Do you prefer to live in the country, the suburbs, the city?

[eyesroll]

I recently relocated from the suburbs to the city -- Waukesha to Milwaukee, WI. I never really thought I'd live in the city; I was raised in the suburbs and assumed I'd always stay in one.

But the longer I live here -- and it's only been a couple of months -- the more I really, really enjoy it.

Yesterday, I had a bit of a revelation, when I dropped my car off at the tire place -- I didn't need to wait at the tire place until they'd finished, because, in the city, there are things within walking distance of the tire place. I realize this seems like common sense, but it didn't hit me until the tire guy said, "you gonna wait here or do you want us to call you?" and the reflex, "I don't have a ride so I'll have to wait here" never came.

Very cool. I like living in the city -- or, at least, this one.

How about you? Which living environment do you prefer?

[Skittles]

1. I have lived in all three

I enjoyed living in Austin Texas the most - never really did consider it a city though. :D

[hfojvt]

50. 456,622 is not a city?

and another 100,000+ living in Travis county?
I notice that "small town" is not even on the list. I suppose a city like Leavenworth is considered "country" (actually, it is getting closer to being a 'burb)?
I quote from the gospel:
"Take the question of size of a city. While one cannot judge these things with precision, I think it is fairly safe to say that the upper limit of what is desirable for the size of a city is probably something on the order of half a million people. It is quite clear that above such a size nothing is added to the virtue of a city. In places like London, or Tokyo, or New York, the millions do not add to the city's real value but merely create enormous problems and produce human degradation." Small is Beautiful page 67
I don't think Austin needs to get any bigger. I have lived in the Mini-Apple (1.9 million metro area) and was not impressed. I have lived in Lincoln, Ne (175,000) and was not impressed. Suburbs to me were the worst. They have all of the disadvantages of a big city and almost none of the amenities that a city of their size should have. I would think that the internet makes the small town/country have even more advantages than the big city. I can read Herbert and Krugman on-line without having to live in NYC.

[IStriker]

61. Have lived in all 3 too. Give me the country.

[candy]

2. I would love to live in the city------you are very lucky.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

3. I like living in NYC cause I'm not too far from the beach where I grew up

in CT

[KurtNYC]

4. Give me the city or the country

but the suburbs are just cars and parking lots.

[yvr girl]

8. I grew up in a small town

Then I moved to the suburbs. Now I live in the city. I love it. I could easily adapt to a tropical paradise, but I count myself as a city girl.

[bobbobbins]

5. i really want to live in NYC...

but i have no idea how to do it...its so expensive

[Allenberg]

7. Definitely the city.

I grew up in Pittsburgh suburbs, lived in Washington, and now I live in rural Japan.

May, when I move back to DC, can't come fast enough.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

30. Where are you in Japan?

Are you on the JET program?

[Allenberg]

33. Well...sort of.

I'm stationed at Misawa Air Base, and there are indeed lots of jets. ;)

[StopTheMorans]

6. i've lived in all 3. city, by a long shot (would still like to have

a vacation home in the country tho...)

[dr.strangelove]

9. I grew up a city boy, but now I'm a country guy.

I grew up in the Brooklyn and later the Bronx, pretty much big city my whole life until college. I went to college in a suburb of the Bronx and enjoyed it. Now I live in a sub-urb/country area. Its tough to call it a sub-urb since it is 90 minutes outside the city, but it seems to populated to call it country.

I have a little over an acre of land, small enough to manage, but big enough for a city boy to feel like a big land owning country guy.

I love all three, but I would not raise kids in the city. Just my feelings.

[liberal N proud]

10. Would prefer to live in the country but love the city

I lived in a rural area most of my life and moved to the city 5 years ago.
When living in the country, I thought nothing of driving 2 hours to the city.
Now I live in the city and hate to drive 20 minutes across town.
I do like having the availability of anything I need so close in the city.

[underpants]

11. Grew up in the 'burbs-live in the city now-country would be fine

but no 'burbs!!!

