Where would you rather live?

[Nikia]

Assume you got a good job in a small town where you do not know anyone. For the sake of this poll, you don't know anyone in the areas you are thinking of living either. There would be decent, affordable houses in all three of these areas.
You could live in the small town that has basics like a hospital, library, decent downtown, restaurants, a video store, and a large grocery store.
You could live a ways outside of town in an area that is more naturual: wooded areas, small lakes, very fresh air. The closest civilization would be the small town or a couple of even smaller towns.
You could live a ways in the other direction in a small city (big enough to be considered a metropolitain area) with all the basics and then some.
I probably won't get the potential job anyway, but we scoped it out and it made me think about this. I wondered what other DUers would choose too.

[Roland99]

1. I'd like to be within walking distance of shops, bookstores, etc.

[Nikia]

4. That would probably be more likely in the small town

They have a number of interesting shops, although I am not sure if they have a book store or not. The houses around the small city's downtown look kind of dumpy although there might be be a couple of other business areas that are pedestrian friendly with nicer housing.

[Roland99]

5. doesn't have to be in a downtown area.

Live on the edge of urban/suburban.

[ghostsofgiants]

2. I'm in a small, fairly rural town now. I hate it.

I go to school in a small city. I love it.

[NJ Democrats]

3. I live in a mix of small town and rual wooded

area, and am moving to the same thing but if I was deciding I would move to a small/big city.

[bigwillq]

6. Small city (nt)

[YellowRubberDuckie]

7. I want to live in large city.

I want to live some place that if i wake up at three in the morning I can order a pizza. I want to live in a city where I don't have to own a car, because there is an excellent public transportation system. I live in a small city right now, and while I don't hate it, there could definately be some improvement. I like Oklahoma City. It's an oddly open town, even though it's mostly a red place. People are nice, at least to your face. I would however much rather live in New York or Seattle and be completely anonymous with a few close friends and acquaintances from the nearby shops and stores.
:shrug:
I grew up in rural oklahoma, and let me tell you, that place still makes me feel smothered. You're not allowed to change in small towns like that. They still think I'm the same old awkward dork with bad hair back there. And I don't ever want to go back there for longer than a day ever again.
Duckie

[Nikia]

10. A large city isn't really an option in my case

Even if this wasn't the potential job.
We have a dog and a lot of stuff so it would be difficult to find something decent that was affordable unless I got a really, really good job. I have considered applying for jobs in big cities, but if I only can make $30,000-$40,000, I don't know if I could afford it.

[misanthrope]

20. From my experience...

...it's all relative. The same job that pays 25K in a town with X cost of living will pay 50K in a town where the cost of living is 2X. Perhaps if you checked into occupations within those larger towns comparable to the jobs you have held or desire, you might find you could indeed afford it. The real cost is likely to be with the relocation itself.

Now, if you just don't have the desire to move to a larger city, then that's another story.

[Redstone]

8. We live in a small town, and IN town. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Redstone

[YankeyMCC]

9. Small city is the choice I've made

although perhaps 'small' isn't quite right but if Boston is big it's just that side of the line between big/small.

I love the wilds and get out there as often as I can but I'm a city guy. The nice thing about a 'small city', at least the one I live near, is that it's often also near the rural and wild areas and they put premiums on 'open space' so even close to the city you find nice areas. For example today my family and I just did a geocache in a Lexington conservation area and you would never know we were less than 10 miles away from a major metro area.

[gollygee]

11. I live in a small city and Iove it

Everything I need in the world or could ever want is within a half hour. Well, except major league sports teams and really high-level theater. But there's minor league sports and some pretty nice theaters. I love my town. I would choose to live here before anywhere else :)

[Nikia]

12. Rural, wooded seems to be winning, but not much explanation

For those of you who picked that option or who live in such an environment, what do you see as the advanatges.
Maybe it is obvious though: Quiet, clean air, nature, peaceful, feel like we are on vacation.

[XemaSab]

16. I lived in a rural, wooded area

and while I really liked it in some respects, I was surrounded by fundies and freepers.

[Solon]

13. Tropical Island...

I want a nice shack right on the beach.

[Nikia]

14. That would be cool, but not practical now

The closest thing to that is that there are a lot of small lakes in the rural wooded area. We might be able to get a place on a small lake that is afforadable.

[XemaSab]

15. Small city

Unless of course the small town was very liberal and very hip.

Otherwise I would worry about not having friends. :(

[catmandu57]

17. I've lived in the same small town for 15 years

I love it here, it's reasonably quiet, I'm not as mobile as I once was, so it's just right for me. Everything is close, we have good grocery stores an abundance of eating establishments, nice library and parks.

[fleabert]

18. need a choice for huge city.

I hate the suburbs, and I would get bored in a small city.

I have lived in all the areas you describe, and I much prefer urban residential in a very large city. SF is the best, since I would be blocks from the beach, three hours from skiing, and less than an hour or so from national parks.

[Wcross]

19. I live on 15 acres- 1/2 mile to the nearest neighbor.

I wouldn't trade it for anything else. I have lived in a large city (Washington,D.C.), Suburbia, in a small city and a small town. I think I have found my favorite place right here.
I have been here for three years now. I have never heard a police or fire siren. Imagine being a light sleeper and being able to sleep 8 hours straight with your window open.

[HEyHEY]

21. FUCK SMALL TOWNS

[tjwmason]

22. Small town.

So I could walk everywhere I'd be going to most of the time. Also (in England at least) these tend to have more community feel, more friendly people.

That said, I'd investigate all of the options first in much more detail.

[Catbird]

23. Consider your commute. How long would it be?

Consider the price of gas. Consider the impact of peak oil. Consider bicycles. Consider walking. Consider your ecological footprint. Consider mass transit. Consider your time.

Long commutes are a luxury we won't be able to afford much longer.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

24. Rural area...

I like to spend lots of time doing stuff outdoors.
I find cities to be pretty boring.

[uppityperson]

25. Rural wooded area, near to small town.

Commuting is costly, but close enough to ride a bicycle in. I like being able to run around outside in private except for those damned deer and racoons who don't care if I'm dressed. I like the peace of the woods. Have lived in small town and medium towns, find that living out here I don't need houseplants either since am in the woods.

[Southsideirish]

26. Nice sized, "hip" progressive city in a beautiful area with a moderate

climate, nice people and a population of about 100,000 give or take a few.
(Asheville, NC.) If the developlers don't kill the goose that laid the golden egg, that is.

[KamaAina]

27. Not enough information

There are small towns that are full of FReepers, and small towns populated by good, decent folk with lots of local businesses. That goes double for the rural area!

[datasuspect]

28. it doesn't really matter where you live

if the choice real estate between your ears is livable.

[tibbir]

29. I've tried large city, medium city and small town.

City life is where it's at.

[Skittles]

30. I've lived in all three, plus big city

I'll take small city living because I am a night owl and need stuff to be open all night

[KitchenWitch]

31. Due to health and disability issues, I need to be close to

decent medical centers.

[Arugula Latte]

32. Small towns give me the heebie jeebies.

:scared:

But, that's just me.

[deadparrot]

33. I've learned a valuable lesson from attending college in a town of 17,000.

I'm an urban dweller, through and through.