City Life Vs. Country Life

[FAISALWAD]

Is the country life healthier for you than the city life? Are children better off being raised in the city life or in the country?

 

[Tracy]

IMO, children are better off with good parenting and enriching activities. I think the city offers more opportunities for cultural and social development. But there's something to be said about fresh air, fresh food and truly interacting with nature.

 

[Harrana]

Definitely the city. Try an find a decent escort in a country setting. If you don't believe me ask poor Tboy.

Tboy when's the last time you wet your whistle up north?

 

[Muttlove]

lot's of young white tailed deer in the bush for the boy to find.:

 

[Pompal 09.]

As a single guy I prefer to live in the country to be truthful.
There is always a city nearby that I can go and visit. And be happy that I left.
The view off my porch over the lake with no neighbors who can see that I am naked in the hot tub is priceless.

 

[Jimmi J]

You are sick :.




Sheep it is :whip:

 

[Healthy Environment]

Jaw's been reading (notso)blissful's posts lol

I haven't been laid since moving up here, up here. Meaning I've gone to the big smoke for some fun and work, but nothing up here. To be honest, I don't have time nor inclination to try and pick up some locals, too much effort for little reward. Also, there's maybe....3 possibly more but I haven't seen em, women up here who are what I would consider attractive enough to chase. It seems like once they hit their 30's they also hit the wall...HARD.

Now late teens early 20's? OMFG there are SO many hotties it's freakin unreal. You can't walk down the street or drive in town or ?? without seeing at least a dozen. They is some seriously hot chickies up here.

As for health? No comparison. AT ALL. I used to get a cold, flu or other sinus problem once every 6 weeks or so in the city. I've been here 11 months now and haven't even had the sniffles (now mind you my allergies are a little more sensitive). Know what's in my well water? H and O and a little wee bit of iron. That's it. No chemicals, no waste by products, no chlorine, nothing.

I was in toronto a month or so ago to do work for a week. I arrived sunday afternoon and by monday night my chest hurt from the smog. I kid you not. I wasn't exposed to any chemical that could have caused it, just the polluted air.

I agree though on the exposure to other nationalities. I feel like I'm living in a rice bowl it's so fricken white up here. I think I've seen ONE black person and maybe 5 asians (and yeah, 2 of them owned a variety store lol). There isn't even any asians at the two crappy chinese buffets.

I tell you: the air up here is so clean and clear you can see for miles. I go over a pretty big hill to get to my place and I can almost see the next two towns south of me. In toronto? You're lucky if you can see 2 blocks before the haze kicks in. Even when it was hot and humid in the summer you could still see for miles. It wasn't even uncomfortable because the air is clean.

One big thing? When you turn out the lights at night...guess what? It's DARK. Know what else? You don't hear a damn thing (except maybe for a dog barking 2 miles away and then the owners shut it up REAL quick because they're not ignorant like city dwellers). I tell you, I heard my first car horn up here the other day. That's almost 11 months without hearing one.

Health wise? There is no comparison to living in the toxic dump that is Toronto. They don't call it "the big smoke" for nothing.

 

[califrniateach]

I live in Caledon. It's not too far from the city and at the same time it's far enough to not have to deal with the congestion and smog.

 

[touchmypooter]

It's a nice area, I knew some people who lived there.

I'm 2 hrs north and when I was thinking of moving here, everyone was saying "it's so fricken FAR omg omg".

I said to them: drive from kingston road and 401 to 427 anytime during the day. That's just about 2 hrs. I mean hell, driving from leslie and the lakeshore to dufferin and st clair at 10 am was an hour.......

 

[Alaska Boy USA]

..... but you are in the snow belt, brrrrrrrr I get shivers just thinking about all that white stuff!:he:

 

[Lizard]

You know, this IS canada right? We're canadians not miami beach divas lol

But you know, so far I think we've gotten, maybe 3 feet so far? But the roads are clear, we get 3 cm at a time, clear it out in 10 minutes, and the big thing? People know how to drive in the snow up here so there's no traffic accidents or mayhem like toronto.

And you know what? it's fricken B E A U T I F U L. The view from my living room window I'll never get tired of.....

I posted this pic before, here's a shot of my driveway.....



The beauty about those overhanging branches? they clear the snow off the top of my truck when I drive by lol......

here's a shot of my backyard....that's a river beyond the split rail fence, I'll go get a shot of it but don't want to make foot prints in the snow....there's a deer superhighway through there now, there's got to be 50 deer print trails across it.....

 

[Mel<3]

But they scratch the shit out of your paint!!