[AccessGranted]

12. Suburbs

I live in a relatively quiet suburb about a 15 minute drive away from New York City and I love it. Lots of grass and trees, but if I desire the ultimate hustle and bustle I can be right in the heart of New York City quickly. I like the "burbs" and close proximity to all the excitement.

[carolinayellowdog]

13. Country, by far

Hey,

Grew up in suburbia, lived in cities as a young adult, but moved to the country at age 30 and would never give it up. Even suburbia would make me feel claustrophic at this point. Country driving is a hell of a lot more pleasant than in the city or suburbs. Real estate is so much cheaper, too.

CYD

[Left Is Write]

14. I would like to live in the city, as long as there is a park within

walking distance for my kids to play.

Right now we live in a suburban environment with a huge fenced backyard. I'd like to be able to walk places, but it's too spread out.

[readmylips]

15. Born, raised in NYC-Manhattan, left long time ago....

Sometimes, I long for my city. I've lived in many different states due to our jobs. We found many of the suburbs and country places we lived, people were not friendly. It was lonely and scary. Give me the masses of New York City. We have retired in Phoenix due to the beautiful weather and smaller city life. Again, neighbors are not friendly, they are small-minded..really.

[AndyTiedye]

62. Country For Me

Grew up in the country in Connecticut.
Most neighbors unfriendly to hostile.
In the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts,
Some friendly, most invisible.
In a suburb of Boston, not friendly at all.
In a small town further out, nicer if not actually friendly.

Out here in a tiny rural community of 1000 in northern California
I find friendly neighbors!



If the gas runs out, I'll get a horse.

[madison2000]

16. Like the city, love the country, hate hate hate the suburbs

I grew up in a suburb and I'm still recovering.

[hfojvt]

55. I hear that Sun Prairie is not that bad

and what about the world's only Waunakee?
Bed-room communities. No longer small towns, but not quite suburbs. Then again, suburbs used to be far away from the cities, but the cities came to them.
Coming soon, to a theatre near you - Chicago: the city that ate Wisconsin

[Forkboy]

17. I'd settle for a home anywhere

all three are fine by me!

[Red State Rebel]

18. We are in between Suburbs and Country

I lived in the city for 5 years once but have been a suburbs and beyond person most of my life.

I love where we are at because we are close to the burbs and city for fun things but still have hills of trees around us. Urban sprawl is beginning to hit us and I don't like it at all.

[redqueen]

19. I've only lived in the city

but I think I'd like living in the country.

[skygazer]

20. I'm a country girl

I get along fine anywhere but I like my privacy. I like looking out my window and seeing deer. I like being able to walk out the door naked to water the plants on my deck. I like being able to let my cat outside. And the beauty of where I am now is - I'm in the woods but I'm ten minutes from work. I'm 20 minutes from the beach. I'm 1/2 hour from the city.

[Flaxbee]

34. where are you?

sounds about perfect, proximity to everything but privacy, too...

[skygazer]

35. The Santa Cruz mountains, outside Los Gatos, CA

Los Gatos is a nifty town and it's only about ten minutes away - that's where I work. San Jose is maybe a half hour from here. Santa Cruz and the beach are 20 minutes. San Francisco an hour.

I live in a grove of Redwoods with deer wandering around and raccoons peeking in my windows. It's quiet and peaceful and beautiful and close to everything. Yeah, it's pretty nice. :hi:

[Flaxbee]

37. sounds like it'd cost a fortune, tho...

I grew up in SoCal and if you didn't buy 20 years ago, real estate is pretty damned outrageous.

is there still an "Images of Nature" gallery in Los Gatos? I know the photographer, Tom Mangelsen, and worked in his gallery in La Jolla for a while.

[skygazer]

49. I don't know about the gallery

I rent and actually my rent is very reasonable ($830 a month for a 3 bedroom cabin). I'll never be able to afford to buy in this area though.

