AARoads Forum

Just curious about the break down of the areas we all call home.

About the poll: In most states, designations of "city", "town", and "village" are not defined by population count.

Quote from: 1 on July 23, 2017, 10:19:20 AM
About the poll: In most states, designations of "city", "town", and "village" are not defined by population count.

I find that strange, because Louisiana does. The rankings I use here are mine that I came up with.

My jurisdiction is in the 100K+ tier, but is part of a metropolitan area (DC) that is in the highest tier.

I live in a nice rural town with less than 3k population

The jurisdiction that I live in has a population of about 45,000, but is classified as a "Town" and not a "City".  So while I did vote appropriately based on population, the label is a misnomer.

I live in Fairfax County, which has a population of over a million, but it's a predominantly suburban jurisdiction and I therefore didn't vote in the poll because I don't feel any of the descriptions fit. I suppose the OP would classify it as "outside any municipal entity," most likely, but that didn't feel right to me based on the population descriptions. Our neighborhood alone had 15,556 residents as of the 2010 census, but it's neither a town nor a village and it's definitely not a city.

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 23, 2017, 12:09:50 PM
The jurisdiction that I live in has a population of about 45,000, but is classified as a "Town" and not a "City".  So while I did vote appropriately based on population, the label is a misnomer.

I think I figured out which town it is. (Based on your description of "outside the I-291 beltway", I would have thought you were within a few miles of I-291 in Connecticut. Now I think you're closer to the Massachusetts border than to I-291 in Connecticut. Am I right?)

I live in the 'Town' of Cary, with a population over 160k.

Mine's pretty easy as I live inside one of Virginia's cities that have over 100k residents

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 23, 2017, 12:09:50 PM
The jurisdiction that I live in has a population of about 45,000, but is classified as a "Town" and not a "City".  So while I did vote appropriately based on population, the label is a misnomer.

Connecticut is famous for that. *cough* West Hartford *cough*

Quote from: 1 on July 23, 2017, 12:21:44 PM

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 23, 2017, 12:09:50 PM
The jurisdiction that I live in has a population of about 45,000, but is classified as a "Town" and not a "City".  So while I did vote appropriately based on population, the label is a misnomer.

I think I figured out which town it is. (Based on your description of "outside the I-291 beltway", I would have thought you were within a few miles of I-291 in Connecticut. Now I think you're closer to the Massachusetts border than to I-291 in Connecticut. Am I right?)

Quote from: JJBers on July 23, 2017, 12:40:28 PM

Connecticut is famous for that. *cough* West Hartford *cough*

Nope.  Not Enfield as 1 guessed, and not WeHa either.  Someone did figure it out once, though. 

What? Nobody voted from a mega-city (don't forget Chicago!)...yet. I live on the city limit boundary of two cities plus a county jurisdiction-my grocery store job lies within the county. Honestly, I'm in La Quinta CA - but I say Palm Desert which is a larger city, and the county is Riverside county.

Winnipeg is a city of 700K, but I wouldn't call it a "mega city". A Metropolis I think would be a city of at least 2-3 Million and/or a city which is economically important.

Are we counting the municipality we live in, or the metro area?  In any case, I would think it would be most informative if the poll options could take into account both the type of land area and the metro size (such as "big city suburb", "medium city downtown", "rural small town", "middle of nowhere", etc.).

I voted based on the population of my city.  But it's a suburb in a metropolitan area of millions.

Quote from: Desert Man on July 23, 2017, 03:03:38 PM
What? Nobody voted from a mega-city (don't forget Chicago!)...yet. I live on the city limit boundary of two cities plus a county jurisdiction-my grocery store job lies within the county. Honestly, I'm in La Quinta CA - but I say Palm Desert which is a larger city, and the county is Riverside county.

I voted, and used "big city".  I come from Joliet, not Chicago.

Where I live is a "big city" according to your poll, but is commonly regarded as a "small town".

I live 10 miles east of Crestview, FL, 2016 pop 23,567. Crestview is the county seat of Okaloosa County & sits at the jct of US 90 & FL 85, I-10 passes thru the southern most area of town using exit 56.
I live in a very rural area off US 90, a few people have built homes in this area mostly more than 1 mile between houses. I love the peace & quiet, we sit on the back deck & watch deer & occasionally a black bear walk nearby.  :wave:

I live in the third largest city in the state of Alabama.

