What Type of City Matches Your Soul?

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
What Type of City Matches Your Soul?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

Cities are the cradle of civilization, or at least that's what Socrates thought. Cities are special because they allow people to have more interactions and be exposed to more ideas. To paraphrase Teddy Roosevelt, you can't discover your great inventor without that inventor learning the tech they need to invent things and meet the people who will inspire and or/fund things.

Cities each have a distinct character. Being born in a city doesn't mean it is the perfect city for you. Some cities are dominated by a single, inescapable entity, like a government or a major company. Some cities are held up by a single industry, like how San Francisco is buttressed by the tech business.

Some cities are defined by their culture, like New York, which, despite being business friendly, convulsed when Amazon said they would build a campus there. Other cities are defined almost by their blandness, where nothing is so edgy it might offend.

To know what kind of city matches your soul, we will plumb the depths of your very being. We will tease out your tastes, morals, the speed of life you prefer, your career dreams, the works. Armed with this data set, we will be able to say which kind of city (though not the specific city) matches your soul, so you can pull up stakes and move to a place that makes you truly happy.

How important is public transportation?
It's one of the most important things in city life.
It's fairly important.
It's not that important. I have a bike.
It's not important. I drive everywhere.

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How much do you love your job?
It's fine, but not where I want to be.
It's great. I'm on track.
It's OK​ until I retire.
It keeps me clothed and housed.

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How often do you feel like you need a few months to recover from the hustle and bustle?
Never!
Once every few years.
Every year!
I don't deal with enough hustle and bustle to know.

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How much excitement is the right amount?
All the excitement! I want FOMO every day!
A little every week
None
A little at a low level

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How close do you want your closest neighbor?
Right on top of me
A stone's throw away
Far enough to not hear my TV
On the other side of a fence

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How difficult do you find it to come up with a topic of conversation with a stranger?
Not hard at all
Extremely difficult
Not very difficult
Somewhat difficult

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Do you like being the smartest person in the room?
No, that would be quite dull.
No, then I'd look down on my boss.
Yes, I like to feel superior.
That doesn't scare me.

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Do you like feeling like you are part of the in-crowd?
Sometimes
Yes, I adore that!
That's my nightmare
I don't care enough to even know how to identify the in-crowd.

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What kind of movies do you like?
I love all genres. All of them, really.
Blockbusters
Obscure documentaries
Silly movies

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How do you network?
I go out to work my contacts every night.
I play golf with people during the weekend.
I don't.
We drink together.

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How long can you speak on a subject without feedback from the other person in the conversation?
A minute, at most
A few minutes
Hours
At most? Twenty minutes.

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What kind of car would you prefer to drive?
A Smart Car
A sedan
A cute, Japanese hybrid
A big SUV

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With how much uncertainty are you comfortable?
I have to be OK with lots of it.
I don't like it much.
I can't take any of it!
I'm OK with a bit.

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What section of the morning paper do you read first?
The arts section
The business section
The science section
The funny pages

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How many books do you read for pleasure?
About two a month
About two a year
Three to twelve a month
One a month

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How often, if ever, do you make private wagers on politics?
Rarely
Only on the presidential races
I don't pay attention to politics.
Every day! It's fun!

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How often do you just go out with the hopes of running into something exciting?
Almost every day
Only when I'm on vacation
Never
On weekends

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How varied do you like your nightlife to be?
I want it all! And I want it now!
I like a few professionally presented things I can do regularly.
I'll just do what the kids are doing.
Not varied at all. Minigolf and drinking are enough.

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Which of these hobbies is most like one you'd be interested in pursuing?
Doing an obscure martial art
Skeet shooting
Rowing
Running

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Which method of fitness appeals to you the most?
Pilates
Tae Bo
Barre
Drinking less

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What work hours do you like the best?
Shift work
8 a.m. to late
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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How far do you want to stretch your dollar?
I don't care if I have to take out a mortgage to see a movie.
I don't mind things costing more in order to have the right career opportunities.
Pretty far
As far as I can!

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What kind of perks do you like best?
Being someplace where anything is possible
Memberships in the right clubs
A relaxed way of life
Discounts!

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How much do you like the company of young people?
Take it or leave it
I don't like it.
I love being around young people!
Young people are the future. They're welcome to come here when I'm gone. For now, they should stay off my lawn.

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What sort of career track are you on?
Nonlinear
The corporate ladder
I'm looking for tenure.
Pure nepotism

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How tall do you like your buildings?
As tall as possible
Fairly tall
Low and fairly small
Low and wide

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How many languages do you like to hear in your daily surroundings?
Five or six
Just one
Dozens
Two

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What type of cuisine could you not live without?
Thai
Chinese
Pizza
Doughnuts

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How important is it to you that you know everything that's going on in your town?
I don't need to know it all at all.
I like to know the important stuff.
I want to know everything that's happening in my niche.
I must know it all.

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How important is anonymity?
I prize it.
It's somewhat important.
It's something I like from time to time.
It's not important at all.

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You Got: