The first half of my life so far was spent in the vicinity of a mid-size midwestern industrial town of about 40,000, not far from a major metropolis. Most of the second half has been in a remote tiny town of about 2000 on the western prairie. I have been considering moving closer to grandchildren who live in the heart of a huge metroplex, and as a result, have been driving through a variety of neighborhoods in towns of all sizes to see what they are like.
My experiences and observations have led me to consider the nature of towns and neighborhoods. More populous areas obviously tend to have more amenities such as retail stores, medical specialists, and entertainment venues. Less populous areas have, of course, less traffic, but also tend to have more of a sense of community.
But here is something less obvious. In high-population areas, people tend to segregate themselves by class, with different socioeconomic classes living in different neighborhoods. The wealthy mostly hang out with the wealthy, the upper-middle class with the upper-middle class, and so forth. In an isolated tiny community, people may try to segregate, but the town is simply too small to allow it. So we get all socioeconomic classes of people rubbing shoulders and doing things together.
I believes this allows those of us who live in small isolated communities a better understanding of what it is like to be poor, or wealthy, or middle class, and reduces friction among the classes. It helps us see each other as all members of one broad class called humanity.
Posted 2021/11/16