I live in the most populous city in the United States, and also the only one to encompass the entirety of multiple counties.

I live in a border town. I can walk to the street corner and look into the next state. :)

Or I can walk to it in less than 10 minutes :)

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 23, 2017, 02:04:28 PM

Quote from: 1 on July 23, 2017, 12:21:44 PM

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 23, 2017, 12:09:50 PM
The jurisdiction that I live in has a population of about 45,000, but is classified as a "Town" and not a "City".  So while I did vote appropriately based on population, the label is a misnomer.

I think I figured out which town it is. (Based on your description of "outside the I-291 beltway", I would have thought you were within a few miles of I-291 in Connecticut. Now I think you're closer to the Massachusetts border than to I-291 in Connecticut. Am I right?)

Quote from: JJBers on July 23, 2017, 12:40:28 PM

Connecticut is famous for that. *cough* West Hartford *cough*

Nope.  Not Enfield as 1 guessed, and not WeHa either.  Someone did figure it out once, though.

I thought you lived in East Windsor until that point.
There's only one place in Connecticut that could be a village: Union, where I-84 blasts through.
But here's a semi-easy way to figure out what town I live in:
I live in the Willimantic area and I live in a "town". Take a look around, and you'll easily figure it out

Quote from: JJBers on July 23, 2017, 11:21:27 PM

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 23, 2017, 02:04:28 PM

Quote from: 1 on July 23, 2017, 12:21:44 PM

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 23, 2017, 12:09:50 PM
The jurisdiction that I live in has a population of about 45,000, but is classified as a "Town" and not a "City".  So while I did vote appropriately based on population, the label is a misnomer.

I think I figured out which town it is. (Based on your description of "outside the I-291 beltway", I would have thought you were within a few miles of I-291 in Connecticut. Now I think you're closer to the Massachusetts border than to I-291 in Connecticut. Am I right?)

Quote from: JJBers on July 23, 2017, 12:40:28 PM

Connecticut is famous for that. *cough* West Hartford *cough*

Nope.  Not Enfield as 1 guessed, and not WeHa either.  Someone did figure it out once, though.

I thought you lived in East Windsor until that point.
There's only one place in Connecticut that could be a village: Union, where I-84 blasts through.
But here's a semi-easy way to figure out what town I live in:
I live in the Willimantic area and I live in a "town". Take a look around, and you'll easily figure it out

Your avatar and population clue helped me figure it out.  One of only a handful of towns in CT outside of Litchfield County without a Dunkin Donuts (there are several within my town's limits)

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 24, 2017, 01:09:53 AM

Quote from: JJBers on July 23, 2017, 11:21:27 PM

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 23, 2017, 02:04:28 PM

Quote from: 1 on July 23, 2017, 12:21:44 PM

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 23, 2017, 12:09:50 PM
The jurisdiction that I live in has a population of about 45,000, but is classified as a "Town" and not a "City".  So while I did vote appropriately based on population, the label is a misnomer.

I think I figured out which town it is. (Based on your description of "outside the I-291 beltway", I would have thought you were within a few miles of I-291 in Connecticut. Now I think you're closer to the Massachusetts border than to I-291 in Connecticut. Am I right?)

Quote from: JJBers on July 23, 2017, 12:40:28 PM

Connecticut is famous for that. *cough* West Hartford *cough*

Nope.  Not Enfield as 1 guessed, and not WeHa either.  Someone did figure it out once, though.

I thought you lived in East Windsor until that point.
There's only one place in Connecticut that could be a village: Union, where I-84 blasts through.
But here's a semi-easy way to figure out what town I live in:
I live in the Willimantic area and I live in a "town". Take a look around, and you'll easily figure it out

Your avatar and population clue helped me figure it out.  One of only a handful of towns in CT outside of Litchfield County without a Dunkin Donuts (there are several within my town's limits)

The towns to my north and south don't have Dunkin' Donuts aswell

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 24, 2017, 01:09:53 AM

Quote from: JJBers on July 23, 2017, 11:21:27 PM

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 23, 2017, 02:04:28 PM

Quote from: 1 on July 23, 2017, 12:21:44 PM

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 23, 2017, 12:09:50 PM
The jurisdiction that I live in has a population of about 45,000, but is classified as a "Town" and not a "City".  So while I did vote appropriately based on population, the label is a misnomer.

