NationStates Jolt Archive

Where would you prefer to live? In the suburbs or in the city?

I currently live in Markham, Ontario; a suburban town just north of Toronto, Canada. I gotta say, at times it can be pleasant, but for the most part, I'm slowly rotting away in suburbia... I want to move to the city!!!!!! =P

anyway, what do you guys think?

I cant afford a house yet, so I have no other choice but to rent an apartment. Id rather rent in the city because, basically, its not boring. I enjoy walking across the street to buy groceries. In fact, I enjoy not having to drive to get whereever I want.

The suburbs are quiet and insular plus here in sunny olde Perth there is not a large amount of housing in the city, in fact in the physical sense of the 'city' there is no housing at all... that's foresight with urban planning for you. Less noise, less stress, less noxious fumes and definetly no roudy drunkards throwing up on the doorstep.

I prefer suburbs, but they must be near to the city. Hour commutes are just too much.

I have lived in the burbs, in the countryside and I now live in a city. By far the best is the city. I love being able to use public transportation to get everywhere I need. I can walk to lots of neat places, museums, parks, or just down the street looking at all the different buildings (much more variety than the burbs.) I also like to peoplewatch, which is obviously best in the city. I would go out of my mind if I had to move back to a non-city.

The city would be better. I don't drive, and if I get a full-time job in the city centre next year, i'm looking at an hour and a half of public transport to get there. Living in the city would cut that down, but then there's the cost, eugh.

Maybe it's just my city, but I have learned to hate city life. I have lived in Philadelphia, PA, USA for about 19 years. I do not like the majority of the inhabitants, the public school system, the only public transportation system (monopoly!), the lack of computer-related jobs, etc. I would rather live in a quiet suburban neighborhood.

I live on NS General. City vs Suburb is moot.

...definetly no roudy drunkards throwing up on the doorstep.

Perhaps in your suburb. Me and my friends quite distinctivly remember me throwing up on a random persons doormat one night of drunken revelry.

Where would you prefer to live? In the suburbs or in the city?

I currently live in Markham, Ontario; a suburban town just north of Toronto, Canada. I gotta say, at times it can be pleasant, but for the most part, I'm slowly rotting away in suburbia... I want to move to the city!!!!!! =P

anyway, what do you guys think?

I cannot stand the cities. The suburbs are not much better though, you still have to put up with the welfare politicians and stuff from the city.

Out in the country things are BETTER. Yeah the closest walmart is 15 minutes away...

Love it and I'm never goin' back.....

I dunno. I live in the "suburbs" but Dunedin is a small city so it takes me ten minutes to walk to town, but I suppose it is a bit different for the people living in Andersons Bay*shivers*

you just have to walk across the habour... or go around...:D

I would rather live further out than the 'burbs.
Sure, you're closer to everything in the city, but theres so much more privacy and quiet the further away from other people you are.

I like to play my music loud and walk around in various states of undress :p

Gotta love city-livin' baby!

I would rather live further out than the 'burbs.
Sure, you're closer to everything in the city, but theres so much more privacy and quiet the further away from other people you are.

I like to play my music loud and walk around in various states of undress :p
Can I- can I have some pictures?:D


I am serious. :(


Wait, you are actually female aren't you?:eek:

Gotta love city-livin' baby!
Could you- could you imagine living in ugh, Invercargill.

ROFS (rolling on the floor spewing) Ewwwww, its all over me, now why did I do that in the first place? Oh yeah, ROFS



:D

Can I- can I have some pictures?:D


I am serious. :(


Wait, you are actually female aren't you?:eek:

Lol, yep, I am female :p

Photos huh? It's not like I take photos of myself when I'm just hanging out (Omg, bad unintended pun! - Just as well I'm not a guy) :p lol

Could you- could you imagine living in ugh, Invercargill.

ROFS (rolling on the floor spewing) Ewwwww, its all over me, now why did I do that in the first place? Oh yeah, ROFS



:D
It's hilliarous you say that. My Mum's down there atm visiting the hospice lmao.

As for me, I'm in Wellington City.

I live in central London at the moment and love it, but one day when am old and grey would love to live in the country and have horses and dogs and the like.

I dunno... I see more benefits to living in the cities as opposed to suburbs.

You gotta rely on a car to get around in the burbs, and with a car comes soaring gas prices, so more $$$ out of your pockets, and more damage to the environment. Also living in the suburbs are a health hazard especially when you gotta drive everywhere, so less exercise for a lot of people. And studies show city dwellers are much more healthier than suburbanites. :)

Suburbs if I'm limited to the two, but I genrally hate any kind of urban space, so given the choice I'd live in the countryside.

the suburbs are for when you realize that you live surrounded by culture but you havent entered a museum or a club in more than a year.

in the burbs you get a bit of groud to grow a few flowers in. in the burbs it doesnt matter what your neighbor cooked for dinner. in the burbs, as someone already mentioned, no one pukes on your stoop.

not that id live in either, the city is too chaotic, the burbs are too controlling. i live in my dream house in the middle of no where. so much in the middle of no where that i can walk out to my car in my undies and face no risk that some one will see me (unless they are looking from inside my house)

I'd rather live in a city than a suburb, but suburbs aren't too bad (if you're still pretty close to the city center).

