>many people I've talked to that prefer the high density lifestyle have a hard time grasping that there are those of us that genuinely do not. Personal prefere

>many people I've talked to that prefer the high density lifestyle have a hard time grasping that there are those of us that genuinely do not. Personal preferences for this kind of thing vary wildly. When my wife and I moved from suburban Memphis, TN to urban Seattle, WA, my Mother-in-law was convinced that we were making an awful decision that would make us miserable and fill us with regret. She actually broke down crying about how much she worries about us moving somewhere so dangerous, loud, and cramped. My in-laws live in rural Mississippi in a 4,000sqft home where they cannot see any of their neighbors' houses. They have to drive 20 minutes to get to the nearest store. It really baffled them to see my wife and I eating up the city life and talking about how much we love our 650sqft apartment. They couldn't believe that we valued the convenience of having a grocery store across the street given that we had to look at it every day from our room. I wouldn't want to live in rural Mississippi as much as they wouldn't want to live in urban Seattle. We're more at an understanding with each other, but it really sheds some light on how people's preferences can differ, and how those differences could lead to disagreements when cities change in population (like jumping from 50k to 120k).