1

Hodges

What Its Like Living In a Small Town

Thesis: Residing in a small town is superior to living in a bigger city because the house expenses

are smaller, there is minimal costs of living, the town is less occupied, quieter, and has a cleaner

and better environment all around.

I. House expenses and minimal cost of living

A. The wealth in the city is limited

1. No major companies, no malls, and normally just not any large-scaled

income in the town.

a) Major companies would rather be located in higher paid locations.

b)

2. Less people and lesser jobs than those in a big city

a) Smaller amount of people to work

(1) More people in the smaller towns consist of retired older

people.

b) Smaller diversity of jobs for people to work

(1) The town is only so big and cannot fit as many businesses

as a bigger city.

3. Fuel cost
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a) When you reside in a smaller city, you usually dont have far to go

whether that be jobs, church, schools, or even a gas station.

B. Lower property taxes

1. Less moving parts

a) Smaller towns have lower property space than larger counterparts

so this makes taxes cheaper for the location, no matter how big or

small the house may be.

C. General services are cheaper

1. Companies with a lot of overhead costs can cost more all-around.

a) Normally businesses in a more populated area are more pricey,

trying to make their money.

b) In a small town businesses are so close together they are in

competition so they try to lower prices to get more clientele.

II. Less occupied

A. Traffic isnt as bad

1. There is a smaller population in a small town so it isnt as busy and hardly

ever any traffic.

2. If you ever visit a bigger city, you notice around lunch time traffic is bad

when people are taking their lunch breaks or even around 5 or 6, usually

when people are heading home from their jobs.

B. More parking spots

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1. When you visit the grocery store or walmart, you always have an open

spot to park so you can get in and out quickly unless its a holiday its a

hassle.

C. Appointments are easier to make

1. The smaller population is a factor in this as well

2. Since the money is smaller and more people are out of jobs, not everyone

has insurance or health care to even be eligible for appointments, such as

the doctor.

III. Cleanlier and better environment all-around

A. The pollution levels are lower

1. The atmosphere is more healthy and hygienic.

2. Lessly provoked with health issues.

B. Everybody knows each other

1. Normally when you live in a small town, you have a bunch of loved ones

near you.

2. You are popular

3. You build more connections and contacts; have friends from the same soil

that mean a lot and last forever.

C. Values

1. People from small towns are most likely to be less-complicated, simple-

hearted and effortlessly lead their lives.

a) There's warmth in their welcoming.

b) They greet wholeheartedly.

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D. You can be yourself

1. Instead of being in a big city where everyone is trying to fit in, those in a

small town are mostly about simplicity.

a) In a small town, you are at ease.

b) In bigger cities, people usually put a mask on their personalities

and attitudes.
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Capstone Research Paper

What Its Like Living in a Small Town

Jordan Hodges

11/07/17
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Shopping, fancy eating, bright lights, colleges, and concerts are all benefits of living in a

big city, but there are also many negative factors. When people think about bigger cities, they

think of more job opportunities, larger selection of things to do, and more space, not realizing

how much money they could be saving each year. Residing in a small town is superior to living

in a bigger city because the house expenses are smaller, there is minimal costs of living, the town

is less occupied, quieter, and has a cleaner and better environment all around. I am arguing that a

residing in a small town is better than living in a big hustling city. Why live your life stressing

exceedingly when you could settle living simply and smoothly in a smaller area where

everything is quiet, peaceful, and the best part, cheaper.

One of the first things most people do before purchasing a house would be calculating the

property tax bill. In smaller areas with less population and land to live on, you should expect

cheaper taxes on the house, which makes living in a little town simpler and its the cheaper way

out. Real estate property refers to the physical land and everything attached to the land such as

houses, barns, garages, etc. Real estate property also includes property that can be removed from

the land such as a single-wide mobile home attached to a foundation. Eden, a small town located

in Rockingham County of North Carolina is where I have resided the past 18 years of my life.

Rockingham County is a county that consists of two small cities, Eden and Reidsville, and also

consists of 4 small towns, Madison, Mayodan, Stoneville, and Wentworth. The median property

tax in Rockingham County is $853 per year for a home worth the median value of $101,000.

