Suburbs vs The City

There are times when I wonder if moving to the suburbs was the right choice.  I have thoughts every now and then about selling our house and moving to Atlanta, and over the past few days I've been thinking about it again.  Sometimes I feel bad for having these thoughts because I feel ungrateful, and that couldn't be more further from the truth.  I am SO thankful for what God has provided to me and Simon.

I grew up in the suburbs.  I've been in them pretty much all of my life.  We would go to the city every now and then, and I always said that when I grew up I would live in the city.  I ended up living as close to the city as I could afford when I moved in with Simon while we were dating.  We were a 10-15 minute ride away from the city of Atlanta, but it was still considered Atlanta.

Here are a few things I enjoyed about living closer to the city:

1. The close proximity of everything (Ikea, downtown, museums, restaurants, certain malls, certain parks).
2. The view of the skyscrapers from our balcony (and the fireworks on New Years Eve and the 4th of July!).
3. Our apartment.  As soon as I walked in the first time to tour, it felt like I was in Sex and the City.
4. The lack of traffic going to work (I drove in the opposite direction of traffic).
5. Being able to walk to some restaurants and the grocery store if we wanted because they were right across the street.
6. More farmers markets.

Our old neighborhood-

images via

On the other hand, the suburbs have their positive points:

1. Lower cost of living, so you get more for your money.

2. A house with a yard...and a garage!

3. The view of the 4th of July fireworks from our backyard.

4. Less potholes.

5. Peace and quiet (usually).

6. Better schools.

7. Brand new shops and restaurants.

8. More unsettled land meaning great scenery.

9. Fresh air.

This is all to say that the older I've gotten, I realize that the city life may not be for me.  It does suck to have to drive 30-45 minutes to get to the city (especially on the drive home when it's late at night and I just want to go to sleep), but weighing all of the pros and cons, I feel resolute in my decision to live in the suburbs.  As a result of all of that thinking, I've decided to start a new series around here called "City Life in Suburbia" to show that even if you live in the suburbs, there may still be hints of "the big city" around you.

So what about you?  Are you more of a city dweller or a country mouse?