I think I figured out which town it is. (Based on your description of "outside the I-291 beltway", I would have thought you were within a few miles of I-291 in Connecticut. Now I think you're closer to the Massachusetts border than to I-291 in Connecticut. Am I right?)

Quote from: JJBers on July 23, 2017, 12:40:28 PM

Connecticut is famous for that. *cough* West Hartford *cough*

Nope.  Not Enfield as 1 guessed, and not WeHa either.  Someone did figure it out once, though.

I thought you lived in East Windsor until that point.
There's only one place in Connecticut that could be a village: Union, where I-84 blasts through.
But here's a semi-easy way to figure out what town I live in:
I live in the Willimantic area and I live in a "town". Take a look around, and you'll easily figure it out

Your avatar and population clue helped me figure it out.  One of only a handful of towns in CT outside of Litchfield County without a Dunkin Donuts (there are several within my town's limits)

I'm in East Windsor and we have three Dunkin Donuts. However, my East Windsor is East Windsor Township, NJ (pop 27K in 2010 so it's apparently a city per the poll).

Quote from: Mr. Matté on July 24, 2017, 12:15:38 PM

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 24, 2017, 01:09:53 AM

Quote from: JJBers on July 23, 2017, 11:21:27 PM

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 23, 2017, 02:04:28 PM

Quote from: 1 on July 23, 2017, 12:21:44 PM

Quote from: jp the roadgeek on July 23, 2017, 12:09:50 PM
The jurisdiction that I live in has a population of about 45,000, but is classified as a "Town" and not a "City".  So while I did vote appropriately based on population, the label is a misnomer.

I think I figured out which town it is. (Based on your description of "outside the I-291 beltway", I would have thought you were within a few miles of I-291 in Connecticut. Now I think you're closer to the Massachusetts border than to I-291 in Connecticut. Am I right?)

Quote from: JJBers on July 23, 2017, 12:40:28 PM

Connecticut is famous for that. *cough* West Hartford *cough*

Nope.  Not Enfield as 1 guessed, and not WeHa either.  Someone did figure it out once, though.

I thought you lived in East Windsor until that point.
There's only one place in Connecticut that could be a village: Union, where I-84 blasts through.
But here's a semi-easy way to figure out what town I live in:
I live in the Willimantic area and I live in a "town". Take a look around, and you'll easily figure it out

Your avatar and population clue helped me figure it out.  One of only a handful of towns in CT outside of Litchfield County without a Dunkin Donuts (there are several within my town's limits)

I'm in East Windsor and we have three Dunkin Donuts. However, my East Windsor is East Windsor Township, NJ (pop 27K in 2010 so it's apparently a city per the poll).

I hardly consider my town a city, although there are a couple of places in CT that have a lower population and are classified as cities.  Granted, having a couple of interstate highways pass through has led to a lot of retail and residential development, has doubled the population since 1960, and has turned my once small town into a larger centralized suburb about 20 minutes from Hartford and 2 hours (1:45 on a good day) from both Boston and NYC.

In Wisconsin, City, Village, or Township refers to the structure of the government, not the population of the municipality. Townships are the unincorporated areas outside of the cities and villages. But villages usually are smaller in population. My village has a population of 986 as of the 2010 census.

I live in one of Virginia's independent cities.

I voted for town but I would fall under city for your population numbers.

This was tricky for me. I voted for City, because that's where Ames' population falls under according to this poll. My hometown, Davenport, just barely falls into "Big City" status, but I wouldn't call it that, even by Iowa standards.

Forest Hill, Maryland, about 30 miles from Baltimore.

Middle of Nowhere.

As of now, "official" Census estimates of my city's (San Jose) population indicate a figure of 1.02M+; I suppose that means we've joined the ranks of mega, mega cities!  FWIW, now CA has joined TX as the only states containing 3 incorporated cities with 1M+ residents (big mixed-bag whoopee!?).  And, at the risk of being Captain Obvious, we're the sole 1M+ city without a 2di within city limits!   :-/   

It's interesting to see the differences of how we live. I assume the person that made this thread is in Louisiana, based on that first post.  I guess down there it's mostly little hamlets with small little convenience stores, and possibly a market where they buy food which has no more than 3 checkout lanes.  If they need to go to a Walmart or Target or a large supermarket, they're going 'to the city'. 

Whereas many others here live within 10 miles of multiple Walmarts and Supermarkets, and where some of our local neighborhoods which may not even have a store would qualify as a city under the OP's survey.

