Get Off My Lawn said:

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Most people THINK they want proximity to the second option, but spend most of their evenings on a couch in front of the TV. After all, the guy in that first picture likely EARNED his drink with hard work, while the others merely went out.

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Lol. So you're saying most people that live in rural communities earn their beer while most ppl in an urban area are unhealthy slobs?

Get Off My Lawn said:

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Most people THINK they want proximity to the second option, but spend most of their evenings on a couch in front of the TV. After all, the guy in that first picture likely EARNED his drink with hard work, while the others merely went out.

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Lol. Your likely neighbor def earned his beer. This guy is the high percentage of rural Texas. GFOH

Andes hates rural folk

blacksox said:

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Live in a nice area of Houston and almost none of those are true. We have great schools, low crime, no murders and plenty of thriving restaurants and bars.

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Houston and nice? Does not compute, Will Robinson.

hedge said:

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TxTarpon said:

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Quote:

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This may come as a surprise OP but some people like living in areas where there's actually stuff to do

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Instead of this?

You do this?

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This is major boomer energy

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It's really called natural evolution. I'm GenX. The top appeals to me 1000x more than the bottom. Unless you are a complete outlier you will get here as well.

Am I the only one that disagrees, and that full time remote is far more common than this thread indicates?

AggieIce said:

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Am I the only one that disagrees, and that full time remote is far more common than this thread indicates?

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Probably. Most of the information out there says the majority of companies are hybrid or on-site. There are certain functions that are more full-time remote than others. Ex: IT.

My personal experience which is heavily corporate America matches this as well.

mulch said:

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Work is now remote. Offices are going extinct.

Housing Square footage is minimal at best and you can't leave your house when locked down.

Crime is way up.

Murder rates are way up

Police are shot daily

Taxes are ridiculous

Schools are horrendous

Sickness and disease not only starts there but spreads more rapidly.

Restaurants closed or have no staff

Bars are closed or have no staff

Zero middle class jobs. Just janitors and the rich.


It really boggles the mind why anyone with a choice would "choose" to take that on.

What's the benefit?

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Murders are up but overly crime is down.

Police aren't shot every day. The biggest risk to an officer's life in the past two years is COVID.

Taxes pay for things like lots of top rate hospitals and help fund rural schools.

The best schools in the country in terms of education and sports are located in cities

Restaurants and bars are open everywhere

Income inequality and and poverty is higher in rural areas than in urban areas

nai06 said:

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mulch said:

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Work is now remote. Offices are going extinct.

Housing Square footage is minimal at best and you can't leave your house when locked down.

Crime is way up.

Murder rates are way up

Police are shot daily

Taxes are ridiculous

Schools are horrendous

Sickness and disease not only starts there but spreads more rapidly.

Restaurants closed or have no staff

Bars are closed or have no staff

Zero middle class jobs. Just janitors and the rich.


It really boggles the mind why anyone with a choice would "choose" to take that on.

What's the benefit?

---

Murders are up but overly crime is down.

Police aren't shot every day. The biggest risk to an officer's life in the past two years is COVID.

Taxes pay for things like lots of top rate hospitals and help fund rural schools.

The best schools in the country in terms of education and sports are located in cities

Restaurants and bars are open everywhere

Income inequality and and poverty is higher in rural areas than in urban areas

---

That's true but the urban areas are catching up.

https://theconversation.com/amp/income-inequality-is-getting-worse-in-us-urban-areas-132417

YouBet said:

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EarlCampbellsThighs said:

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People gravitate to cities throughout human history because it's better living.

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Yeah, that's debatable.

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Human history argues strongly in my favor. People congregate. They tend not to disburse.

nai06 said:

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Murders are up but overly crime is down.

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If you look at actual crime, there is a big jump in going from a typical small town to a small city and another big jump in going from a small city to a large city.

We don't even have a police force in my town. On the occasion that we need law enforcement, the sheriff's department comes over.

Quote:

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Police aren't shot every day. The biggest risk to an officer's life in the past two years is COVID.

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The last time a police officer was shot in my county that I know of was in January, 1911.

Quote:

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Taxes pay for things like lots of top rate hospitals and help fund rural schools.

