I’ve never really wanted to live in the city. I grew up with a large yard, being able to walk to my friends house across the street without the fear of being run over or abducted, and open spaces. My teenagehood allowed me to walk to and from school safely, have sleepover parties in the basement of our house, and get to know everyone in my small town.
It’s interesting to think about what your life would be like if you had different experiences. What if I didn’t grow up in a small town? What if I grew up in the city, in an apartment rather than a house with a yard, being anonymous to my neighbors?
When my boyfriend and I moved out of the small town that we grew up in, we ended up moving into another small town, a suburb really, of a large metropolis. It was slightly bigger than the town we grew up in, but many people still knew each other and I’d run into the few people I knew there frequently. Once again, we could walk anywhere alone without feeling unsafe, driving wasn’t too frustrating, and it was a little less anonymous.
Since we moved into our new apartment, in a much busier area, the city is bigger yet. It’s busier than the towns I’m used to.
There are some big advantages of being in a more urban area. One of them, is that I gained three hours of my day back, previously wasted commuting. This has allowed me a much better quality of life.
I don’t get up at an unsightly hour anymore to get to work. I don’t sit in gridlock traffic as soon as I leave my suburb, because I can now take back roads. My timeliness won’t be jeopardized by an accident on a bridge, or a stalled semi on a popular highway.
I also love our ability to walk anywhere. We are within walking distance to a movie theater, countless restaurants, and a bowling alley. We are a three second drive to the grocery store, liquor store, and shopping centers.
It’s convenient and saves us a lot of gas money. I spend $100+ less per month on gas than I did when I was living in the suburbs, and the only reason I’m not saving more is that my school is closer to the suburb than it is to my current city. Once I’m done school, if I stayed at the same job I’m in now, I’ll be saving $200+ per month.
There are some huge downsides to the more urban areas. One is the lack of grass. The noise. The fact that I don’t feel as safe walking down the street by myself at night in my own neighbourhood. The noise (yes, twice. Silence is golden). The prices: everything is more expensive around here, including housing.
You actually have to drive to a park if you want to take the dog for a walk; it’s not just a short jaunt down the street to the fields.
We were debating which is better at work: apartment living or house living. I’m a huge advocate of house living; apartment living has proven to be a horrid experience for me, particularly with noisy neighbours upstairs, and particularly if you have children or pets (I have the latter). I love being able to walk out onto my own yard, know my neighbours, walk in the safety of suburbia.
I love opening the door for my dog and letting her run out in the yard to do her business instead of having to take her on a leash through hallways and security systems.
But would I sacrifice this for a shorter commute? This is something I’ve been struggling with as I’ve considered where my career will take me when I graduate. I want to buy a house, but it’s hard to do that in the area we live in because it’s huge, and if I lived in one suburb, and got a job in the city, that could even mean a two hour drive each way, depending on the suburb.
I know my quality of life will increase substantially when I am out of school, as I’ll no longer have to deal with being in class for 12 hours, and commuting for almost that just to get to school. But is three-four hours of my time commuting worth living in a nicer area?
Would you rather live in the suburbs or closer to an urban center? Why?
I grew up in an area where like the one you seem to be in now (kind of suburban but not really) — it was awful as a kid. Not only was I unable to walk places but the traffic was abysmal and leaving the neighbourhood meant potentially running into crime (although we did know most people in our area and were able to play in the streets and go to “The Cookie Lady”‘s house :P)
A year after I moved to the city I moved back to the suburbs and hated it because I felt trapped at home all the time. Now that I live downtown again, I can walk to the grocery store, the cinema etc and life is way better.
Also, the commute from my semi-suburb was at least an hour long by transit (the fast way due to reserved lanes) but could be up to 2h at non-rush hours times. My commute now is 20m MAX by transit 🙂
I grew up in the country, where you had to walk miles to next person’s house. I think it was fantastic as a kid.
Right now we live in a very unique area because it’s the urban historic district of a very small town. I love it. I can walk to the post office, library, a few shops and we are surrounded by gorgeous architecture, which I love, but everyone knows everyone and I feel very safe walking the streets. It’s almost the best of both worlds.
I’ve always lived closer to the city or in the city. I like having land, but I like having a short commute.
I grew up in the middle of the city and I developed “street smarts” at a young age. I took the bus alone when I was 12-13 so when I went to Europe when I was 17 I could totally navigate the metro. I love city life….
That being said, we just bought a house and it’s still well within city limits but not downtown. I despise commuting so there was no way we were going to buy a home in the ‘burbs. We can still walk to a bunch of restaurants, and we are a short drive away from everything we love. With the way gas is, we are probably actually saving money even though our home is more expensive than one in the suburbs.
Personally, I’d rather have those 3-4 hours than a yard. But then again, I hate yard work and don’t have a dog 🙂
Maybe there’s a middle ground? A suburb that’s closer to your job? Living in a house is nice but I’d still choose the commute. With the time and money savings, you could really get ahead in your personal life and finances.
