4 reasons why living in the city is better than living in the countryside | Victor Lu – Grade 10

Feb 3, 2021 | 17 comments

Finding a place to live is vital for people’s lives, and the places where people live are likely to influence their lifestyle. People choose differently based on their preferences when they select their living places. Indeed, most people’s living places can be divided into two main types: city and countryside. However, living in the city is better than living in the countryside because cities offer opportunities and the advantages that are absent in the countryside.

Public Transportation

First of all, it is better for people to live in urban areas because urban areas offer more convenient public transportation systems. For example, Taipei has 6 subway lines and However, a rural place such as Taitung, Taiwan, has only a few forms of public transportation operating.

Because most modern cities in the world have well-developed public transportation networks, most city residents spend less time commuting to other places such as their workplaces and schools. Compared to people who live in the countryside, people who live in the city tend to drive their cars less frequently, so it saves them time and energy because not driving cars and using public transportation, such as the subway, reduces the possibility of being stuck in traffic, which many people hate. Therefore, it is more ideal to live in cities because they have better public transportation.

Medical Treatment

Additionally, cities have more medical services compared to the countryside, which means that city residents can immediately get medical treatment if they get sick or hurt. Rural areas have fewer hospitals, resulting in people who live in the countryside needing to travel for a long time to see doctors if they need medical treatment, which is sometimes dangerous for patients.

For instance, one of my friends’ grandfather used to live halfway up a hill in Xindian, Taipei, near Kang Chiao International School. One time, he suffered a heart attack and needed to see the doctor immediately, so his family drove him to the hospital. However, they drove for nearly half an hour to get to the nearest place for medical services. After they arrived, the doctor told them that it is dangerous for unhealthy people to live far from hospitals. As a result, my friend’s grandfather moved to the downtown Taipei area.

Entertainment

The diverse forms of entertainment in cities makes living in the city superior to living in the countryside. For instance, Taipei has 36 movie theaters, but Taitung has only one. Furthermore, Taipei has 60 shopping malls, while Taitung, again, has only one.

The large number of entertainment sources in cities allows citizens to enjoy more forms of refreshments such as going to shopping malls, watching movies, and going to bars for a drink. Also, big cities often have the opportunity for residents to interact face to face with others. However, compared to urban areas, people who live in rural areas have only a few books and TV to spend their leisure time, and rural residents are likely more isolated from society. Also, many rural residents do not have enough money to afford their demands for various entertainment. In fact, 13.3% of rural families in Taiwan have no stable income.

As a result, people in cities can enjoy more enriching activities in their spare times. Therefore, living in the city is better because citizens can enjoy many forms of entertainment there.

Education and Jobs

In addition to entertainment, cities provide more high quality education and job opportunities. Because of the convenience of living in urban areas, most schools and corporations are located in cities rather than the countryside.

Hence, people who live in the city can give their children better quality education because most professors and teachers work in cities. However, compared to cities, the quality of education in the countryside is limited. Indeed, take Taiwan’s rural areas as an example, the percentage of insufficient education resources there is 71.5%, which is 16 times the percentage of that of Taiwan’s urban areas, and these schools often lack teachers and learning materials.

Compared to the countryside, cities have higher quality education. Moreover, cities have more jobs because most people tend to work in cities. On the other hand, job opportunities in the countryside are fewer and less diverse, and some of them, especially part time ranch jobs, often require labor work and only allow workers to receive low income. As a result, many farmers move to cities in search of jobs. For instance, the Industrial Revolution forced many farmers to move to cities because there are more job opportunities, and it caused cities in the US, such as Detroit and LA, to expand in a great amount of size.

Consequently, urban areas are better places for people to live because there are higher quality of education and a wider choice for jobs.

It is true that some people claim that rural areas are better places to live because they have cleaner air and water since they are far from hustle and bustle. Also, the countryside offers more opportunity for people to expose themselves to nature, which is conducive to people’s good mental health.