My town qualifies as a city for this poll, but it is no where close to a city.

Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 25, 2017, 06:04:07 AM
It's interesting to see the differences of how we live. I assume the person that made this thread is in Louisiana, based on that first post.  I guess down there it's mostly little hamlets with small little convenience stores, and possibly a market where they buy food which has no more than 3 checkout lanes.  If they need to go to a Walmart or Target or a large supermarket, they're going 'to the city'. 

Whereas many others here live within 10 miles of multiple Walmarts and Supermarkets, and where some of our local neighborhoods which may not even have a store would qualify as a city under the OP's survey.

My town qualifies as a city for this poll, but it is no where close to a city.

Your assumptions are all correct. That was kinda what I was looking for when I created this poll. What many people have said "my town barely qualifies as a city" would be considered, by me, to be a big city.

As of the 2010 census, Simsboro's population was 841. We have 2 convenience stores. The nearest dollar store is 5 miles from my house in Grambling. Another 5-6 miles is the nearest Wal-Mart in Ruston. Ruston's 2010 population was 21,859. That is what I consider a small city, while many of you would consider that a small town (or maybe even a village depending on where you live).

Living in NJ, we have a 'city' of under 1,000 people.  We have a village of over 20,000 people.  A few townships are right around 100,000 in population.  My township is right next to a small city.  We have more than double the population of that city, spread out over 8 times the area.

Within a 10 mile radius of my house, I have 12 Walmarts.  Over half of them I've never been to, including 4 which are in the adjoining state. 

Within my own neighborhood, I can get to 2 convenience stores of the same chain!  And that's down from 3, as they closed one a few years back.

I still can't believe when I read stories from elsewhere when an entire county is getting their first traffic light.  The last *municipality* in my county (24 in total) to get a light was about 12 years ago, and it was amazing they managed to go that long without one.

I actually remember when we got our first (and only) light in town. It is a blinking caution light, but I remember my mom laughing her ass off when she looked down the road and saw it operating for the first time. She said we moved up in the world.

Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 25, 2017, 08:15:22 AM
Living in NJ, we have a 'city' of under 1,000 people.  We have a village of over 20,000 people.  A few townships are right around 100,000 in population.  My township is right next to a small city.  We have more than double the population of that city, spread out over 8 times the area.

Within a 10 mile radius of my house, I have 12 Walmarts.  Over half of them I've never been to, including 4 which are in the adjoining state. 

Within my own neighborhood, I can get to 2 convenience stores of the same chain!  And that's down from 3, as they closed one a few years back.

I still can't believe when I read stories from elsewhere when an entire county is getting their first traffic light.  The last *municipality* in my county (24 in total) to get a light was about 12 years ago, and it was amazing they managed to go that long without one.

I remember thinking it wad odd ro have stop signs where State Roads or US highways intersect when ouside NJ.

When i was young there was a 4 way stop at the intersection of SR21 and 16 in Clay County, Florida.. That blew my mind at 11 coming from densely populated NJ.. Traffic light there since the late 1980s

LGMS428

On this planet.

Quote from: cjk374 on July 25, 2017, 07:27:42 AM

Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 25, 2017, 06:04:07 AM
It's interesting to see the differences of how we live. I assume the person that made this thread is in Louisiana, based on that first post.  I guess down there it's mostly little hamlets with small little convenience stores, and possibly a market where they buy food which has no more than 3 checkout lanes.  If they need to go to a Walmart or Target or a large supermarket, they're going 'to the city'. 

Whereas many others here live within 10 miles of multiple Walmarts and Supermarkets, and where some of our local neighborhoods which may not even have a store would qualify as a city under the OP's survey.

My town qualifies as a city for this poll, but it is no where close to a city.

Your assumptions are all correct. That was kinda what I was looking for when I created this poll. What many people have said "my town barely qualifies as a city" would be considered, by me, to be a big city.

As of the 2010 census, Simsboro's population was 841. We have 2 convenience stores. The nearest dollar store is 5 miles from my house in Grambling. Another 5-6 miles is the nearest Wal-Mart in Ruston. Ruston's 2010 population was 21,859. That is what I consider a small city, while many of you would consider that a small town (or maybe even a village depending on where you live).

Kitchener is currently at 233 222 (in 2016) and that bumps up to 338 208 if Waterloo is included (we're practically one city), so I voted "big city". I would actually consider this a medium city, since Toronto is the "big city" to me .

