There's no denying that there are negatives about city living. While crime is probably the number one concern, noise. pollution and trash are daily nuisances that can make city living a less attractive option. As for noise, it is not always seen as a negative. Some people like the excitement of living in an urban environment, and view the sounds of fire engines, ambulances, traffic, horns, and people as proof that they do indeed live where the action is. But even the most ardent city dwellers tire of the noise level at times and find themselves yearning for some peace and quiet.
I live across the street from an elementary school where the noise of children and schoolbuses bombard me daily. But you can live near a school in the suburbs, too, so it's not really a urban issue. When I bought my house, I didn't think about the school being noisy (I first saw the house during Christmas vacation and owned it before the New Year.) But it's quiet on the weekends and during vacations and the noise is usually over by five o'clock on school days.
I live near a firehouse, too, which accounts for some of all the sirens we hear. But the only time sirens bother me is when I'm sleeping with the windows open, which isn't very often. You get used to them after a while.
Then there are the helicopters. I can't ignore them as easily. There are the news helicopters every day reporting on in-town traffic, but they're generally pretty high up and I rarely notice them. But we do occasionally have helicopters flying low over this neighborhood, sometimes with spotlights, presumably looking for some kind of fugitive. That's a little scary but kind of exciting, too, especially when the police talk through a loudspeaker to talk to the would-be criminal down on the ground. I'm not really afraid that the person they're chasing could end up in my backyard; I always see the situation as "out there" somewhere. But I suppose it could happen.
One noise that really bothers me is when people walking by our house are fighting--or sound like they are--it's hard to tell sometimes. That makes me a little nervous because I'm afraid one of them is going to pull a gun and shoot someone.
And that leads me to the sound of gunfire. That's definitely not a welcome noise. But I've only heard it once where it actually led to someone being shot--that I know of. There have been shootings that I never heard, or wasn't aware that I was hearing. It's not always easy to differentiate between gunshots and backfires, fireworks, and other loud noises. But this type of noise, as well as that of helicopter searches, are more disturbing because of their connection to crime than because of their actual noise level.
I could have grouped noise and trash under pollution, but by singling it out, I meant to refer to the pollution that is not always visible--except when you dust (the dust tends to be black). It's hard to measure the effects of or the amount of pollution that is in the air, but it's a no-brainer that there's more of it in the city than in the suburbs. I developed a phlegm problem after I moved to this house, but I suspect that has more to do with my smoking than with city pollution. Fortunately there is no major industry near where I live. I recognize that this is not always the case when you're living in the city. So I would have to say that pollution is a valid concern for anyone contemplating a move to the city. Of course, if you live in a climate-controlled high-rise, it's going to be less of an issue. But most city-dwellers don't have that option.
The third negative, trash, is the one that bothers me the most. Perhaps because it's the one people actually have control over. I have a pet peeve about people leaving trash on the ground anyway. In my mind, there's no excuse for it. I'll put trash in my purse or my pocket till I can get to a trash can, before I'll drop it on the ground or throw it out a car window. In all fairness, some of the trash is blown around from dumpsters. But most of it is deliberate and that makes me crazy. And when I see trash in someone's yard, I wonder where they're pride is. Maybe they don't care because they're renting. But that's no excuse.
A few years back I participated in a trash clean-up program in this neighborhood, but I'll never do it again. It was disgusting. We wore gloves, but still. I can sort of see picking trash up from the streets but when it's in someone's yard or on the sidewalk in front of their house, I just get mad. Why should I pick up something that they should take care of?
Sometimes when I drive through a nicer city neighborhood (mine is borderline) or the suburbs, I look longingly at the trash-free yards and streets. But I live here partly because it's what I can afford (like so many city-dwellers), so I have no choice put to take care of the trash I can control, and look the other way at the trash I can't control.
That's pretty much the only choice you have with any city-living negatives.
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