worry about in small towns are the crazy white people variety.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
WTF, NT, I thought you played like 50-100 PLO and the social work [censored] was just what you did to keep up appearances.

[/ QUOTE ]

sat in a 100/200 hi-lo game != able to beat that game

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

Free parking lots in front of every store in ruralish areas are nice. So are drive-thru fast-food restaurants, but those are about the only two advantages I can think of.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

Medium-sized city far from either coast is obv the way to go here. There are still plenty of convenience stores and restaurants and sporting events and asian massage parlors, but the cost of living isn't ridiculous and the traffic is bearable too.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
1. barbers. i get pretty basic haircuts and the barbers in the hood are great. i get a lot more attention to detail for my twelve bucks than i would at some place in a strip mall. if you are the salon-going type disregard this i guess, but for those of us who don't carry man-purses, going to barbershops where you are the only white person in the room is generally +EV, especially for beard trimming.

[/ QUOTE ]

You can definitely get this quality of service in small town America. Lots of small town barbers will give you a solid haircut, a shave w/ a straight razor and warm foam, and all for $10. Then they'll look at you funny if you give them a tip.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

wookie, i guess my experience has just been a little different. i have found a few good barbers over the years, but for my particular preferences i have never gotten a better cut than i do from basically any random barber above 110th in NYC. the real difference is in the facial hair trimming. i just wear a fairly standard beard - not too long or short or styled in a really douchey way. when i lived in MA, the barbers i went to always just trimmed it w/ scissors or an electric and then MAYBE edged it up if you asked them to. here it is assumed that you will get it shaped up, trimmed with the instrument of your preference, and then edged up with a straight blade, which really makes a difference. i guess it's just a question of style and preference.

in general i get much better service in most establishments in a small town. but in this case i prefer the treatment of barbers in the city, even though a lot of them don't even understand english, and my spanish is mediocre.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
it'd be a lot easier to list the things about rural regions thats better.


plenty of livestock to sex

inbred populations means if you can blink you are an 8+

more churches than restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores combined.

you can say the N word all you want without getting knocked out.

women were all molested by uncles and have emotional issues so they are very easy to score with.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's truly amazing that you still have an active account under this alias.

Ironic that you want to play the molestation angle.

J

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
Medium-sized city far from either coast is obv the way to go here. There are still plenty of convenience stores and restaurants and sporting events and asian massage parlors, but the cost of living isn't ridiculous and the traffic is bearable too.

[/ QUOTE ]

I definitely disagree with this. In my experience medium-sized cities have lots of the drawbacks of bigger cities--pollution, traffic, beggars, etc.--with a sort of diluted version of the positives--decent but not great restaurant selection, public transportation, etc.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

yeah what are some of these 'medium sized cities' that people are advocating? i think most of the desirable small cities are either college towns or some weird resort towns like asheville NC or the berkshires. when i think of medium-sized cities not in either of these categories, all that comes to mind is places like winston-salem or lubbock or something.

college towns and resort / vacation areas are likely to have more arts and culture type stuff due to the demographic, and they are small enough that you can go out a mile or two and find affordable housing. good luck with that in a major city.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Medium-sized city far from either coast is obv the way to go here. There are still plenty of convenience stores and restaurants and sporting events and asian massage parlors, but the cost of living isn't ridiculous and the traffic is bearable too.

[/ QUOTE ]

I definitely disagree with this. In my experience medium-sized cities have lots of the drawbacks of bigger cities--pollution, traffic, beggars, etc.--with a sort of diluted version of the positives--decent but not great restaurant selection, public transportation, etc.

[/ QUOTE ]
Well, on second thought, "medium-sized" may not have been exactly what I meant. I'm not talking a city of like 50,000 because those pretty much all suck afaik. But most cities of around 500,000 have plenty of good restaurants that aren't Applebee's or Friday's or whatever.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

Travel upstate sometime, you'll see what Noah's talking about, but with lake effect snow to boot!

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

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you can pretty much bet there's a place or two on your block in NYC that will wash and fold your laundry for not much more than it would cost to do it yourself.

