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Original poster

If you live in a city do you find it exciting?

100 replies

SophieKaczynsky · 08/11/2021 21:06

I grew up in a city until I was 14, when we moved to a rural town, and I still live in said rural town now (am in my forties).

There's not much to do here, and it's pretty boring. I love nothing better than going to cities. I just find them exciting to be in, and feel like there's a buzz there, and always something going on.

Do you love city life if you are a city dweller?

OP posts:
RampantIvy · 09/11/2021 07:37

Newcastle is a great city.

TomAllenWife · 09/11/2021 07:43

I grew up in Newcastle and miss it so much, I love going back for weekends

Now live in Cardiff which is a fantastic city to live in, local to coast & countryside, 2 hour train to London, 30 min flights to Dublin. Great city to raise DC

However it is still my ambition to live in NYC for a while, even if it's a couple of months, I'm waiting for my breakdown/mid life crisis

PeterPomegranate · 09/11/2021 07:48

“ dangerous public transport”

Huh? Pretty sure public transport is safer than travelling by car. Although I do concede it can get v busy.

Chemenger · 09/11/2021 07:53

We live on the edge of a village and it is boring. I spent a year living in the middle of Boston (USA) and realised how much I enjoyed it so now we’re selling up and moving to a flat in town (Leith in Edinburgh). I can’t wait to be in the middle of things. We enjoyed the space, the garden and the views when family life was hectic but now the DCs are grown up that’s not what we want.

Northernsoullover · 09/11/2021 07:55

@TomAllenWife

I grew up in Newcastle and miss it so much, I love going back for weekends

Now live in Cardiff which is a fantastic city to live in, local to coast & countryside, 2 hour train to London, 30 min flights to Dublin. Great city to raise DC

However it is still my ambition to live in NYC for a while, even if it's a couple of months, I'm waiting for my breakdown/mid life crisis

I live in Cardiff too and it is a fantastic city. I still want to move somewhere more rural though. I'm stuck here until my teens leave though and with todays costs I don't expect that to be any time soon Sad I hate the congestion and the fact it's so built up. I am fortunate to live in a leafy part too.
PlausibleSuit · 09/11/2021 07:59

I was raised in a little village, which was fine when I was a young child but overnight became indescribably stifling when I was a teenager.

Since then I’ve lived in Manchester, Brighton, London, (briefly) Los Angeles and now Edinburgh. I’m very much a city person. I love the variety of people, architecture, cultural activities and food. I like being able to walk or use public transport. I like being able to do a wide range of hobbies and activities. I like being able to order a pizza at 3am if I want. I love live music so having multiple venues on my doorstep is wonderful.

I also like the comparative anonymity. In the village I was raised in, I was… somewhat counter-cultural. This was endless gossip fuel for bored people who didn’t have enough to do and it became unkind and overly intrusive. In the city I’m able to be me, unimpaired.

babouchette · 09/11/2021 08:00

I loved living in London and did so happily for 15 years but once we had kids it felt more inconvenient and dangerous than exciting (my neighbourhood, anyway). Lots of drug users openly using in public, litter, dog crap, awful crowded public transport, couldn't afford a big enough house or to have a car, etc. It was starting to grind me down a bit.

We have now moved to a much smaller city and I love it! I can walk into the city centre in 10 minutes, but our house backs onto fields. There is a theatre, cathedral, market, massive leisure centre and library etc. I wouldn't say it's exciting exactly but there is lots to do and London is still only a train ride away for special occasions.

DogsWithJobs · 09/11/2021 08:06

I grew up rurally and loved it. We were pretty much feral and out of the house dawn til dusk. Lived in a city after uni and met and married DH. Enjoyed city life but crime, pollution and noise meant we moved out semi rural when the DC were primary age. They're adults now and both live in/near large cities and we're looking at moving to a city for our retirement! That older couple on the Rightmove ad, who love the peace and quiet of their country home but move to the city when they see how much their house is worth is us. I fancy Cardiff. One DC lives in Roath and we visit often.

KatherineJaneway · 09/11/2021 08:06

I've lived in London for nearly 2 years now and it's awful, high prices, busy and dangerous public transport, high muggings and thefts, I wouldn't bother

In your opinion. I've lived here most of my life and don't recognise the city you are describing.

NadiaVulvokov · 09/11/2021 08:28

Hmm: I am definitely a city person. Grew up in a small city and have lived in much larger ones.

But I do think city life has some big problems just now.

I used to live in London and as pp have said the rich/poor divide there now is so pronounced and corrosive.

The city I currently live in (Edinburgh) has real problems with tourism and particularly Air BnBs. The city centre is becoming some kind of Disneyfied, Potterised playground and the real character of the place is suffering badly.

LucentBlade · 09/11/2021 08:37

I grew up in a tiny rural seaside town.

I lived in London and also Birmingham for around a decade, for work purposes. It was fine because I could do stuff on the spur of the moment. I had countryside holidays then.

