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

[SophieKaczynsky]

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?

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.

I was shocked at how much Edinburgh had changed when I went there 4 years ago. It has become a parody of itself. Pipers in kilts, every shop on Princes street selling tartan and shortbread etc. York is becoming like this as well. The Shambles was JK Rowling's inspiration for Diagon Alley, and now nearly every shop sells Harry Potter merchandise.

I live in a suburb 15mins from the city centre. I really like that Doing Stuff isn't a military operation requiring planning and logistics. There's always a restaurant to go to, live music to watch, an exhibition to see without any hassle. I like that my children have been brought up with a diverse bunch of friends and neighbours.

I hate the traffic, which is worse at the moment as seemingly ALL the arterial routes have roadworks at the same time. And the increasingly pervasive smell of skunk.

I've lived in London all my life and I love it here, but I don't know any different.

When I go away I love being in remote parts of the UK but everytime it reminds me how little amenities there are. I always forget that cabs, food, cinemas, swimming pools, shops etc aren't on your door step.

Like it or not I can get a cab in 4 minutes, 6 restaurants very near by, bus train and tube minutes away, 2 swimming pools, 3 cinemas and 4 supermarkets a 5 minute drive away.

I grew up in a mix of city overseas and then rural village (but attended school in a small city). After Uni I lived in London for nearly 10 years, when I relocated, eventually settling in a rural village. I work in a mid-sized city, and my kids go to school in the same city.

I LOVE cities, I love their buzz and opportunities, but when I lived in London, I felt as though I was constantly struggling - to get a seat on the train, to afford somewhere to live, to have the right job, go to the 'right' restaurants/bars, work long hours, then play hard. We left when DC1 was a newborn, but I could see that becoming an even bigger issue when they were of schooling age, and having to find the right school, competitive parenting etc.

So I like my balance - I regularly get my city life fix, but day to day I've got the slow, quiet pace of life at home.

I grew up in a dull country town, hate it. The same roads and people over and over again, everything is so sleepy!

Now I live in Bristol and I love the endless variety and choice of things to do. It's a good place with small children but I'm trying to work out how comfortable I will feel when they're teens, I now understand the impulse to hide away in a suburb to keep them out of trouble!

I've lived in cities since I was born

The countryside is too quiet and creepy for me as well as isolating. Having had partners from rural areas I've spent a lot of time in various locations.

My Teen DC love living in our city as they have everything on their doorstep and there's so much to do for little or no money. If we lived in the country I imagine they'd be bored smoking weed all the time

I've lived in London, central and suburbs. The burbs are very open and green and not that exciting but was perfect for me as a teen.

Central London was great as I was in my 20's but I wouldn't live there now. I wouldn't be able to afford it for a start. With London though it's very important you pick the right area to suit you.

Grew up in a commuter village in the Midlands. Have lived in London for 25 years.

I'm slowly growing out of love with it. Every green space is being built on, the crime and antisocial behaviour is on the rise, the Mayor is ineffectual, the ULEZ and LTNs have pushed all the pollution onto the main road outside my flat, and everything is too damn expensive.

I'm looking for my new piece of paradise now. Maybe a smallish town with a railway station much like where I grew up.

Love it.

I'm from a capital city (I'm not from the UK) and live in a small city in the UK now, and although it's way smaller than I would like - would prefer to be in London or a European capital - it's still great. There's a buzz, lots to do, you can walk everywhere, it makes it very easy to get children from a to b (we have never owned or needed a car), and now as they get older, they can get THEMSELVES from a to b, which is very liberating!

Looking back, I would have been furious if my parents had brought me up down the country instead of in a city, and can also see how much easier it is for us with our children and how much more independent my tween is now than her friends who live in the villages around our city.

@DietrichandDiMaggio

Surely it depends on the city? There's a world of difference between Manchester and Hereford, for instance.

I was going to say the same thing.

I grew up in Chester. Compared to Manchester or Liverpool, it's small and twee. We never had any big shops and I always remember having to get the train to Liverpool on Saturday to go to decent shops before the days of online.

I live in one of the busiest, most heavily populated cities on the planet and I love it. We are only here for a couple more years and once we are done here we're back to our sleepy little town in the UK. The good things about this city is the convenience - we are only ever 5 minutes away from a good coffee shop, hundreds of restaurants, there are so many museums and a huge amount of history in this city so if you want to get out and about then there is so much choice. We have a huge department store one block away from us so being able to pick up last minute birthday presents is a doddle, and you can get pretty much anything delivered to your door. I either walk or Uber everywhere, there's no need to drive. There are so many parks and playgrounds too.The downsides are that being so densely populated, the roads are appalling, and if you want to leave the city by road on a Friday night for a weekend break you have to resign yourself to it taking several hours before you are even out of the city limits. There is always noise and the city is so polluted that it can cause breathing problems for some, and there is usually a funny smell in the air.

