Urban Versus Rural Living
Kellis Richardson
Ms. Carter
English 1113-12659
07 September 2012
Urban versus Rural Living People all over the United States decide on a daily basis on where they want to live. First off people have to understand what defines rural from urban. The United States Census Bureau classifies an urban environment as having a population density of at least one thousand people per square mile. Any area surrounding those census blocks with a population density of five hundred or fewer people per square mile are classified as rural (U.S. Census Bureau). In terms of living in an urban or rural setting the potential residents must compare and contrast four basic items: education, health, jobs and stress. Education is extremely important when deciding to live in rural or urban areas. In most rural areas the schools are public and only go up to the eighth grade. The students will then transfer to the nearest city/town to attend high school. A benefit to this is that the student to teacher ratio is about 15:1(Richardson), whereas bigger towns and cities have an average student to teacher ratio of 30:1(Blankenship). The smaller class allows the teacher to spend more one on one time with each student. In an urban setting, parents have a number of choices available for the education of their children and can often select from a long list of both public and private school districts. Urban areas also have better funded schools which allow for the students to have access to computers and up to date textbooks every year. With both areas offering different education avenues it is up to the parents to determine how they want their kids to learn. Another important factor to consider is the types of jobs that both areas offer. This is one of the drawbacks to living in a rural area. Residents do not have the best opportunity to choose from numerous employment options. One reason for this is the lack of transportation services offered in small rural areas. Although they can
Ms. Carter
English 1113-12659
07 September 2012
Urban versus Rural Living People all over the United States decide on a daily basis on where they want to live. First off people have to understand what defines rural from urban. The United States Census Bureau classifies an urban environment as having a population density of at least one thousand people per square mile. Any area surrounding those census blocks with a population density of five hundred or fewer people per square mile are classified as rural (U.S. Census Bureau). In terms of living in an urban or rural setting the potential residents must compare and contrast four basic items: education, health, jobs and stress. Education is extremely important when deciding to live in rural or urban areas. In most rural areas the schools are public and only go up to the eighth grade. The students will then transfer to the nearest city/town to attend high school. A benefit to this is that the student to teacher ratio is about 15:1(Richardson), whereas bigger towns and cities have an average student to teacher ratio of 30:1(Blankenship). The smaller class allows the teacher to spend more one on one time with each student. In an urban setting, parents have a number of choices available for the education of their children and can often select from a long list of both public and private school districts. Urban areas also have better funded schools which allow for the students to have access to computers and up to date textbooks every year. With both areas offering different education avenues it is up to the parents to determine how they want their kids to learn. Another important factor to consider is the types of jobs that both areas offer. This is one of the drawbacks to living in a rural area. Residents do not have the best opportunity to choose from numerous employment options. One reason for this is the lack of transportation services offered in small rural areas. Although they can
Cited: Richardson, Jena. Student, Strain Japan R-16. Personal Interview, 14 Sep. 2012. Blankenship, Heidi. Student, St. Louis Public School. Personal Interview, 14 Sep.2012. U.S. Census Bureau, “Census 2000 Urban and Rural Classification”. U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division. 2011. Web. 4 Sept. 2012