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The hospitals in big cities are better. I'll give you that.

That taxes paid in big cities help fund rural schools is big news to me. When is it going to arrive?

Quote:

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The best schools in the country in terms of education and sports are located in cities

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Better in sports only because they have a bigger pool of talent to choose from.

I'm not so sure about education. There are plenty of fine rural schools and plenty of crappy city schools.

Quote:

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Restaurants and bars are open everywhere

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I don't know about much of the state, but they never closed here. The Dairy Queen in the next town over did go to drive-in window only. Maybe one other restaurant.

When I go to Amarillo, I often stop and eat. One day at Grainger's in Amarillo, I asked what was open. The Grainger employee I asked gave me a funny look and said that there was little or nothing open, especially to eat inside. I ended up driving to some other town to eat.

Quote:

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Income inequality and and poverty is higher in rural areas than in urban areas

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That may be true in some places, but not everywhere by any means. However, the gap may be more obvious in a small town just because you tend to know everyone.

-

In general, about the only reason I would consider moving to a city would be for the health care.

nai06 said:

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mulch said:

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Work is now remote. Offices are going extinct.

Housing Square footage is minimal at best and you can't leave your house when locked down.

Crime is way up.

Murder rates are way up

Police are shot daily

Taxes are ridiculous

Schools are horrendous

Sickness and disease not only starts there but spreads more rapidly.

Restaurants closed or have no staff

Bars are closed or have no staff

Zero middle class jobs. Just janitors and the rich.


It really boggles the mind why anyone with a choice would "choose" to take that on.

What's the benefit?

---

Murders are up but overly crime is down.

Police aren't shot every day. The biggest risk to an officer's life in the past two years is COVID.

Taxes pay for things like lots of top rate hospitals and help fund rural schools.

The best schools in the country in terms of education and sports are located in cities

Restaurants and bars are open everywhere

Income inequality and and poverty is higher in rural areas than in urban areas

---

Crime is down because they've decriminalized everything

AggieIce said:

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Am I the only one that disagrees, and that full time remote is far more common than this thread indicates?

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I think full time remote is more common. I do know that state agencies that are in hybrid remote mode right now are working their way back to full time remote. That's rumored to happen by the end of the year and everyone can't wait for it to happen. The savings on everything, especially food and gas, is a great benefit.

Taxes in the small town I grew up in have skyrocketed. Rising property values make the taxes unaffordable. Poorly run city government results in millions of tax dollars being embezzled. Never can tell if the will be a place to eat open. What hasn't been bought up by Californians and People from Colorado has been bought up by investors for B&Bs.

I sold and moved to the suburbs. It's nice not having to drive an hour to do things.

That town is as liberal as they come now. Small Texas town doesn't mean conservative anymore.

Not sure where the OP was talking about but those points describe nowhere in the US.

Fitch said:

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Not sure where the OP was talking about but those points describe nowhere in the US.

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WTF ?? Oh a msnbc and CNN watcher.

So crime is NOT up anywhere in the US ?????: San Francisco, LA, NY, Atlanta, Philly, Houston and ....many more have surging crime issues especially violent crime. Hell man Buckhead, a rich section of ATL wants to break away just so they can create a decent police force.

Just go to any source that actually counts things. Plenty to choose from. You might learn something

Shhhhhhhh. Let them stay there.

Mr. Lahey said:

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Andes hates rural folk

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Haha hardly. Got roots in deep west Texas and scattered all through central Texas small towns. 1st generation brought up in a metro area actually.

The above posters generalizations were just hilarious. There is po dunk redneck crap all over the rural areas just like there is crime, white trash, hoodlums, poverty etc in the metro areas. Seen both first hand and it's not hard to find.

EarlCampbellsThighs said:

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YouBet said:

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EarlCampbellsThighs said:

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People gravitate to cities throughout human history because it's better living.

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Yeah, that's debatable.

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Human history argues strongly in my favor. People congregate. They tend not to disburse.

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So that migration to the new world in the 16th, 17th centuries was a myth?

