Urban vs Suburban
I currently live and work in a suburb just north of Toronto. We have a descent sized cookie-cutter house, in a all-to-common sprawled subdivision. We have a nice plot of land. It is the “ideal” spot to live and raise a family, isn’t it?
My wife and I both have a car as this is the norm in suburbia; public transit is just not a viable option. Suffice it to say, we drive virtually everywhere as nothing but the park is within walking distance. Luckily I live only a few minutes from work and when it’s nice am able to ride my bike. My wife unfortunately has a 20 min commute. We are not too far from Toronto – about a 45 minute drive with light traffic – so we do get downtown quite often which is nice. So nice in fact that this is where the debate starts, which is better sub-urban verses urban living.
I have many friends that live the exact opposite of me: small apartment or loft right downtown, no large property, no cars (most zipcar when one is needed), walk/bike/ take TTC virtually everywhere….. the opposite. I really like the simplicity of this lifestyle. I like the vibrancy of urban communities. I like the culture, restaurants and nightlife as well. But I like my house, and my over-sized property as well. So the debate continues, mainly in my own thoughts, whether I would prefer an urban or sub-urban life?