Quote:
Originally Posted by Lemon Drop Husker
I love how "diverse" the cultural mecca's like New York, LA, and Chicago are and that they house all the smart people.
Yet, somehow, those are the same places straddled with massive unemployment, homelessness, crime, and the very division of monetary income (with large ties to race) in which they tirelessly berate the public about.
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You must not get around much. Small towns (as opposed to metropolises you mention) in flyover zones and southern red states with nothing but "back-water" towns where there is no employment, lots of petty crime in terms of the ratio to population density (nothing to do, so lots of meth heads), very little opportunity, lots of teenage pregnancies, no colleges or hospitals nearby, etc. and one-room "public libararies" but a church on every corner (in the dry counties) (or in many cases, a tavern on every corner in the counties that are not dry). Not even a bowling alley or movie theatre in many of 'em. Work in chicken plants, fast food joints, stocking shelves at Walmart...etc. is "opportunities" available.
Lived in both. Numerous combinations of each. Neither has bigger problems than the others, just depends on what "features" you latch onto, what you want for yourself or for your kids.
My preference would be to live somewhere where there is *opportunity* and *resources* (cultural, educational, career, good medical care). I would not want my kids to have to take factory jobs or fast food or stocking shelves at Walmart IF they have aptitude to do a bit better for themselves.
You won't find a whole lot of real "go getter" young people in all those the back-water towns......they all move away.
Exception would be if you have certain lifestyle requirements that dictate some of these things i.e. you want to own a lot of acreage, have horses or cows, or want to do any kind of farming, whether organic or otherwise, etc. then you jetison those other things I just mentioned so that you can have those things that you want. That in and of itself is either paradise, or a hard life, depending on your perspective.
Not all people want the same things, obviously.
Most every small town I've been to in last 2 decades have their own set of problems......mostly seems like alcoholism and drugs......and poor people because of no jobs, etc.
