Big cities

[dazzleman]

I think that certain cities, the ones that have positive cultural and entertainment facilities to offer, are enjoying a rebound.

It's part of the natural cycle of things.  Eventually, people get sick of having to travel long distances to get places, and crave the convenience of the city.

As long as a person lives in a nice low-crime neighborhood with good neighbors, the city can be a great place to live.

Add in crime and trashy neighbors all around you, and it's not so good.  So it really all depends on the quality of the urban environment.

I don't believe that cities will become popular again for middle class families until they find a way to improve their school systems, or offer some type of better choice in schools than they currently do.  There isn't a major city in this country with a decent school system, and that is a great barrier to attracting people with kids who don't have loads of money for private schools.

[dazzleman]

As long as a person lives in a nice low-crime neighborhood with good neighbors, the city can be a great place to live.

But wait, I thought cities were always inferior to the suburbs and my aunt who actually enjoys living in basically what you described was a very big exception and I was an idiot for thinking cities are so infinintely superior to suburbs?

You're an idiot because, among many other reasons, you don't see how different lifestyles lead to different choices of places to live.  You're an idiot because you can't see why everybody wouldn't be happy living in a rat-trap apartment for life in a seedy neighborhood surrounded by trashy people.

I know you're quite comfortable in that environment, but others want something better.  Some can get it in cities, and others have to go outside cities to get what they want or need.

Not being able to see beyond a very narrow personal circumstance is a sign of either (a) stupidity (b) immaturity (c) selfishness or (d) narcissism, or a combination of all 4.