Both are much better than living in the middle of nowhere.

I like the serenity of a small town. Where I live there are towns within close proximity with one another. It's hardly rural but not suburbian. I like it :D

so much in the middle of no where that i can walk out to my car in my undies and face no risk that some one will see me (unless they are looking from inside my house)

That reminds me... you haven't found my spycams yet, have you?

I am quite content living where I am now. If I travel 30 minutes north, I'm in Brisbane, and if I travel 30minutes south I'm at the Gold Coast.
So I'm between the best of both worlds.

However, the area is heading towards the kind I would rather avoid. Being on the very edge of the Gold Coast border will do that to you. We tend to be neglected in terms of "funding" to fix up things.
Things were better when we had our own shire to cover this middle strip of suburbs between the GC and Brisbane :(

That reminds me... you haven't found my spycams yet, have you?

lol i cant imagine how boring those tapes would be

"ooo look! theres a skunk! oh my oh my isnt that a squirrel! wowowowo a turkey!! yowzahs! a family of deer! oh, middle aged woman in undies *shudder*"

lol i cant imagine how boring those tapes would be

"ooo look! theres a skunk! oh my oh my isnt that a squirrel! wowowowo a turkey!! yowzahs! a family of deer! oh, middle aged woman in undies *shudder*"

Hey - living in rural Georgia, here... :)

Belfast is quite compact, so the suburbs are in the city. That's pretty cool. All the advantages of both. And the countryside is only a short drive/walk from most parts.

I live in downtown Toronto, and your right (@ the original poster) that Toronto is 10,000,000 times more awesome then Markham:D

Seriously, I love the city and I would never live in the burbs.

Hey - living in rural Georgia, here... :)
oohhhhhh

so that IS excitement for rural georgia. i understand. add "YIKES, a mountain lion!" and you have excitment for rural new mexico.

When I drive through the burbs, I see a bunch of white or grey houses that look like every other white/grey house in sight. I'm sure they must use a GPS to find which house is theirs.

The city has its own set of problems, and I often think about moving out of my neighborhood, but the burbs seem so BORING! The city seems a lot more interesting.

oohhhhhh

so that IS excitement for rural georgia. i understand. add "YIKES, a mountain lion!" and you have excitment for rural new mexico.

I actually saw a mountain lion here, a few months back. Bears, too - occassionally.

We don't get much on the 'bare ladies' front, though... ;)

See, the British definition of "suburbs" is completely different from the American definition of "suburbs". Here it just means housing areas in a city.

In America it means commuter towns, that sort of thing?

City hands-down.

See, the British definition of "suburbs" is completely different from the American definition of "suburbs". Here it just means housing areas in a city.

In America it means commuter towns, that sort of thing?

Pretty much. Think of a lot of one to three-storey houses on rather large lots in a single, huge area, with a grid layout for the streets. There are also shops on thoroughfares, and "market" areas (usually) in the middle of all this.

They're actually towns, but since they have such a low density and a particular layout for housing, they're considered suburbs.

See, the British definition of "suburbs" is completely different from the American definition of "suburbs". Here it just means housing areas in a city.

In America it means commuter towns, that sort of thing?
Yes. Though to be fair, there are many low-density and mid-density residential neighbourhoods in the downtown area of Toronto. I live in one, down by Lake Ontario.

Its a good place to live if the elevation exceeds the population

Pretty much. Think of a lot of one to three-storey houses on rather large lots in a single, huge area, with a grid layout for the streets. There are also shops on thoroughfares, and "market" areas (usually) in the middle of all this.

They're actually towns, but since they have such a low density and a particular layout for housing, they're considered suburbs.

Ah ok, I know one or two towns like that, but they're actual towns (or cities, some of them), rather than ones that have been planned out to be commuter towns.

Ah ok, I know one or two towns like that, but they're actual towns (or cities, some of them), rather than ones that have been planned out to be commuter towns.

Heh. It's kinda strange here, though, since most of the suburbs in the country started out as actual towns. As they grew, though, they had to fit the demands of the bigger cities, so they turned into commuter towns.

The one I live in is exactly that way. There's a historic "downtown" district that's pretty interesting, but not much goes on there. It's all about the market area, which has been booming for the past six years, thanks to the highway traffic through town.

Heh. It's kinda strange here, though, since most of the suburbs in the country started out as actual towns. As they grew, though, they had to fit the demands of the bigger cities, so they turned into commuter towns.

