Why would you choose to live in the city?

amother

Indigo

Sun, Feb 23 2020, 11:27 pm

Combination of all:
My parents live there. They are not young and not going to move out of town.
I have a job that I like with a great work/family balance and very little commute as long as I stay put.
My kids are in a great school with great friends. If they weren't happy in school, there are another 10 we could choose from.
There is a lot of convenience. I can buy almost anything without needing to leave my neighborhood. Kids can visit each other without needing someone to drive them. Ditto for visiting library, parks, etc.

We don't live in a big house but we also don't need to maintain one. My friends who moved out of town feel like a constant litany of things that can and do go wrong with the house and the cars which they depend on much more than people in the city do. That's not my reason for living in the city, but it's something to balance against "you could have a much bigger house out of town."

amother

Brown

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 12:41 am

What is the point of your question??

(For years, when I went out of NYC, people were unashamedly bashed my hometown, Since Frum

demographics have shifted to Rockland County and Lakewood, NYC is under the radar. People do not

have that need to be nasty to city people any more.)

amother

Indigo

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 12:51 am

I'm the amother who said above that my parents live in the city - forgot to add that comes with a huge fringe benefit in emergency childcare. I know secondhand how hard it is when a kid is sick and parents have to work, or when the parents have to leave for work before the kids leave to school, I know not everyone has such benefits but a lot of people who live near parents do. On the flip side I hope my parents will live and be well for a long time but most people have more needs as they age and I want to be here for them the way they were here for their parents. I do not have other siblings nearby and if I did then when I would move away there would be another person left staying in the city to care for our parents!

DrMom

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 2:21 am

Cities have many advantages:

- Many schools from which to choose
- Public transportation - family member can be more independent at an earlier age, the family can get by with no/only one car
- Proximity to large job market
- Easy access to cultural activities (museums, concerts, etc.)
- High concentration of municipal services

Of course, housing in urban areas is often pricey and small for what you get; if you have a large family, cities may prohibitively expensive. I loved living in cities as a young adult, though!

Plus, suburbs are quieter, offer more green open space, better air quality, etc.

amother

Papaya

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 2:33 am

It depends what you mean by OOT and what you mean by city.

New York is not the same as a small city. OOT - do you mean a large suburb, or a small yeshuv? Etc. It also depends on what the choices are - a one bedroom apartment versus a huge house with a pool, or a roomy 5 bedroom apartment versus a regular house?

One of the main disadvantages in many OOT places is that teens have nothing to do. They are dependent on their parents to drive them everywhere, and there is nowhere to go in their vicinity.

Also, there may be a lack of schooling options.

amother

Amethyst

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 7:14 am

Moved from oty to suburbs and absolutely hate it. Would move back to the city in a heartbeat if I could. Don't understand why suburbs are a thing.

-I HATE living in a big house that is a huge headache to deal with
-I HATE having a lawn that requires time and money to manage
-I HATE driving and having to drive everywhere is pure misery
-I HATE that everything closes early
-I HATE the quiet

I am miserable (oh, and before anyone asks, I've lived in more than one suburb. So it's nothing to do with the community, I would hate any place that isn't the city). So those are the reasons at least for me. The city is more convenient. It's what I'm used to. The things that people complain about are all advantages to me. The one big disadvantage is the price, which is why we moved, and why we're not going back. If I won the lottery, the absolute first thing I'd do is buy a condo and move back.

saw50st8

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 7:43 am

Sunshineforever wrote:

If you can buy a huge mansion for the same price OOT?

Having a mansion is not a goal of mine. I prefer a smaller home where family has to spend time together because there's less space to hide. I grew up in a 3,000 square foot home and I thought it was too big.

amother

Papaya

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 7:48 am

saw50st8 wrote:

This. There's a whole thread going about being jealous of people in mansions. It never crossed my mind. I get the desire to have a nice home, but who wants a huge one? It's not cozy. I see these houses in the decor magazines and I have zero desire to live in one.

Raisin

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 7:55 am

As long as I have adequate space for my family, I love the city!

I love being able to walk places, or jump on a bus or tram or subway. I love being close to shops, libraries, etc.

I am very lucky to live in a house in a busy used to be a suburb but is now really city area. Tons of amenities nearby (school, shul, shops) but also beautiful parks and woodland areas. I think parks and green spaces should be a law. Nobody should be more then 15 minutes walk from one.

lamplighter

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 8:52 am

My family lives close, literally everything is more convenient, there is always something happening and something to do. Lots of neighbors, school options, options across the board.
The only downside is the pollution/lack of greenery and the cost of housing.

Chloe22

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 9:07 am

I like not having to drive anywhere. This is a concern when someone gets older and is unable to drive. You're not stuck in your house. I grew up in a suburb and I like being in the city much more.

amother

Pumpkin

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 9:11 am

We lived from the city to the suburbs a few years ago and definitely miss a number of real quality of life things we used to have there.
-Spend most of my time here driving like a taxi driver (school, after school, friends, grocery etc.). In the city, had all of that within a 10 to 15 minute walk.
-Schools are much more established and in my opinion offered a much higher caliber of education.
-Had a much stronger sense of community and social life in the city. So many ppl living close does that. People are just too far around here to bond the same way I used to.

Overall, our quality of life was probably better before but the large house and property for the kids to play on definitely took us away from the city.

seeker

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 9:14 am

Raisin wrote:

I so agree. New York for one has a huge disparity in green spaces. We have a lot of great ones but also a lot of deserts. I'm lucky to live in a neighborhood with a lot of playgrounds and a reasonable number of trees. Central Park and Prospect are gorgeous. Upper West Side has nice space by Riverside. Queens is hit or miss. But as far as I can tell there is NOTHING in Williamsburg, where there is a high concentration of children. Boro Park got a nice park at 18th Ave but I don't know of any besides that. A couple of parks near me that were already ok just got a $mil+ renovation while some neighborhoods haven't seen an upgrade in what looks like half a century. It's....siiiiiigh.

Raisin

Mon, Feb 24 2020, 9:19 am

seeker wrote:

yes, you don't really need huge parks (like central park or prospect park) but lots of small ones. I lived in Crown Heights and there are huge lovely parks a long walk or short drive away but nothing nearby. (although Eastern Parkway is nice to walk along at least)

Where I live now I can count 5 or 6 parks or green spaces 10 or 15 minutes walk away. (many have playgrounds, which is also important)