Where one chooses to live may, at least initially, be dictated in whole or part by economics, climate, the size of the city under consideration, whether or not close proximity to the workplace is a critical factor, commuting considerations and perhaps many more pieces of the puzzle to factor into the decision process for where one hangs their hat.

Having said that, before any realistic preference can be determined it would be most helpful to live for an extended period of time in both a rural and urban area. One could also elect to live on the perimeter of the urban area, a place in between city and country that may also serve as the best answer for many people.

What may ultimately be of great influence in personal preference is where a person was raised through their childhood. If the experience was a positive one for the youngster it would reasonably follow that if all else was equal, that individual would likely aspire to return from whence they came so to speak.

There are many dynamics to life in the city, as there are for life in a rural setting. Depending on preference, which can and likely will change with age, what an individual experiences during their time residing in the city and/or the country will impact their overall impressions and desire for one region over the other.

Having been raised in the country challenges a youngster in many ways to become creative about living and having fun in an environment that does not include movie theaters, sports facilities, restaurants, shopping malls, billiard halls, swimming pools and the like. With the right attitude and sound parental guidance living in the country for a child becomes a personally challenging and enriching experience.

Something as simple as a bicycle ride on country roads becomes a quiet, peaceful and non-threatening experience where vehicular traffic is minimal, the air is clean and uncluttered by constant noise and distraction. The sounds and scents experienced during a walk through a wheat field or along a groomed country trail is exhilarating, relaxing and a healthy way to spend leisure time away from it all.

For many, life in the big city has a dynamic that is second to none, electrifying, depth in culture, the arts, and all the amenities that are a lengthy car trip away from the rolling hills, roaming livestock and chirping birds in the countryside.

But for so many of those who have been raised out in the burbs where the rooster croons at the crack of dawn, ducks and geese scamper across a gleaming pond, a herd of cattle graze in a pasture, horses trot along a white picket fence and a loan owl cries out in the dark of night … there simply is nothing that compares to life in the country.

There may well be some sacrifices to life in the country but those who have been blessed with life in a rural area, it is the first and only choice. For some who out of basic necessity and the logistics of economics and commuting considerations when first starting out in one’s career, may well elect the city as the only realistic choice but down the road there is most often a desire and goal to relocate back to the country.

The rationale behind living in the country is for many a no-brainer … life without the constant din of people, traffic, screeching tires, blaring car horns, traffic lights, shoulder-to-shoulder pedestrian crosswalks, smog, the endless hunt for outrageously expensive parking, the concrete jungle and so much more.

If choice is an option, so many would clearly opt for life in the country where quiet, wholesome air and a return to basics is the rule rather than the exception.