I come from a small town where everybody knows everyone and it is still safe to leave your house with your doors unlocked. You do not have to be afraid of someone breaking into your home. Friday nights are spent at the local high school showing off your school spirit by cheering on the local school's basketball team. The closest grocery store is nearly an hour away. It is peaceful and clean.
Then I met my husband, we married, I finished college, had a child, he finished college, and then we started applying for jobs nationwide. Well, I was able to get a job in the big city of D.C. where you have to watch your back and you most definitely cannot leave your doors unlocked when you leave your home or mostly when you are even home. It was a big change for me but I loved every minute of it. Which brings me to the 5 reasons to live in the city.
Convenience
It was unbelievable to me how covenant everything was. I mean there were grocery stores everywhere, malls 30 minutes away from each other, food anywhere you went, and the list could go on and on. This convenience that they all took for granted was just so wonderful for me because I had never had that type of convenience. I no longer had to plan 2 months worth of groceries, I could just do a week if I wanted to or even a day if I wanted to go to the store every single day. It truly was nice to have that type of convenience.
Transport
Okay so obviously D.C. is a high traffic area and to drive anywhere even if it is 30 minutes away could take you 3 hours depending on the traffic. However, they have a wonderful metro system that is great for transport. I loved being able to hop on the metro and be downtown in 30 minutes without having to worry about traffic. I could literally just relax and sleep until I got to work. I did not have to stress over the drive and the metro is something easy to learn.
Lifestyle
City life definitely has a different lifestyle than living in the country. The country is way more laid back than in the city. In the city, it is fast-paced, and going every second of the day I feel like. You go to work, get home, and then you are off to go hang with friends or to go to a show or go to the park but whatever it is you are probably not sitting at home because that is just crazy. You are literally on the go until your head hits the pillow at night if your head hits the pillow.
Opportunities
In the city opportunities await you. Every door possible is opened to you, you just have to be willing to take a chance. It does not matter what type of job you are looking for you can probably find it in the city. However, job opportunity is not the only thing that awaits you. If you are single the city is a great place to find that perfect someone. I got lucky when I found my husband in the middle of nowhere but many are not that lucky. In the city any opportunity you are looking for is there you just have to have an open mind to see it.
History
In any major city that I can think of off the top of my head has so much history that can be explored. Well, D.C. is no different. The buildings are amazing. The architecture and craftsmanship that has been put into those buildings such a long time ago are amazing but it is not just about the architecture that drew me to the city life. The museums that are all free to go into, I mean literally if you live near or in the city knowledge is at your fingertips. Anyway, the museums are full of knowledge and I loved visiting them as well as the Smithsonian Zoo.
Conclusion
People can come up with hundreds of reasons why not to live in the city but I can come up with hundreds of reasons as to why someone should live in or near the city. My time in the city life led us to live on the outskirts of a smaller city where if we want the calm environment we have it but if we want that fast pace living style we have it as well.
D.C. opened the door to change my life and I would not change that for the world. I loved the convenience of everything and the fact I did not have to drive any place if I did not want to was such a bonus of living in the city. I loved the fact that I could go learn about most anything I wanted to for free as long as I could get downtown. I was not a fan of the hustle and bustle of the city life but I do see how it is a benefit for those who are looking for that special someone or who just do not want to spend another night alone. For me, I just wanted peaceful nights with my family instead of going out with friends every night of the week. However, the lifestyle is such a benefit to so many I could not leave it out.
For these reasons, I suggest living in the city at least once in your life. Do not be afraid of changing your life up temporarily. You should get out there and explore what is out there and I do not mean just going for a week or two but I mean go to a city for a year or so just to get the feel of what it is like to live in the city. You only live once do not let it pass you by.
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