Also, your poll would classify Brampton and Mississauga as "mega cities", even though they're really suburbs of Toronto :)

Quote from: 7/8 on July 25, 2017, 11:19:22 PM

Quote from: cjk374 on July 25, 2017, 07:27:42 AM

Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 25, 2017, 06:04:07 AM
It's interesting to see the differences of how we live. I assume the person that made this thread is in Louisiana, based on that first post.  I guess down there it's mostly little hamlets with small little convenience stores, and possibly a market where they buy food which has no more than 3 checkout lanes.  If they need to go to a Walmart or Target or a large supermarket, they're going 'to the city'. 

Whereas many others here live within 10 miles of multiple Walmarts and Supermarkets, and where some of our local neighborhoods which may not even have a store would qualify as a city under the OP's survey.

My town qualifies as a city for this poll, but it is no where close to a city.

Your assumptions are all correct. That was kinda what I was looking for when I created this poll. What many people have said "my town barely qualifies as a city" would be considered, by me, to be a big city.

As of the 2010 census, Simsboro's population was 841. We have 2 convenience stores. The nearest dollar store is 5 miles from my house in Grambling. Another 5-6 miles is the nearest Wal-Mart in Ruston. Ruston's 2010 population was 21,859. That is what I consider a small city, while many of you would consider that a small town (or maybe even a village depending on where you live).

It's hard for me to imagine a town of 841 being called a "small city", but it just shows you how everything is relative.

Kitchener is currently at 233 222 (in 2016) and that bumps up to 338 208 if Waterloo is included (we're practically one city), so I voted "big city". I would actually consider this a medium city, since Toronto is the "big city" to me .

Also, your poll would classify Brampton and Mississauga as "mega cities", even though they're really suburbs of Toronto :)

My hometown ranks as a village.

To my ears, these mostly seem like semantic distinctions. Georgia has just one municipal structure (leaving aside city-county consolidation) - it can be called either a city or a town, but there is no difference whatsoever apart from the name. Our largest town (Grovetown) has a population of over 11,000, while our smallest city (Edge Hill) has a population of 24. But really I just think of these as being colloquial terms. As a child living in a city of about 3,000 with negligible commercial activity, I thought of the nearest "small city" as being the one about ten miles to the south, which was five times larger and had a Wal-Mart. The nearest "big city" was Atlanta, some 25 miles to the north.

Anyway, as far as the poll is concerned, I now live in a city of a bit over 20,000 (with little land area, so it's dense enough to truly feel like a proper city) within about a five-minute drive of the previously mentioned "big city" of over 400,000.

Quote from: cjk374 on July 26, 2017, 05:14:04 AM

Quote from: 7/8 on July 25, 2017, 11:19:22 PM

Quote from: cjk374 on July 25, 2017, 07:27:42 AM

Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 25, 2017, 06:04:07 AM
It's interesting to see the differences of how we live. I assume the person that made this thread is in Louisiana, based on that first post.  I guess down there it's mostly little hamlets with small little convenience stores, and possibly a market where they buy food which has no more than 3 checkout lanes.  If they need to go to a Walmart or Target or a large supermarket, they're going 'to the city'. 

Whereas many others here live within 10 miles of multiple Walmarts and Supermarkets, and where some of our local neighborhoods which may not even have a store would qualify as a city under the OP's survey.

My town qualifies as a city for this poll, but it is no where close to a city.

Your assumptions are all correct. That was kinda what I was looking for when I created this poll. What many people have said "my town barely qualifies as a city" would be considered, by me, to be a big city.

As of the 2010 census, Simsboro's population was 841. We have 2 convenience stores. The nearest dollar store is 5 miles from my house in Grambling. Another 5-6 miles is the nearest Wal-Mart in Ruston. Ruston's 2010 population was 21,859. That is what I consider a small city, while many of you would consider that a small town (or maybe even a village depending on where you live).

It's hard for me to imagine a town of 841 being called a "small city", but it just shows you how everything is relative.

Kitchener is currently at 233 222 (in 2016) and that bumps up to 338 208 if Waterloo is included (we're practically one city), so I voted "big city". I would actually consider this a medium city, since Toronto is the "big city" to me .

Also, your poll would classify Brampton and Mississauga as "mega cities", even though they're really suburbs of Toronto :)

My hometown ranks as a village.

