Life in world class cities vs. everywhere else

[Cavalier]

Assuming you aren't rich or don't have a 7 figure income and a generous expense account -- is living in top cities really the end-all-be-all of life? Is it mainly for the career opportunity or to maintain global purchasing power? Is there more to it (people, culture)? I assume having a kid would suck and drain any ability to enjoy NYC except for the very highest earners.

At what point do you settle for a lower tier city that still offers diversity and a high end lifestyle that is more accessible to you?

 

[MetroStyles]

Many of the world class cities are the worst places to live, even if you have money.

 

[Manton]

The place I most want to live is Santa Cruz.

 

[kwilkinson]

I made $12,800 in 2010, and I lived in Chicago b/c Chicago is an awesome city and has more or less everything I could ever want. IMO, it's worth the struggle, but I imagine the point of this thread is for guys making magnitudes of my salary.

 

[ChicagoMediaMan]

Would I call it the end-all-be-all of life? No, but it's really about what is best for you. To really grow and advance with my career, I can really only live in Chicago, NY, or LA - at least in the US. So that plays a big part of it for me. Career aside, I did grow up in a relatively small town and I doubt I could ever go back to something like that. As kwilk said, Chicago offers me basically everything I want, at least at this stage in my life.

 

[Not Ed Harris]

I live in London but I grew up in a small village just south of the Scottish border. I honestly don't think that I could tolerate living in any other city in the UK barring maybe a couple (Edinburgh and maybe Newcastle). They all seem to be just that bit crapper in every respect other than the cost of living. It also doesn't help that the other cities seem to be largely the same. Wife is the same, but she's a Londoner and doesn't even have the experience of living anywhere else.

Living in the country I could easily handle, but a mediocre town where everything is a little worse than what I'm used to? Not going to happen.

 

[Piobaire]

Think for many it will depend on the stage your life and career are in. I know my little outpost of civilization would not have been right for me at 20 or 25 but having bid "goodbye" to my 40th b-day I am happy where I'm at. It's also better to be a middle sized fish in a tiny pond for many things.

 

[itsstillmatt]

Try living in a mediocre city with world class pretentions.

 

[Mark from Plano]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Try living in a mediocre city with world class pretentions.

Is this some kind of shot at me?

 

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by Mark from Plano

Is this some kind of shot at me?
No, at my ******.

 

[Mark from Plano]

Originally Posted by iammatt

No, at my ******.

I know. It just hit close to home for me as well.

I don't know that I really want to live anywhere else, but I also wish Dallas would get its **** together.

There's a chance I may be leaving the burbs and moving into the city somewhat sooner than I had previously planned, perhaps as soon as next fall.

I do enjoy the amenities of living in the city, but then I've enjoyed living in small towns as well.

 

[StephenHero]

I tolerate mean people more than philistines. I went to a baseball game last week and I was truly embarrassed at how sloppy and disgusting people are. It was Labelking's worst nightmare.

 

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Try living in a mediocre city with world class pretentions.

Here.

 

[APK]

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

Many of the world class cities are the worst places to live, even if you have money.

Metro, you've alluded to your discontent with your city. Can you extrapolate on that? It's kind of interesting / refreshing to see a NY'er NOT go on and on about how it's the greatest city on earth and there's really no other place worth living.

 

[gladhands]

To answer the OP's question, I'd rather be young poor in a world class city than anywhere else. World class cities tend to have more free events, better public transportation. I believe that I was exposed to more culture growing up poor in NYC than many in other cities' upper-middle class.