Urbanite, Suburbanite, or Country girl/guy?

[alison]

I agree. Evanston would be ok if you want a Chicago suburb. But the commute to the city can be SO bad. Dh and I went to the Dixie Kitchen out there on Sunday. It was full of Northwestern kids; it was totally missing the charm of the Sunday church crowd (with bright colored suits and big hats) that the one in Hyde Park has... My brother is in college at the U of C and there are some really charming restaurants down there that I wouldn't go to unless I were with him. By living in the burbs (at least near Chicago), I would miss the flair of the city.

[Vanquisher]

BURBS!

I live on a cul-de-sac, and I love it!

[Vishenka69]

I've never lived anywhere but a big city, just thinking about moving to a cul-de-sac is enough to make me hyperventilate. I've never lived in a house either, so I have no idea what to do with one or the land that comes with it. Central Park is my idea of nature and our cat is as much animals as I can handle. I wonder if that will change once we have kids.

[DCJenn]

Hey Vishenka-

I wonder if that will change once we have kids

Not so far. In fact, now that we have our own little city boy, it's made me even more determined to stay in the city. I just can't imagine having to schlep stuff all over. We throw a diaper and the mini pack of wipes in the stroller, he gets a sippy cup of water and some snacks and we're out the door. I throw my wallet, keys and cell phone in the stroller and I'm good.

I have not found one place in this city that we can't get to via walking or public transportation.

Going to the grocery store can be a hassle, but I find it to be a hassle under the best of circumstances and adding an hour of sitting in traffic certainly won't help. We have museums, the zoo, the Mall, and a ton of kid friendly parks. the thought of having to buckle him in and drive to get someplace makes my heart stop. hair stand on end. have heart palpitations.

and yards? Believe me, in whatever house I end up with, there will be no 'yard'. That's what school yards and playgrounds are for.

Jenn

PS- sign up now to be Nikolai's Fresh Air Family for a week every summer. He can learn that milk comes from cows and corn comes from cobs!

[PrincessFiona]

My vote is for a smaller community on the outskirts.....

Country? I considered it too, but what held us back was the idea of how dh would get to the hospital if it snowed and the roads weren't cleared by the city. (Besides, think of how bored I'd be without my neighbor!)

City Living? I used to be a city girl. Once, I even argued in an english lit class AGAINST Hendry David Thoreau and FOR urban living. It didn't go over well I loved living a stone' throw from Chicago...and from Stuttgart.

We ended up living in a few smaller communities later and...I fell in love. The traffic is reasonable, the schools are clean and safe, and people know you (of course, that can be good and bad ). I actually get irritated now by St. Cloud traffic and the times we've driven to Minneapolis/St. Paul I've been at my whit's end.

I can get anything that I want online...I don't need the Mall of America...

Kris

the times we've driven to Minneapolis/St. Paul I've been at my whit's end.

That's because there are Minnesota drivers out there :>

[PrincessFiona]

Did I actually spell wit with an H? good grief...I can't spell anymore!

MN drivers aren't nearly as bad as TX drivers though ....holy cow...you are dodging cars out in the Dallas/FtWorth area!!!

[Auspicious]

I have no idea! This was kind of a big issue for me this past year as we were applying to residencies. I had lots of opinions regarding regions and programs and specialties and lots of things, but when it came to urban/suburban/rural, I found myself kind of sitting with a deer-in-the-headlights look.

I had a small town/suburban childhood, and my twenties were most definitley urban, which was great and I wouldn't trade in for anything. But what's going to make me happy next? Not sure.

I'm probably not rural, but when it comes to urban vs. suburban, maybe for me it's not an issue of identity but more one of circumstance? I liked my urban twenties, but also liked my suburban childhood, and since I want that for my own kids, that leads me back toward the suburbs for my parenting years. If that makes sense.

[SueC]

I guess I'm more of a city girl, though technically I live in midtown. I'm only about 1.5 miles from downtown (though KC isn't quite NYC or Chicago I realize). I don't want to knock the suburbs, both my sister and Jenn live in very lovely suburban neighborhoods and I have met and liked several of their neighbors.

[ides]

Urbanite definitley. I grew up in a college town, hated it. Mid size cities are okay, but the more urban the better. nyc or brooklyn are where I'm most comfortable. I like nature, but for everyday living the concrete jungle is my preference.

[Rapunzel]

I can't choose.

I loved our time staying in D.C. (six weeks) two blocks from the mall in an enormous apartment building across from the National Archives. It felt so perfect! The kids loved it as well. I enjoy living right smack in the middle of Boston and I think if we were ever going to be here again I'd want to live closer in (say, Back Bay or, better yet, Beacon Hill) IF I could afford it - haha.

On the other hand, I really look forward to moving to the rural outskirts of a small suburb on the edge of a smaller urban area. I love wide open spaces, no rushing, and generally doing what I please when I please. I have friends with ranches and have always enjoyed my long visits at those places. The caveat: I want to be within a county or two of a largish urban area. (Counties are rather large in Texas).

I want to have my cake and eat it, too!

The one situation I do NOT enjoy: Surbuban sprawl. Can't stand suburbia.

If I have a yard I want acreage and enough foliage that I can't see my neighbors or civilization in general. Otherwise, I want to be plopped down in the middle of EVERYTHING (museums, shopping, etc.). Having five kids in the city is a challenge - and one of the primary reasons I homeschool them is to avoid the absolutely awful schools in Boston. But, I have also found that there are parts of living in a city with children that are highly convenient (such as being able to easily reach literally everything - including educational resources). But, there's something about the great wide open-ness of Texas that always calls me back....

The only other place that has had that same impact on me and my husband was the wilderness of New Hampshire. I'd live there in a heartbeat.