Sorry, I see now that I misread your post. I removed the "small city" part from my post (though I would still call that a town myself) :)

Quote from: cjk374 on July 26, 2017, 05:14:04 AM

My hometown ranks as a village.

Where am I?
In the Village.
What do you want?
Information.
Whose side are you on?
That would be telling.

I live outside of Safford, Arizona, which has a population of ~9,500 residents. Graham County has a population of about 37,000. We have a Walmart, Home Depot, three supermarkets, fast food, a community college and a small regional hospital.

Advanced amenities require a 2+ hour trip to Tucson, or 2-3 hours to the Mesa/Phoenix area.

Quote from: roadiejay on July 30, 2017, 10:40:08 AM
I live outside of Safford, Arizona, which has a population of ~9,500 residents. Graham County has a population of about 37,000. We have a Walmart, Home Depot, three supermarkets, fast food, a community college and a small regional hospital.

Advanced amenities require a 2+ hour trip to Tucson, or 2-3 hours to the Mesa/Phoenix area.

Some smaller towns/cities have a lot od commercial activity if they are the center for a vast rural area

LGMS428

In an apartment

STV100-2

In Utah, cities are incorporated places with more than 1000 people and are divided into 5 classes:
1st class cities have more than 100K (there are only 4 first class cities)
2nd class are 65K to 100K
3rd class are 35K to 65K
4th class are 10K to 30K
5th class are 1K to 10K
Towns are incorporated places smaller than population 1000.

Townships, on the other hand, are unincorporated areas within a county that generally have some type of self rule, according to Wikipedia. They often are also census designated places. As far as I know, there are no villages in Utah.

Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 25, 2017, 08:15:22 AM
I still can't believe when I read stories from elsewhere when an entire county is getting their first traffic light.  The last *municipality* in my county (24 in total) to get a light was about 12 years ago, and it was amazing they managed to go that long without one.

Several counties in Utah don't have a traffic light. Beaver, Daggett, Morgan, Piute, Rich, and Wayne Counties don't have any full traffic lights.

Along the muddy banks of the Wishkah.

Almost Canada.

Quote from: US71 on July 23, 2017, 09:20:17 PM
I live in a border town. I can walk to the street corner and look into the next state. :)

Or I can walk to it in less than 10 minutes :)

Same!

Quote from: cu2010 on August 04, 2017, 08:21:56 PM
Almost Canada.

Shocking. Never knew that.

Quote

Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 25, 2017, 08:15:22 AM
I still can't believe when I read stories from elsewhere when an entire county is getting their first traffic light.  The last *municipality* in my county (24 in total) to get a light was about 12 years ago, and it was amazing they managed to go that long without one.

Several counties in Utah don't have a traffic light. Beaver, Daggett, Morgan, Piute, Rich, and Wayne Counties don't have any full traffic lights. (Piute does have a 4-way stop with blinking red lights mounted on traffic light poles.)

My town has a single 3-way light that blinks...all yellow for some reason. The towns to the north and east of me don't have a single light. (Even though both of them have larger populations and more important highways, like US 6)

Quote from: JJBers on August 09, 2017, 10:33:17 PM

Quote

Quote from: jeffandnicole on July 25, 2017, 08:15:22 AM
I still can't believe when I read stories from elsewhere when an entire county is getting their first traffic light.  The last *municipality* in my county (24 in total) to get a light was about 12 years ago, and it was amazing they managed to go that long without one.

Several counties in Utah don't have a traffic light. Beaver, Daggett, Morgan, Piute, Rich, and Wayne Counties don't have any full traffic lights. (Piute does have a 4-way stop with blinking red lights mounted on traffic light poles.)

My town has a single 3-way light that blinks...all yellow for some reason. The towns to the north and east of me don't have a single light. (Even though both of them have larger populations and more important highways, like US 6)

Most rural towns in UT don't have a traffic signal or even a 4 way stop. Generally, it seems that a town has to have a population of at least 2000 to have a signal, unless there's a major highway junction or dangerous intersection there.

Hyannis, Massachusetts. Originally I'm from Nantucket Island. I've lived all over the Cape and Islands. Here are the most notorious places I have lived and/or currently living.

Hyannis: a rough and tumble village that is notorious for crime/drugs. Some call it "Brockton by the Sea" The homeless population here is restless and I've seen a few open brawls on the streets. Not all are like that. When you walk the "night patrol" like I used to, you see some shit.

