Country and City

I've been spending a lot of time driving across vast expanses of prairie (or similar landscape) over the recent months and it's gotten me thinking about rural and urban spaces. I've also moved from a small urban space to a much larger one, and it has got me noticing the differences.

All of this has reconfirmed for me that I am a big city gal at heart.

It's not that I love the congestion and the sometimes lack of privacy that a large urban center offers. Nor is it that I don't like the friendliness that a smaller town or city can offer. It's mostly the amenities that come with an urban center that exceeds a certain size that makes me like the big city.

I've lived in all kinds of places. From a small hamlet of under 300 to a sprawling metropolis of 15 million. Now, I will grant that the huge metropolis can be intimidating, and there certainly are downsides to such a huge place. Transportation becomes more difficult and in some neighborhoods can be downright dangerous. You don't even need to be a metropolis for that to occur. But even though getting around might be a bit harder, you've usually also got a lot more options.

Whereas living in a little hamlet, transportation isn't a problem - the whole place is only about 10 square blocks. But to do any business, you need to travel to a larger center, and getting there can sometimes be a problem. Not to mention everyone knows everyone else's business. There is something slightly consoling about the anonmymity of the city, knowing that if you have a bad day and don't feel like smiling, it's not going to start a rumour about how bad your life is - there's a good chance no one you meet on a day like that will remember you.

But mostly I like the amenities that come with a larger city. Take the one I live in now. In the next month, there's a film festival, a book festival, two concerts I want to see, and an academic conference in my field that will be held here. In a smaller place, I'd have to travel to get that - and then I would be travelling, not able to retreat home after each event. It also is large enough to boast several playhouses, a decent music scene, and a variety of restaurants and clubs that will not leave you wanting when the mood hits for something specific.

And decent public transit if I want/need it.

In a smaller urban center, or in a rural one, there certainly are more people who "know your name" and who you can count on to remember you and to say hi as you pass. In a larger place, there's a lot less of that. But what you don't get from your neighbors, you can still find. There are far more people available to connect with - to find people who share the same interests isn't difficult, and so you create your social networks not out of proximity, but because you share the same interests or values.

It's a bit like social networking on the internet - in all its formats, not just the most recent incarnations - from usenet groups to facebook - you can find someone else with whom you share an interest in almost anything. Sometimes that's good. Sometimes it's not. But I like the idea of having a lot of strangers around me, some of whom will make good friends when I get to know them. Yes, I suppose I pay a price because I could become more isolated within a sea of people, but then again, when I went to blend into that sea, I can dive in and no one will take notice. Then I can go home and call on the network I've created out of that sea. In some ways, there's a certain level of comfort to be taken in that.