[/ QUOTE ]

Really? Damn, it's like 4 or 5 times the cost here in Atlanta.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
--no terrorists are going to blow up a town with pop <100000 unless it is in israel or something

[/ QUOTE ]

this is not true. there are several reasons why terrorists would strike small towns.

[/ QUOTE ]

well this is a whole other debate, but in general it doesn't seem like they are actually picking up on this strategy, based on the last 50 years or so as evidence.

really the only terrorists you have to worry about in small towns are the crazy white people variety.

[/ QUOTE ]

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...54C0A9629C8B63

A good example is the IRA. Of course they hit Belfast the most, they also consistantly attacked in random small towns across Northern Ireland for many years.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
Travel upstate sometime, you'll see what Noah's talking about, but with lake effect snow to boot!

[/ QUOTE ]

when you say 'upstate,' are you talking about westchester county upstate, or like, albany? i have been all over that area and there's not much of anywhere i'd be excited to live. hudson will probably be cool in about ten years. parts of columbia county near the MA border might be ok but only because nothing in MA is remotely affordable.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

NT!,

I haven't done a ton of traveling, but Austin, Fort Worth, Madison, and even to an extent Oklahoma City are all pretty decent places. Yeah, two of those are sort of college towns I guess. So maybe that's the way to go.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
you can pretty much bet there's a place or two on your block in NYC that will wash and fold your laundry for not much more than it would cost to do it yourself.

[/ QUOTE ]

Really? Damn, it's like 4 or 5 times the cost here in Atlanta.

[/ QUOTE ]

i get my laundry done and folded for like 75 cents a pound here. a typical ten pound load (usually have to dry it twice) would cost me five bucks or so to do myself. i usually tip a buck and they think i'm the most generous person in the world, apparently nobody tips on laundry service.

EDIT: i would guess that the high cost of doing laundry in southern cities has to do with them being more spread out and more people having w/d in their domiciles. you need population density and a lack of appliances to do the kind of volume they do in my neighborhood.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
NT!,

I haven't done a ton of traveling, but Austin, Fort Worth, Madison, and even to an extent Oklahoma City are all pretty decent places. Yeah, two of those are sort of college towns I guess. So maybe that's the way to go.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah i think there are a lot of desirable small to medium sized cities, most of the best seem to be college towns or vacation areas though. i mean you have to deal with students or tourists, respectively, but it still seems pretty great to me. all of the cities i have been to and really liked a lot of have been one or the other.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

Wonder Boys made college town life look pretty cool.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Travel upstate sometime, you'll see what Noah's talking about, but with lake effect snow to boot!

[/ QUOTE ]

when you say 'upstate,' are you talking about westchester county upstate, or like, albany? i have been all over that area and there's not much of anywhere i'd be excited to live. hudson will probably be cool in about ten years. parts of columbia county near the MA border might be ok but only because nothing in MA is remotely affordable.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think he meant that places upstate suck.

A lot of the more expensive areas in Westchester seem like they'd be pretty cool to live in, except that they're crazy expensive.

College towns are really hit or miss in my experience. There are sort of two distinct stereotypes... the town with lots of cool non-chain shops and cafes and bars and restaurants and stuff, and the town with a mcdonalds, a [censored] college bookstore, and a few decaying frat houses.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

yeah i think that's what he meant too, and i tend to agree. i work in westchester county right now and i [censored] hate it up there.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

Yeah, I meant like the Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse snow belt, I'm currently in Rochester. These pretty much fit the diluted version of a big city perfectly, a lot of the negatives and very few of the positives.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
Medium-sized city far from either coast is obv the way to go here. There are still plenty of convenience stores and restaurants and sporting events and asian massage parlors, but the cost of living isn't ridiculous and the traffic is bearable too.