Much of the modern exodus these days is out of dense urban areas of Ill, NY, and Cali to less dense regions in the sunbelt. While your point is valid in era's of history is is by no means a constant. People go where there is opportunity not because of high density. Sometimes Opportunity exist in high density areas. Then the libtards get in and jack it all up. See NY in the '70's near bankruptcy then how a conservative cleaned it up only to have Libtards jack it all up again. Detroit and Chicago have not been so lucky.

And dont bother with raw numbers. The Western Worlds pop has boomed for the last 500 years. Its slowing and people are dispersing especially in the US.

lots of WFT posting on this thread.

I'm 100% remote. They sold the building I work in. As a result, I plan on moving a little further out, but I know the reality is it only takes one VP level person in my org to start stirring the pot that we all need to come back.

eric76 said:

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nai06 said:

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Murders are up but overly crime is down.

---

If you look at actual crime, there is a big jump in going from a typical small town to a small city and another big jump in going from a small city to a large city.

We don't even have a police force in my town. On the occasion that we need law enforcement, the sheriff's department comes over.

Quote:

---

Police aren't shot every day. The biggest risk to an officer's life in the past two years is COVID.

---

The last time a police officer was shot in my county that I know of was in January, 1911.

Quote:

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Taxes pay for things like lots of top rate hospitals and help fund rural schools.

---

The hospitals in big cities are better. I'll give you that.

That taxes paid in big cities help fund rural schools is big news to me. When is it going to arrive?

Quote:

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The best schools in the country in terms of education and sports are located in cities

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Better in sports only because they have a bigger pool of talent to choose from.

I'm not so sure about education. There are plenty of fine rural schools and plenty of crappy city schools.

Quote:

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Restaurants and bars are open everywhere

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I don't know about much of the state, but they never closed here. The Dairy Queen in the next town over did go to drive-in window only. Maybe one other restaurant.

When I go to Amarillo, I often stop and eat. One day at Grainger's in Amarillo, I asked what was open. The Grainger employee I asked gave me a funny look and said that there was little or nothing open, especially to eat inside. I ended up driving to some other town to eat.

Quote:

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Income inequality and and poverty is higher in rural areas than in urban areas

---

That may be true in some places, but not everywhere by any means. However, the gap may be more obvious in a small town just because you tend to know everyone.

-

In general, about the only reason I would consider moving to a city would be for the health care.

---

Larger more affluent school districts do help pay for smaller school districts.

https://www.texastribune.org/2019/01/31/texas-robin-hood-recapture-villain-texas-fix-school-finance/

Mostly correct but the middle class jobs part. At least in Houston there are middle class jobs everywhere…

We don't! Moved from Houston to Boerne last summer and it's the best decision we ever made!

Poverty rates and income inequality is consistently higher in rural areas vs urban areas across the entire United States. It's been that way for decades

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/six-charts-illustrate-divide-rural-urban-america

lobopride said:

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Larger more affluent school districts do help pay for smaller school districts.

https://www.texastribune.org/2019/01/31/texas-robin-hood-recapture-villain-texas-fix-school-finance/

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Take out the word "larger". My understanding is that our school district loses money on this rather than taking in money.

I had forgotten about that scheme, though.

FWIW, our expenditiures per student is something like 70% greater than Houston's expenditures per student and about 50% greater than Austin's expenditure per student.

This two ends of the spectrum, I like to go out to restaurants and upscale bars; not clubs. I would like land of my own one day but don't want total isolation

hedge said:

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This two ends of the spectrum, I like to go out to restaurants and upscale bars; not clubs. I would like land of my own one day but don't want total isolation

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I know some people who live way out in the country but who also have a second house in the city for those times when they want to spend a few days in the city.

EarlCampbellsThighs said:

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YouBet said:

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EarlCampbellsThighs said:

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People gravitate to cities throughout human history because it's better living.

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Yeah, that's debatable.

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Human history argues strongly in my favor. People congregate. They tend not to disburse.

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I don't think it's as clear cut as you might imagine. Throughout most of western history, people who could afford it, had country estates. Sure they would do business and politics in cities but would spend much of their time at their country estates to escape all the downsides of city life. Today's transportation technology makes this easier and more accessible to the middle class. Who knows how remote work will affect things in the long term.

ttu_85 said:

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Fitch said:

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Not sure where the OP was talking about but those points describe nowhere in the US.