[Beware the Beast Man]

21. Suburbs, within close distance to the city.

Right now, if I drive ten miles west, I'm in downtown Cleveland, ten miles east, I'm in Amish country. My wife's a little bit country and I'm a little bit rock n'roll, so the 'burbs suit us perfectly. I'd rather live closer to the city, though.

[EstimatedProphet]

22. Gotta go with the suburbs

I like to do things in the country and in the city too. Only way to be close to both worlds.

[cmf]

23. Not quite sure what I prefer

I've lived in the country, in a big city and in a small town (where I live right now). I do like the pace of small town life - I like that it's quiet, but I miss the variety of restaurants and recreational opportunities the big city offers. I grew up in what would be described as a rural environment, but now the nearby city has sprawled so much that while it's still a rural atmosphere, the drive to get services isn't as far as it used to be.

The only place I don't think I'd want to live is suburbia. All the boringness of a small town, but without the charm.

[Withywindle]

24. I've done two out of three

Grew up very rural, in the VA mountains. Great place to be a child (as long as you're independent-minded and don't need a lot of "friends"), wretched place to be a teenager under any circumstances. Glad I can still visit but I can't see myself ever moving back there, though I might have to if my parents get sick when they're older (I'm an only child, there's no one else to take care of them and I made a vow to myself that I will).

I've lived in NYC and I LOVE it there, but it's too expensive. I've been in Chicago for 12 years and I love it there too.

I've never lived in a suburb. Can't say there's anything about the ones I've seen that appeals to me--the ones I've visited seem like the worst of both worlds. You don't have the culture or vibrancy and convenience of the city but you don't have the natural beauty and solitude of the country either.

[Cuban_Liberal]

25. I've lived in all 3, and country wins that race...

... by a country mile, pardon the pun.

:)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

26. I've lived in all three, too

0-2: small town in Minnesota
2-6: Minneapolis
6-11: medium-sized town in Wisconsin
11-18: outer suburb of Minneapolis
18-22: college in Minneapolis
22-23: Cornell University, small town in upstate New York
23-27: Yale, in New Haven, Connecticut
27-28: Tokyo!
28-32: New Haven, again
32-34: inner suburb of Minneapolis
34-36: small town in Oregon
36-43: another small town in Oregon
43-53: Portland

My first preference is for the big city. I love the variety of people and institutions and the convenience of having things within walking distance and being able to take public transit (well, not so much in Minneapolis, but I can take the bus some places).

My second preference is for a small town, especially one that has everything within walking or biking distance.

If I were seriously into raising plants and animals, I would probably like the real country, and even though I'm not a natural Farmer Gal, I can understand why others might be.

My absolutely least favorite place to live or even visit is the suburbs. To me, they combine the inconvenience of the country with the crowds and pollution of the city. In addition, they all look alike, with the same chain stores and similar-looking trophy houses.

[VaYallaDawg]

27. Live in the city.

Country would be OK too. But I hope I never have to be in the burbs.

[curse10]

28. I'm a city girl

I like to feel the energy of a city. So many things to do (and you don't need a car all the time)

[Maddy McCall]

Country, except in hunting season.

[7 Lazy P]

29. Country, thank you

I like living on a dirt road, and I like hearing the combines roaring at night in October shelling corn. I like being able to walk out at night and still see stars instead of the orange mercury vapor glow from street lights. I like being able to leave the house to go to the store for a couple of hours and not worry about locking the doors. I like being able to stop my truck in the middle of the road and talk to my neighbors for ten minutes without worrying about another car disturbing us. I could go on , but you can have your cities and 'burbs. They are overrated.

[ronnykmarshall]

31. I'm a city slicker!

I was raised in a small city and also lived in a small town for a few years.


Growing up, I always wanted to live in a big city and in 1986 I got my wish.

Moving to San Francisco was the best thing I ever did in my life. I spent less than two year back in the 'burbs (Hayward, CA) and then to LA in 2000.

I love city life.

