When you decide where to settle down, you have the debate between dwelling in a metropolitan area or in the country. Personally, I have always been a city girl. The idea of living in the middle of nowhere, around practically nothing is not appealing. The debate of people who yearn to take up residence in the country is sometimes that big cities do not provide the natural scenery and refreshing air that more desolate areas offer. I disagree with this particular statement.

I am not saying that one could reside in Chicago and go hiking, see wildlife or rock climb, but there is still the beauty of natural scenery. Moving forward with Chicago as the example, this metropolitan area is located on Lake Michigan, a beautiful lake. City inhabitants can still have boats and go out on the lake for clean air and stunning views. The metropolitan area is also home to Grant Park, a huge urban park. The city park delivers natural beauty along with admirable artwork. There are gardens all through the city park that are filled with plants along with public artwork and Buckingham Fountain, one of the world’s largest water fountains. The metropolitan area supplies outdoor furniture for residents to sit down on and take in the activities taking place in the city park. So while Chicago may not be encircled by trees and wildlife, there is still natural splendor and outdoor activities readily available. It is simply different than being isolated with country living.

Living too far outside of any city would be uneventful and dull or boring, for me. I require diverse activities, access to people and a metropolitan area to be completely happy. There is always the potential of vacationing someplace more isolated than a major, inhabited metropolitan area. For those of you who still think country living is the only way to experience and reside in the great outdoors, take a seat on a park bench in Grant Park and take in your surroundings. I am not saying it is the wilderness, but it is much more lovely and peaceful than you might imagine.