Rockingham County collects, on average, 0.84% of a property's assessed fair market value as

property tax. The average yearly property tax paid by Rockingham County residents amounts to
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about 1.81% of their yearly income. Rockingham County is ranked 1630th of the 3143 counties

for property taxes as a percentage of median income. The biggest city in North Carolina is

Charlotte, which is located in Mecklenburg County. The median property tax in Mecklenburg

County, North Carolina is $1,945 per year for a home worth the median value of $185,100.

Mecklenburg County collects, on average, 1.05% of a property's assessed fair market value as

property tax. Mecklenburg County has one of the highest median property taxes in the United

States, and is ranked 483rd of the 3143 counties in order of median property taxes. The average

yearly property tax paid by Mecklenburg County residents amounts to about 2.67% of their

yearly income. Mecklenburg County is ranked 816th of the 3143 counties for property taxes as a

percentage of median income. I compared one of the smallest cities in the state of North Carolina

to one of the biggest, to show that there is a difference between the two property taxes. The

difference in the two propertys assessed fair market is 0.21%. Even bigger cities property tax

rates would be an even bigger difference. Smaller towns have lower property space than larger

counterparts so this makes taxes cheaper for the location, no matter how big or small the house

may be.

Some people like to live in a smaller populated area for many of reasons. In smaller

areas, of course the population is going to be smaller, and vice versa. As of 2017, Eden, North

Carolinas total population is 15,376. In Charlotte, North Carolina the total population is

731,424. This is a major difference of 716,048. This is another reason why the cost of living is a

big difference. Living in a small area with less people will minimize the prices exceedingly on

heaps of different things. General services are higher in a bigger city because in small towns

businesses are so close together, they are in competition with each other. When businesses are in

competition with one another, they lower the prices to get their clientele up and overpower the
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other businesses. The is also an upside, especially because most people need a oil change every

certain amount of mileage on their vehicles. As I have grown older, such as being able to drive a

car and having to pay for my own gas i have noticed a lot about gas pricing. Living in a small

town can have its downsides as well as upsides, one of the downsides is fuel costs. The reason

that I say this is because the cost of gas in a smaller town will more than likely be higher because

of the smaller population. The gas stations have to make their money back, and having a smaller

amount of individuals in an area isnt going to make the money by reducing the amount to a

cheap price, so they increase it. In Eden, NC, regular gas at CITGO is $2.35, in Charlotte, NC, at

CITGO the regular gas price is set at $2.26. In Eden, NC, the regular gas at Sheetz is set at $2.35,

in Charlotte, NC, the regular gas is set at $2.27. Although the two prices are only about .10c

apart from each other, its just crazy how the same exact company has the gas prices set lower or

higher than the other because of the location. Even though the gas prices may be a bit higher in

different locations, being in a small town is better with gas and fuel costings. My reason behind

this is because when you are located in such a small area, you are near just about everything you

need. In Eden, the area is 39.3 km and the area of the city of Charlotte is 771 km. This proves

my point as to how in a smaller town, you dont have far to go where as in a big city, you would

have to travel far across the city to get to where you need to go. When you reside in a smaller

city, you usually dont have far to go whether that be jobs, church, schools, or even a gas station.

The cheaper your bills are, the better life is for you because you are saving money. The ranking

for the cost of living in the small town of Eden, North Carolina is an A-, and the ranking in

Charlotte is a C-. The overall cost of living in Eden is 79.90, and in Charlotte its 97.20. This is a

difference of 17.30. Housing costing is overall 35 in Eden, and 91 in Charlotte. Transportation is

both at 98. When you are surrounded by so many good things in a big city, you get tempted to
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spend more money than expected, or more money than you should. In a small town everything is

much cheaper, and less to choose from so you have a better idea.

