Suburbs are quiet and peaceful, and I truly go at my own pace here rather than running and panting trying to keep up with the pace of the city. I can actually hear the sound of pitter-patter outside your window when it rains instead of it being drowned out by a constant flood of sirens and honks. My residence feels lived in, and not just another box in a sky-high tower. A few steps and I’m outside, and I can feel grass under my feet instead of concrete. There’s a certain lull to suburbs that eludes the city-dweller. It’s like a breath of fresh air for the soul. And besides, trick-or-treating is far less fun in the city. Trust me, I’ve tried.
Big city dreaming
Living in a somewhat small town myself I have come to realize that I much rather live in a big city. The diversity of a big city, such as New York is the main appeal. Not knowing everyone and seeing people from all walks of life is an amazing opportunity. There are no expectations or assumptions that are put on you from your past.
I feel that in small towns word travels fast accurate or not. In a city no one knows you and once you walk passed a person you may never see them again. Everyday is new. Although, I understand that some people don’t enjoy the organized chaos that a city offers. I think living in a big city is a true test of independence for someone just starting out their adult life.
— Mary Pellicio, Massachusetts
If it were my choice, potentially after I graduate from college, I think I would like to live in a big city. In the city, there is always something going on and it is never quiet, you are never alone essentially. Whereas in a small town all is dark and silent typically by ten or eleven pm. In the city there is more people to meet, more skills to learn, and more things to do overall.
— Dillon Driscoll, Danvers High School
To see everything old and new, that’s my dream. Here in my town, it feels as if I have been playing hide and seek alone for awhile now. I know every spot and where to find it. I have folded, and soaked my body into every ounce of it. With a big city, it’s a whole new game, with many more players, that all want to win. I have that very drive, and it’s eating me up. A big city will feed it, and I’ll never be full.
— Ava Espinoza, Hoggard High School in Wilmington, NC
My whole life I’ve grown up in a small town. It’s a western suburb of Chicago, a pretty opulent community full of white picket fences and golden retrievers. I’m not saying this to demean my community, but it’s like we’re living in a bubble that could be popped by the slightest change in our one colored environment. There is little to no diversity, no change, no adaption, no thinking outside the box. There’s a set of rules that we all blindly follow, and I’ll admit that I’m guilty of it.
I myself have thought when I was younger that the boundaries of my community were the boundaries of this very Earth. That’s the things with small towns, people are small minded. It’s nice to live in a comfortable and safe community, but are you truly living without experiencing all the world has to offer? That’s why by the time I graduate college, I want to truly see all of the world has to offer; the good, the bad, and the ugly. Cities are diverse, melting pots of cultures and people of all walks of life. They’re vibrant and raw, never holding back. I feel that once you let go of your small town, whatever it may be, you allow yourself to be vulnerable and free.
