Big City vs. Small Town

[HotShot 34]

I live in a fairly small town with about 25,000 people. The things that I enjoy about it are: Low crime, no traffic, everybody knows everybody, low cost of living. Some of the things that I dislike are: everybody knows everybody, not a whole lot to do socially without traveling and that's pretty much it.

My bro-in-law and his family want to move to a fairly big city because they say that there is no opportunity around here. To a degree, I see their point, but what's really important to a person may not be to another. It's the last thing in the world I want to do is deal with big city traffic. I would shoot myself or somebody else. It's not important to me to go to a "show" ( like an opera or something). Half the time I don't even lock my doors in my truck, where he's going you wouldn't think about running into the post office real quick to get your mail and leave your car running......it's just different.

I guess I'm just wondering if I'm letting my daughter miss out on stuff that's more important than what my little town has to offer. I don't consider stuff like poetry night at the starbucks too high on my priority list. Am I wrong?

[Ron Musgraves 240]

Some off us want to move to small towns.

really tough when you think about the life style change.

Pro & cons in both directions.

I suppose what keeps me here is the money and culture. I would mind leaving the doors unlocked.

[HotShot 34]

Another reason I like the small town. I'm not a monopoly by any means, but loyolty actually means something to people here it seems. If you treat people right they seem to return the favor. In a big city, I don't think they could care less with whom their doing business as long as they're the cheapest.

[Ron Musgraves 240]

In a big city, I don't think they could care less with whom their doing business as long as they're the cheapest.

To some degree, Its not always about price. they will often over pay because they are trying to let say find loyalty.

unlike you we do have many people doing teh same service we do. I have watched many come and go.

I admit I ready spend alittle time fishing,camping & hunting. cant do that in the city.

[Camelot 68]

Anthony - I moved from New York (pop. 999 billion) to Harrisburg, NC (pop. 5200) 12 years ago. I've got 2 small children...wouldn't change it for the world! I love small town living.

[EnviroClean 15]

TGS 4 Life

[HotShot 34]

If they want to leave Barstow congratulate them!!! I mean please Barstow is great if you are a lizard or a speed cook.

or if your a hood cleaner/pwer making 6 figures with a mortgage payment of $612 with 2 1/2 acres. However you want to look at it. Oh yeah, at 28 years old too.

[JFife 14]

LOL, I was going to say the same thing as Enviro. From what I've heard, Barstow provides a lot of career opps for a well-oiled crank operation:) I hear you can smell the battery acid by just driving through town:) Screw pwashing, become a DENTIST!! Just bustin' chops Anthony:) Had a neighbor from Barstow. I am in same boat as you....mortgage around $600 for a house twice as big as I need. City traffic makes me homicidal.

[HotShot 34]

Jay Leno is baggin on Barstow all the time...I'm use to it :)

[EnviroClean 15]

TGS 4 Life

[HotShot 34]

J....you cannot get a cheap mortgage in Compton, but I think you definetely have the wrong impression of Barstow. It's nothing like you have in your head.

The point of this thread was to understand what would make somebody want to move to traffic, crime, high cost of living? If you were already there when you started your business, that's understandable. Or, if the small town that you live in can't support your business that, I can understand....but why would anybody want to move to that when they are making a good living between the two of them about 120k a year....I just don't understand it.

[CCPC 26]

Anthony - I moved from New York (pop. 999 billion) to Harrisburg, NC (pop. 5200) 12 years ago. I've got 2 small children...wouldn't change it for the world! I love small town living.

Wow!! That's a lot of NY'ers considering the world population is under 10 billion. LOL!!

[Scott Stone 604]

Hotshot, I have been to Barstow. NO thanks, the only place worse is Needles, except that they have a river.

[HotShot 34]

Hotshot, I have been to Barstow. NO thanks, the only place worse is Needles, except that they have a river.

so do we, it's just underground except for about 3 days out of the year, when we get heavy rain. :)

What do any of these other places offer that Barstow can't? We are about two hours away from anything we could possibly want to do. Vegas, Mountains, L.A., Beach, San Diego...you name it. When I go down to these places it can take that long to get to and from the grocery store. I can be 150 miles down the road in that time.

In Feb, I went to a Lakers game and it took 1 hour 15 mins to go 88 miles...then it took another hour to go another 20....

[CCPC 26]

I live in small town bordering on a big city. I like this because I'm not right in the mess, but I can get there pretty fast when I need too. Actually, it kinda depends on what city one would consider moving too. Jacksonville isn't anywhere near one of the biggest cities when it comes to buildings, people, and commerce, but it's the largest city in the U.S. in land mass. This makes it nice because even though you have to travel a bit further from job to job, everybody's got plenty of space, so were not all climbing all over each other while trying to get around.

[HotShot 34]

Lance....yeah, see I agree with you. I would much rather be on the outskirts of the chaos, not right in the middle of it.

[CCPC 26]

Lance....yeah, see I agree with you. I would much rather be on the outskirts of the chaos, not right in the middle of it.

It does make for a good situation. If I drive about 1 mile N. I'm in the Jax city limits, if I drive another 10 minutes, I'm in the middle of downtown, yet where I live, there's very little crime, the schools are SOOO much better, and I can leave my car doors unlocked all the time without much worry (but no one get any crazy ideas because I'm going to start locking em now, LOL!).

[EnviroClean 15]

TGS 4 Life

[HotShot 34]

That's what I'm asking.....What are these so called "better opportunities"?

[EnviroClean 15]

TGS 4 Life

[CCPC 26]

That's what I'm asking.....What are these so called "better opportunities"?

For starters, skies the limit on how large you can grow your P.W. business, or any other business for that matter.

[HotShot 34]

nope, I'm from Kentucky...a really small town of 1200 people called Wurtland. Moved out here when I was 8 because there was no work in Kentucky at the time, and my dad got a good job at Ft Irwin.

[HotShot 34]

For starters, skies the limit on how large you can grow your P.W. business, or any other business for that matter.

Thank you Lance, those are the kind of answers that I'm looking for. However, my hood cleaning business is about maxed out for me in my town. If I get any bigger I will have to hire people and then comes the headaches. I can make what I make by myself with a helper, or I can grow a lot bigger, make more gross income, but net about the same that I make now....

[EnviroClean 15]

TGS 4 Life

[HotShot 34]

J...I understand what you are saying. My mom lived in Hendersen, NV (Vegas) for 4 years. I hated to go visit. Rude people, traffic, filth....I guess I'm just not too interested in the spice of life. When I was 15 in High School, I use to have a fake i.d. and me and a couple friends would ditch school and go to Hollywood clubbin. I thought it was so much fun, until reality sets in and you realize how stupid you were. Man, I was dumb. All that brought me was trouble, pain and a whole lotta hard work to get back on track.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, I just don't understand why someone considers it better?

[Celeste 341]

I grew up in a small town and as soon as I was legal - I bailed! I've lived in multiple countries and states with more opportunities to live other places BUT, when it came down to where I wanted to raise my children, coming back home to my own small town was a decision I'll never regret. We're only 3-4 hours from the beach, 3-4 hours from the mountains, 30 minutes to an airport if we don't want to drive.

Stay where you're happy and teach your kids about the small town stuff -it may not be there when they're older anyway :)

Celeste