Urban, Suburban & Rural

Urban People often define urban areas, or cities, as land occupied by buildings and other structures used for residences and institutional and industrial sites Urban areas often have some form of public transportation, such as buses, subways, or trains and have high population densities Buildings are often closer together and built higher than those in suburban or rural areas.

Suburban Suburban areas are those on the outskirts of cities Residents of suburban areas often commute to the cities for work Some suburban areas have commuter trains and buses that shuttle people to and from the cities Structures in suburban communities are often lower and farther apart than in cities Though they have smaller populations than cities, suburbs offer the same services including schools, health care facilities, and public works.

Rural These are areas with large amounts of open, undeveloped land with significantly lower populations than urban or suburban areas Rural land is typically used for farming Buildings are far apart and most rural communities don’t have their own hospitals or schools When many we think of rural areas we often think of farmland; however, people live in forests, plains, deserts, and prairies, which are examples of rural areas

Rural Rural communities have a much lower population density than cities Rural communities, because of their lower population numbers, differ in many ways from urban communities The smaller population in a rural community means there are fewer consumers and businesses, so fewer taxes can be collected Governments use tax money to build and maintain infrastructure such as roads, telephone lines, electricity grids, railroads, canals, sewers systems, water supplies, Internet connections, etc Governments also use tax money to provide services such as police, fire departments, schools, hospitals, libraries, trash removal, and public transportation.

Rural Rural communities have a much lower population density than cities Rural communities, because of their lower population numbers, differ in many ways from urban communities The smaller population in a rural community means there are fewer consumers and businesses, so fewer taxes cab be collected Governments use tax money to build and maintain infrastructure such as roads, telephone lines, electricity grids, railroads, canals, sewers systems, water supplies, Internet connections, etc Governments also use tax money to provide services such as police, fire departments, schools, hospitals, libraries, trash removal, and public transportation.

Population Density An urban community, by definition, has a minimum of 400 persons per square kilometer while a rural community is any area not inside an urban area A rural area may have as little as one or two persons, or less, per square kilometer An urban center may have a population density of 4,000 people or more per square kilometer As a result, residents in rural communities tend to have larger plots of land available for housing, and the space between neighboring homes is typically greater than that found in a city Usually, the environment is cleaner and full of nature in rural areas.

Public Transportation While not all urban areas have major public transportation systems, they tend to have more options available than those found in rural areas Because a rural area has a much smaller population density, it often cannot financially support the construction or maintenance of a public transportation system This may make it more difficult for persons with disabilities to find transportation. Roads in rural areas are also lower in quality.

Shopping and Services Without the population density to buy as many products from businesses as urban center, rural communities will have fewer shopping options and service providers In addition, the distance required traveling for shopping and services may be greater because the shops serve a much larger land area Many businesses in rural areas will offer more generalized services than their city counterparts, such as places like Wal-Mart that offer a wide variety of products Government services are also limited because there are fewer people to pay taxes.

Services and Utilities The availability of some utilities may vary between rural and urban communities Homes in rural areas will often get their water from private wells rather than a piped-in city water system This may be due to logistics and costs in pipeline construction Sewer systems, trash removal and street maintenance also may come under the responsibility of individual rural residences instead of being city services