As good as saving money sounds, diminutive noise and living in a less occupied city

sounds even better. When you have some extra money to spend, you always want to go out of a

small town into a bigger one with a bigger variety stores. This is all fun and games until you hit

rush hour in a big busy city, this really is miserable and the worst part. A lot of people get off of

work at 5 oclock and hit the traffic and wont get home for hours, but there is nothing they can

do about it because its everyones job putting them in a bunch. When cars are bunched up,

accidents do happen, and with more people on the roads today than in recent years, theyre more

than likely to occur. But, it isnt only that there are more drivers out there; there simply arent

enough roads to keep up with demand. In fact, between 1980 and 1999, the number of miles of

highway increased by 1.5 percent whereas the number of miles traveled by drivers increased by

76 percent. This imbalance between supply and demand has very real consequences, leading to

more traffic jams, and worst of all, more car accidents. You might think that this is just a big city

problemplaces where a large population is concentrated in a small space. But, the Federal

Highway Administration reports that delays are becoming increasingly common in small cities

and some rural areas as well. About half of all traffic slowdowns are caused by temporary traffic

flow disruptions. These are the unwelcome surprises that take over part of the roadway, such as

an accident blocking a lane, a construction zone causing a bottleneck, or inclement weather

conditions that affect all drivers. These are the slowdowns that you typically cant anticipate.

Although you have no control over construction zones, the weather, or anything that causes

traffic jams. Living in a small town with less people gets you from A to B, in a quickly manner.

In a small area, there is little to no traffic, and this is such a relief. Especially to those who need
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to be somewhere at a certain time, have children to take care of, or just about anything. When

living in a small city is so much more peaceful than a big city. In big cities there is so many

annoying sounds going on. You can almost always hear cars, car alarms, trains, etc. There is

always so much going on and so much that needs to be done. Small cities are so peaceful and

quiet the only thing you can hear is the wind or insects outside of your window. This is so much

more calming and relaxing than always being disturbed or in a rush.

Most people would rather have a better health system not realizing the pollution levels

and cleanliness around them where they are located. Air pollution occurs when harmful

substances including particulates and biological molecules are introduced into Earth's

atmosphere. It may cause diseases, allergies or death of humans; it may also cause harm to other

living organisms such as animals and food crops, and may damage the natural or built

environment. Many of those dont take this seriously not knowing the outstanding circumstances.

The pollution levels in a smaller city is lesser than the levels in a bigger city. The air pollution

index in Eden, NC is 93, and in Charlotte its 95. The carbon monoxide levels in Eden is 108 and

in Charlotte it is 113. The nitrogen dioxide levels in Eden is 102, and Charlotte is 104.

You may think cleanliness is bad, but think about crime rates in the area you live in. This

can be a big scare. Are big cities more dangerous than small cities? Of course they are. Ed

Glaeser and Bruce Sacerdote wrote a paper trying to figure out why theres more crime in big

cities. They came up with a couple of reasons. First, theres more valuable stuff to steal in big

cities, so robbery is more profitable. Second, its easier to be anonymous. If you mug someone in

a small area, theres a good chance your victim will recognize you and report the crime. Beyond

that they threw up their hands, suggesting that perhaps the rest of the difference might be due to

the fact that families are less intact in big cities. But even after running batteries of statistical
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tests, they were still left scratching their heads. Sure, there are more broken families in big cities,

but that still leaves unanswered the question of why this variable is so important in leading to

criminal behavior. Whats more, the results on higher benefit levels and lower arrest rates are

intriguing but also not entirely satisfying. When youve lived in an area for so long you dont

realize how bad crime may be or what kinds of people could be living near you. These kinds of

factors are very dangerous especially if you have children, older or younger. There are all kinds

of predators out there who have sick twisted ways. The annual Charlotte number of crimes are

5,732 for violent crimes, and 31,364 for property crimes. The crime rate (per 1,000 residents) in

Charlotte are 6.93 for violent crimes and 43.69 for property crimes. This is a total number of

37,096 and a total rate of 50.62. The annual Eden number of crimes are 82 for violent crimes,

and 673 for property crimes. The crime rate (per 1,000 residents) in Eden are 5.32 for violent

crimes and 37.92 for property crimes. This is a total number of 755 and a total rate of 43.24. The

difference in the total number of crimes for both property and violent is 36,341. The difference in

the crime rate for both property and violent is 7.38. The difference in these two are outrageous

and horrifying. These are the types of statistics that I would want to look into before moving into

a new area. This is a tremendous circumstance people should take into consideration more often.

