I live in a rural area, unincorporated so we don't have a police department just rely on the County Sheriff if the need arises. I'm close enough to town that I can go to movies or art exhibits. I like being away from a busy city lifestyle. I'd like to buy some land someday to have more privacy though.

Sirens, gunshots, helicopters, event fireworks. There's always something going on urban. The noise is maddening and I live next to a major artery that connects to an adjoining state. I have lived urban, rural and on an island. There were pros and cons to everything and the adventure was adjusting to it. I'm currently urban and appreciating my obscurity in my fortress of solitude. I recognize that my life experiences have all contributed to me being the introvert I am today. I'm retired and just want to chill with my TV, games and music and enjoy time with the family that I was away from for so long.

I live far enough from it all that there are never any sounds, but nature. No light pollution etc. I wouldn't trade it for the world. A half hour drive takes me to town, work, shopping. I can deal with town and cities in limited, controlled doses, but I'm always happy returning home to serene, peace and quiet.

I grew up in the city, but I've lived in the burbs for the last 40 years, and while I miss the activities of the city, I couldn't live there again. It's too much of everything... too many people, cars, bikes, too much noise, traffic, commotion. It assaults my senses now. So living in the suburbs I can visit the city and then go home to some peace and quiet. I just wish it was closer! It's a 45-60 minute commute.

I have lived in a city with more than 200,000 people and in a town with less than 2,000 people. I'm not saying one is better than the other for other people, but personally, I like the city. I know that sounds weird for an introvert, but nobody knows me in the city and I like it that way. Everybody knows everybody in the small town and there's always someone talking about someone else. Your business is your own in the city.

As far as activities, most small towns (at least ones near where I lived) do some kind of yearly festival, probably annual garage sales, but not much else. My Mom, for example, currently has to drive 20-25 miles to get to even a Walmart. Where I live, it seems like there is always something going on and I only have to go a few miles to get there.

Like I said, other people might enjoy small town life, but it's definitely not for me.

I've lived in metropolitan, rural, and suburban areas. I cannot live in suburbs anymore. For me, the suburbs are very depressing. You can't get to anywhere without a car, which are basically isolation chambers; neighbors live in McMansions and often are classist a-holes. Community seldom organically sprout up. And when I look around me, all I see is deforestation, the destruction of what once was beautiful.

I currently live in an urban hotspot. I have social anxiety, so I don't go to many events. (Keep telling myself I wiill, though.) But I love the community that seems to sprout organicallly. You can make friends just by living nearby. I can walk through the city and get what I want. I can spend afternoons at a library or coffee shop. The noise is a problem, though.

When I reach retirement age, I want to buy a cabin in the the woods. In the middle of nowhere. I love camping; I love the silence and tranquility. I am not ready for it yet. If I ever become rich, I will buy a downtown condominium, a plot of land in the rural mountains, and helicopter.

Ugh, my small town has become too big a town for me. The area I live in though is very quiet. I'm listening to a cricket at this very moment.

I spent my life going back and forth between the city of Montreal and its suburbs. I was born on the north side of town in a neighborhood called Villeray. When I was seven, my family moved across the Saint-Lawrence river in the southern suburbs in Longueuil. At the age of 20, I left my family's house and went back in the city, back in Villeray first, then in Hochelaga, then on the Plateau Mount-Royal, and in Rosemont after that.
Later, five years ago, I found a job in the southern suburbs in Saint-Hubert, then I met a lady, also from Saint-Hubert. After a while, she gently offered me to move at her place. So, here I am. I live in a quiet and small neighborhood surrounded by fields and woods, about twelve miles from downtown Montreal.
I must admit that I have mixed emotions about where I am. Sure, the place where I live is nice and quiet, but you know what they say, you can get a guy out of town but you can't get the town out of the guy.

I grew up in crappy neighborhoods in a large city and was glad to escape. I live in an unincorporated are that is not far from many suburban communities. It has taken me a long time to realize just how different I am from the suburban folks, and yet here I am.

Overall though, I would probably be happier anywhere, were I not living alone.

You might find a small city with a thriving arts community. I lived in a city of @75,000 with an amazing arts community. It had theatre, poetry groups, dance, Shakespeare in the Park, arts and music festivals, etc.

I recently moved to the city, NYC... It takes time to adjust... I'm getting used to it but I miss my house upstate but I visit often...

Leaving the familiar sounds of the city is certainly an adjustment. You'll probably enjoy the quiet tranquility of the rural areas immensely.

I remember , when I was 5 , and we moved from Baltimore City , to , " the country . " The country noise kept me awake , because they were different . Instead of a constant murmur of people's voices , cars , etc. I heard crickets and frogs , In the early morning , there were birds , and maybe a rooster crowing . Once Mom explained what I was hearing , to me , it took no time to adjust . The nights are darker , too . No street lights . Fewer cars on the roads late a night . And while horror movies show scary country , there are a LOT more murders ocurring in the cities , than in the country .

If you enjoy culture, avoid small towns and rural. Better the gridlock than the cultural wastelands.

Rural in Ireland is probably a whole lot different than rural in America (urban in Ireland would probably be considered rural in America ). But i recently moved from town to totally rural to village. Totally rural was too big a leap whereas village life is serene. Enough facilities to make life bearable enough going on to stimulate ones creative needs. Just my little musings on the subject. As i say, prob completly different circumstances and expectations across the pond.

People like to do things regardless of location. The cultural nature of the events may change from concerts to something more like farmers markets, but there’s probably always something going on if you’re willing to look for it