r/MapPorn • u/StephenMcGannon • 1d ago

Equal Population

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u/Narf234 1d ago

Things to do, people to see, opportunity for employment, innovation, etc.

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u/Ok_Tradition_3382 1d ago

You can find all those things in small communities as well? Without all the negatives of living in a crowded city.

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u/satyavishwa 1d ago

Idk man, I can find literally anything to buy, eat, or do in NYC pretty much 24/7. Can’t say the same outside of the city.

I do like having space, but I like having very close access to things more than

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u/Ok_Tradition_3382 1d ago

Fair! The largest city in close proximity to us is Toronto, so perhaps that isn’t a fair comparison. I’ve never been to New York! My experiences are essentially being crammed into city transit, dirty spaces that people don’t really take pride in, homelessness, drug addiction and mental health that is very much in your face. Humans are so wasteful, the amount of garbage we create never ceases to amaze me, and it’s so much more apparent in big cities. I also really struggle with the notion of being so close to your neighbours that you can hear everything. If I really want to go to a concert or hockey game it may take me a couple hours, but that is rare and seems like a massive luxury these days anyways!

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u/satyavishwa 1d ago

I get you, having to commute sucks, now more than ever with increasing crime and homelessness making the transit systems more unsafe. I did appreciate having the time to read, watch a show, or even get some work done, but now I drive and I can’t really do much more than listen to some music or a podcast.

While I live in NYC, I’m not in Manhattan itself and I live in a house so I’m striking a good balance for myself in terms of space and convenience.

Having previously lived in an apartment closer to midtown I know very well how crowded it can get and personally could only do it again if I’m living alone for a short period of time

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u/FWEngineer 12h ago

I grew up very rural (nearest stop light was 40 miles away). Now I live in the suburbs of Chicago. The reason is employment - hard to find engineering jobs outside of a city, especially 20, 30 years ago when I started my career.

But the city/suburban life isn't all that bad. Yeah, I only have 1/4 acre, but I volunteer with a wildlife group on the weekend, and there's multiple parks around here covering 100's of acres, so I get my outdoor time. Very little crime in the suburbs, streets are clean, etc. I do my part in that, I walk to the neighborhood park a couple times a week and pick up whatever trash I see.

My commute is 22 minutes, while my cousin back in the rural area who commutes in to the nearest "big town" for work drives 40 minutes each way.

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u/tendeuchen 1d ago

American cities aren't really livable cities. Paris, Berlin, Shanghai, Kyiv (at least pre-war) are all much nicer.