“the Comparison Between Urban People to Rural People”

JMJ Marist Brothers
Notre Dame of Marbel University
Alunan Avenue, Koronadal City

“The Comparison between Urban People to Rural People”

In Partial Fulfillment in the Subject Social Science101

Submitted by:

Benjamin Karlo T. Delos Santos
BS Nursing 4

Introduction

An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets. Urban areas are created and further developed by the process of urbanization. Measuring the extent of an urban area helps in analyzing population density and urban sprawl, and in determining urban and rural populations.
Rural areas are large and isolated areas of an open country with low population density. The terms "countryside" and "rural areas" are not synonyms:”countryside" refers to rural areas that are open. Forest, wetlands, and other areas with a low population density are not countryside.
About 91 percent of the rural population now earns salaried incomes, often in urban areas. The 10 percent who still produce resources generate 20 percent of the world’s coal, copper, and oil; 10 percent of its wheat, 20 percent of its meat, and 50 percent of its corn. The efficiency of these farms is due in large part to the commercialization of the farming industry, and not single family operations.

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Every country has its own taste, lifestyles and certain norms and standards. Every country presents two different types of culture in that very setting. Yes, I am talking about the rural and urban life. Both these present contrasting characters with different lifestyles and different perception of life. It has been noted that one of the contrast between leading an urban and a rural life is that in the countryside much of the time is spent finding something to do. In the city, the adverse is true. There are more things to do than there is time.

Urban life is fast paced. The main reason is that city provides variety of opportunities in every discipline of life. Without any shadow of doubt urban life is dominant. Still it has the color, the flavor to mesmerize anyone who is immersed in it. Life in the cities is more sparkling, and full of life. There are many things for a suburbanite to do, but they are all in the city to which the suburb is economically attached, and so vital travel time is required to get to where they can be done. People are always infatuated to the idea of living in a city. I have learned what may have been distinct to someone developing up in a major city. The feeling of a place like New York or Los Angeles is quite contrary from that in Pittsburgh or Akron. There are terribly increased numbers of people engaged in active pursuits, the lines between home and work life are hardly ever defined by shop whistle or time clock, and for many people, and anything to do must be listed weeks in advance. There is always somewhere to go, someone to see, or something to do.

Rural life on the contrary has its own essence. The attribute that really distinguishes rural and urban life is the tension free environment. People are more close to each other and there are less chances of enmity. All I am saying this, because of the belief that there are limited resources and more likely, people share those resources in a cordial manner. There are many people who don't like cities, in part by reason of the speed and stimulation that beset each waking moment of life. There is a fascination to a place with a slower speed, with more time left unfilled to pass, as it will. On a concluding note, I would like to say that both these forms of lives have their own essence. Urbanizing yourself is necessary, to keep pace with this fast paced world. Rural setting brings a peace of mind, or simply more care free and relaxed environment at your disposal.

People inhabit different parts of the world and lead different types of lives. Their lifestyles change across the various regions on Earth and so do their mentalities. The resources available in their regions, the plant and animal life that is native to their area have a direct impact of their way of living. People all over the world have been divided into two distinct groups by this marked line of difference between an urban and a rural life. Those inhabiting urban areas lead an urban life while inhabitants of rural parts of the world experience a rural living.

Urban living
Urban areas are equipped with all the modern amenities. The modern-day facilities like the Internet, telephone, television and satellite communication facilities are widely available in the urban areas. A majority of the households of the urban areas are blessed with this technological advancement.

The newly developing shopping complexes, theatres, food malls and restaurants are a commonplace in urban cities. Huge constructions, large housing complexes, skyscrapers are found in most of the urban metropolitan cities. Elevators, escalators, storied parking areas and towering constructions add to the magnificence of the urban cities.

Due to a greater availability of all the modern facilities along with an increase in the number of educational facilities and career opportunities, people of the urban areas lead an economically more stable and a luxurious life.

The increasing attraction of the people towards the urban parts of the world has resulted in crowding of urban areas. The increasing population, majority of which prefers settling in urban cities, has led to an imbalance in the density of human population. Excessive industrialization has invited environmental problems like pollution.

However, the rise in economic growth that has resulted in self-sufficiency in the common masses has resulted in a self-centered nature of society. While technological advancement has brought the world closer, human beings have gone far apart from each other. Buildings that touch the skies have built walls between people. The rise in prosperity has been eclipsed by the decline in peace.

Urban life is equipped with the latest in technology and modern-day amenities. People who stay in urban areas usually live life in a fast lane. Here, Internet access and other telecommunications and cable facilities are readily available.

In our country, the growth of the call center industry has drawn more people to the city. Country dwellers are usually lured by images of big buildings (such as malls), bright lights (of restaurants and bars) and bigger income (from fancy offices). This has resulted to the overcrowding of major cities like Manila and Quezon City.

This situation has taken its toll in the urban environment. Air, land and noise pollution are some problems confronting people living in urban areas. Aside from these, overpopulation also brings about a decline in peace and order, causing a great deal of stress to many people.

Rural living

Rural areas are not crowded with concrete constructions all over. Houses are rather widely spaced with ample room for fields and gardens. Rural areas are some of the only areas fortunate enough to house the greens. People in rural areas live in close proximity of nature. Apart from people, there is room for pets and grazing animals that help maintain equilibrium in nature.