Nantucket: Behind its gem like outer shell lies an island in decline. Not enough housing for the locals and what housing there is, requires people to have at LEAST 2-3 jobs. This is why my mom and I left (well, MA was coming to take me from her, but that's another story.) Drugs are becoming rampant. Back in the 90's they were a problem, but not like now.

Oak Bluffs: A ghost town in the winter. Gangs/drugs are taking over this town. There is a package store there that supplies the town with all the booze the residents can drink. Don't let the nice Victorian houses deceive you. Booze is king.

For the first time in my life, I live outside a municipal entity, though I'm within a mile of the city limits.  Next week, I'm moving to a town with a population in the 20k-30k range.

I live in a house!

Quote from: jwolfer on August 04, 2017, 05:56:50 PM

Quote from: roadiejay on July 30, 2017, 10:40:08 AM
I live outside of Safford, Arizona, which has a population of ~9,500 residents. Graham County has a population of about 37,000. We have a Walmart, Home Depot, three supermarkets, fast food, a community college and a small regional hospital.

Advanced amenities require a 2+ hour trip to Tucson, or 2-3 hours to the Mesa/Phoenix area.

Some smaller towns/cities have a lot od commercial activity if they are the center for a vast rural area

LGMS428

Good point. I'm not a business expert, but seem to recall reading recently that Safford serves a market region of some 70,000 people.

Quote from: roadiejay on August 11, 2017, 07:01:59 PM

Quote from: jwolfer on August 04, 2017, 05:56:50 PM

Quote from: roadiejay on July 30, 2017, 10:40:08 AM
I live outside of Safford, Arizona, which has a population of ~9,500 residents. Graham County has a population of about 37,000. We have a Walmart, Home Depot, three supermarkets, fast food, a community college and a small regional hospital.

Advanced amenities require a 2+ hour trip to Tucson, or 2-3 hours to the Mesa/Phoenix area.

Some smaller towns/cities have a lot od commercial activity if they are the center for a vast rural area

LGMS428

Good point. I'm not a business expert, but seem to recall reading recently that Safford serves a market region of some 70,000 people.

I know people who live or lived in rural areas... A trip to Target or Costco is an all day affair a couple hours drive each way... 

In suburbia there are 4 targets within 30 minutes...

Higher end shopping is an overnight trip

LGMS428

The land of shit, AHDT, and Interstate 555.

I was born and raised in Chicago, and lived in L.A. for a few years, both of which definitely qualify for mega-city status (which is reserved for those with 1 million people or more). Seattle is just another big city, as it has a population of only 704,352, according to Wikipedia.

I live in an unincorporated town within the township of Las Vegas with a population of 100k. (as of 2012)

Quote from: jwolfer on August 11, 2017, 10:33:23 PM

Quote from: roadiejay on August 11, 2017, 07:01:59 PM

Quote from: jwolfer on August 04, 2017, 05:56:50 PM

Quote from: roadiejay on July 30, 2017, 10:40:08 AM
I live outside of Safford, Arizona, which has a population of ~9,500 residents. Graham County has a population of about 37,000. We have a Walmart, Home Depot, three supermarkets, fast food, a community college and a small regional hospital.

Advanced amenities require a 2+ hour trip to Tucson, or 2-3 hours to the Mesa/Phoenix area.

Some smaller towns/cities have a lot od commercial activity if they are the center for a vast rural area

LGMS428

Good point. I'm not a business expert, but seem to recall reading recently that Safford serves a market region of some 70,000 people.

I know people who live or lived in rural areas... A trip to Target or Costco is an all day affair a couple hours drive each way... 

In suburbia there are 4 targets within 30 minutes...

Higher end shopping is an overnight trip

LGMS428

Exactly! Luckily a local mom 'n' pop grocer carries Kirkland paper goods for a buck or two higher than Costco's price. So it helps me to avoid the cost of a trip and a yearly membership. For everything else, I use Amazon Prime.

Doctor visits (4-6x a year) for my daughter beyond her Primary Care Physician require a 4-hour round trip. By the time meals, friends, and opportunity shopping are factored in, it's an all-day affair.

I remember in high school when my parents started making enough money to buy us school clothes at target and the mall; School Clothes Shopping meant a trip to Mesa, 1-2 nights in a hotel, and all-day shopping, along with pool time at the hotel. A "last summer vacation" of sorts.