 

[Shannen Shenanigans]

I've never lived in the country but have cousins that grew up in the muskoka area. One thing I can say is for kids...it's boring as hell to live up north. I've heard it SO many times. There's nothing to do, you have to drive everywhere because there's no public transit so until kids get drivers license parent's have to drive them everywhere. Sure there's great swimming, camping, fishing, waterskiing, all the stuff we drive the 400 (or park on the 400 to be more precise) to do but it's like people with pool tables and pools. After awhile you don't use it anymore. It also (believe it or not) gets boring. I've also been told that the number of teenage pregnancies is incredible (more boredom/lack of entertainment?).
If you have kids I'd say no, the country life isn't where to bring up kids. I would love to do it but wouldn't even dream of it since having children. Also, if you have children and you're on a well there's no flouride in the water. England doesn't put it in theirs...need I say more

 

[Bonkers]

I have property outside of Wiarton, been in my family 60 years, totally remodelled into a 4 bedroom house and put on a proper foundation. It's a rental unit for me and the guest room is mine and I vacation there when the tenent isn't there.

If I could, I would move between Owen Sound and Collingwood still close enough to places and things.

Just north of Guelph is nice too!

Often I have thought of packing it all in, and living off the grid, or seriously headin' to the DR on a permanent relocation. Cities are too damaged now in all ways.

 

[sitnfish]

Teenage pregnancies are at an all time high everywhere, even in the cities so living in the sticks isn't the cause, it is lack of education on birth control that is the cause.

I see kids walking everywhere and we DO have public transportation. Whoever told you we don't is full of it. Sure, we don't have subways, but neither does mississauga. Put it another way: a subdivision in mississuga or scarborough is no different than an outlying area of Muskoka. You have to walk or get a ride to the bus stop on the major road, here is no different.

City vs Country Life:
Toronto has Malls we have A mall
Toronto has movie theatres we have movie theatres
Toronto has blockbuster we have blockbuster
Toronto has Wifi we have wifi
Toronto has cable tv, we have cable tv
Toronto has walmart we have walmart
Toronto has video game arcades we have a video arcade
Toronto has the internet and we have the internet
Toronto has skating, we have skating
Toronto has hockey we have hockey
Toronto has soccer, we have soccer
Toronto doesn't have skiing, we have skiing
Toronto doesn't have snowmobiling, we have snowmobiling
Toronto doesn't have cross country skiing, we have cross country skiing
Toronto doesn't have ice fishing, we have ice fishing
toronto has beaches that are polluted, we have beaches that are pristine (you can actually drink the water).
Toronto has field trips to museums we have field trips to them.

In Toronto, you can't go into your backyard and have a campfire, here? No problem (except for fire restricted days in the summer and then those days are relatively few.

The only real difference is quantity. Toronto has more of everything but they also have way more people, more traffic, more drugs, gangs, drive bys, crime, homeless, crack ho's, etc.

I had a buddy who has two teenage daughters who live in a small town in southwestern ontario. I have them on my FB page. They don't seem to be missing out on anything. In fact, they seem to get along fine without all the city BS.

Fluoride in drinking water: did you know this has been a bone of contention since they started doing it? There are those that think it's a good thing and those that say the health risk doesn't warrant the benefits? Ever go to the dentist for a fluoride treatment? If fluoride in the water is so good, why do you need additional fluoride? In addition, why does he tell yo unot to swallow while it's in your moth? Because it's not good for you that's why.

How about chlorine? My drinking water doesn't have that either.

Here's a bit of info for you:

"
The Risks of Chlorination By-Products

Lab animals exposed to very high levels of THMs have an increased risk of cancer. Several studies on humans have also found a link between long-term exposure to high levels of chlorination by-products and a higher risk of cancer. For instance, a recent study showed an increased risk of bladder and possibly colon cancer in people who drank chlorinated water for 35 years or more.
High levels of THMs may also have an effect on pregnancy. A California study found that pregnant women who drank large amounts of tap water with high THMs had an increased risk of miscarriage. These studies do not prove that there is a link between THMs and cancer or miscarriage. However, they do show the need for further research in this area to confirm potential health effects.

I have another friend who had a teenaged boy and girl (twins). After school, and the home work is done, they'd get on the net and either play video games, or surf. Why does it matter whether they're in toronto or muskoka? Is the net somehow different in toronto?

Sorry, my parents took me camping every weekend when I was 18 months old and I got out of the city every weekend up until I was about 20 yrs old. There was never "nothing to do", we were never bored.

I met a ton of kids my age from the surrounding areas because locals would come to the parks to swim, party, goof around. I'd go to their homes, they'd come to mine. I got a job working on one of the local farms and at night, we'd have a field party, go watch the 3 channels of tv at their place, play games, etc. NO different than what I'd do in the city.

Sorry, the misconception that city life is SO much better for kids is a misnomer.

People seem to think that I live in zimbabwe. As I said: I'm only 2 hrs away from Toronto, no different than a kid in pickering going to the ROM. It takes the same time to get from there to the museum.

 

[Love & Happiness]

Just one more thing:

WOuld I uproot a kid from the city to the country or vice versa? No. The culture shock would be too great either way. But then again, moving from one area of the city to another would do the same thing. One thing about moving around up here: they'd still probably go to the same school if they moved from one area to another.

