Big vs. little. Large vs. small. These have been concepts that have been put into our heads since we were incredibly young. In this context, I am referring to where we are used to living. Many people are referred to as a city or a country kid, but that’s all a matter of where you live. I spent most of my life in the city of Pittsburgh, which is as big of a city as a lot of people I know are used to, but recently I moved to the outskirts of Shelby in North Carolina and I noticed right away the many differences between.

The first thing was that it was such much more peaceful. One of the biggest annoyances about the city life is that there is so much sound going on. At night, you can always hear, cars, alarms, trains or whatever, but there is always something going on or that needs to be done. Living in a small town, the only thing you hear at night are the insects and maybe the occasional wild animal howl. Sound wise, it’s just very peaceful and gives a lot more chances to relax and enjoy nature.

Another thing about living in a smaller town, is that everyone seems to know you. Hanging out with my cousin and going shopping for the house, everywhere we went, people knew him by name. See, in my opinion, this is why I like the big city more. Less people know you, which means you have a bit, if not generally more, privacy. One thing happens in a small city and everyone knows the “who, what, where, when, why and how,” before they know anything else about what happened in the entire situation. In the big city, everyone is so busy with their own lives, that no one really has time to be in other people’s business.

I figure, both the big city and small towns have their pros and cons. Me personally, I like a mix of the two. Having access to the hustle and bustle of the big city, but having the community of a small town. That’s why I chose the college I did. I want to have nice easy access to the city, but also the ability to be able to not be a number. I guess in the end, it really comes down to preference but, that’s just the way things work out sometimes.