To find the suburbs a bit depressing?

We have friends who always choose to live in suburbs. These always seem to be well to do, modern, housing estates that are stuck on the edge of a town - but bloody miles from the town, if you know what I mean. So they have to drive in to the town, drive to a shop, drive to school, drive to work. There's NOTHING in these places apart from housing estates. They always seem to be close to busy motorways too which make these areas even more unpleasant.
I suppose we live in a suburb of a big city too but it's completely different because our suburb used to be a little village and it gradually became part of the city. Our area has shops and cafes, pubs and restaurants, pleasant parks. We can stroll to the shops, walk to school etc. These types of suburbs are good! But I hate the suburbs that are just modern housing estates stuck next to a motorway.

Just to add about the deer, I live in a 90s housing estate with identikit houses and we also have deers. Don't have hills and fields, we have lakes and woods. Suburbia has green spaces too and many were built around existing woods or parks. It's always got a bad reputation doesn't it? It's popular because you get a little piece of garden near a bigger city.

That's exactly how I want to feel everyday!

Where do you live?

So city you've got the crime, noise, pollution, parking problems.

Countryside you've got the stench, insular neighborhood, boredom, and lack of basic facilities like mains gas and sewers and interesting stuff to do.

Suburbia sits half way between those two points.

YANBU

Stood by the bus stop with a felt pen
In this suburban hell
And in the distance, a police car
To break the suburban spell

Me too. I grew up in suburbs and always found it narrow and depressing. I'm 25 years in to city living now and feel inspired and grateful every day.

I definitely agree with you op, in the sense that suburbs as you describe them are utterly depressing to me too. Even as a child I couldn't stand them. But I guess there are good ones and bad ones! I couldn't live in a city these days either, to be fair, although I enjoyed it in my twenties. I'm on the rural edge of a small town now, and love it. I can walk into the town centre in 25 minutes, but I have farmland opposite my house.

You've just described the outskirts of Exeter perfectly!

DH and I are deciding to move and he wants to do boring town suburb semi and I want exciting city town house. We can't agree on a compromise yet.

I love my suburb. 1930s semis. I like the fact that if you jumped back 50 years it wouldn’t look much different apart from the cars.

Where do you live OP

But it just totally depends! We live in the suburb of a northern city. Can be in the city centre in 10-15 mins taxi, 30 mins bus. But our suburb has loads of small quirky local businesses, a massive local park, woods, a really good GP and dental practice...for me, perfect balance. I don't relate to the OP at all. Because not all suburbs are the same.

Love my London suburb, lovely high street with a few chains and plenty of independent coffee shops. Great transport links, bus, overground and tube. Close to a couple of royal parks, schools are great and less busy than being in ‘town’.

It definitely depends on the suburb!

I love my suburb. A calm washes over me every time I return. Many might class it as rural though given the density as the houses are spread out and nothing is within walking distance.. It is still suburbia though with cookie cutter houses and manicured grass . It is so quiet and peaceful away from the chaos of the city. I used to live right in the middle of things and at the time I loved it, but now I can’t sleep when I visit because of the noise.

I agree with you to some extent, speaking as a suburb-dweller. They can lack a distinct sense of place.
But convenient and easy!
I'm happy enough where I am, it suits my life and I'm lucky to be free to choose. But I miss city centre life sometimes.

I completely get you OP. Grew up in a suburban dormitory town. The incredible amount of money swilling around there compared to the near- total lack of culture and aesthetic sensibility is profoundly depressing. I get really down every time I go back.

Pretty much the same as us. We could get much "more" for our money in the suburbs, but we just have no desire to live there.

I live in a suburb in the edge of a large city. It’s semi rural. Bus stop 5 mins away ( regular services) beautiful valleys, hills and open countryside maybe 4 minutes away?

Parks aren’t packed ever.

It's a privilege to have choice in where you live.

The suburbs you describe don't sound particularly nice tbf OP, unless you're being deliberately snobby. I'm like @WallabyWay , I live in the suburbs and it's not a concrete jungle. After 10 minutes in the car I can be in a country park, 10 minutes the other direction at a major shopping centre, and 20 minutes another way by car or train I'm in the city centre. I used to live in the city centre, it was great at that time in my life. Now proximity to work, a driveway, outdoor space and great storage space is higher up my priority list. Is it a compromise? Yes. Would I live here if I won the lottery tomorrow? No. But everyone makes the best of what they have, and each to their own.

Yep, lived on a housing estate in a town - endless 30's houses, no shops or services near

Was profoundly depressed for a decade but because I thought it was ME and not my environment did nothing about it

Kids go off to uni, I move into a big city with everything on my doorstep and within a week not depressed at all - and it's NEVER come back.

I gave up a 4 bed house, 400 year old oak trees, 200 foot garden, an allotment (!) - and I LOVED gardening to move into a 2 bed flat with a terrace

Happy every day...

I love living in the suburbs! I couldn't stand the lack of outside space or tiny flats in a city centre, I love my garden in spring/summer. And I couldn't stand the lack of options for anything without driving in the countryside or a village. From mine in 40mins on the tram I can be in Central Manchester, for eating/drinking out, culture etc. Or in 15 mins drive at can be at stables, where there is enough land for 100 horses so plenty of fields and green space. Best of both worlds for me 😁

We're definitely a suburb according to everything I can find.

Unless you live in a zone 1/2 flat or a £££ from the Modern House then most houses in London are identikit Victorian terraces with the same kind of interior styling.

So where do you live op?
I find cities noisy, incredibly dirty and there is the constant worry that you are going to be stabbed or have your bag stolen etc.
The countryside is cleaner and more peaceful but there’s not many facilities especially if you have children.
So the suburbs are probably a good compromise.

It's just differences in values for the most part.

Me too.

Seems to be the worst of all options: busy and polluted like the city centre, but without the vibrancy and amenities, and still far away for a commute.

I'd rather live rurally and commute for a little longer (because in the suburbs you are also still commuting and often for much the same length of time on the slow stopping services or busy roads), or live very close to the city centre with the vibrant amenities and often more interesting/historic housing.

Suburbs = not for us