Comments on: Why I Love the Suburbs

By: Heather

Heather — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:59:32 +0000

We currently live 30min. from the city in a small town of 3,000. There is a little local store and a tiny gas station, a curling rink and bar. There are two lakes nearby (5min) and A National Park 40min. North…we are in the middle of the city and National Park. My husband applied for a job in Kamloops, B.C. and went for the interview yesterday. We “may” move to a city….I’v never lived in a town of more than 30,000….it’s scary thinking about it. We now live in a 1400sq ft home on a 3acre manicured yard with a hill for skiing and toboganning. I’m nervous leaving something remote, quiet and safe and taking the kids away from all they know (kids grade5/8). Any suggestions? Would love to hear from anyone!
Thanks so much.

By: » Resolving to Live Sustainably Strocel.com

» Resolving to Live Sustainably Strocel.com — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 06:12:56 +0000

[...] am I falling down in my efforts to live sustainably? Our single family home in the suburbs is not the most environmentally-friendly option, but I’m not planning on moving. Plus, in [...]

By: BethB

BethB — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:14:16 +0000

There are quite area downtown, if you can afford. We live one street away from Coal Harbour. We love this area. One block to Stanely park and one block from Sea wall. I walk my dog to anywhere I want to go. I can walk to Capers for special stuff, safeway, and nofrills. I do not like malls but those stores on Robson. When I feel down, I go for a walk on seawall. When I like people’s interaction, I go shopping on Robsons. I worked downtown for two years and I walked to work. I walk to doctors when I have time, and I take a bus when I don’t feel like walking.

I do everything I want without driving and I can do it anytime I want. I do not like to live in suburbs because whenever you go out, you always have a purpose. I lived in Richmond for 3 months, and I hated it. I don’t drive and I had no place to go but small malls. Bus always takes forever. Going out just to kill sometime will consume me at least 1 hour. Nothing is close by, and everything is limited.

Space is small, but less cleaning than a house. Also, as long as you don’t keep things you don’t need, you always can make space.

I am expecting in the end of this year, and I still want to live DT until the baby is 5 years old. Lots of kids live in Coal Harbour and Yaletown. Lots of green stuff in Vancouver DT that other places cannot offer. Neighbors are friendly as well. Whenever we have to go on for a long trip, our neighbor always offer help. We have less worry of break in.

This is my opinion.

By: Sarah Joseph

Sarah Joseph — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:44:41 +0000

I moved from the city to the ‘burbs in May. I’m still adjusting. I like the quiet street we live on and I’m thankful that we are still within walking distance to many amenities. I wish there were more amenities within walking distance and I wish that the traffic into the city wasn’t such a deterrent from going to visit my friends or them coming to visit me. Overall, I’m pretty happy here.

By: Mike

Mike — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:07:34 +0000

The only way I would live in the city is if I won a home in a lottery, and then I’d sell it as soon as I’d lived there long enough to avoid paying certain taxes.

The idea of being crammed next to my neighbors in a busy city doesn’t appeal to me. But, to each their own.

By: Heather

Heather — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 04:09:49 +0000

I think it does not matter where you live, urban, suburban our way out in the country (like myself)…you can make it magical any way. I am happy (it took some time for sure) living in a tiny village of about 400 people, 40 minutes outside of Edmonton. It takes me 25 minutes to get to a grocery store in Camrose, but if I were in the city, driving to Costco was the same amount of time. My time in the car is the same as if I were living in the city, it is my `km`s that have changed. I have lived here two years and just in the past weeks have I felt cozy and wonderful living here….

Before children Steve and I lived in a highrise just off Jasper Avenue (if you know Edmonton at all, this is right downtown). We have contemplated moving back into the city, into a condo. How we live would have to change for sure. But, our children would have a great life in either environment.

Some days I am envious about being able to bring home take out and have it hot when we eat it. But, I kind love the quiet of the village. The deep black of the night. The brillance of a clear, uniterupted star filled sky. The stillness of the world if just sit. At the same time, I have a fantasy of picking up and living in the heart of NYC with my family….I keep telling myself, if I can make it here (Hay Lakes), I can make it anywhere!
Heather´s last post ..Thanksgiving

By: Amber

Amber — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:20:18 +0000

It’s true, the mall wasn’t the best example. However, you have kind of made my point. It would take me FAR longer to get to the bus stop and then wait for the bus than I would spend riding it. In fact, given where I live, I could probably walk directly to the mall in less time.

I stand by my spotty transit point. If I were to try to take transit to the aquarium, for example, it would take at least 15 minutes from the time I got out the front door until I was on the bus. Then it would be about 1/2 hour on the bus, and another 40 minutes on Skytrain. THEN, it would be a 10-minute bus trip and another 10-15 minute walk on the other end. One-way would be over 90 minutes. That definitely qualifies as spotty in my book, at least as compared to if I lived downtown, and it would be at most one bus + walk, and the bus stop would be much closer to my front door.

So, yes, I drive instead, because I can do that in under an hour. With 2 kids and gear and a round-trip, I’ll make it as brief as possible.

By: Kirsten

Kirsten — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:10:16 +0000

Dude, transit to the mall is not spotty. You’d spend longer walking to the bus stop than you’d spend on it, and it comes like every 10 minutes. You don’t want to take the bus, you don’t have to take the bus, so you don’t — but it’s not about the service. Almost no one takes the bus if they have a car. Just the way it is. But don’t make it about the bus being bad. It’s actually a really, really convenient bus; trust me, as someone who got her driver’s license at the age of 27 and has taken transit in 4 cities.

I crack jokes about the suburbs too, because it’s easy, but the more time I spend here the more I realize that the suburbs are full of interesting and diverse people. And some dark secrets too, certainly, although if I had dark secrets I’d probably choose the density of a city.

By: Noble Savage

Noble Savage — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:49:40 +0000

I’m not big on the ‘burbs. I find it pretty hellish, in fact. I live in London and though I’m not in the ‘burbs per se I’m on the outer suburban-like edges of the city and that’s quite far enough for me. I’d like to move much further in! I would absolutely love to be able to jump on the underground within minutes or walk to Chinatown for a meal and expose my kids to the rich culture, diversity of people and languages and experiences that you just don’t get in the suburbs.

Having said that, I know I’d also get fed up with city life from time to time so once I have made my millions from my best-selling book I would love a house in the country, extremely rural. I grew up in a rural area and do love the space and the quietness but I couldn’t do it full time. I guess I truly am a city girl at heart!
Noble Savage´s last post ..Fuck Fashion

By: Lady M

Lady M — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:29:06 +0000

I’m a total suburban girl. I like living in a house instead of a flat. I like being able to find parking. I also like living close enough to a city that we can drive in to big cultural events though!
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