The one I live in is exactly that way. There's a historic "downtown" district that's pretty interesting, but not much goes on there. It's all about the market area, which has been booming for the past six years, thanks to the highway traffic through town.
That sounds pretty similar to what many towns here are like, except they keep more sort of...independence, I guess.

That sounds pretty similar to what many towns here are like, except they keep more sort of...independence, I guess.

Ah. Over here, the major cities can absorb everything in their county, and in some cases, even farther than that. So, almost every town in my county (Harris) is a part of Houston as a city.

Los Angeles is the best example of a major city absorbing smaller towns. I mean, you can't even tell the difference between Los Angeles and Long Beach. It's constant urban area to the coast.

I live in a semi suburban town but ive been staying in a city all week and i gotta say its much better and since its may 24 ive been drunk everyday and i have no problem with that. on the other hand if i were in my suburban town i might have had a friend over (gay)

I actually saw a mountain lion here, a few months back. Bears, too - occassionally.

We don't get much on the 'bare ladies' front, though... ;)

maybe you just arent in the right area!

im on the wrong side of the river for bears. mountain lions too, really, i dont know what it was doing on this side of the river when my mother in law saw it. we get coyotes but they arent any big problem here.

in truth, the most dangerous things around here are mice and squirrels because they carry hanta virus and the plague. verrrrrry nasty business catching either of those.

Ah. Over here, the major cities can absorb everything in their county, and in some cases, even farther than that. So, almost every town in my county (Harris) is a part of Houston as a city.

Los Angeles is the best example of a major city absorbing smaller towns. I mean, you can't even tell the difference between Los Angeles and Long Beach. It's constant urban area to the coast.

Here if a city absorbs a town, or even another city, through urban sprawl, the absorbed town usually just stays as it was, but with improved links to the bigger city.

maybe you just arent in the right area!

im on the wrong side of the river for bears. mountain lions too, really, i dont know what it was doing on this side of the river when my mother in law saw it. we get coyotes but they arent any big problem here.

in truth, the most dangerous things around here are mice and squirrels because they carry hanta virus and the plague. verrrrrry nasty business catching either of those.

Yes... I heard about Bubonic Plague in New Mexico... kind of scary really. My total experience of NM was about 6 hours though, near Santa Fe, so I don't really have much to go on. :)

City hands-down.Yep--not even close. I've spent significant time in all three, and the city is the place. I'd love this one even more if we had anything resembling a good public transportation system, but I'll still take it.

Where would you prefer to live? In the suburbs or in the city?

I currently live in Markham, Ontario; a suburban town just north of Toronto, Canada. I gotta say, at times it can be pleasant, but for the most part, I'm slowly rotting away in suburbia... I want to move to the city!!!!!! =P

anyway, what do you guys think?

First of all, Markham's a nice community. And you're not all that far away from Toronto. You still have access to what the 'Big City' has to offer without actually having to live in it. And if you want to 'get away', well just head a little further north.

No, Suburbs are the way to go. Unless you hate commuting...

While I technically live in a suburb it is massively more urbanised than it's American equivalents. I figure I have the best of both worlds; The pleasant parts of my 'town' (being a semi-arbitrary region of the urban conurbation) are almost like being in the countryside. The less pleasant parts are as vile as any inner city hell hole being big, built up and compacted with urgent, desperate evil.

I love those bits.

I live in a city, and I like it more than the suburbs, but I would like a small city better. I also think I would love living in the country with a ton of land somewhere when I get old.

I prefer either the city or the country. Suburbs suck, because you get the worst of both worlds.

I am moving out of the suburbs next year. As much as I love the clean, safe and centrally located area I live in now, I still miss the hustle and noise of the big city. More people, variety, better restaurants, the arts, no need of a car just jump on the trains! Gotta love it.:cool:

Well this is a hard one..

I live in da burbz.. and there's never any cops around.. I mean, you could be 5 years old sitting on the sidewalk.. and not one cop wolud come after you. Well.. if there were any sidewalks here.. *shrugs* I smoke bowls from my bedroom window.. nothing happens.. you could grow weed and no one would ever know!

But.. in the city, theres so much to do and it's all in walking distance.

.. so I have no idea..

atm I'm living in London and it's great, very busy and of course we're rolling into summer when London really comes into it's own. In europe I've managed to live outside of cities fine but in America I've really needed to be in the heart of things in a city, otherwise the isolation and the dependance on the car gets to me.

and anywhere where there is no sidewalk makes me want to slit my throat

atm I'm living in London and it's great, very busy and of course we're rolling into summer when London really comes into it's own. In europe I've managed to live outside of cities fine but in America I've really needed to be in the heart of things in a city, otherwise the isolation and the dependance on the car gets to me.

agreed. cities are awesome. suburbs stink. :)

and anywhere where there is no sidewalk makes me want to slit my throat
Never come here :)

Never come here :)

haha, and where abouts is HERE, may I ask?