[/ QUOTE ]

If I'm going to live in a city then I like to make it a major one. To offset all the drawbacks I need to have stuff that a big city can offer me. Lots of good nightlife, heaps of touring acts, just a really crazy dynamic place. Otherwise I'll just hang on a mountain somewhere.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

i grew up in a suburb of d.c., living in richmond now (~200000) for a couple months so far. I can see how being born in a city, you might like it, but i think generally the more urban stuff is the more it sucks. even if i lived in a nicer city, the benefits i'd gain are small, i'd still have all the downsides, and it would probably be a fun place to visit but i wouldn't want to live there.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

i was born and raised in a <3,000 person town in northwestern wisconsin. spent my college years (16-20) in a 100,000 person town, and now live in vegas at 21, so i feel pretty qualified to comment on this.

small town pros:

1. you know everyone.

if you're moving to a different part of town, 25+ people (probably from your church) will be at your door whenever you need to them to be to help you.

if your car breaks down at 2:40 a.m. you can get a ride from the first person that passes you by w/o having to worry about getting a tire iron to the face.

when you forget your wallet when you go up to get gas at the holiday station, you can just pay the next time, or drive home to get you wallet and come back to pay.

2. the police

you get pulled over, it's likely to be someone you know. or someone you dad knows, or your uncle went to school with. if you're not doing anything truly stupid, the conversation will likely end with, just slow down, and i'll see you at Joe's for the football game this sunday.

3. the shopping/restaurants

if you want a good piece of pie with a cup of coffee, it's going to be $2 at the Backdoor Cafe. if you want a homemade sandwich with all the fixins done just the way your ma' did it along with a coke, it's going to be $3. but you can still go up to the McDonald's for a cheeseburger after work, or Subway for a meatball sub after the football game on Friday night.
if you want a pair of pants, it'll probably be levi's from Pamida, and they're going to last you for two years. probably more if you want to take them up to Amy's Tailoring to have a patch put on the hole in the knee.
if you really want to go to a mall to get a hollister surfing shirt, the mall is only an hour and a half away. the drive isn't bad because you get to hang out with your parents, or your friends parents during that time and not feel dorky because there's really no one else you can go with, so you learn to like it. also, once you're 16, you have something else to look forward to on the weekend.
also, if you crave something at 3:00 a.m. you're just going to have to wait.

4. entertainment

a night at the theater means catching a movie that actually came out 9 months ago. but hey, you've never seen it, so that's awesome, because it's new to everyone else in town too. friday nights are spent at the football game in the fall, the basketball game in the winter, and golfing with your friends/family in the spring time. summer last forever, and most school kids are going to be floating down a river somewhere, probably drinking beer, or playing baseball at the elementary school. adults are probably at a bbq with their kids talking about when they were floating down rivers drinking beer and playing baseball.
parties are in fields. or in the gravel pit. that's how it's been for years. and no, it's not a secret place that the cops won't know about because that's where they partied when they were sitting in the same high school desks listening to the same teachers you have. they just leave you alone because they were left alone.

5. environment

it's clean. you can walk anywhere without a surgical mask. you can get into the woods in a matter of minutes, and hunt and fish everyday if you want. there's no smog, there's hardly any pollution. and there is PLENTY of untouched oxygen. you can see the stars, and climb the trees.

6. employment

your dad probably went to high school with the guy that owns the video store, when you go in for you "interview" ask him about the 1978 state championship game. you'll get the job.
an economics degree won't get you as much respect as the fact that you mowed Mr. Thompson's lawn from age 12- the present. and you want to be a salesman and sell something to a farmer, be prepared to get your bruno's full of crap helping get the cows rounded up.
but once you do get a job putting windows together at the factory, you'll have job security for the rest of your life, and you'll be making the same amount of money at 70% of the rest of the town so you won't have an inferiority complex when you 1996 ford truck passes Bob's 1996 chevy truck on the way to the bar after work.

7. girls

put out. and put out good. they don't know any better. and yes, you'll probably end of sleeping w/ at least half of the 30 girls in your graduating class. probably more if you're on a sports team.



cons:

1. you know everyone

if you smoked a cigarette in your buddy's car on the way home from school. your parents will know before dinner is on the table. and if you smashed Old Lady Smith's mailbox, your dad will pick you up from the cop shop and walk you straight to her house to apologize, then she'll offer you cookies.
if someone cheats on their spouse with an "outsider," they will have a hard time buying groceries/ getting gas/ going to the football game without getting a hundred dirty looks.

