City living and country living - which is healthier?

Is country living better than city living? The country has images of clean air, fresh food and physical activities. According to The Wall Street Journal, Americans residing in major cities live longer, healthier lives overall than their country cousins – a reversal from the past decade. Many cities once notorious for pollution, crime, crowding and infectious diseases have generally cleaned up, calmed down and spread out in recent years, while rural problems have festered. Rural residents are now more likely than other Americans to be obese, sedentary and smoke cigarettes. They face higher rates of health problems including diabetes, stroke, heart attacks and high blood pressure according to County Heath Rankings (CHR), a research project that recently issued its second annual report of state-by-state comparisons of health measures in every U. S. county (Wall Street Journal, 2011).

Much of the health advantage in cities is due to age, income and education levels. The average income in central cities is $53, 000 according to the county ranking report. The average incomes are $39, 000 in most rural areas and $60, 000 in suburbs. Rural residents tend to be older and less educated than their urban counterparts. Limited access to care might help explain the overall poorer health of rural residents. Deaths from traffic accidents are more common in rural areas because the average emergency response to an accident is 18 minutes compared with 10 minutes in urban areas (Wall Street Journal, 2011).

There are some surprising benefits to city life, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s report on Canadians’ health, refutes the notion that people are better off living in the country or even the suburbs – than densely populated cities. City people will also walk or bike to do daily chores whereas country folks depend more on their cars. They found that country living gives people a “ False sense of security” about their health. Obesity is an epidemic-50% of Canadians are overweight and about 15 per cent are considered obese-but obesity rates are lower in big cities, the foundation found (Lukits, Kingston, & Whig-Standard, 2005).

A benefit for city living is that you are twice as likely to be physically active, walking, rollerblading or cycling has had the biggest impact. A lot of the corner stores have closed and people are having to drive further to get items that were once within walking distance. There is a shortage of dieticians in rural areas. Living in the city is good for your social life. Our social network increases by 40% when we move from a semi-rural area to the city. The suburbs often began to look a lot more attractive to certain city dwellers after they have children. Empty nesters can grow tired of mowing the lawn and feel the pull of urban life (Bernard, 2017).

The cost of living in the city is usually more than the country. Families with children find living in the suburbs attractive. The disadvantage is the crowds and crime rate. One of the advantages of city living is opportunity for jobs. A good education is provided because there are a lot of schools in the city and you can pick your child up (Between City & Country Life, 2017).

“ Rural life is a great leveler, and only those closely aware of the changes the seasons bring can take full advantage of them,” Those working the land gets the fresh taste of new peas and spring chickens from the farmland. Although country living is not for everyone, it is a good place to relax and spend time writing. It is a good place to go away from internet and technology and connect with nature. Larkin invited old friends to visit him to relax by the fire, be well fed, and enjoy a complete, short term, change in environment. He said although they did not welcome the tiny flying insects, the country air made them sleep like babes or logs (Larkin, 1998).

George Honos, of Canada, said, “ If you are going to fight cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes, it’s not just what we eat that’s important but what we do,” Honos said, “ People in the suburbs go to the gym as often as those in the cities, but the figures show they’re more overweight. Honos, foundation spokesman and cardiologist said, “ Our car-dependent habits are killing us.” He said that the suburbs weren’t planned in terms of physical activity. Everything is done by car, “ I live in a suburb and I don’t see people exit their front door-sometimes for months.” As activity levels decline, obesity rates soar. The foundation recommends at least 30 minutes of activity daily (Fidelman 2005).

Country living is no healthier for you than city living. I started my research to prove that country living was better and healthier than city living. I found that things have shifted in the last decade. I found that it is better for you to connect with people than animals. It is not good for your health to live a life of isolation and a sedentary lifestyle. It is far better to utilize our social skills. Rural areas are more likely to have health problems and die from them because of poorer quality of healthcare or just the extra time that it takes for an ambulance to show up. Rural areas are more remote and have fewer technology and internet connections available. Many cities have cleaned up from pollution, crime and infectious disease. Rural residents are now more likely to be obese, sedentary and smoke cigarettes. It is important that we stay active and stay connected. There is entertainment and culture in the city. There is access to transport and technology. Modern technology helps people to communicate faster and easier. The cities have more jobs, restaurants and shops. There are people and places that separate us, whether you live in the city or country, it is important that we have communication and do our part to protect our environment.