How Far Is “Nearby”?

In New York, people say that a place is nearby when it takes about twenty minutes to get there. That can mean a ten-minute walk, a train, and five more minutes at the other end. Nobody is lying. For them, twenty minutes is near.

In a small village, the next village is four kilometers away, and people there call it “a long way.” Four kilometers is not far in a huge city. It is not far in a village either. But the bus stops at six, and nobody wants to walk it in the rain, so “a long way” is honest too.

So “near” is not a distance. It is a habit. It comes from the way people usually travel: on foot, by car, by bike, by train. A shop three kilometers away is nearby if you drive past it every day, and far away if you don't.

This is why kilometers are not as useful as they look. Two kilometers in a tiny town takes seven minutes on a bike. The same two kilometers in a big city can take fifteen, because of the traffic and the lights.

So don't ask how far it is. Ask how long it takes. Minutes mean the same thing in a tiny village and in a huge city. “Near” doesn't.