City living vs suburbs. Which inspires you?

[simonstanley]

Hey guys,

Really interested in where you FastLaners decided to base yourselves?

Do you prefer the hustle / fast paced entrepreneurial mentality of a big city like London / NYC / LA? Or prefer the more relaxed slow paced atmosphere of a smaller city / suburbs?

From what I've seen it's easier to become financially free if living away from a major city. I'm near London alot of the year, and the cost of living is somewhat astronomical. However the positives are entrepreneur meetups, seminars, and "switched on" people that usually congregate in those environments.

They say your environment is what you eventually become... So choosing a place to live could have a big impact of our long term success.

Interested if anyone has any thoughts, and whether you owe your current levels of success to where you live and whether it inspires you every day?

 

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[sparechange]

Far away from people in the bushes with no neighbours preferably would be the ideal situation or small affluent suburb. Really hate cities, having worked at a ski resort and spending my whole day in a forest you can feel much better mentally and physically, clean air, no car horns, no sirens, no people around that are rushed/stressed, smoking/ bums on the street, piss smell everywhere, Felt miserable every single time I came back to vancouver after work, and felt much happier away. Not a fastlaner at all but I'd say having less stress is ideal. Don't understand how people enjoy being in the city unless your idea of fun is sitting in congested traffic daily and going out to overcrowded bars

 

[MattR82]

I'm in a big city out of necessity at the moment but would've to move to a smaller coastal city. Working on it.

 

[jon.a]

I like it away from people. I don't play well will others.

 

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[minivanman]

We live in the big city and just bought another house here. I love both the city and the country. I grew up in a town of 1261 people and loved it, I've lived in a few mid-sized cities and now I live in a large metroplex. I've loved everywhere I've lived.

In my after-retirement business I drive all day long and rarely sit in traffic. I try to avoid traffic before 9am and between 4pm-7pm. But even when I've traveled during those times it wasn't as terrible as everyone says. I'm not one to sit in that lane that isn't moving. Yesterday I came back from DFW airport at 5:05pm and it only took about 5 extra minutes. I'm not really the type of guy to sit at home so no matter where I live I'm going to be out doing something.

By the way, I stay away from HOA's because I do not play well with others either.

 

[Almantas]

 

[TonyStark]

City living, I HATE the suburbs lol

 

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[Deleted50669]

Hey guys,

Really interested in where you FastLaners decided to base yourselves?

Do you prefer the hustle / fast paced entrepreneurial mentality of a big city like London / NYC / LA? Or prefer the more relaxed slow paced atmosphere of a smaller city / suburbs?

From what I've seen it's easier to become financially free if living away from a major city. I'm near London alot of the year, and the cost of living is somewhat astronomical. However the positives are entrepreneur meetups, seminars, and "switched on" people that usually congregate in those environments.

They say your environment is what you eventually become... So choosing a place to live could have a big impact of our long term success.

Interested if anyone has any thoughts, and whether you owe your current levels of success to where you live and whether it inspires you every day?

To your sentiment about astronomical cost of living, I live just outside of DC and it's in the top 5 worst cost of living cities in the US. I find that the suburbs are primarily inhabited by the Jones's, and by Jone's I mean people that are deathly afraid of risk. I feel out of place living among this population, because there is nobody here on the same page as a developing entrepreneur. Conversely, DC itself is rife with entrepreneurs. I am planning a move into the city for that reason, despite a notable increase in housing costs. As someone who teeters between introversion and extroversion, the city isn't ideal from an energy standpoint, but that's why I live in a single. Always have to have a place to recharge.

 

[Red]

When I was younger, I lived in NYC for a short time & absolutely loved it. Now that I'm older & hate people, I'm working on building waaaaay out by the national forest here on an acre. But I'm still a 35min drive from Whole Foods, because, c'mon, a girl's gotta live.

 

[Guest3722A]

I'm currently in the burbs but have lived in several different areas. For me, I hate people too so i got my acre out in the country where the breakfast in the local diner was just killed.

 

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[policebaton]

The city for me... I love being able to skate downtown, having great brunch places, enjoy having my friends come to my place for a night out where we can just walk out the front door, and after parties.

Really enjoy having all of the noise and options. St Petersburg Florida is a pretty solid place though the downtown is a bit sleepier than I'd like it to be.

 

[MiguelHammond10]

I love quite area so i will go for suburbs.

 

[TheOwl8]

Honestly I don't think we evolved to live in cities or suburbs. Sometimes I get the impression that most mental illnesses could be solved by people moving out to the countryside and getting out of the noise and pollution and groupthink.