Due to a relatively lesser number of people inhabiting the rural areas, the rural parts are not overcrowded by people. These areas are blessed to have least amounts of pollution. Due to forestation and ample space for plantations, rural areas have managed to maintain an environmental balance. Pollution is less also on accounts of very less number of industries in rural areas. The stress that results from a fast life in the urban areas is not a part of the peaceful and relatively slow paced life of the rural regions. The life may not be as lavishly led as that in the urban areas, but the people there are generous and their hearts have room for emotions. Rural are the ones where humanity is still alive. Every coin has two sides to it. While the rural living is deprived of luxury and technology, it is rich in terms of its relationship with ‘nature’. The urban life is update in terms of technology and career prospects. However, the falling humane qualities and a disrupted environmental balance shadow the bright future of urban living.

In contrast to city living, rural life is laid-back and peaceful. Though there are still some parts of the Philippines where technological advancements, like Internet access and cable television, are not available, many provinces already enjoy these services.

In spite of this, rural life is still slower compared to city living. Also, people who live in rural areas tend to have fewer health problems than city dwellers. With less factories and automobiles, the air in most provinces is generally cleaner than the air in urban areas. Rural folks also enjoy fresher and more natural foods than people living in cities.

Where one chooses to live depends upon her needs, desires and preferences. Many people choose to live in a large city for its amenities. Others prefer the open spaces and fresh air of rural areas. Each choice has advantages and disadvantages. Where you end up will depend upon a variety of factors.

Types of Housing Available 1. The types of housing available depend upon the area in question. In general, city dwellers will have a choice of living in an apartment, condominium or townhouse. Certain cities may also offer single-family detached homes for sale in a less populated area of the city. Usually, such areas offer more space in return for a longer commute to the city center. Those living in rural areas often find their housing options include single-family detached homes, mobile homes and the occasional low-rise apartment building. Housing is often cheaper in rural areas because of decreased demand. Plus, the houses typically have more land than ones in an urban area.
Transportation Options 2. City dwellers often have access to myriad public transportation options, such as buses, subways and light rail. City dwellers will also have access to highways that connect to other areas, such as an airport, that are within a reasonable distance of their homes. Someone living in a rural area may have more limited transportation options. As rural areas are, by definition, less populated, there may be fewer public transportation options to connect one area to another. Public transportation may be limited to services such as Amtrak trains or Greyhound buses. Many rural dwellers rely heavily on cars to get from one place to another.
Career Opportunities 3. Rural and urban areas offer different monetary opportunities. Living in a rural area may allow someone to pursue work in fields that require large open spaces such as animal husbandry, astronomical research, forestry or farming. By contrast, life in a city can offer someone the chance to pursue a job in a field that might be very competitive, such as acting or musicology. Many cities also offer opportunities to work for a highly regarded employer such as a hospital that conducts cancer research or a major television network.
Dining Possibilities 4. Urban areas often have a tremendous number of restaurants with cuisines from different countries. A city dweller can also often find restaurants that have garnered rave reviews in major newspapers. However, the city dweller may find it hard to find large supermarkets with less expensive basic items such as produce. Plus, they may face limited kitchen space at home, making it harder to prepare their own meals. Those living in rural areas may have fewer restaurant options but more options for fresh food. Someone living in a rural area may have easy access to food from a nearby farm or may have acreage of their own that could be used for a garden where they can grow their own food. Rural areas also often have fewer restrictions on owning livestock, so the rural homeowner can choose to keep chickens to gather fresh eggs or even a cow for homemade dairy products.
Educational Opportunities 5. Children living in a rural area may have smaller classrooms, thus garnering more individual attention from teachers. A teacher may know a student's parents and siblings well. As a result, the teacher may be more attuned to the student's strengths and weaknesses and be better able to address them directly. Students who attend classes in large urban areas may face larger class sizes. However, such students may have a wider array of academic offerings in a bigger school. Larger schools can offer subjects such as foreign language instruction, orchestral instruction and art enrichment that may be harder to come by in a rural area. A student who faces academic challenges may need to leave home to get the specialized instruction she needs if she lives in a rural area, but a student who lives in a city may have such resources close by.
Conclusion
Urban living vs. Rural living
There are many distinct characteristics that allow us to easily differentiate between rural and urban areas. Urban areas have a high density because it contains high amounts of people in small areas, and vice versa for rural areas. With this information, it can easily be inferred that urban areas create greater noise, but with greater job opportunities as well as using more resources. Therefore the prices rise and there is a greater chance that supply can’t compensate for demand, which then leads to things such as poverty. Urban areas also contain incredibly large amounts of human-created structures and there are a lot of different means of transportation to get around. These things help to develop problems such as health hazards, one example being smog which is a big problem in high-dense cities. With all the people, there are greater birth rates, death rates, and crime rates. Not everything is bad though, such as commercial areas being close to residential areas and easy access to needs such as healthcare and food. Driving or owning a car is not mandatory if everything around you is close, which is the case for some people. For myself, I can say that I am almost in this situation, because my parents don’t drive to work, but we need cars for other activities. On the other hand, rural areas are basically the exact opposite of urban areas and also have their ups and downs.