When I was 10 my parents moved and I lost all the friends I grew up with. Had to make new ones. The thing is, they weren't "grade school" friends so they really weren't lifelong pals unlike those who grew up together through grade school, I see on facebook etc they're still friends today. UP here, as long as you stayed in the same basic area, you'd still keep the same friends.

I hired a local kid to do some work for me and I spoke to him about this. His family moved up here when he was in grade 12. I asked him about friends and he did make a couple, but he said many of the "gangs" were already formed and he didn't adjust well. He wasn't readily accepted because these gangs were formed 8 - 10 yrs ago and you can't just walk in.

I've lived in both: the city and the country and would I prefer to raise a kid here than the city? HELL YES!! in a heatbeat. I mean, I don't lock my house, or my truck unless I'm leaving town for a couple of days........I remember early on when I moved here. It was a warm late March day and I had my windows down in my truck. I left my laptop on the passenger seat and when I went in for the night I had left the passenger window all the way down. (this was when I was renting an apartment before buying). I went out the next morning, whoop, it was still there. I said to a neighbour: I freaked out, I left the window down with my computer sitting in plain site.

Know what he said? Ah, no worries. No one would take it because if someone did, everyone would know that someone stole it and the minute anyone saw them with it they'd know they stole it from you...they couldn't pawn it, they couldn't show it to their parents, they couldn't show it to their friends. Sooner or later someone would find out who had it......

 

[DAMIAN]

I lived up north as a child and moved to the city as soon as I could. Of the 5 kids in my grade 8 class 3 of us moved away and have normal lives the two who elected to stay are alcoholics, they only work seasonally. For them it's cycle of building season followed by collecting pogey, ice fishing and drinking followed by building season.

As a teenager living up north I couldn't wait to get out, if you had a job you worked all weekend when your city friends came up to their cottages and then as soon as they went back to the city you got to take time off. No movie theaters, no stores, one bar, no variety in women to date and the nearest town was a hour away by car. School was an hours bus ride so we had to be on the bus at 730 every morning and there were no after school activities as we had to get back on the bus to go home. Therefore we were never allowed to play for the school team or join the drama club ect. Making other friends was hard.

My family owned a small business up there and a number of years ago I was asked if I was interested in moving back to take over the business.

I think I made the right call wen I decided that I didn't want my kids raised in that environment however a few years later I bought in a small community just outside of the gta and a few years later I bought a cottage. Now we have a bit of both, the kids are brought up in a town but they spend most summer weekends at the cottage.

The cottage is great, the kids know more about the outdoors than any of their friends, they have better balance, they can use most tools, drive the boats & skidoos and can actually amuse themselves without cal of duty or the internet.

I like to think that I have struck a good balance living here in what I call "the shity "but there are many days where I could see myself moving up north. I just wouldn't raise my kids there.

 

[hugsandkisses2120]

The key to your story is: "the nearest town was an hour away by car"........

You're right though, it's all about balance. I wouldn't raise a kid anywhere "an hour away by car".

Here's some comments though:
Seasonal: if you're a seasonal worker that occurs whether you live in the city or not. ie: a landscaper who doesn't do snowplowing etc. a lawn sprinkler sales/maintenance company, etc. It is all about the person as opposed to the job. I know a couple of people up here who work the golf courses in the summer, and work the ski hills in the winter. There are some who do nothing during the winter months too except collect UI. (but I know just as many in the city who that as I do up here).

After school sports: I know more than a few parents who are always driving their kids to ballet, soccer, baseball, hockey practise. That has nothing to do with location, they live in the city, it's all about parenting.

As for the "no modern conveniences", I agree, I wouldn't raise a kid in that environment either. For that matter, I wouldn't live like that. As I said: we have everything the city does, just not many of each. I don't need 4 walmarts, just one. I don't need 7 canadian tires, just one. I don't need 208 pizza pizzas, just one. I don't need 1411 coffee shops 10 is fine (lol)........

 

[jesssiccaah]

Fluoride in the water is a fucked up way to administer medication. Many countries are getting away from it, but that would be heresy here. Put it in toothpaste, that's enough. Far more water is used in flushing toilets or industry than for drinking.
Too many unnecessary chemicals in the system.

As for city versus country, I prefer the city because I rarely need to drive - everything is close by.
But being in the city makes me appreciate the country when I visit there, it's much quieter and the people are generally friendlier.

The suburbs have nothing to appreciate at all.

 

[michael941260]

I agree with you about the fluoride.....

Everything is close when you live in the core. You can walk to just about anything you need except for grocery stores. I found that other than expensive places like sobie's, everything else you needed a cab to get to. I mean, within 2 or 3 blocks of any residence there is a variety or drug store. They're on just about every corner.

But as you say, the suburbs? Live in the centre of a sub-division? You could be talking MILES to the nearest variety store and even further for a grocery store. All the mom and pop stores are always in a strip mall or something. I think that's why gas stations (among other reasons) started selling milk, bread etc. There was a niche that needed to be filled.