why do people want to live in big cities?

cities have more crime, more noise, less privacy, over crowded schools, and is very unsave for kids. why wouldnt more people drive 20 more miles to maximize the benefits of bing able to breath easier and relax knowing their families are safe and their kids can go play without fear of gangs or traffic?

Public Comments

1. Bad things can happen anywhere. I'd rather live in a city and be on my toes instead of lulled into a false sense of security in the 'burbs.
2. #1 not everybody has kids. #2 some people like the expanded resources a city has to offer, libraries, parks, gyms, schools, post offices, people (minorities like to live with others of their group, men and women want to have a greater number of possible soulmates to choose from, people who enjoy things that are not very popular or common can find a club or group of people that have the same hobby (martial art, board game, whatever) in a big city). I think you get the idea.
3. Because cities have the following: Public transportation (means my husband and I only have one car and fill the tank once per month) Great libraries that we go to weekly Multiple museums Lots of groceries, including small Asian, Mexican and Indian groceries where I can buy any kind of food from anywhere Great restaurants Lots of theaters Concerts Parks Great neighbors Lots of friendly people Diversity I don't understand why anyone would want to live in a suburb. I can walk out the door of my house and go one block and have access to a small independent movie theater, a bakery, a Thai restaurant, a coffee shop, a martial arts studio, a pizza joint, a laundromat, four American style restaurants, a bank and more, all within two blocks of my house! My husband and I take the bus to work, so we have a 20-minute ride that we can spend reading or talking, as compared to the commuters from the 'burbs who spend almost an hour in their cars driving one way daily. The kids in our neighborhood love the local Thai place, while all the kids I've known who were raised in suburbs refuse to eat anything but cheese pizza and other fast foods. We go to the museum and the aviary and conservatory and the science museum with friends and their kids, and the kids love it all. There are so many more benefits to living in the city that I don't understand why people move 20 miles out to be in a place that has so much less to offer.
4. Well, cities have many benefits that most suburban areas don't have. Cities are usually more diverse, and have a wide variety of activities for children and adults. The neighborhoods are often more close-knit because there is less physical space between families so everyone knows everyone. Those who cannot afford a car can depend on reliable public transportation to get everywhere. And a lot of other things. Cities do not always have more crime... It is important to look at the ratio of people. If a town of ten people has one murder that year then that means that ten percent of the population was murdered. If a large city has three murders that's still less of a percentage of the population that was murdered than in the town of ten people. It just looks like higher crime rates, when really it's not true. There is more noise. But some people like noise. They might not feel comfortable in the silence, just like some people don't want privacy. And with the way this country is going today suburbia is just as dangerous for kids as the city. It's just that the danger lurks in different places. I know growing up in "cow country" the danger was kids staying out late and doing stupid stuff out of boredom and getting themselves killed for it. Dead is dead, whether it's from train-surfing or accidentally driving your car into a tree at two in the morning. I like both the city and the country. I can live in either place. But whatever I decide on I will live where I work. I will not commute. Commuters don't relax. They have to work ten times harder to maintain their lifestyle and then don't even get to spend any time with their families. The commuters I know are pretty darn miserable, as are their families. Family togetherness is more important than family location. You can grow up in the roughest toughest city neighborhood, but if you have a tight family you are going to grow up fine. I like both the city and the country. Neither place is perfect, and both places have so many benefits. So it really just comes down to personal preference.