# Happiness in Cities



## -KwK345- (May 23, 2007)

I was reading some articles online that talked about loneliness, stress, and happiness in cities. One said that 1/2 the ppl in NYC live alone and it was debating whether urban loneliness is a myth or not. So, do you live alone? Are you lonely? But I think the reason so many people live alone in New York is b/c most of the people there are single young professionals looking for a partner. Another article I read said that New York is one of the US's most stressful cities. If you live in New York or a very dense, urban place, do you think it is stressful? And lastly, another article said that Philadelphia, NYC, etc. were some of the most depressed cities in the US based on antidepressant sales, suicide rates, and the # of residents who were reportedly depressed. What do you think about all of this? I would love to live in NYC so if I were unhappy while I lived there, it wouldn't be because of the way NY is. Do you think this has anything to do with the city these people live in being dense and urban? *Do you think people are generally happier in smaller towns than peopple in both spread out and dense big cities?* What if all the beautiful cities out there are all filled with unhappy people?!?!?!


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

New York is not a cheap place to live, and the high cost of living goes get to people, as many other cities are. 

It's not a cakewalk simplistic place like Smalltown, USA, and that reflects into the statistics. Of course unhappiness and stress is higher in a city, because cities are generally rougher places to live. I don't think I've heard much people saying the opposite before. 

At the same time, there are several more things to do, more job opportunities, more people to meet and talk to, and general experience in a city, not even only New York, than some little town in the middle of nowhere. Chances are very high, unless they like the more simplistic life in the country, that the same people who are depressed in the city would be even worse off in a small town. Less things to do.

As for the idea of half the population of the city being alone and most of the people there looking for single young professionals...I don't believe that.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

I think it's a myth that people living in big cities - even those that generate considerable wealth - are happy. After all, only a small percentage of the workforce actually makes high wages, and a lot more support workers on the lower ranks need to figure a way to survive in an expensive city.


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## karim aboussir (Dec 4, 2006)

I have a friend who lives in manhantan he loves it , yes he does complain about traffic and cost of living he has a little studio and pays 1700 dollars a month for a 400 square feet place he is not depressed at all and loves the atmosphere there


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## BrickellResidence (Feb 4, 2008)

i love mexico city more than miami because mx city has 10 times more venues than miami!


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## philadweller (Oct 30, 2003)

When I lived in Manhattan I was stressed by all of the rabid competition and constantly having to be on a budget. Also, I was depressed by the concept of being trapped on an island and being in the city that I was born in. Sharing a 2 bedroom with 4 people was tough. I find that living in one place your whole life is very depressing. I also found New Yorkers to be very ignorant how they thought that NYC was the only place that mattered. They would pretend not to know of Philadelphia or other cities that were on my radar.

The least depressed that I ever was happened to be when I was living in Philadelphia. I had a great job and the cost of living was low. Bought my own "dream" rowhome from 1835 and I had DC, Baltimore and NYC in my backyard. Philadelphians are so laid back without being too irresponsible. 

When I lived in Boston I was happy because the city was so beautiful and I was right on the sea. I was also just coming out of the closet and spent my Summers in P-town and lived right near the South End. Also, my parents were footing the tuition bill. 

Now I live in Florida in the land of sunshine and warm weather and I have never been so depressed in my life. Other than the beach and nightlife Florida is very boring and very expensive. I hate having to drive all the time. I feel lonely trapped in my car and lonely that I live in a very suburban city. I always dreamed of living here but now I feel it is a nightmare. I think Iceland sounds more appealing right now. Florida is like the third world.

Now I want to move to Chicago. People seem happiest there. I am always happy when I am there.


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## Homer J. Simpson (Dec 2, 2003)

There are a few things I find stressful in city living but outside to them I can't really say as I have any negative feelings about it.

Traffic is the big issue with me that will hopefully get resolved soon. I can't wait until I can ditch the car and start taking the subway again.


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## LtBk (Jul 27, 2004)

Traffic is a problem in suburban areas too.


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## tpe (Aug 10, 2005)

philadweller said:


> The least depressed that I ever was happened to be when I was living in Philadelphia. I had a great job and the cost of living was low. Bought my own "dream" rowhome from 1835 and I had DC, Baltimore and NYC in my backyard. Philadelphians are so laid back without being too irresponsible.


philadweller, did you sell the house? 

For all their problems, I love these old city houses. Good bones, and many of them retain the beautiful period details.

Living in small spaces doesn't mean you don't live well, IMO.


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## philadweller (Oct 30, 2003)

Yes I sold my house and made a small fortune. I do regret it a bit.

I would love to buy a loft in dowtown Detroit. That poor city needs people. I wish I could establish some type of way to get the "creative class" moving to cities like Detroit instead of the typical cities that don't need us...NYC and San Francisco scream "spoiled". Those cities certainly don't need our help. I am happy living in places where I feel like I am a pioneer and not a follower. When I bought in Philadelphia in 1996 I was a bit of a pioneer. The city was losing population but I believed in it and guess what. I made quadruple what I paid for my 1,500 square foot triplex. My location was prime but the block was shabby at the time. About 15 of us brought the block back to life and it became one of the most colorful photographed blocks in the city.


