When it comes to living the ideal lifestyle where you can have everything in life you’re after, the location plays a huge part. When you are house hunting, you can’t just think about what type of house you want and what your budget is. You also have to consider what type of environment the house is in so you can live according to the way you want.
If you are a city dweller and love having lots of conveniences then rural living might not be for you. Suburbs are sort of in between being rural and being urban but aren’t for everybody.
You’ll have to compare all of the different types of locations for your next home to evaluate whether it is going to suit your needs. In this article, we will do a head to head comparison of all three so you can decide for yourself which area is best for how you want to live.
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Suburbs
Suburbs are communities located outside of a major metropolitan area with lots of zoning restrictions to prevent them from getting urban. Also called bedroom communities since the primary reason for living in a suburb is to be within commuting distance of where the jobs are.
They are home to lots of big houses with manicured lawns for a comfortable living space. However, there is not much life going on outside of the white picket fences. There are rarely any places to get coffee, a meal or even a quick trip to a store that doesn’t involve getting in a car to drive there.
This is changing now, though as many city dwellers have been moving to the suburbs but look for communities that act as small villages with a central outdoor area where that makes it walkable to get to some cool restaurants and coffee shops. They are planned communities where you can buy land or a ready built home like the house and land packages Werribee has.
If you love the conveniences of the coyote but are looking for more space and some greenery then these types of suburbs are a good alternative to living in an urban setting.
City
When you live in the city limits, you usually are going to live in a much smaller space than you would find in the suburbs. What you lose in space you gain in experience, however. Living in the city is exciting and there is something for everybody.
Often, you don’t mind that your living space is limited since you don’t spend much time at home. You have everything you need close at hand so in your off time you can be found going to museums, theater, movies or participating in some kind of hobby.
An added bonus is that you can walk to work, take a bike or public transport so you aren’t dealing with a soul crushing commute that takes hours out of your day.
The downsides are that it is expensive, crowded, dirty and there is not much green space in an urban area. Many people who live in the city get burnt out and start dreaming about getting out of town.
Now you live in the suburbs. How can you adjust faster?
If you’ve already moved to the suburbs, it’s definitely too late to ask yourself if this is the best choice for you or not. To feel at home in the suburbs faster, you can follow some of our recommendations:
Start making new friends in the neighborhood
When you move to the suburbs and your friends stay behind in the city, you might feel lonely. Instead of feeling blue, you should start meeting your neighbors. Bake some cookies and go on knocking on their doors to make friends. Be the friendly neighbor everyone likes and your calendar will fill with meetings and events sooner than expected.
Make your new house a home
If you move from the city to the suburbs, the chances for you to switch from a small apartment to a big suburb house are high. You can finally let your imagination flow and decorate your backyard and finally give it a go with painting a room. When moving to the suburbs, you can enjoy the fantastic benefit of decorating the house to make it your own. Fill the new place with all the things you like; it also stops you from missing the old one. Post move depression is a real thing.
Join in the community
Even if you don’t have a restaurant in every corner, you can still have an excellent time when having dinner on your patio while your kids are playing in the backyard. A suburb offers many things to its residents.
Family-owned businesses, local festivals, local products, and local events are some of the many things you can enjoy in the suburbs. The sooner you embrace the community, the sooner you will have peace of mind to have a new home.
What do you do when you move from the suburbs to the city?
People move from the suburbs to the city all the time, and it doesn’t always have to be a difficult transition. Give our suggestions a read once you’ve got to your new home in the city.
Discover the city
One of the most amazing things about moving to a new city is discovering everything for you. Make time to explore the city on foot, look out for the best restaurants, local attractions, museums, and shops. Do a city tour if you don’t feel highly adventurous. With a chartered time, you will be able to see all the main attractions without worrying about getting lost. You will get familiar with the city’s vibe and get a glimpse of what unique experiences await.
Talk to the locals
No matter where you live, it’s a good thing to chat with your neighbors. Since you live in a city, you can now ask advice from waiters/waitresses, store workers about life in the city. They can give you tips you won’t find online about the best places to shop, areas to avoid, or the best places to have a pizza. Don’t be shy and start a conversation with a local whenever you need.
Use the mapping software
One thing you cannot worry about these days is getting lost somewhere. Almost every smartphone today comes with a type of mapping. It can be beneficial when you feel like you’re lost in the city. You should have your phone or a traditional map when learning your way around in the city.
Find a coffee shop/café
Don’t be afraid to try several coffee shops until you find one that you genuinely like. If you are friendly and open to communication, people in the café will act the same too. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but having a place where people know you help your feel better.
Join a volunteer group or a church
Moving to a new city where you don’t know anyone can be stressful. If that’s your cup of tea, you can join a volunteer group or a church to meet people with similar values and beliefs. Joining a group makes you feel like you belong to a community and it’s good for your mental health. It’s a fantastic way to adjust to city life faster.
Stay in touch with your friends and family
Thanks to Skype, WeChat, and Facetime, it’s straightforward to keep the communication flowing with your family. Just because you move to the city doesn’t mean you cannot still talk to your friends in your hometown. They can be the support you need to adjust to city life.
Moving to the city can bring all sorts of emotions. You can feel both overwhelmed and excited. Take your time, don’t rush into things, and remember to enjoy every phase of your moving to the new home.
Who helps you move?
Whether you move to the suburbs or the city, you most likely need people to help you relocate. When moving to a town, we strongly recommend you hire professional movers. No matter how helpful your friends may be, all the steep staircases, elevators, dense traffic, and limited parking can make moving a long and nerve-wracking process. Why ruin a friendship when you can have very well professionals to do it?
Even if you rent a truck on your own, you should at least hire professionals to help you assemble/disassemble the furniture, pack, load, and unload items. Professional movers have the proper equipment, skills, and experience to handle cumbersome items so that everyone stays safe and sound from beginning to end. Reliable companies have insurance for their movers; if everything is damaged during transportation, you will get reimbursed for the damage—something that you cannot benefit from when it’s your friend who damages the fridge. Hire a licensed and insured company so that every step of the move will be a stress-free experience!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you pick a safe place for your home?
You can use a crime mapping tool to verify the area you’re planning to reside in. You can find the tools for most major towns, cities, and counties. They will display where incidents are reported and the type of incident that has occurred. Feel free to search the web for crime mapping tools.
Is it stressful to live in a city?
City living, whether in the suburbs or downtown, can bring a lot of stress in your life, especially when compared to the rural/country setting. A Scientific America study revealed that people living in the cities have a high risk of developing an anxiety or mood disorder.
What do you need to live in a suburb?
If you think about moving to the suburbs, you need to consider all aspects that count for your lifestyle. Out of all these factors, proximity to work and social networks represent the most important. You also want access to services like hospitals, medical centers, daycare, transport, community centers, universities, schools, and shopping centers. You also need to see how close the suburbs are to cultural destinations, dining and bar precincts, beaches, town centers, and nightlife.
Is urban living expensive?
If you want to rent, consider that suburban renters get less money than their city counterparts. From a housing perspective, it’s often more expensive to rent/purchase a house in the city. Keep also in mind that living expenses include a lot more than your rent/mortgage.
Which one is worse for the environment: the city or suburb life?
Suburban sprawl eliminates the carbon footprint savings that dense urban life brings. According to the newest research, population-dense cities generate less greenhouse-gas emissions per person than other areas. However, the town’s extensive suburbs will practically eliminate all the climate benefits that dense urban living generates.