We moved to a market town when we married, we needed to share the commute. We live on the outskirts of it, it’s about a 15 min walk to open fields and around 20 mins the other way to a big city.

I prefer the countryside and the sea. We may relocate in the next few years hopefully more rurally, after a house with an acre or two.

ElaineMarieBenes · 09/11/2021 08:46

Love living in London - everyday is a joy!

MrsMariaReynolds · 09/11/2021 08:58

I grew up in a soulless, car-dependent suburb in America and now live in a very small city in the UK. Love it, love the walkability most of all (haven't owned a car since we left the States over a decade ago) and would never NOT live in a city.

Rural life makes me twitchy just thinking about it. The darkness, the silence, the having to get in your car for every little thing.

SquidGame4644 · 09/11/2021 09:18

I enjoyed living in the city, until I didn't. Grew up in a village, moved to city for uni and stayed for 16 years then moved back to the village I grew up in when my kid was 5. The city was fine until crime started getting worse. We had our window bricked, multiple thefts on our vehicle, kids throwing stones at our windows, heroin dealers living upstairs. We couldn't afford to buy in the nice, expensive areas.

DH fell in love with the village one time when we were visiting when we went on a walk and were struck by how many stars we could see due to so little light pollution. We were able to afford a semi with a massive garden. Our kid lives a similar life to mine, it's the kind of place kids still roam free safely with a lot of freedom. Neighbours look out for each others kids. Countryside to roam in.

I enjoy visiting the city and I get why people find it exciting. But I prefer opening my bedroom window and being able to hear the sea at night, rather than drunken students stumbling home.

Ozgirl75 · 09/11/2021 10:26

I grew up in a small village and as a child it was a truly idyllic place to grow up. Safe, played out all the time, great village school, lovely. Boring as a teen and very reliant on mum taxi and my bike! No public transport.
Moved to Bristol for Uni then London and I’ve now lived in Sydney for 15 years and love it. We’re in the burbs but have great public transport, it’s easy to get to the city centre for events, but there’s also lots going on locally, good schools and a buzz about it.
I do love the countryside but I’m very happy living where I do.

languagelover96 · 09/11/2021 10:30

Yes and no. I live in the Southeast near London. My home town is not very big yet there are a couple of markets to visit and there is a library and the usual amenities here. There are pubs, and restaurants plus a cinema too. Epsom has it's fair share of events in addition so we are not bored out of our minds. I love London however and I try to go at least once a year to see a show, and have some fun.

HundredMilesAnHour · 09/11/2021 10:40

I grew up in a small village but moved to a city for university. Bit of a culture shock but it opened my eyes to the differences. I've lived in central London for years now and I love it (although I do get sick of the tourists). I've also lived in Paris (twice) and Hong Kong.

But I also love the countryside. People assume I'm a born and bred city person so are usually quite shocked when they see the country version of me lol. What I hate with a passion is the suburbs. To me suburbs are the worst of both worlds.

jb7445 · 09/11/2021 10:45

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

TravellingSpoon · 09/11/2021 11:01

I live in a multi-cultural city and I love it, there is always something going on, and I can get anything i need. I can also go to some parts of the city and buy food and produce from so many different countries and cultures.

The traffic is a pain but the transport links are good, and we are close to the M1.

TomAllenWife · 09/11/2021 11:06

@Northernsoullover yes the traffic in the city and suburbs is awful
I work in the valleys now but it takes me no more time than getting to the other side of Cardiff

Can't ever see me leaving, I'm definitely a city girl

trumpisagit · 09/11/2021 11:13

I like visiting cities, and lived in two for a decade, but the air quality was rubbish.
I like my children living in a village, but only 1 bus from big city.
I could drive (15 min) or cycle in 30 min, but tbh I rarely bother.
I sometimes think a waterside city apartment would be nice for retirement...

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 09/11/2021 11:29

Waves to @Northernsoullover.

I'm in North Cardiff and I think I have it pretty good all things considered - peaceful cul de sac, can get into the centre fairly easily but also right on the doorstep of the Rhymney trail. Nonetheless, now I'm 40 I just feel like I'm too old and intolerant for city life. The trail could be beautiful, but there's so much litter and dog shit Sad I worry that one day I'm going to pass one too many people sitting in their cars with the engines idling and have a rage-induced aneurysm. There are just bloody.... people everywhere! Doing things!

The ideal for me would be living on the outskirts of a nice little town. Got to wait till DS is grown though.

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 09/11/2021 11:31

Sorry @TomAllenWife - another wave! 👋👋

EdgeOfTheSky · 09/11/2021 11:45

Yes, I live in London and love it.

I have also lived in 2 other cities an moved that too.

My kids had a fantastic childhood and teens in London.

We have always had days out and holidays walking in coastal and upland areas for the much needed opposite experiences.

But I wouldn’t want to live rurally. Close family do and I wouldn’t swap.

TomAllenWife · 09/11/2021 12:01

@JesusInTheCabbageVan 👋🏼