Guys who have lived in both a small town and a big city, what are the biggest differences and what are the pros and cons of each?

18 comments

1. Small towns are cringe.

   Big cities are cringe.

2. The variety of food in a big city! The local spots and the independent places were always the best. Small towns have chain franchise places that just doesn’t hit as good.

3. live in a small town in the south, i do construction work in down town Atlanta.

   my town everyone is fairly friendly. if you are near mlk dont fucking get out of your car, whatever you need can wait

4. Big cities are a disaster for cars, but when you live in a small town, a car is the most valuable thing ever

5. Small town I find it’s easier to make friends than in the city. There’s less to do so you rely on each other for entertainment.

6. Big city BIG
   Small city SMALL
   Human have to travel to find out the difference
   OOGA OOGA

7. I will always prefer small towns. Less people, less traffic, lower prices for things.

8. I prefer big cities because I can have access to anything I could possibly want, and usually I don’t even need a car to acquire it. Public transportation, FTW. Small towns are quieter, but you have to drive almost everywhere. I grew up in a small town, and I would often walk into the downtown area either for school or to pick up comic books, meet friends, etc.—but ffs, walking everywhere really eats into one’s time. Small towns have the illusion of safety, but bad shit goes down everywhere. I’ve never been mugged in a big city, but I have been a victim of crime in a small town. Futurists have been saying cities are more sustainable for a long time. Small towns have nothing on big cities.

9. Small towns are full of cliques and depending how small you may never break in and find or get accepted by any. Also depending how small, a lot of businesses aren’t open Sunday/Monday and restaurants close at 5-6pm. Living is usually very cheap because of cost of living and nothing to spend money on.

   Big cities you can almost always find activities and a community to join. Downside commuting sucks and you’re surrounded by people/noise…. Non. Stop. Noise. Living is expensive, from housing, parking, food, plenty of ways to spend and waste.

   Grew up in Detroit suburbs, lived in a town of 500 in Arkansas, Philadelphia, Austin, a town of 250 in Texas.

10. I’ve lived in both. Grew up in a small town in Georgia below savannah. My dad happened to be a mailman and knew everyone. I remember he delivered mail to my high school and would see me sitting in the principals office. It was like freaking Mayberry! But the pros were – we knew how to get anything we needed to survive. Total strangers would stop and help you change a tire or climb up a tree to fetch your cat. News traveled faster than CNN and my parents knew everyone. It was like a sitcom. And the town shutdown at 8pm.

    Fast forward to being in the military. I was in a recruiting unit in downtown Philly. You could literally fall over in the streets dead and nobody would even notice, unless your carcass was blocking traffic. You only get to know people at work and the places you frequent. Try to be nice and people suspect you’re out to get something. I remember stopping on the NJ Turnpike to help someone change their tire, in full Army Uniform in broad daylight, and she climbed in her car and locked the door while I did the job. But the nightlife and things to do made Philly GREAT! Many sports team. Diversity of food. Theatre (with an “re”). Things stayed open after 8pm; even 1am. It was great to be 21 in Philly.

    There are good and bad in both. I will say, I grew up in the town recently famous for the death of Ahmaud Arbery. What a horrible tragedy no matter what anyone thinks – a human person died at the hands of others and it brings up a lot of anger and frustration over race and freedom. But it’s not just in the south. I have lived from NYC to Honolulu. LA to Austin. The problems like this exist everywhere.

11. big city has diversity of food, people and experiences. expensive everything, more shallow people, bad parking and traffic.

    small town requires you to put in effort in creating diverse experiences. it’s main advantages are peace mind. I paid off my house in 5 years. super safe and family friendly. can get boring but the people have been nicer

12. I’ve lived in a small farm town, population about 4000. I liked how quiet it was, less hectic, no traffic. People generally friendlier. Way less expensive.

    The cities I’ve lived in are Seattle, Boston, and Albuquerque. Benefits of the city, more things to do, plenty of restaurants, night life and all that.

13. guys live in city like to flirt and cheat and care the appearance

    in small town they dont care, just want simple video game life and wear the same shirt everyday and they dont care

14. I found online dating harder in big cities, more competitive I think because there’s more people

15. A small town? Are you talking 500 people, 10k, 50k people or 200k?

    I lived in Minneapolis and I hated it. Everything was expensive (2 grand for an apartment), lots of crime, rude people and overall it sucked. You’re just a number and a face. I also lived in a town of about 5k people and that sucked as bad. You can’t be anonymous. Nothing to do. The police are bored. Light up a joint and the whole city knows within 24 hours

    I finally moved to a metro area of around 250,000 and it’s perfect. Big enough and diverse enough to meet different people but small enough where people aren’t total dicks and there is a sense of community… and the whole city won’t know what you did within 10 minutes like a small town. Not as much entertainment as Minneapolis but plenty to do compared to the 5k people town

16. 20 minute drive to the store vs waiting on line for 20 minutes

17. I grew up in the city, raised my children in a small town. I’ll die with that being the biggest regret of my life.

18. Lived in a big city for undergrad; grew up in a small town.

    Social life has been much harder in the small town bc it is harder to find groups for hobbies Im interested in, plus there just isn’t as much to do here. Finding decent jobs is also harder in a smaller town.

    On the plus side, smaller town is cheaper, it’s easier to find parking, and crime isn’t as high.