One of the things that has shocked me is the growth of cities in the last twenty years. I thought that with the widespread use of the internet, mega cities would see negative growth as more and more people fled the bum piss-filled streets to live in remote places filled with nature.

Instead the opposite has happened. More and more people are flocking to cities to live in a cube and sit in traffic. Incredible.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I'm more likely to go live "off grid" with my own water, power, and food supply rather than be stuck in a big city. When shit hits the fan, I don't wan't to be near any of the craziness. After seeing the panic in Florida pre-hurricane, it solidified my desire to move further away from city-living.

 

[Deleted21704]

Since the question is "which inspires you" I'm going to say I need both.

I prefer being away from the hustle-bustle of the city for the increased independence & serenity.

But then there's something about the city that's reinvigorating to experience every now and then. Just as too much noise can get deafening after a while, too much quiet can get deafening after a while too.

 

[JordanK]

I'm living in the city during the week for college, working on my Fastlane and partying. I then return to home at the weekends to my small town where I play sport and reflect on the week and my goals. The balance helps keep me sane, I can't spend too much time in either place or I begin to feel frustrated.

 

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[Ninjakid]

I love people

As long as they stay away from me.

I live on a mountain, surrounded by evergreen trees, coyotes, deer, black bears, and fresh, clean air. Take a walk ten minutes in a particular direction and you're in complete wilderness. Wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Red]

I live on a mountain, surrounded by evergreen trees, coyotes, deer, black bears, and fresh, clean air. Take a walk ten minutes in a particular direction and you're in complete wilderness.

This is awesome! But how far away is Whole Foods? (Natural Grocers is also acceptable)

 

[RHL]

A realtor friend I had over to my house the other day told me that the two empty (forested) lots on either side of my house could be sold off to developers for $400,000-$500,000, even with the trees on them. All I had to do was sign the paperwork and reap the windfall.

"Is it really worth a half million to you to not have neighbors?"

Yeah, it kinda is. My family member is being sued by their immediate neighbor over some bullshit about what times of day they let their dog out in their own back yard. It'll get thrown out... after the court fees and headaches.

Hard pass.

Death would be preferable to living in a city for me. I once lived right next to a graveyard. Best neighbors I've ever had.

Edit: Looking at the responses, I'd love for OP to add a poll to this thread. It'd be fascinating to see if the 'Trep lifestyle tends to coincide more with urban or isolated living.

My guess is that people who found their own businesses probably tend to live more suburban/rural, but that's totally a hunch.

 

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[jon.a]

There seems to be a trend of anti-social members here.

 

[RHL]

There seems to be a trend of anti-social members here.

Forum groups probably pres-select for that too. Trep groups that meet at bars or have face-to-face meetings once a week are probably full of social butterflies.

 

[Mr.Brandtastic]

I believe cities, particularly large cities, are great for young entrepreneurs. A place that is alive. In America, I think suburbs right outside the city are fine but in other countries, you probably want to live in the major cities. Why? Because cities are alive. They live and breath.

Suburbs and rural areas are great for when you want a family, want to settle down, and retire. But being stuck in small town, Nowheresville, USA can kill your drive and creativity. Unfortunately many of those areas are dead, devoid of real life, passion, and movement.

It's no secret that many famous people and successful entrepreneurs left home and moved to a big city.

I think of it like a Greek hero story. The rite of passage is leaving your home and venturing out. Sure you're not going to kill the Cyclops but you're going to tackle business. Eventually when all is said and done, you may want to move back to your old city, or a newer but more quiet small city or town.

 

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[Invictus]

Rural > City > Suburbs

If you've got a little bit of money, I think that Rural wins out.

There's a house for sale in my hometown.

Well, not a house. It's more like an estate.

It's got...

• 40 Acres
• Beautiful 2 story ranch style house.
• A pool
• A pond
• A workshop/garage/area.
• A gazebo.
• A guest house

All for less than half a million. If you didn't buy the land, it would drop in price.

Do you know what that will get you in a major city? Maybe something cozy.

In the country though? You get your own little kingdom.

But, cities are fast-paced. There are always things to do. I don't regret moving from my hometown to a city. Especially because I wasn't much of an outdoorsman.

They can be annoying. There's so much noise. And movement. And this and that.

Didn't bother me. But as I get older, I imagine it will. (And to be fair, I wasn't in a huge city).

But right now, I'm living in the suburbs. And I don't like it.

