Big city vs. small town living

I had a phone call with my granddad last night and I asked him what I should write about. This morning he sends me a HUGE list of ideas and this was one of many. (prepare yourself for the others)

As you all know I currently go to school in the big city of Charlotte, NC. There's endless possibilities of restaurants, places to go and people to see. This lifestyle is so different from the way I was raised. I was raised in the small town of Pittsboro, NC with all kinds of animals on our property to working at a local feed store. Let's just say I was living that country life. Don't get me wrong I will always come back to my hometown... after all it is my HOMEtown. Today, I wanted to sit down and write about the pros and cons of living in the city vs. living in my small town... Let's get started.

Big City Living

Pros:

• If you are picky on what to eat, I can guarantee there is something for you to find. There are so many unique places to chowdown here in Charlotte that no matter what you are craving... they got you covered.

• Need a meet up spot? Oh trust me there's plenty. You could meet up anywhere here in CLT... whether it is in the heart of the city at a coffee shop or a small private park. Charlotte has so many places that you can go and enjoy and there's literally a place that will fit your specific needs.

• If you don't want to be known, a big city is for you. You barely see the same people in places, and it's overall a great place to be one with yourself.

Cons:

• There are so many people... traffic is horrible! you gotta make sure you plan at LEAST 30 mins to get somewhere, especially if it's a meeting. Make sure traffic is in your schedule. No matter what time of the day it is, there will always be traffic.

• At the end of the day, you are just one person in a big city. People often forget this. There are so many people that it's just not reasonable for that coffee shop barista to know you by name.

• It is so expensive! Everything is expensive no matter where you go in a big city. I personally love to support local small businesses but even there it puts a hole in my wallet. If you plan to move to CLT or any other big city take in the account for how much you are willing to spend... because trust me, it adds up VERY quickly.

Small Town Living

Pros:

• Everywhere you go, people know you by name. Because of that, if feels as if you are a part of a community! No matter where you go... you are known.

• Traffic is normally not that bad. I know that my town is rapidly growing as we speak but traffic doesn't happen 24/7. You could literally leave your house minutes before a meeting and make it there on time or even early!

• There's a lot more opportunities to support local business. There are events that happen regularly to make these small businesses be know, and pretty much everyone supports one another.

Cons:

• Everyone knows everyone. That is a blessing and a curse. Because of this, pretty much anyone is going to know your business whether it's good or bad.

• There's only a handful of places that you can go to and eat. After awhile it just gets boring.

• In a small town, it's kinda scary when trying to find a job. I was blessed to be placed into a family owned business but other people aren't so lucky. I guess that's why a lot of people break away and start businesses of their own. Without that, many people commute to bigger towns that are neighbors to the smaller ones.

There's so many great things about both living in the city and living in a small country town... I could go on and on about it! These are just a few of my pros and cons for each. I hope you enjoyed this, and who knows where we might be in the future.

-Kenzie Kaye