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## tpe (Aug 10, 2005)

philadweller said:


> Yes I sold my house and made a small fortune. I do regret it a bit.
> 
> I would love to buy a loft in dowtown Detroit. That poor city needs people. I wish I could establish some type of way to get the "creative class" moving to cities like Detroit instead of the typical cities that don't need us...NYC and San Francisco scream "spoiled". Those cities certainly don't need our help. I am happy living in places where I feel like I am a pioneer and not a follower. When I bought in Philadelphia in 1996 I was a bit of a pioneer. The city was losing population but I believed in it and guess what. I made quadruple what I paid for my 1,500 square foot triplex. My location was prime but the block was shabby at the time. About 15 of us brought the block back to life and it became one of the most colorful photographed blocks in the city.


Well, I sort of guessed that you sold it when real estate was still going strong, and as much as I understand your regretting it a bit, I am glad you sold it then and not now.

Urban pioneering was never a really easy concept for me, although I had some friends in Chicago who did this quite well in the West Loop neighborhoods and slightly further up. You are right: they probably yield maximum potential/return if you choose well as far as location is concerned and have some vision of what a place can be. And you can certainly get some very wonderful spaces -- with a little bit of elbow grease and imagination...


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## Homer J. Simpson (Dec 2, 2003)

LtBk said:


> Traffic is a problem in suburban areas too.


So true.

One of my sources of happiness is my ability to walk to a dozen different stores and restaurants within a 6 minute walk of my place.

I think if given the choice between urban, suburban, or rural I would feel like this;

1) Urban
2) Rural
3) Suburban

I loath suburbia. It takes the worst qualities of both the rural and urban without the benefits.


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## LtBk (Jul 27, 2004)

If people didn't had big families or long working hours, I think most people would be bored of suburbia.


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## 6-6-6 (Jan 14, 2008)

:cheers:


brickellresidence said:


> i love mexico city more than miami because mx city has 10 times more venues than miami!


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## gabrielbabb (Aug 11, 2006)

I like mexico city because you don't separate of your family completely because you don't have to go to other city to work unless you're interested, but normally mexican citizens families try to be unified
There is no suburbia in mexico city just very rich and quiet places but they're cool because in the same neighbourhood you can find 5 stationeries, an spinning club, a hairdresser, 5 grocery stores, a restaurant,etc just going walking without taking your car, not as in suburbia that you need to take the highway or the freeway to get anywhere...

What more ??? fruits and vegetables are cheap (or not as expensive as in europe or USA, for example a kilogram of apples cost about US$2 - US$3 while in US an apple can cost US$5) and you can have confidence they are good products... jeje that doesn't matter much 

If you don't like where you live you can move to many nice zones in different points of the city that are not so expensive and you can have the same stablishments everywhere of stationeries, groceries stores , etc...


There are nightclubs everywhere for all classes... XD


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## BrickellResidence (Feb 4, 2008)

even theres a nightclub in the top of a 40 story skyscraper in mexico city called wtc sky bar and its awesome you can see 360 degree pano of mexico city at night! but its an expensive one for rich people my brother was dere!!


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## 6-6-6 (Jan 14, 2008)

gabrielbabb said:


> I like mexico city because *you don't separate of your family completely because you don't have to go to other city to work unless you're interested, but normally mexican citizens families try to be unified*There is no suburbia in mexico city just very rich and quiet places but they're cool because in the same neighbourhood you can find 5 stationeries, an spinning club, a hairdresser, 5 grocery stores, a restaurant,etc just going walking without taking your car, not as in suburbia that you need to take the highway or the freeway to get anywhere...
> 
> What more ??? fruits and vegetables are cheap (or not as expensive as in europe or USA, for example a kilogram of apples cost about US$2 - US$3 while in US an apple can cost US$5) and you can have confidence they are good products... jeje that doesn't matter much
> 
> ...


thats right, i mean its always been that way, very cool, but when you get married thats when you need to buy your own house.
yeah, im 21 and stiill live with my parents, but our deparment is so confortable and i have everything near me, in a ratio of 2 blocks a gym has just built in front of my house and i have subway station very near, school near, and i dont even live in a rich zone i live next to the airport and i could go on forever... i dont know why you guys think megacities are so chaotic.


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## BrickellResidence (Feb 4, 2008)

my brother lives in a apartment called garden tower and he can walk to a pharmacy,gym or to my dads hotel he loves living in mexico city and he is an actor, i have told him why dont u move to LA but he didnt want cuz he loves mexico city and never wants to move. he says that he loves the people,life, and funess of mexico city


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## Kensingtonian (Nov 8, 2008)

there is a direct relationship between happiness and having a sense of community. in small towns that haven't turned into stip mall power centre death pits you would have more a feeling of community. at least if you fit into the homogenous population of the town. the trick in cities is to create this sense of community in the different neighbourhoods.


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## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

Maybe you have to make your own "community" in a city(or anywhere really)...I mean isn't that the point of going to a place with a large population?

I live in a smaller place, I can't really find people to hang out with that share my interests or views, much less activities or events related to them. That's why eventually I want to move to a major city.

But I'd rather avoid NYC personally, too expensive, fast paced, etc. I'm not the type of person who is hyper-competitive just for the sake of being competitive.


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