I like both for different reasons. Small towns because almost everyone knows everyone. Cities because of the amenities they offer in terms of art and culture.

Both,for the same reasons @marinelife stated.:)

Small towns away from the big cities. I hate low flying planes overhead and love the star filled night skies.

I like living out in the country, but not too far from the amenities of a city.

I prefer to live in a small town or the country if not too far removed from a metropolitan area.
It’s not so much for the pleasurable activities that I want to be near a city, but for necessities like medical care and airports.

Marinelife makes a good point. i would only add that small towns usually mean open fields and farmers as a rule. i have lived the big city life. i would move to a small town in a heartbeat, if only i could take my paid in full house with me.

Also, small towns generally offer no entertainment, especially at night. i would be constantly driving back and forth to the nearest big city for this purpose, so why bother?

I grew up on a farm way out in the middle of nowhere. I’m a city boy now. I like being able to walk down the street to get a sub, to take the bus to work, and having everything near by.

Some people simply prefer cities: http://www.fluther.com/97523/is-there-something-wrong-with-me-for-liking-cities-and-wanting/

I like small towns driving distance to a big city.

I like small cities. My city is about 90,000. We have everything I need and there is still a sort of small town fell to it. Maybe because it’s farming country all around and lakes, a little bush.

I grew up in a very small town with few amenities but I have got used to the big city and I would miss it if I were to leave.

I like the in-between or “small cities” as @faye pointed out. I’d probably rather visit a big city than a small town because there are more attractions, more to do (also there’s something about the hustle and bustle of a big city that appeals to me), but I’d rather live in a small city or suburb with around 10,000–100,000 people.

Big cities, without a shadow of doubt. Aside from the city where I live, my favourite places in the world are London and New York.

I just compared Manchester (the greater metropolitan area) with the population of other US cities and if Manchester was in the US it would be the fifth largest, just behind Houston and Chicago. I’m honestly shocked: I thought many US cities were bigger than that.

Both, I lived in a small town until I was 6 years old, and I would go back if it wasn’t for the snow. I currently live in a small town, population 86,000, where I do all my shopping and spend most of my time, but it is in a huge metropolitan county of near l.5 million.

My absolute favorite place I have ever lived is Santa Barbara Ca with a population of around 85,000.

They each have their highs and lows.

I spent eight years living in a small town (population ~1,100), and I loved the freedom to walk out in the yard naked and piss on trees, and knowing the shopkeep well enough to be able to forget my wallet, still pick up a gallon of milk, and catch them next time.
Of course, having to drive >15 miles to the nearest supermarket or gas station was a hassle, especially if they forgot to plow my road. That and 28.8K dialup (in 2008!) sucked.

I grew up in a small city (population ~24,000) and it still had some of that small-town feel but also had a few more amenities. However, I had to indulge in most of my hobbies via mail-order, and even as of two years ago, the availability of broadband internet was spotty.

I currently live in the Seattle area (population ~3,400,000 for the entire metropolitan area) and while it is nice to have everything I want within a fairly short distance, I feel alone despite living in the same building with at least 100 other people. I am isolated, yet I would be arrested for pissing in teh front yard like I did back in NH; interesting paradox.
I like having a supermarket close enough to see from my bedroom window, but I hate the traffic. It wouldn’t be so bad if people actually knew how to drive, as people back East do, but instead I am surrounded by incompetence. I love the diversity; I can have Pho, real Mexican food, Indian… soemthing other than home-cooking or McDonalds.

All in all , it’s a wash.

This is something i’ve long fought with. I’ve spent the entirety of my life thus far in medium sized cities (both having a populous of atleast 200,000) but have always felt an urge to move to the countryside areas having visited on multiple occasions. There does seem a greater sense of community, care and less strain, but being that i’ve grown used to the practicality and excitement of the city I feel assured that the “country life” would become quickly boring. I’ve concluded that my ideal situation would be to live in the city until i’m prepared to settle down more, in which case a small town would be more appealing.

Small towns with big cities nearby.

How small is small? I would be happy in a one light town in the boonies, if I could find a decent house in a berg like that. I like the ambience of little bitty towns,