[pink-o]

51. I Live in SF too

...as you probably guessed by the photo! I'm with ya on City Life, but this is an especially good one, full of neighbourhood clusters just like New York or a city in Europe. I've seen some pretty sterile urban environments--like Charlotte, NC--that don't really count as cities in my book. San Francisco has spoiled me with its great weather (cold in the summer tho. Visit us when the kiddies have just gone back to school.) great health-consciousness and a safe place for gays and progressives.

I spent 5 years in London, England, and I love (I mean really really really LOVE) Rome, but if I have to live in the US, this is it. (until Boston and New York get rid of their heinous winters, that is! Love those two as well.) It's true--the burbs are so pedestrian-hostile that you have to drive everywhere, and the cars on the road don't get over for bicyclists at all! The public transport sucks, you're a slave to your auto.

I was brought up in Millbrae, a burb just south of San Francisco, and counted the days till I could break out. Anyone who thinks the burbs are better for kids, just know that ain't necessarily so.

[fluffernutter]

32. suburbs. i love to go to the city, but don't really want to live there.

if we lived too far away, it would depress me though, i love the stimulation and excitement of the city.

[Goathead]

36. Is Milwaukee one of those cities that is experiencing a mass exodus?

When I was in the Midwest I drove through all these "big cities" and in places like Detroit the whole downtown area was completely deserted. Either people have migrated to the suburbs or they have left to go to warmer climes. I told a friend of mine who lives in WI and he said the same thing about his recent trip to Cleveland. The downtown areas of these big midwestern cities are becoming ghost towns. It was easier for me to drive around but it was kind of sad.

[eyesroll]

41. A bit, but not in the traditional sense...

There is a reasonably busy downtown, and old warehouses are being turned into expensive condos pretty quickly.

A lot of people do leave for the suburbs, most notably because the schools suck (truth be told, I'd probably leave the city if I had a school-age kid). But young people are moving in, and some empty nesters are moving back.

There is a lot of gentrification going on, though, and the gulf between rich and poor, black and white is pretty enormous. But there are a lot of goog things here, too.

[Zuni]

45. Baltimore was shrinking fast, but there is a reversal now

and many areas are becoming very classy---including old working class areas like Highlandtown, Canton, Federal Hill, Locust Point
Canton, an old working class area near baltimore's eastern industrial areas is suddenly full of yuppies and college students, nightclubs and bars, new loft condos
It is weird how this stuff happens

[Phillycat]

38. City, city, city!

Definitely. It's the best. The reason you give is a great example of why I'll NEVER live in the suburbs again if I can help it. I hate not being able to walk. I hate have no public transportation. I hate being stuck somewhere like a filthy tire place and looking out into the wilderness of suburban sprawl. Even if there was a store across the street from the tire place, you wouldn't be able to get there because there's no sidewalks and you can't cross the 6-lane highway.

[tigereye]

39. I grew up in a very small town

and then lived in the city for about 15 years. Now we live in a city suburb, just outside the city line. City is the best, except for parking.

[u4ic]

40. Love the convenience of the city

but the greenery and open spaces of the country.

So I guess my response would be the city on the edge of a green belt or large park.

[Flaxbee]

42. I'd live in Helsinki in a heartbeat...

but don't know what American cities I'd like. Have lived in LA, DC, NYC and Atlanta; I liked NYC the best but don't know if I'd go back. I live in the boondocks now and it's been nice for the last few years (first in Va., now in NC) but I think I need to move back toward a big city.

[RetroLounge]

43. Well, we switched places, I guess?

You live 2 blocks from where I first lived in Milwaukee. But now I am in the 'burbs. But Wauwatosa is next to Milwaukee, and I am only 10 minutes from your neighborhood, so I get the enjoy both.

How do you like the coffee shop on the corner, the food store across the street? They are cool places...

Never lived in the country...

Living in Chicago nearly killed me, literally.

RL

[UrbScotty]

44. I like my Suburb!

A lot of Repubs here, but some Democrats too.

[Zuni]

46. I love the City---I live in a small city now, but I have lived in a big ci

I live in Annapolis, MD----a small, old city of 40,000 (approx. 6 sq. miles) This is the area I grew up in, and I love it here

I have also lived in Baltimore, a big city. I have lived in several parts of Baltimore. My father also grew up in Baltimore and much of my family still lives there.