I do really love living in the city, and am glad to be able to experience it, but I am also looking forward to moving back to our town. I'll miss the convenience and the buzz of a big city, but I like small town living too. And that's where all our friends and family are too - the one important thing this city doesn't have!

I grew up in a small village in East Lothian and I hated it. I moved into Edinburgh as soon as I was able to, then I met DH and I moved over to Glasgow to live with him. We're a couple of miles from the city centre and it's great - not too busy, cheaper houses but very quick and easy access to the city.

My parents still live in the same house and I hate going back to visit. The same people still work in the same shops and it's like a creepy time warp every time I go back. My brother recently got married and bought a house nearby, which is my worst nightmare

Recently moved out of London to a small commuter town. It might have been a mistake, too soon to tell. Definitely much more boring and less choice.
Also less crime and dog shit on the pavements. Better housing options.

Can't imagine living in this small town forever though. I will have to go back at some point. I can imagine getting quite down here, feeling bored.

Agree with your previous post re Liverpool. Great city! Fun atmosphere and lots of culture.

City dwellers on here must drink a lot of coffee. I very rarely visit a coffee shop when I'm in town.

I live in Bristol and adore it. I grew up just outside of London and have lived in Leeds and London itself, I hated Leeds and have never really enjoyed London personally.

I sometimes think I'd like to live in the country but then change my mind, I love the area of Bristol we live and the lifestyle is provides, we have 2 children and I love there is so much available to do but it's not so big things feel inaccessible.

Lived my life in London, (apart from short stints in other places) it's not as it used to be. I prefer the quiet life and hope to make it permanent soon)
But will always be proud to be a Lonfoner.

@hidinginquote

I live in Bristol and adore it. I grew up just outside of London and have lived in Leeds and London itself, I hated Leeds and have never really enjoyed London personally.

I sometimes think I'd like to live in the country but then change my mind, I love the area of Bristol we live and the lifestyle is provides, we have 2 children and I love there is so much available to do but it's not so big things feel inaccessible.

Bristol is a fantastic city. It's one of the few cities apart from London that I can imagine living in and never getting bored.

I love a big city like London where I can be anonymous and nobody blinks an eye if you look different or want to wear exotic clothes. I grew up in a small city (I mean still a few million people) but it was a middle class highly regulated goldfish bowl. That was stifling.

Born & raised in London and I find it boring as hell lol

Well, it's not excitement 24 / 7
But I do love the convenience of the City, and the massive choice of whatever you want to do - theatre, sport, pubs, restaurants, parks, cinema, teams to join, choirs, gigs,... well the list is endless really.

I love the sea and I love beautiful countryside, but for me they are for breaks or holidays. I would miss so much about City life if I didn't have it.

It's the potential for excitement and the convenience of being in a city that are appealing. If you want to buy an overpriced coffee you can. There is always a shop if you need to buy food, without getting in the car, or a restaurant, or a takeaway that you can walk to. If you want to go to the cinema it isn't half an hour in the car away. A trip to the theatre is a walk or a bus ride away or a reasonable taxi ride, not getting in the car, searching for a parking space or paying an arm and a leg and a supplement for going outside the city in a taxi. You can go for a drink on foot without it being a hike rather than a stroll. It's looking out of a window and seeing life going on instead of, if you're lucky, a sheep or a bird, or high excitement, a tractor but mostly just a field.

Medium size city here. Very vibrant and cultural. I got to the cinema every week, which I love. I have a small garden though and live on a quiet street. I grew up in the city so it's all I've known.

Another bonus is that I don't need a car and can walk everywhere.

@Keepitonthedownlow

Medium size city here. Very vibrant and cultural. I got to the cinema every week, which I love. I have a small garden though and live on a quiet street. I grew up in the city so it's all I've known.

Another bonus is that I don't need a car and can walk everywhere.

Do you mind if I ask where you live? Sounds like the kind of place I am looking to move to.

Love living in London, can never see myself moving.

My local area feels like a village where I know the hairdresser, shop staff and even the postman. But then can get the tube 2 stops into Central London and I'm in a whole new anonymous world divorced from my day to day life, absolutely love having both those elements in my life.

@lunarlandscape I live in Glasgow, and it feels like the centre of the world at the moment :-) I love it.