---

WTF ?? Oh a msnbc and CNN watcher.

So crime is NOT up anywhere in the US ?????: San Francisco, LA, NY, Atlanta, Philly, Houston and ....many more have surging crime issues especially violent crime. Hell man Buckhead, a rich section of ATL wants to break away just so they can create a decent police force.

Just go to any source that actually counts things. Plenty to choose from. You might learn something

---

Negative ghost rider. I don't subscribe to any entertainment news channel trash, and all US outlets are these days. Print media only.

Your response isn't responding to my comment - where in the US reflects all of the points enumerated in the OP? If it was intended to be a summation as opposed to one singular place, then the logical follow on is that aggregating every municipality in the country into one list makes no sense as people live in one place or another, not everywhere.

To boot, multiple points listed are verifiably false and read like assumptions without first hand experience.

So, where's the hell-on-earth prison city that's being described, or is this just another rural vs. big city diatribe again?

All things considered in this thread, I'm so grateful to be living in College Station. Taxes are high, yes, but it's worth it. It's ideal for raising a family with an excellent school district, plenty of entertainment options for families, and close proximity to Houston.

The only demo I dont recommend it for is singles in their late 20s and 30s. That's what cities are for.

Manufacturing jobs leaving has decimated rural America. My hometown is a shell of its former self and the population has dropped significantly as people moved away to find work.

It's just amazing to me that in a world where you can work remotely from anywhere, people willfully live in tiny concrete boxes surrounded by thugs, homeless, criminals, trash piles and more concrete.

All so they can have the convenience of a restaurant or a bar in walking distance?

How is that possibly worth it when there are so many options?

Every convenience that a city offers can be delivered to your door anywhere in the world.

As Rogan said when he left California- it's just not worth it.

some people don't have remote Jobs or don't want them. It's all about work though. I dont care about bars, events, restaurants, anything Dallas has to offer.

I was remote for 18 months it's mundane being in a 10x12 office at home for the amount of hours I work. We are now are HYbrid and it's amazing.

I commute to my corporate job make great money and great benefits. Sure I could find a remote job and live somewhere else but I would hate it somewhatmy family sure would hate it.

When I have the funds for a second house I will absolutely be in rural area 3/4 days a week but I don't have that kind of money yet. For now the suburbs provide the best of what my family needs

Buzzy said:

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mulch said:

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Work is now remote. Offices are going extinct.


Sickness and disease not only starts there but spreads more rapidly.

Restaurants closed or have no staff

Bars are closed or have no staff

Zero middle class jobs. Just janitors and the rich.


It really boggles the mind why anyone with a choice would "choose" to take that on.

What's the benefit?

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You live in a rural area with a really slow news cycle, don'tcha?

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The news cycle isn't the only thing that is slow in that OP

mulch said:

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It's just amazing to me that in a world where you can work remotely from anywhere, people willfully live in tiny concrete boxes surrounded by thugs, homeless, criminals, trash piles and more concrete.

All so they can have the convenience of a restaurant or a bar in walking distance?

How is that possibly worth it when there are so many options?

Every convenience that a city offers can be delivered to your door anywhere in the world.

As Rogan said when he left California- it's just not worth it.

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To be fair, that's not a full summation of why someone lives in a city, nor a fair characterization of what it's like to live in one.

Just my own experience speaking, but I live between Houston and New York, am in College Station at least once or twice a month for work, have a family ranch in northeast Texas and try to spend a week or two each year traveling somewhere new overseas or domestically. Wouldn't trade any of them and the only two that are somewhat comparable are Houston and NY, and my home in Houston is nothing like the apartment in NY.

Life in the city is dynamic and interesting and ever-changing, the rural country is slower and steady and I dare say spiritual but can also be stagnant. The suburbs are soulless and wastelands of mundanity, but calm compromises for raising a family.

It's a big world out there. Siloing into one setting and disavowing the opportunity to experience all the variety that God's good earth offers seems like a waste in my opinion.