I don't like have a front yard that you can't use (but have to mow) because apparently, you don't sit outside in the front yard.
I don't like having a backyard that I can't use as a gun range.
I don't like that there's a Home Owner's Association. Sure, I'm really just renting a room out and they don't bother me. But it's the principle. Plus, I hear complaints about them enough to know I never want to deal with one.

As a kid, I -hated- living in the country. I didn't hunt. Barely fished. Wasn't athletic. All my friends were too far away to hangout with.

But, the more time I spent away from it, the more I want to return. Maybe not to my hometown, but somewhere.

Because when I look up, I don't see stars anymore.
Because I can't sit and enjoy nothing anymore.
Because I just don't have room.

Suburbs don't put you shoulder to shoulder with your neighbors. Instead, everyone has a box that's big enough room to stretch their arms, but only just. You stay within your box. And you peep at the other boxes. And your community has its own little petty politics going on, with the boxes fighting for the tiny, miniscule power available.

And really, all the boxes blend together. This one is a bit bigger. This one might have a second floor. This yard is 50% bigger. The car in front of this one is a little newer. This garage has weights. This one has a pool table. But everyone comes from a city and thinks that their box is a kingdom.

And then someone is told they can't do that to their box. So they paint their box orange out of spite.

In a city, you're cramped and it's noisy. But you get a lot in return. Exotic restaurants. New attractions opening all the time. Museums. Bars. Whole Foods. Trader Joes. Libraries. White Collar Jobs (if you're into that). Parks. And so so so much to do.

In the country, you can't run out and do whatever you want. But you have the freedom to make what you want. You can turn your backyard into a gun range. You can barbecue facing the road without getting weird stares from the neighbors (they'll just wave at you and say "Looks like Invictus is barbecuing again. I wonder if he gets tired of it.") You can build a porch to enjoy the end of the day on. You can fence in your property. You can put in a pond. Or a pool. Or garden.

But the suburbs? What to do is limited. Unless you want to make the drive to the city. There's more to 'do' than if you lived in the country, but you don't have the freedom. I hear that you get the best of both worlds with the suburbs, but I only see the shackles of each one.

But hey, that little box is still your kingdom.

That tiny tiny kingdom.


TLDR: I get nostalgic about living in the country and whine about the suburbs.

 

[Harbourmaster]

City living is the only thing for me at this point in my life. It’s strictly a personal opinion, but I like to be where the “action” is and where it feels like decisions are being made around me. Could be all in my head, but it makes me feel more connected to life. I’ll take a condo to live and work out of over a house requiring yard work on weekends 10 times out of 10.

With that being said, it’s my dream to have a beach house to escape to on the weekends as well

 

[WJK]

Hey guys,

Interested if anyone has any thoughts, and whether you owe your current levels of success to where you live and whether it inspires you every day?

I live in the woods in rural Alaska with the moose. We're part of a small community. But, I am connected through my on-line contacts. I walk, cross country ski and get out doors for fun. There's not much there in traditional entertainment. I don't know if it inspires me, but it beautiful and peaceful.

 

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[mdtola22]

I like living in the suburbs. Best of both worlds, in my opinion.
I get the privacy, space and if I'm near a big city (30-40 mins) then even better.

 

[SquatchMan]

I plan to make my money in a big city in the USA and then retreat to an countryside estate outside the US with wheelbarrows of cash.

Though I suppose I could just retreat now and make the cash overseas.

And people always say there isn't anything to do in rural parts...

but last time I checked you can't go fishing, shooting, ATVing, and hunting in your backyard in the city (assuming you have a backyard).

 

[Veloce Grey]

There seems to be a trend of anti-social members here.

I'm going to make a run at the heavyweight title here....

I live in a small town/semi-rural, but it's not what I would want long term. I'd much rather get a few hundred hectares, build a giant wall around it and surround the wall with natural barriers like plants no sane person would try to make their way through. Some type of ferocious domestic animals could roam inside the wall. Then I'd get to sit in my mini-Castle as King in peace.

I even found a very large and suitable piece of land for sale a couple of years back. Lush grass with plenty of rainfall, surrounded on three sides by high mountains and with one very isolated road in that was privately owned. Unfortunately I don't have the 10-15 million it required.

 

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[TheodoreA]

I live in Guildford, about 45 minute train ride into London and that suits me perfectly. Close enough to a major city for business purposes, close enough to the countryside for relaxation/health purposes and cheap enough that I was able to buy my own house with relative ease.

 

[Ninjakid]

This is awesome! But how far away is Whole Foods? (Natural Grocers is also acceptable)

I don't even think there's a whole foods in my town...