However, compared to rural areas, urban areas have more convenient public transportation, developed security systems, better medical centers, diverse entertainment, and high quality education and job opportunities. Clearly, living in the city is better than living in the countryside.

17 Comments

  1. Deepak

    The city is overpopulated compared to the villages where small numbers of people live. The air and water in the village is less polluted and the village has a cleaner environment, less noise, and fresh air compared to the cities. People in the villages are less busy than those in the big cities.

    Reply
    • Rose

      no it isn’t city is the best

      Reply
      • Ernest

        No what isn’t? The fact that cities are overpopulated (which they are, and one of the reasons why I dislike them), or the fact that cities just have a much more dirty environment and atmosphere compared to the rural countryside? This entire article seems biased and doesn’t even address the major flaws cities truly have… I mean that’s no surprise considering that it’s written by a high school kid for instance. Cities are notorious for having high rate of crimes, how expensive it is for the common person to live in them, how loud they are, or the horrible traffic which public transportation can’t even fix due to how garbage it is in most major American cities (and some Canadian cities as well). The horrible urban sprawls that go on for miles, I mean I can go on and on forever…

        I lived in Los Angeles, one of the highest polluted cities in America for a great part of my life and I’m glad I moved to a less dense rural town out of the state. Now the countryside does have it flaws too like the lack of jobs, education, medical centers… And other things this article addressed which is pretty trivial in my opinion, but I really appreciate the quietness, the low cost of living, and how close most places are that you could just walk there if you wanted too. The cities might have “everything” but that doesn’t mean they’re the “best”.

        Reply
        • Qamar

          Cant’t agree more..

          Reply
      • Alradi amin

        Thanks so much for giving us this is information. God bless you

        Reply
      • Lan

        yes, I think city can better than in the countryside

        Reply
    • Leo

      Yes it is cleaner and the city might be overpopulated and is less noise but cities are way better if you were to get hurt in a city you would get urgent and good health care unlike if you were to be in a village you would have less care you would be in more pain because there is no good health care in villages and you would be in so much pain. ORR they would not even notice that you are hurt because there are not that many people around to help you if you get hurt

      Reply
    • des

      honestly it depends on you. most introverts may prefer small villages whereas really social people may prefer to live in the busy city. Additionally, people may just want different things in life. Personally, I think the city is best for education and job opportunities but as stated a village or any rural area might be cleaner and more environmentally friendly. compared to the countryside, cities have higher quality education. Moreover, cities have more jobs because most people tend to work in cities. On the other hand, job opportunities in the countryside are fewer and less diverse, and some of them, especially part time ranch jobs, often require labor work and only allow workers to receive low income. It depends where you are 🙂

      Reply
  2. will

    thanks I had a debate about this and it helped

    Reply
    • Leo

      Same it helped a lot thx guys

      Reply
    • Jake

      I also had a debate and it helped

      Reply
  3. Neche

    Well I prefer the city to rural areas

    Reply
  4. faxbro

    u sound mad goofy rn ngl

    Reply
    • ong

      LMAAOOOOO

      Reply
  5. SHIRO-CHAN

    i believe that cities are better than county sides. it can be overpopulated but medical care is also important. in addition, this is 4 reasons y it is better to live in cities. countries are also great, but is the majority would have to pick, it would be city.

    Reply
  6. Celia Ebrahimi

    3 years ago, we moved from the city to the mountains and have loved every minute of it. When we return to the city to visit family all I see is a sea of unhappy people, so much so that even my kids notice how unhappy people are in the city. I mean with all the homeless, garbage everywhere, a bunch of crappy unhealthy restaurants, gyms as a means to exercise (compared to the exercise in the mountains), pollution, traffic, crime and violence, I can see why people in cities always look so down. I always say, if all you are interested in life is to shop, eat out and superficial friendships, then cities are for you

    Reply

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