Advantages/Disadvantages of Big Cities Versus Small Towns

Presence of infrastructure and resources determine the size of a civilization. Big cities are being the result of adequate resources that promote the service industries and technology, but Small towns are - a controlled culture that has the lack in their infrastructure. Small towns have basic amenities to cater for their social needs. The population in small towns is small; on the other hand population in big cities is large. The cultural diversity in large cities makes them lose their cultural background. Small towns have less diverse culture and the presence of minority groups is evident. The social interactions in cities are limited to working areas and neighborhoods, unlike small cities where all people interact freely with each other due to its size.

The merits and demerits associated with large cities and small towns can be evaluated from the angle of determining the best location to reside. New York will be the example of the big city for evaluating, while Galena in Illinois will be the small town to analyze. The infrastructure in the city of New York allows people residing there to travel through various modes; the cities offer more transport options to the people residing within it never the less, Galena town has a restrictive infrastructure; the people living in the town depend on the road and railway as the choices for the transport.

Products available in large cities are diverse to accommodate the diverse client base. Almost all products are available in large cities, but small towns lack this luxury; to get some products, residents have to travel to big cities to obtain them. For example, products available for sale in New York stores may not be found in Galena stores. Some of the manufacturers determine the areas with high population there in order to increase the sales. Latest technology, for instance, Apple Inc. products, is widely available in New York; though a limited product range is available in Galena.

Big cities provide the good employment opportunity for the high number of people living there; the size of the city determines the workers within it, and cities have a higher rate of unemployment in comparison with small towns due to the competition in the employment sector. Small towns have a lower unemployment rate; though also the relatively low employment rates are observed there in comparison to cities. To illustrate this, the unemployment rate in Galena is 3.5% is to compare with the unemployment rate in New York - which is 8.0%.

Small towns are safer to live in and they reflect a low crime rate in comparison with big cities. For instance, Galena’s low rate of crime can be attributed to the presence of stronger social bonds that are facilitated by the small size of the community. Culture is better preserved in smaller towns, than in the big ones moreover, it would be safer to live in the smaller town if to compare with the life in the big city. As for the atmosphere, it is better in smaller towns than in the bigger ones. Large cities have many sources of pollution that fill the atmosphere around. Vehicles in the cities emit harmful gasses that destroy the environment. Besides, smaller towns have the limited number of pollutants, thus the atmosphere is more stable for these towns. Galena is a peaceful town with less noise and air pollution if to compare with New York.

Such social amenities, that is, specialized hospitals are present in large cities even so, small towns have smaller amenities. The hospitals in big cities have the qualified doctor personnel and the specialized equipments to deal with complicated health issues. Living in large cities means ensuring the resident with better health services in comparison with small towns. However, the amenities are congested with the increased population in big cities.

The advantages and disadvantages of the residential choice depend on the taste and preferences of the person moreover, some people are attracted to large cities due to the opportunities available, while others  prefer small towns as they are quiet, calm, and having the pleasant atmosphere there; small towns are suitable for resting.