When moving to a new neighborhood or any new area at all you should consider to read into the

registered sex offenders you have around you. They have names, height, weight, age, even hair

and eye color listed online for your safety. This is so important to me and should be for anyone

else, because of how dangerous this could be for people, especially children. According to the

research of North Carolina and other state lists there were 918 registered sex offenders living in

Charlotte as of December 08, 2017. The ratio of number of residents in Charlotte to the number

of sex offenders is 844 to 1. According to the research of North Carolina and other state lists
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there were 80 registered sex offenders living in Eden as of December 08, 2017. The ratio of

number of residents in Eden to the number of sex offenders is 192 to 1. The difference in the two

is 652. This means that Charlotte, North Carolina has 652 more sex offenders living in their city

than Eden has. You should always check your surroundings because you could be clueless.

Although not all of them are dangerous, there's always possibilities.

Home is always where the heart is, and usually this means things such as your family

friends, or just loved ones in general. When you are living in a small town, you have more

popularity and usually everyone knows everyone. You cant go inside of food lion or walmart

without seeing someone that you know, just because the town is so small. I think that this is good

because you build more connections and contacts with people; have friends from the same soil

and that should mean a lot and last forever. If something in the town happens, such as death,

everyone comes together and grieves with one another. This is a special trait for people to have

because this lessens all the violence and hatred between each other. Living in a small area is all

around better in my personal opinion. I think that being happy where you are in life is very

important, you should never want to live in a way that doesnt bring you happiness in some way.

Residing in a small town is much less stressful and maddening. Things in a small town normally

go very smoothly and as planned. Small towns have less violence which provides a safer

environment to raise your children. I think that is very important when choosing where you want

to live. Children normally mean alot to most people and they would do anything to keep them

safe so this is most likely an inference people keep in mind. In a small area, you are probably

close with your neighbors just because of the fact everyone knows everyone. When living in a

big area you or the neighbors are probably too busy to know or get close with each other. Towns

usually come together as one because they're so small and dont have as much competition as a
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big city does. This is an important for making relationships with each other and everyone getting

along. You arent always tempted to spend money as you would be living inside of a bigger area.

Saving money is always the best option in my opinion, no matter how much you may have. It

also feels good to be able to exercise outside of the gym every once in awhile. You can run

around your block or even around the city without having to worry about someone bothering

you. This is not always the case because crime can happen anywhere but in a smaller area, the

chances are slim to none at all. Running benefits are exceedingly better because of less traffic,

few stoplights and hardly any interruptions. The town also always comes together for small

traditions and this is wonderful in so many ways. You can catch up with old friends and loved

ones that you havent seen in awhile. You can buy local sweets and goods that families make.

You just feel at home all around and this has to be the best feeling. Most people take the small

towns for granted because a bigger city always seems way better because of the shopping it has

to offer, and more people to meet. The same people who take it for granted dont realize what all

a small city has and how much better it is in many ways. In a small town I have exactly

everything that i need, a close-knit family and environment. The appeal of any city depends on

the benefits it offers. When considering a move after graduation or a move in general, spiritual

growth and quality of life should be at the top of your list. For me, small towns offer the best of

both.
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Works Cited

Tax-Rates.org The 2017 Tax Resource. Rockingham County North Carolina

Property Taxes - 2017, www.tax-rates.org/north_carolina/rockingham_county_property_tax.

Mishra, Preeti. Top 10 Reasons a Small Town Life is Better than a City. TopYaps, 1

Apr. 2013, topyaps.com/top-10-reasons-a-small-town-life-is-better-than-a-city.

9 Cost Advantages of Living in a Small Town. Three Thrifty Guys, 21 July 2016,

www.threethriftyguys.com/2012/08/cost-advantages-of-living-in-a-small-town/.

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lifestyle.allwomenstalk.com/reasons-to-live-in-a-small-town.
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Eden, NC Lowest Regular Gas Prices. Eden, NC Lowest Regular Gas Prices -

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