How difficult would it be to keep up with school and blogging if you had 3-4 hours less in the day? I know i’d struggle…
I hate suburbs (though I may change my mind when I start a family). I grew up in a town of about 100,000, it would be suburban except it was the biggest city for about 500 miles. It was nice for growing up, but not great for my current lifestyle at all.
I love apartment living. I love urban living. I also love getting into a car and escaping into the wilderness for the weekend. But I don’t care much about a yard.
I wouldn’t mind a small town, as long as I could live somewhere walkable with an easy commute. But chain restaurants, chain shopping, minivans and all the stereotypical suburban things make me shudder. (And yeah, I realize it isn’t REALLY like that)
Eric and I struggle with this “debate” a lot. We both would prefer to be in the suburbs, but right now both of our jobs are in the city and we don’t want a long commute. We just bought a condo in the city (no yard for the dog 🙁 but a little more space inside). We’re hoping that the bf will find a new job and we can move out of state to somewhere more rural, or maybe someday sell our house and buy something cheap in the country. But for now, we’re sort of stuck in the city.
I definitely like being close to the city where I don’t have to commute but I don’t want to be BAM in the center of everything. I don’t like feeling unsafe, and super close to everyone, and in apartment buildings. I also hate noise! I prefer to live in the less busy part of a city. Right now I’m near everything in San Diego but in a less trafficky area, which I LOVE!
To answer the last sentence in your post, at your age, and where you’re at in life, I’d say the answer is no. Live in the city, enjoy the short commute while you can.
When you’re ready to settle down in marriage and have kids, then its worth reevaluating.
I commute 3 hours a day to work, but like living in a suburb. I too grew up in that type of neighborhood so I don’t know anything else. But we enjoy our house, the space, the yard, and with 2 kids, we know they’ll enjoy it too. Is the commute worth it for me? At this point, yes…but if I was younger with no kids…maybe not.
Daisy I can totally relate. I also grew up in a small town before moving to the Vancouver area. I’ve been sticking to the Vancouver side of the bridges because I would never want a long commute either. You might want to consider renting somewhere like North Burnaby. It has a lot more of a small town community vibe and there are plenty of parks. Unfortunately buying property in this area is very expensive.
I love city living but live in a small village with few facilities and really don’t like it.
My husband commutes to London everyday (5 hours travel, which I couldn’t cope with), and prefers that, to living there!
We’re stuck where we are for now, but in the future intend to live on the outskirts of Lisbon -near to the city, but still close to the sea.
It’s a difficult decision but I would choose city every time. Commuting sucks 🙂
I don’t like long commutes either 🙂 . So a few years ago I moved into my apartment which is only a 15 min drive to where I work. Couldn’t be happier with my decision 😀
I’d definitely rather live in the city. But with kids and public school districts? Suburbs.
I’ve been a city girl all my life, so naturally I would like to live in the city too when I’m ready to live on my own. It’s also because I’ve been spoiled by how close everything is to my house, and I loathe driving. On the other hand, my bf grew up in the suburbs and speaks highly of his fun unrestricted childhood. I have no idea what’s going to happen in the future when kids come into the equation, but if I had the money and option, my first choice would be the city.
I am a suburb girl, through and through! I grew up in the suburbs and had a nice safe childhood where everyone knew each other. You’d run into your school teacher at the store! For me, the city is fun to hang out in, but not to live. Like you, I need the quiet.
I think once you finish school, and figure out your goals from that point, it’ll be much easier to make a decision about where to live.
I grew up in a small town. So small that I had the “grandfather” test for dates. If your grandfather grew up in town, we couldn’t date. Because we were probably cousins. 🙂
Where I live now, tends to defy description. Fort Collins is a small city with sububurban parts to it (I live in one of those sections). It’s about halfway between the capitols of Colorado and Wyoming, but not really close enough to either to be a suburb of one or the other.
For me, cities are nice places to visit, but I couldn’t live there. Heck, I don’t even like visiting too often. Small towns are the place for me.
Ha! My husband says the same thing about the city neighborhood he grew up in. The families that have been here for generations are all related by now, and huge. So when I moved in and wasn’t from here, he said he knew it was okay to date. Yay for no in bred babies!
For the foreseeable future, the city wins. I also realized that I really don’t want a big house (in the suburbs or elsewhere). Too much to clean!
I’ve gotta say, I love living in the city. I grew up in the ‘burbs and couldn’t wait to get out. Although when I eventually want to buy a house or start a family, that’s probably where I’ll end up again. But for right now, being able to walk to work, walk to Granville Island or take a 10 min. bus to downtown is worth the sacrifice of a quiet neighborhood, newer/more spacious apartment, and less expensive lifestyle. I say that now but I may change my mind in a few years time, who knows.
We’re struggling with this ourselves. Right now we’re choosing a shorter commute, but would love to have a yard for our son to play in.
I think decision rests on your personal preference. I’m like you; I love smaller towns with quietness. I’d rather commute than to deal with noise and smaller living space. But, that’s just me. 🙂
I’d actually like to live just a little outside of the suburbs. I grew up in rural settings, and only moved into town when it was time to pursue higher education. While I like aspects of living in the city now, it’s never fully sat comfortably for me. My home is currently suburban with a decent sized back yard; I’d like to eventually graduate to an acreage within driving distance of work.