[Squatch]

47. 45.35N 110.75W

[ElsewheresDaughter]

48. left NYC &moved to the country 19 years ago and LOVE it....45 minute drive

to stores and can't see a neighbors house...i'm on 23 acres in state park in upstate NY...BEARS, DEER, OX AND COYOTES ARE MY NEIGHBORS

[warrens]

52. City

You'd need high explosives to get me out of Chicago. I grew up in small towns, then lived in burbs for a while. I disliked both.

[hyphenate]

53. I, too, have spent time in all three

Give me the city anyday! Growing up in Boston is one of the greatest experiences of all time.

Right now I'm living in Worcester, and my friend owns the house. He's a suburb kind of guy and hates living in the city, even though he's been here for 30 years. I can't tell you how much I love being able to go anywhere with the drop of a hat, although Worcester certainly lacks some of the better restaurants and such.

In L.A., I lived in the subs, or as close to a sub you can get in a county with over 8 million people. I hated trying to get anywhere. If my car wasn't working, which was a lot of the time, I was stranded.

I spent a lot of time on my grandfather's farm in Canada when I was young, and I wouldn't mind having more time there, but never on a continual basis. It's great for a month, but after that, forget it.

[Menshevik]

54. City

I love walking everywhere, using the bus and metro systems...not having to find a parking space, etc.

[freestyle]

56. I am a lifelong city person.

The burbs make me disoriented, and the country can be a bit dull. I only really feel comfortable in the city, although I do plan to retire to a small town on an island. That is a very long way off.

[mpendragon]

57. college towns

Good size college towns are perfect for me. Clubs, museums, bars, concerts, plays, galleries, and ,if I were single, cute and smart college girls.

[bleedingheart]

58. I live in the suburbs...but I prefer the City! and I vow to return

to city living after the kids are raised....

[BeTheChange]

59. Hate suburbs..

I like to visit large cities occasionally but I would never want to live there. I love SF, but I couldnt live there and it even has the ocean and proximity to marin and sonoma going for it.

I miss my cabin in the Sierras. I hate the bland cage I moved into in the burbs of Dallas.

Que sera.

[ZenLefty]

60. City, and for the same reasons.

Within walking distance of my house:

-2 Starbucks
-5 locally owned coffee shops
-Take out Pizza (2), Japanese, Mexican (2), sandwitches (2), bagels (2), Middle Eastern, and Greek
-Bar around the corner
-Liquor store 1 block away
-Grocery store 1 1/2 blocks away
-2 nice parks
-Bicycle shop
-Plant nursery
-Auto repair

And about a dozen other locally owned small businesses that we love to frequent. We're also close to downtown. We're surrounded by mature landscaping, and huge trees. The houses are old brick bungalows. I really like the city life. :D

You can get all that in the suburbs, too, just forget walking to them.

[Ramsey]

63. City

Or city house and weekend country house.

Definitely not the suburbs-- super yawn!!!

[Kellanved]

64. definitely city

I had countryside, city and suburb while growing up; my choice is city.

-Subway, tram and commuter trains within one block
-pubs and bars in walking/lurching distance
-wine shop in the house
-several supermarkets within one block
-24/7 shops
-doctors, dentists and hospitals nearby
-pharmacy next door
-all three airports within 20 minutes
-no garden I'd have to keep tidy.

[Magrittes Pipe]

65. Waukesha killed our marriage.

Well, in part, anyway. :P

Yes, ER, I am in complete agreement -- city rocks over the 'burbs, at least to my taste. The suburbs just drain me of all my sense of purpose, really. Buy a house, work to keep the house, go back to the house, go back to work, go back to the house, go back to work....

I love the country. My ideal scenario would be rural, but about 10 minutes from the heart of the city. As that doesn't really exist anywhere, thanks to suburban sprawl, the city is where I want to be.