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What is the importance of "Stage of Life" (for those who actually have choices in life) and where you live?
As a 20-something, cities are fun and exciting and offer good career (and party) opportunities, as well as the beginning of the great line "well, when I lived in DC (NY, SF, CHI, LA etc)...I .....Living in a big city at this time in life also gives one PERSPECTIVE and a certain world-view, which lasts a lifetime.
When children come into the mix, many prefer that the kids (and themselves) have a little more space, "good schools" and freedom to roam a bit. There is a need for birthday parties, sleep-overs, make-a-tent-in-the-backyard-moments. Maybe snakes, toads, dogs, cats, and gerbils, too.
Sometimes when the kids leave what once could NEVER be enough space becomes too much space. Sometimes people want closer contact with stores, museums, music, art. To be together again as a couple and have time for their friends and to travel, free from onerous household duties.
Maybe there comes a time when the fumes and soot and noise begin to wear on the nerves, and there is a great longing for a clean, cool breeze on a summer eve. Maybe walking to stores in inclement weather seems increasingly unpleasant. Perhaps lugging groceries on buses or trains is increasingly annoying.
Mabe there are grandchildren, or friends / siblings with grandchildren, or neices/nehews, who do not live in the city. Perhaps a person feels a need to live nearer to these loved ones.
There is a time for every purpose...and a place, too!
Sometimes when the kids leave what once could NEVER be enough space becomes too much space. Sometimes people want closer contact with stores, museums, music, art. To be together again as a couple and have time for their friends and to travel, free from onerous household duties.
The stages in life are why I prefer city living; cities are, to me, the ideal place for living all stages of life. They truly offer something for people at every point in life. Cradle to grave and all that. (birthday parties and good schools can be found in cities, too, as can pets) For us, I actually appreciate the benefits of urban living more and more as my son gets older. And from my own family's perspective I can see how they're great for older people; my great-grandmother was able to live on her own until her 90s in her city apartment, thanks in part to being able to walk and take the bus everywhere, and having so many resources readily available. I think it would be very tough to live in a more auto-centric area where you really need a car to get around, especially if you're older and can't drive. Same thing on other extreme; kids not yet old enough to drive (or who don't have access to a car or don't want to buy one) are generally going to have more freedoms in a city where there's usually better public transportation options, as well as a lot of things within easy walking or biking distance.
I can understand why they're not right for everyone, though. I enjoy visiting smaller places and rural areas, but I prefer to do it as a visitor or tourist, not as a resident. Maybe if I'd grown up in a suburb or small town I'd feel more of a pull towards one after I'd had kids, but I didn't, and I don't. I spent the past summer living in a very quiet neighborhood that hit all the "family in suburbia" stereotypes, kids playing on the street, picket fences, block parties and all -- and while it was pleasant in its way, I've never felt more isolated in my life. For me, it was a poor fit, but I think it would have been a poor fit even when I was younger (other than before age 10 or so; it's a nice area for a younger kid), it's a poor fit now, and I think it would be a poor fit for me when I'm older.
Golly, I did it all backwards, didn't I? Pigeonholing is such a waste of time ...
In my 20s I lived in a small, rural county seat. I kinda liked it; there was noooo shortage of "party opportunities," that's for sure. Everything I needed was within five or six blocks of my house, and my office was a half-mile walk away.
Moved to the big city in my 30s and loved it. If I still lived in Cincinnati, I'd still live within the city boundaries.
Now I'm in my 50s and am in the 'burbs. Not because I don't like cities; I just don't like this one (Philadelphia) in particular.
I'm suburban through and through (as in, lived in suburbs all 32 of my years), but I can see the appeal of cities. My boss moved the lab to NYC a couple of years ago and offered to take people with him. It wasn't tempting at the time. Had I been 22 or 23, just starting out, it would have been more tempting. To live in a city (or THE city, to many), would have been something I would have liked to chalk up to a life experience. However, I was engaged, we had a house, 2 cats, good jobs (I had another to easily switch to if I didn't want to move to NY) and I just didn't want to pay 3-4X the price for less than 1/2 the space.
But part of me wishes that I had a stint in big city living...
What is the importance of "Stage of Life" (for those who actually have choices in life) and where you live?
As a 20-something, cities are fun and exciting and offer good career (and party) opportunities, as well as the beginning of the great line "well, when I lived in DC (NY, SF, CHI, LA etc)...I .....Living in a big city at this time in life also gives one PERSPECTIVE and a certain world-view, which lasts a lifetime.
When children come into the mix, many prefer that the kids (and themselves) have a little more space, "good schools" and freedom to roam a bit. There is a need for birthday parties, sleep-overs, make-a-tent-in-the-backyard-moments. Maybe snakes, toads, dogs, cats, and gerbils, too.
Sometimes when the kids leave what once could NEVER be enough space becomes too much space. Sometimes people want closer contact with stores, museums, music, art. To be together again as a couple and have time for their friends and to travel, free from onerous household duties.
Maybe there comes a time when the fumes and soot and noise begin to wear on the nerves, and there is a great longing for a clean, cool breeze on a summer eve. Maybe walking to stores in inclement weather seems increasingly unpleasant. Perhaps lugging groceries on buses or trains is increasingly annoying.
Mabe there are grandchildren, or friends / siblings with grandchildren, or neices/nehews, who do not live in the city. Perhaps a person feels a need to live nearer to these loved ones.
There is a time for every purpose...and a place, too!
Sounds like the last move is a stint in a retirement home in the suburbs; a couple of these "moves" seem a little unnecessary, as you're simply going "back and forth"....
Sounds like the last move is a stint in a retirement home in the suburbs; a couple of these "moves" seem a little unnecessary, as you're simply going "back and forth"....
Well, that is my feeling, too. I am closer to retirement than a lot of people on this forum (I think). The thought of packing up and moving everything a few miles away, to downtown Denver, does not appeal to me. So the house is a little more than we need. It's almost paid for, we've done a lot of remodeling that we want to enjoy, etc. As long as we can get around, we'll stay here.
As mentioned above, I think everyone's different. It seems that the mainstream approach is to live in the city in your 20s until you have kids, and then move to suburbia. This is what most of my family and friends have done. Most co-workers seem to be doing the same thing. However, I just don't like living in most burbs. I like walking everywhere, I like the diversity, the busy-ness of the city. I particularly hate driving, so the only place where I feel like I fit is in the city. It's strange too, because I didn't grow up in the city, and yet, there's only a pull toward the city for me.
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