Rural, Suburban, Urban: unit vocabulary (article) | Khan Academy (2024)

This is an introduction to some useful and interesting words and phrases in this unit. You probably know some of them already, while others might be new. Take some time to get to know them all before you get started!

Groups of related words

Community, rural, suburb, suburban, and urban

A

community

is a group of people all living in the same place.

An

urban

community is one that’s in a city or town: lots of people live there, and there are lots of different kinds of buildings close together.

A

suburb

is a place where people live just outside of a city or town. There are lots of houses in

suburban

areas, but not as many other buildings as

urban

areas—maybe just one or two small shops or stores.

A

rural

community is one with lots of nature and open spaces, with fewer people and buildings than

urban

or

suburban

areas.

Advantage, disadvantage, upside, and downside

An

advantage

is something that makes one thing better than another. An

upside

is another word that means the same thing.

For example, one

advantage

, or

upside

, of living in the country is that the air is cleaner than in the city.

A

disadvantage

is the opposite: something that makes one thing worse than another. A

disadvantage

can also be called a

downside

.

For example, one

disadvantage

, or

downside

, of living in the country is that there usually aren’t any stores nearby.

Located and location

Location

means “place”, or “where something is.” For example, you could say that a house with a view of the ocean has a beautiful

location

.

You can also describe where something is using the word

located

. Here’s an example sentence: “I get woken up by the sound of howling monkeys every morning because my house is

located

next to the zoo.”

Other unit words and phrases

Word:

notice

(verb)

  • Definition: become aware of something
  • Sample sentence: When Mia visited the city, she noticed that people didn’t wave and say “hi” like they did at home.

Phrase:

occurred to (someone)

(verb)

  • Definition: thought of, realized
  • Sample sentence: Suddenly, it occurred to Esteve that the rumbling sound wasn’t thunder, but a herd of stampeding cows!

Phrase:

public transportation

(noun)

  • Definition: things like buses, trains, and subways that anyone can ride to get around a city, town, or local area.
  • Sample sentence: Mateo always rides on public transportation to get to his grandma’s apartment.

Word:

resident

(noun)

  • Definition: someone who lives somewhere
  • Sample sentence: I am a resident of a small town called Oakdale.

Word:

surround

(verb)

  • Definition: be around the outside
  • Sample sentence: My favorite thing about living on the edge of a forest is that our house is surrounded by trees.
Rural, Suburban, Urban: unit vocabulary (article) | Khan Academy (2024)

FAQs

What is the vocabulary of suburban? ›

Suburban refers to areas just beyond a city's border. Your parents might have grown up in the city and then moved to a more suburban area after they had kids. If you see a lot of malls, plus houses that all look the same, and you're just outside a city, then you're in a suburban area: the suburbs.

What is the definition of urban, suburban, and rural? ›

There are lots of houses in suburban areas, but not as many other buildings as urban areas—maybe just one or two small shops or stores. A rural community is one with lots of nature and open spaces, with fewer people and buildings than urban or suburban areas.

What is considered suburban? ›

Suburban areas are lower density areas that separate residential and commercial areas from one another. They are either part of a city or urban area, or exist as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city. As cars became the dominant way for people to get to work, suburbs grew.

What is rural and urban? ›

According to the current delineation, released in 2022 and based on the 2020 decennial census, rural areas comprise open country and settlements with fewer than 2,000 housing units and 5,000 residents. Urban areas comprise densely developed areas with 2,000 or more housing units or 5,000 or more residents.

What is the vocabulary of rural? ›

/ˈrʊərəl/ Rural means "relating to or characteristic of the country or the people who live there." If you move to a rural area, you won't see a lot of skyscrapers or taxis — but you'll probably see a lot of trees.

What is the vocabulary of urban? ›

Use the adjective urban to refer to cities or people who live in cities. It carries a suggestion of grittiness––urban style involves darker colors. The terms city and town are sometimes used inconsistently. If it is large enough, a town is considered to be an urban area.

What are 5 differences between urban and rural areas? ›

The five differences between rural and urban areas are based on population size, development, division of labour, social mobility, and the type of environment. Cities are more advanced than villages and face various types of pollution as they are engaged in developed man-made surroundings.

What is the meaning of the word urban? ›

Urban means belonging to, or relating to, a town or city. Most of the population is an urban population. Most urban areas are close to a park.

Does rural mean village? ›

Rural areas are also known as the 'countryside' or a 'village' in India. It has a very low population density. In rural areas, agriculture is the chief source of livelihood along with fishing, cottage industries, pottery etc.

What does a rural area look like? ›

A rural area is an open swath of land that has few homes or other buildings, and not very many people. A rural area's population density is very low.

What is a suburb example? ›

an area on the edge of a large town or city where people who work in the town or city often live: The publishing company relocated out of central London to the suburbs. She opened a new location in the Dallas suburb of Richardson.

Does urban mean city? ›

An urban area is the region surrounding a city. Most inhabitants of urban areas have non-agricultural jobs. Urban areas are very developed, meaning there is a density of human structures, such as houses, commercial buildings, roads, bridges, and railways. "Urban area" can refer to towns, cities, and suburbs.

What defines rural? ›

How does the Census define “rural”? The Census does not define “rural.” They consider “rural” to include all people, housing, and territory that are not within an urban area. Any area that is not urban is rural. The Census defines urban as: Urbanized Areas (UAs) of 50,000 or more people.

What is urban vs suburban vs rural? ›

Rural counties have a population density of 250 people per square mile or less. Regional City and Suburban counties have between 250 and 750 people per square mile. Urban counties have more than 750 people per square mile.

What is the example of rural? ›

Rural communities can be described as farming communities, fishing communities, logging communities, or communities with a high amount of tourism for a certain part of the year. These types of work often dictate the way things are done in these communities.

What does suburb mean in vocabulary? ›

A suburb is a residential district located on the outskirts of a city. If you live in the suburbs, you probably travel to the city for work. Suburb comes from Latin: sub means "below or near" and urbis means "city." You also will recognize this root in urban.

What is the meaning of the word suburban? ›

: an outlying part of a city or town. b. : a smaller community adjacent to or within commuting distance of a city. c. suburbs plural : the residential area on the outskirts of a city or large town.

What does very suburban mean? ›

If you describe something as suburban, you mean that it is dull and conventional. His clothes are conservative and suburban. ... ghastly good taste and suburban gentility. Synonyms: conventional, boring, conservative, dull More Synonyms of suburban.

What is the vocabulary of local? ›

Locate, location, locale — they all look and sound like local thanks to the Latin root locus, which means "place." Something that's local is limited to a specific place, like a particular neighborhood or city. Local also can describe places that aren't, well, places — they're more like areas.

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