2. the police.

if they didn't like you or your parents when you were in school together, you will be getting a ticket for going 28 in that 25. and if you look at them funny when they're chewing you out for underage drinking, you'll probably get 3 other tickets also.

3. the shopping/ restaurants

no, no one knows what "gucky" is and if they have holes in their pants, it's because they've worked those holes into them. same thing with paint.
you can't get a triple half-caf soy latte w/ 3 espresso shots.
you're not going to get a Benz. ever.
5th avenue is where the old folks home is.
you won't get a good bottle of red wine with your dinner.
(but you will probably get a $1.00 pbr)

4. entertainment.

again, if a new movie comes out on April 4th. it will get here in October. the only stage shows you'll see is the high school talent show.
you're not going to go to a professional sports game. but the games you do get to go to after driving 8 hours to that big city are games that you will remember for the rest of your life.

6. environment

there aren't any awe inspiring architectural sights for hundreds of miles. the air might be cleaner, and the trees might be fun to climb, but you're not going to be able to be all touristy by seeing different sights every weekend if you want to, like you could in NYC.

6. employment

there are 12 different jobs you can get. pick one.
you're not going to make enough money at any of those jobs to buy you the biggest houses in town, unless your parents had those jobs first/ or went on fishing trips with those people.

7. girls

you're probably related.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

you know whats great about the city

less country bumpkins

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

NT!, how far away from a ski slope? 5 mins here.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
you know whats great about the city

less country bumpkins

[/ QUOTE ]

and vice versa

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
NT!, how far away from a ski slope? 5 mins here.

[/ QUOTE ]

meh i don't like skiing

unless you are talking about cocaine in which case they got what you need papi

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

NYC is a really extreme example of urban life because it is so very expensive and difficult to live around greenery. Central Park is awesome, but you're not living there.

I have always lived in a big city, though, and I could not have it any other way.

I also think it is possible to get past some of the problems of city life if you get the right neighborhood in the right city.

My neighborhood in Baltimore is quite green. Big park close by. There are trees everywhere, in the spring there are cherry blossoms and azalea blooms up and down. Just yesterday we came back from the park to find a bunny on our lawn.

People can know each other in the city. I know some of my neighbors quite well, and there is a block near me where everyone seems to know each other. Having kids helps - you tend to get out and meet people. But honestly, a dog does the same thing. I know a few people because of their dog, and I don't have one.

It does not have to be expensive. You could move onto our street for $300k, maybe less.

Then there are the real city advantages.

Convenience is unmatched. I walk to the supermarket, drug store. If I'm not carrying too much, I can also walk to the dry cleaners and a great liquor store. My wife walks to work.

Culture. Again, walking distance to an art museum with pieces from Jasper Johns, back to transplanted rooms from Colonial America homes, complete with furniture and china. Not to mention a short ride to go see theatre, have dinner after, etc.

Activity. Always something going on somewhere, and there are so many more options in a city.

I will grant you that the schools suck here, and I wish that were not so.

Again, picking the right neighborhood in a good city is key. I could probably right these same things about houses near Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis, for instance.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

By cities it sounds like you mean like downtown or whatever, and when you say rural I think of sparsely populated and farms and whathaveyou, meaning you left out suburbia. No love for little boxes made of ticky tacky?

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

Cities have way fewer Republicans.

Re: country bumpkins vs. city slickers
 

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, I meant like the Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse snow belt, I'm currently in Rochester. These pretty much fit the diluted version of a big city perfectly, a lot of the negatives and very few of the positives.

[/ QUOTE ]

Rochester is a mutated, overgrown town, to which you are totally right in that it has almost all the negatives and a few, if any of hte positives.

Having went to school in a rural area v. living on Long Island (which is relatively urban), I can say I MUCH, MUCH prefer what LI has to offer v. a rural area. I think places like LI and Westchester are the best compromise, the only problem is they are a little expensive.