Some people think that cities are the best places to live. Others prefer to live in a rural area. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of living in the city to living in the countryside. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your experience.

Did you know that, currently, more than half of the world’s population lives in cities? Certainly, there are many valid reasons for people to desire to have a life in urban areas. However, there are still others that believe the countryside is the best place to spend a happy life. Rural areas do have huge contributions to human health but cities offer a fair number of opportunities related to jobs, education and entertainment that can’t be ignored. Firstly, the countryside provides a variety of advantages in terms of physical and mental health. In rural areas people don’t encounter air pollution as much as city-dwellers because there aren’t many buildings that emit toxic gases. Also, there is more access to organic food which supermarkets in urban areas lack. Furthermore, people who live in the countryside have a much more carefree mindset as they don’t live in a rush, rural places are far less noisy and peaceful which is refreshing. Therefore, it could be said that the countryside has a positive impact on people’s mental and physical health. However, limited access to healthcare, less education and job opportunities is what gets people away from the rural areas too. The countryside gives all families more self-centered lives that everyone works and does agriculture for their families. Because there is no labour force for the society as a whole, rural areas lack hospitals, schools and job centers. Secondly, urban areas are highly requested living spaces as they make a lot of options available for their citizens. For instance, there are far more job opportunities in cities because companies are centered mostly in these areas. Moreover, cities offer chances for people to get entertained. There are many cinemas, shopping malls and museums to go to that meet the entertainment needs of people. Also, the most successful schools in the world are located in cities. Therefore, students can benefit off of the wide range of options that cities provide. However, with half of the world’s population living in small areas like cities, traffic jams are a huge problem. Overpopulated spaces cause lots of pollution such as air and noise too. In conclusion, the range of options provided by cities do outweigh the disadvantages and the advantages of rural areas such as health benefits. The rate of urbanization is understandable but must, also, be controlled.