Living near people or big separation

[Jolt]

Interesting that you mention feeling unsafe in the countryside at night, in the dark. I feel a lot more unsafe in an urban environment at night. Pitch black woods I feel very safe in.

Same here...nobody is around in the middle of nowhere to cause any trouble! I've spent a couple of nights by myself camping (granted, both occasions were in campgrounds so it's not like there wasn't anybody nearby) and felt perfectly comfortable. I feel most unsafe in the middle of big crowds in the city, even during the day--there's the sense that if you needed to get out of a bad situation, it wouldn't be possible because there are a bunch of other (potentially panicked, violent or just clueless) people and no clear path of escape.

[Reesha]

I definitely miss the kind of darkness at night where you can't see your hand stretched out in front of you.

On the other hand, I miss the nights with piercingly bright starlight. I don't get either in St. Louis.

[shootingstar]

The only time I experienced pure night black and stars galore was on top of Mount Kea in Hawaii where there is an research observatory.

But we were outside to see th whole night sky canopy of stars and multiple constellations. It was truly amazing and riveting.

Who would ever have a sky like that often in a residential area?

I understand about feeling threatened in the city but the probability of something happening can be just as real as out on country road with no one to witness anything. In fact there have been several home invasions...in the suburbs for all these cities I've lived ..simply because the homes aren't close to one another and no one is around to hear/see anything during the work week, etc.

The phenomena of gated communities in the U.S. which is much more dominant compared to Canada, reflects that type of perception/reality.

It occurred to me, gated communities in Europe are probably...rare. Though one would have to research this...

[lph]

The only time I experienced pure night black and stars galore was on top of Mount Kea in Hawaii where there is an research observatory.

But we were outside to see th whole night sky canopy of stars and multiple constellations. It was truly amazing and riveting.

That really is an amazing sight One I sometimes see in the mountains in winter, but even there rarely.

[jessmarimba]

I'd like to clarify my answer. If I had my way, I'd live somewhere that if it snowed 2 feet, I could either walk (snowshoe?) or cross-country ski to where I wanted to go. So...remote but close enough to a cluster of important places, or near in to a smaller town. I'm imagining Telluride - without the tourists

I don't like people who drive in snow like it's nothing. I had three morons try to pull out in front of me this morning - fortunately they just spun their tires and no one actually made it, but you can't cut people off in this weather and expect them to be able to stop on a dime!

[Norse]

DP likes the benefits of living in/near a city. I think they are ok, but I could do with a lot less people and would prefer to live somewhere more remote or even in Duluth or further up the North Shore in MN. So, our "compromise" of the past 11 years has been to live 15 minutes, by car or bus, from downtown Minneapolis in an inner ring burb that is heavily forested, has no street lights, street parking or sidewalks and has 3 ponds on our "block" - looks more like a gerrymandered congressional district - and lots of wildlife. Yet, we are 5 minutes from a TJs. Also, the biking possibilities from our front door are amazing. We have pretty good spot. I am still hoping for the North Shore for retirement though.

[GLC1968]

I know I'd never be happy living in a big metropolis. I tried that in Boston when I was young and even then, it was a bit much for me (and I was in my partying 20's!). Now? No thank you.

On the other hand, we are currently a bit too far out for my tastes. I love having a little land. I love even more that my neighbors aren't close to us (they have way more land than us), but our 6 month old car already has over 10K miles on it. If I could afford enough land to buy privacy closer in to town, I'd do it.

There are a few smaller cities where I would bet that I could be happy. I'd need lots of green spaces, easy commute to work and at least a tiny bit of my own land (postage stamp is fine if it includes dirt!). Portland would work if I actually worked in Portland. Unfortunately, moving there would make my commute to work complete hell, so it's not really a viable option. Boulder, CO was also very cool, but I don't have a job there either.

Oh, and I totally agree about darkness in the country or forest! I walk our yard in the pitch black and it doesn't phase me. Running near my office in the winter dark (even at 5pm) freaks me out.