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ChristianKl comments on Open thread, Nov. 09 - Nov. 15, 2015 - Less Wrong Discussion

3 Post author: MrMind 09 November 2015 08:07AM

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Comment author: username2 10 November 2015 06:50:51PM 1 point [-]

Short version: If telecommuting was an option, would you live in a big city? Why? Why not?

I don't know whether I am overestimating the impact of city population on my daily life. What change can I expect from moving from a city with a population of 200K to one with 2M(and between that and one of 20M)? (or, on the contrary, to one with 20K) I always wanted to move to {regional large city}, but I can't name anything that my current locale lacks, that I would really like it to have. (I know that we don't have toastmasters here, but that's not an active current desire of mine. Some specific goods ren't sold in the shops, but those need to be so specific, that eBay becomes the standard venue for acquiring them anyways.) Jobs don't matter for me specifically, as I can work from anywhere.

I think I've seen more people with colorful hair there, and traffic seemed like it could easily turn into a nightmare. (which is less of an issue, if I intend to use the underground. I don't have a car either way)

Looking into the demographics, the average age is higher, number of children low, with a significant trend of people over 20 to migrate there. I couldn't determine the make up of the migrants from a glance, but I suppose with the help of an actuarian table, I could calculate the difference between expected number of people of that age, versus actual.

I don't know whether absolute number of people with similar interests to mine, or their relative density matters more.

I am wary that I may 'want to be where it's at', or where I assume it's at, shouldering the financial costs, and not getting any of the expected benefits. (I assume job opportunities are the usual attractors)

Comment author: ChristianKl 10 November 2015 06:54:55PM 1 point [-]

I don't think there are LW meetups in 200K cities. Big cities allow more interesting events to happen.

Comment author: knb 10 November 2015 07:41:04PM 1 point [-]

Sure, but typically you are not obligated to remain within your city of residence. Hence lots of people like to live in small towns close to the orbit of larger cities. The benefits of a more cohesive community/lower density/lower cost of living and a short commute to more specialized interests.