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I have lived all my life in big cities (Manila, New York) but now my husband and I are thinking of moving to a quieter, closer-to-nature place. We like hiking, biking, quiet beaches/lakes, photography, traveling; in short, we enjoy being outdoors. We are also tired of the stresses of city living. Lately, I've been thinking, what if we move away from the city and I miss and regret the move?
I would love to hear about your experiences. Do you miss the city? What do or don't you miss about it?
I have lived all my life in big cities (Manila, New York) but now my husband and I are thinking of moving to a quieter, closer-to-nature place. We like hiking, biking, quiet beaches/lakes, photography, traveling; in short, we enjoy being outdoors. We are also tired of the stresses of city living. Lately, I've been thinking, what if we move away from the city and I miss and regret the move?
I would love to hear about your experiences. Do you miss the city? What do or don't you miss about it?
Thanks
I had to move away from a large city to a suburban locale in Florida for parental health reasons, but ideally would like to be in a more rural setting outside a big city which would be accessible via commuter rail, etc. You might look into areas outside of NYC in Northern New Jersey or southern New York State as well as northern Illinois outside of Chicago, or southern New Hampshire just outside of the Boston metro. You might actually be able to get the best of both worlds.
@kyle - getting the best of both worlds is ideal. We will have to do our research/visit the place/etc before any decisions are made
@nowincal - will definitely miss the food. my favorite dumpling house, Brooklyn pizza...Also thought about the people. Husband and I are biracial and if we get looks and whispers (mostly from older people) in New York, how much more in places where biracial couples are not that common? I could just be over-thinking it, too...
I live in Boston and some of the outlying towns here even Southern New Hampshire) are on the more rural/country side, but still within 45 min -1 hr drive of Boston (although not necessarily during rush hour
People who live in those areas can easily get to Boston on weekends and enjoy all the amenities of the city. It's close enough where one can come in for a half day or evening without it turning into a full weekend or even day trip and housing stock can be substantially less expensive than those areas closer to the city.
I'm not saying you need to move to MA, but it's possible to live in a quieter place, but be relatively close to a big city.
That would be nice just to drive for an hour, or even two, when we feel like being in the city. Also need to consider the jobs. In this job market, I might do better outside the metro areas, but not the same for my husband.
I miss restos that are open late (although it IS getting better in at least one of the nearby suburban nodes) and actual nightclubs (as opposed to bars, taverns, pubs, etc). But we are a mere 20 minutes from The City so we still can get our fix pretty easily.
I've lived my whole life between the big city of San Francisco and the suburbs of Baltimore and Washington, DC. Living in the city and living in the burbs is not as different as you would think. Living in the suburbs is only a short commute away from the big city unless you live a small podunk town in the middle of nowhere. The suburb I live in is also much more ethnically and economically diverse than the nearby historically Black majority cities of Baltimore and DC. I love city living. Because of this, I visit DC on a nearly weekly basis because it is such a short drive.
Cohesively, one of the pluses of living in a city is enjoying the nightlife to the fullest. If you live in the burbs, you shouldn't be out drinking and clubbing if you have to drive all the way home afterwards. However, the DC Metro where I live extends greatly into the outlying suburbs and is safe to ride and is reliable.
One of the pluses of living in a big city like SF or NYC is not needing a car. One of the cons of living in a big city is the lack of freedom because you can't always go anywhere you please when you please because of crime/safety issues. When I was growing up in SF, we literally never walked down the block on our own street in our own neighborhood or played at the park or went to the liquor store down the street because it was far from being a safe area. Anyone who lives in a big city or frequents big cities often knows to stay on the beaten path. That is not to say that crime doesn't exist in the suburbs as well. There is tons of low-income Section 8 housing and loitering unsavory people who will rob you in broad daylight where I live and I live in the third richest county in America.
Another plus of living in the city is the culture. SF is an undeniable capital of all things independent counter-culture and edgy. Depending on specifically where you live in a city like NYC or SF, the culture varies greatly. Certain areas of big cities lay certain cultural and historic claims to fame which leads to a sense of pride from natives and residents. The neighborhood I lived in SF was a very distinct district defined by its status as being a historic African American enclave and Bay Area ghetto and a hotbed of independent West Coast Hip Hop and culture. People that were born and raised in my old neighborhood created music that was, and still is, enjoyed throughout the country and the world. Bloggers from France to Compton have give their respects to our songs on the comment sections of our Youtube videos. It has been applauded by critics and looked at as a time capsule of how our corner of The City by the Bay used to be once upon a time. The SF neighborhood I lived in coined urban slang that spread throughout the country and was uttered out of the mouths of rappers and celebrities on TV. And that was just our little corner of SF. SF is also the most historical city from the Asian-American perspective as well as being the most liberal city in America and being a mecca for all things American. Where I live now has no cultural significance other than being one of the richest suburbs in America.
The suburbs tend to be too dominated by big box/major retail chain stores to be unique and edgy. The lack of interesting people in suburban areas can also make these places boring. Many suburbs are more oriented towards established middle aged folks who want to raise their kids in a nice place. The best of city life is more oriented towards young professionals without kids and rich folks who can afford to enjoy the more cultural things. It is no secret that forgotten inner city people in urban areas also contribute much to the distinct culture of many major cities.
One of the worst things about living in the suburb that I do now is that the cops are overfunded and they harass ordinary citizens for petty things. Where I live is very much a police state. In any given hour, you might see ten plus cop cars on the road. This is rather sad given that where I live is a very low crime area and the town that I live in rarely even has one murder per year. However, the police in our little suburb are drunk off their little bit of authority and will gladly arrest you and have you spend the night in jail for something as petty as "disorderly conduct" if you give them the least bit of attitude for pulling you over something you didn't do because that cop was bored and needed a quota to fill.
On the other hand, living in the big city, you are less likely to be harassed by police if you are a law-abiding citizen because cops have more important things to worry about like real crime in the cities. This is not always true for minorities in inner city areas though. The relaxed liberal freedom of a city like San Francisco is unparalleled. SF is one of the only cities in America where you can light up a joint almost anywhere, using your best intuition, in public and smoke in peace without the police trying to lock you up for something so harmless and petty as smoking weed.
Last edited by goldenchild08; 07-20-2011 at 09:01 PM..
I'll tell you from my experience what I missed, but it is city dependent on course.
1. Being able to walk around my neighborhood and grab something quick at the grocery store or a bite to eat or walk to a bar
2. Public transit if needed
3. Not driving my car for every other errand (ties in with 1 and 2)
4. Diversity in people- Got sick of seeing small town, small minded, content white bread types
5. Diversity in restaurants and entertainment- couldn't get a decent pizza, deli, or Chinese food
I agree 100%, living in Suburbia for far too long..... time to move back to civilisation and intelligence...
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