It shouldn’t be a surprise what I’m going to say ;). I’m happiest in the country, even the suburbs are too much for me. I love having a woodlot (my own campground), wide open spaces, peace and quiet. I can’t handle the noise, concrete and rushed-feeling of cities. I like that my neighbours know me/are related and we all keep an eye out for each other. I think my favourite thing about living in a rural area is that it makes it easy to live simply.
I am only happy when I am living right smack in the middle of downtown! So much to do, see, amenities everywhere. On my block alone – grocery store, liquor stores, restaurants, hair salon… almost everything you need. I can walk every where (better for the environment!)
I hated living with my parents even though they were only a short 20 minute commute by bus — it was way to far away from everything.
(Just as an aside — maybe you would feel safer in your neighbourhood if you actually got out of the car and walked to all these wonderful places that are only “a three second drive to…”. Getting out of the car and actually into the neighbourhood will make you feel more at ease because you get used the regular comings and goings of the place. And it would save more money (and the environment))
I live in a small apartment downtown. My commute to work is about 10 minutes.
I LOATHE suburbia. Actually, I’m morally opposed to it. I find urban sprawl a grotesque waste of space, and I think the amount of time people spend commuting is insane (and not to mention contributes significantly to pollution).
Edmonton (where I live) is TERRIBLE for urban sprawl and suburbia. I find it mind-boggling that anyone would want to live out of walking distance from a grocery store. It’s stupid. Communities with no coffee shops but man-made lakes disgust me. I am vehemently opposed to the structure and style of nearly every new development over the past 20 years. They’re horrid.
Some people think I’m crazy, but if I never move out of my neighbourhood, I’d be fine with it. I live close to an elementary school, the university, public transit, the river valley, the library, a grocery store, and tons of local businesses including cafes, restaurants, boutiques. I can’t even get to the nearest Walmart — and I want it to always be that way. I never go anywhere I can’t immediately walk to or take public transit. My money goes to local businesses and my carbon footprint is minimal.
Sorry if this seems totally opposite of you or hostile but talk of suburbia gives me a stress aneurysm. There’s not even enough angry words to describe how much I hate it. Like I said, I find the very concept immoral.
GAH now I’ve worked myself up. I need some wine. lol
I agree with Bridget re: the moral aspects of suburbia. I would add that it is not just an aesthetic problem, but one of orientation toward oneself as a citizen in relation to others.
The moral code of people in the suburbs seems to be: their own neighborhood, their school, their own backyard, their kids. People in the city, probably because they have to engage with other people more often, tend to organize at more of a social scale: not just their school, but city public schools or all public schools, not just their neighborhood, but larger issues like climate change or poverty, not just their own backyard, but public green spaces that everyone can enjoy.
I prefer city living on a personal level (love hanging out at coffee shops and walking to the grocery store) and a moral one as well.
I’m kind of on the fence, to be honest. I grew up in a small town on the coast of BC, and now I live in Edmonton. It took me the same amount of time to walk from my dorm across campus as it did to walk from my house to “downtown”. There are aspects of small town life I really enjoy, mainly more green space and more of a familiarity with the people in it. However, I do like the fact that I can take public transit everywhere in the city and I don’t require a vehicle (other than my granny cart). I live downtown and everything’s right there – the only thing I could see myself moving to suburbia for is when I finally get a dog and require a yard for it, but that could be found within the general downtown area as well. All I think of when I think suburbia is a long commute and a tiny house that’s not even worth it.
If I absolutely had to choose though, I would choose city.
I grew up rural (we’re talking 900 people, 2 hours from the nearest city rural), and hated it. I actually lived in Vancouver for a while right after University, and loved it, but it was expensive, and not the place I wanted to raise kids.
Now, back home in Manitoba, I live in a suburb in Winnipeg – I have everything I want, but only a 30 minute commute (each way); we can walk, run, bike… the kids can play outside. 🙂 We even have deer graze in the field behind our house almost every day. So as much as I love the city, give me the burbs. 🙂
I live in the village and away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I feel peace when in the village, but without the noise and congestion and amicably with neighbors next door
Right now, I love living in the city (I live right down town), but I enjoyed the suburbs, too. Honestly, there’s this whole big divide between the suburbs and the city, and I don’t think there needs to be. It’s like apples to oranges. You can’t even compare.
That said, I would absolutely give up living space, back yard, all that, if it saved me three hours a day in a commute. I couldn’t handle it. If I live in the city, then I’m going to work in the city. If I live in the suburbs, then I’ll work in the suburbs. Commuting 1-2 hours each day is not an option for me. Right now my highway commute is 20-40 minutes (depending on traffic),and even that I’m not thrilled with. At my last job I could walk to work every day! (Granted, that also took 40 minutes, but for some reason I preferred that to 40 minutes in stop-and-go traffic in a car.)