I've never really lived in either, in the sense they're being used here. The largest city I've ever lived in (barring military bases) is the one I live in now, and it has about 30k people, and we're about 3 hours from the nearest real "city" in the sense used here.

I've visited a number of cities, and I plan on moving to one, but it's hard to get used to the excessive amount of people and all of the noise. I stayed with a friend in downtown Ann Arbor (which is rather small as cities go) and I had trouble sleeping because people kept talking as they walked by the window. However, I am what you could call a rather light sleeper. Also, I'd be rather paranoid about robbery and such. I know in an academic sense that big cities are generally safer than I was brought up to think, but I still get rather nervous in certain situations where I really shouldn't.

haha, and where abouts is HERE, may I ask?
A lil ole place in PA

suburbs are teh gay. I prefer the city. I feel that if your not from a city then youre from nowhere.

I feel that if your not from a city then youre from nowhere.

Well, aren't you sweet?

I really detest suburban sprawl - endless miles of houses with pathetic little yards and minivans and SUVs going up and down overcrowded roads. If I could, I would wipe it all and start fresh without the suburbs.

We could have densely packed apartment buildings and offices designed to facilitate people living in an urban area. It would all be geared toward the pedestrian (rather than the car) with huge buildings holding an array of apartments, offices, and shops. You could walk or take a well developed public transport system wherever you needed to go in a short amount of time – anything you might need would be close by. The roofs of these huge buildings could be parkland for people to enjoy.

With high-density urban areas, the total area of the city would be tiny in comparison to current cities, thus allowing for a massive increase in areas of parkland, farmland, and wild areas.

Within the urban areas, personal transport is rather unnecessary – thus eliminating the majority of vehicles. Anyone traveling outside of their city could take a high-speed train to another city, perhaps some small light rail service to and between parks or farming villages, and some car-sharing service (like zipcar or flexcar) to places not on the rail lines.

Those that like a rural existence will have far more small towns for them to live in – just not in neighborhoods of single family homes packed tightly together that go on for miles with the occasional strip mall thrown in. You can choose to live in a small town, or in the city. Occasional trips between the two would be facilitated by a better developed transport system and a lack of bumper-to-bumper traffic all the time.

I am a native New Yorker currently living in Los Angeles. I love living in the city, although I prefer Manhattan to L.A. I've never lived in the suburbs, but any time I've visited, it didn't seem like my kind of place. People may claim it's a better place to raise a family, but I still think the city wins in that aspect also. Overall, it really depends on one's personality whether he or she is better suited to the city or the suburbs.

I really detest suburban sprawl - endless miles of houses with pathetic little yards and minivans and SUVs going up and down overcrowded roads. If I could, I would wipe it all and start fresh without the suburbs.

We could have densely packed apartment buildings and offices designed to facilitate people living in an urban area. It would all be geared toward the pedestrian (rather than the car) with huge buildings holding an array of apartments, offices, and shops. You could walk or take a well developed public transport system wherever you needed to go in a short amount of time – anything you might need would be close by. The roofs of these huge buildings could be parkland for people to enjoy.

With high-density urban areas, the total area of the city would be tiny in comparison to current cities, thus allowing for a massive increase in areas of parkland, farmland, and wild areas.

Within the urban areas, personal transport is rather unnecessary – thus eliminating the majority of vehicles. Anyone traveling outside of their city could take a high-speed train to another city, perhaps some small light rail service to and between parks or farming villages, and some car-sharing service (like zipcar or flexcar) to places not on the rail lines.

Those that like a rural existence will have far more small towns for them to live in – just not in neighborhoods of single family homes packed tightly together that go on for miles with the occasional strip mall thrown in. You can choose to live in a small town, or in the city. Occasional trips between the two would be facilitated by a better developed transport system and a lack of bumper-to-bumper traffic all the time.

well said. traffic congestion in Markham is HORRIBLE... its like TRES HORRIBLE!!! and especially during the winter times with the snow and all, traffic literally comes to a stand still.

Never come here :)

I've lived in a few places in America without sidewalks and no one I talked to seem to think it odd or inadequete. If you've read Bill Bryson's notes from a big country (and if you haven't do and get the lost continent while you're at it) you'll recall that if he ever walked anywhere neighbours would slow down and ask if he needed a lift - the thought of someone preferring to walk down to the shops was alien. That happened to me a few times in the areas with sidewalk. Of course, the very worst is where there is no provision to get between neighbouring shops - yards apart - other than via a car.

Seeing people actually walk is one of the most refreshing things about New York and when you consider that by european standards it practically worships the car it's not a good reflection on America as a whole.