If you grew up in a city, did you like it?

[BoutiqueUnique]

I was having a discussion with a friend who grew up in a rural area and we were talking about our different experiences. She said that she couldn't imagine growing up in a city, or that it'd be enjoyable for children.

I grew up in the inner city area of large U.K city though not a global city like London but I loved it. I never really remember being bored. There was always something to do and see. We were very close to the city centre but had our own little community too and I knew every single shopkeeper on our large high street just around the corner from our home.

Of course it wasn't perfect as crime was higher, and my parents moved to the suburbs in my early teens but for me it was a great experience and I appreciate that I was lucky that we were comfortable enough financially, but certainly not wealthy.

I don't think it was better or worse than rural living but I don't think it's terrible for a child either.

How did you feel about city living?

Grew up in London, great childhood - always something to do, east transport and access to museums, events etc.
As an adult I am a town person, an afternoon in the countryside is my limit - can’t imagine living somewhere rural

I grew up in London, fairly central (zone 2). I loved growing up in London, but DH and I are raising our family in a more rural location and I can see that they are having a more "innocent" childhood than I did. Eg I was more aware of sex and drugs at a younger age than them.

DD has lived in London all her life and loves it, she would like to stay here although obviously due to house prices she is unlikely to.
I was raised rurally and it was utter shit. Left at 18, never went back other than for brief visits. Boring as fuck and I spent my teens drunk and snogging because there was nothing else to do.

I grew up in a small city and it was brilliant. Quick and easy to get into the centre for shopping/ school/ nights out. Loads of activities on. I don't think I could live rurally - I like it for a holiday, but the convenience of a city wins for me.

Not quite what you asked but I grew up in a semi-rural town and found it boring as fuck. Hated it. I now live in London and I’m never leaving - I don’t want kids, but if that changes I’d 100% bring them up in London. I wouldn’t want them to experience the boredom and small-mindedness I did.

My parents moved from London to the town before I was born, but as soon as I found this out I’ve been cross with them for not staying in London and bringing me up there. My friends who grew up in London loved it, in particular the diversity not just of race, but difference of lifestyles, opinions, ways of living, all in one enmeshed community. I wouldn’t want any hypothetical kids of mine to grow up somewhere almost exclusively white.

This sounds horrendously snobby, but I think the reason I didn’t end up with a small town mentality is because my parents worked in the London theatre scene before they moved to boringsville and despite being financially poor, were fairly culturally aware, had gay friends, talked to me about current affairs from a young age etc. They didn’t really fit in with the locals.

I love the convenience of London too. There was actually a fairly good train link to surrounding cities where I grew up, but buses were very poor and for true independence you had to drive which I never managed to master (learnt for 5 years, failed repeatedly!) when I was a teenager, and teens in the surrounding villages, there was absolutely nothing to do except drink in parks and bus stops and pile into the car of the mate who could drive, drive around aimlessly to find new bus stops to drink in. I know that happens in London as well and crime is higher but there are more options and opportunities in cities for young people.

I grew up in central London. SW1 central. One of my schools faced the main entrance of the Natural History Museum, the other was a stone’s throw from the Tate Gallery. I travelled to school on the tube by myself at 8. As a teen I went shopping on Oxford St, Covent Garden etc often. I had 24 hr public transport at my disposal and was very independent, very young. My dad used to joke that I’d been to every museum in London, and I was pretty adept at getting last minute tickets to the Royal Festival Hall.

Did I like it? I didn’t really know any better, but I visited my grandparents in the Sussex countryside, and knew I wanted to live rurally when I “grew up” - which I do. Now as the parent of a country mouse 13 year old, I have come to grasp the amount of freedom and flexibility I had at that age. I never needed my parents to drive me anywhere! What I am most grateful for though is the exposure to a wide cross section of society that my London upbringing gave me. My secondary school was not amazing academically, but the education in social understand and tolerance across race, culture, class etc was second to none. My dc are living the rural lifestyle I dreamt of, but it is very WASPy, and that concerns me.

Grew up in the city, but my parents never took advantage of all the free things to do for children — they thought concerts, museums, libraries (a) cost money and (b) weren’t for ‘the likes of us’ — so the best bits were playing on waste ground and the ruins of an old mansion.

DS was born in London and we now live close to the city centre in another city — he goes to an inner city school a short walk away, which has the kids out and around the city a lot, and we have theatres, galleries, museums, parks, the river etc close by, and really take advantage of them.

Yes. For part of my childhood. I loved being in a city. When we moved I hated living in the what I thought was the countryside, it was actually only 10 miles outside a city. I felt like I was in the back of beyond. I feel sorry for older children who live very rurally, who have to be given lifts everywhere.

Hated it.

Everything was grey and dirty. Grey pavements, grey buildings, grey skies (what you could see of them around the tower blocks), my face was black with pollution just from walking a mile to the library, constant noise, traffic, racist graffiti, broken glass and dog shit, never properly dark, never properly quiet, sirens and blue lights all night, along with the police helicopter. Plus finding yourself in a literal riot zone where you can't breathe properly because of the fumes from the places that have been torched less than a half mile away.

It's possible to love living in a city when you're from a wealthy family as your accommodation is better, you're in a nicer area where parks are for enjoying, not getting past as quickly as possible before you get accosted by street drinkers. beggars constantly going 'Scuze me' or gangs out for trouble and you actually have the money to be able to get from A to B whilst avoiding C.

I prefer being able to see the stars at night and hear the wind blowing through trees and the birds in the morning.

I grew up in a lovely London suburb in zone 5 which was a great place to grow up - lots of green space, good transport, 20 mins train into the centre of London, but good town centres nearby too. It was affordable for normal families then, but it's horrifically expensive now, so wouldn't be somewhere I could even consider living. But a good place to be a child, and for independence as a teenager, and a helpful base post-uni before I was able to move into a more central part of London.

DS and I are in a nice town of about 30k, ten mins on the train to a city of 120k or so, an hour to B'ham. I like being able to hear sheep and owls with the windows open, and being a few minutes walk from fields and orchards, but I wonder if it might be a little too dull as DS gets older.

Lived in a city and small market town. Loved them both - freedom as a n under-12 year old in small town ; freedom as a teenager in the city.

My parents rarely drove us anywhere, we walked or took the bus.

Loved it- and we were in a pretty dodgy end of town. But I loved (and still do) the freedom of being able to jump on a bus and go wherever. We didn’t have much money but there were enough free things going on, or as kids we’d just wander around town with a Greggs pastie 😁 I still don’t really like driving places, and would hate to live somewhere without good public transport.

As a teenager it was the best thing ever- loads of places to go and things to do (big Northern university city).

I

Funny- as my kids now say that they would rather live somewhere quieter- but I intentionally brought them up in a city, as my childhood had been more rural, and I just remember having to travel all the time.
I guess that they will have their families somewhere rural, who will them have their families in a city.
Ongoing cycle.

I’ve lived very rurally and in London zone 3 as an adult.

I spent my teen years in a snobby suburb of glasgow and I hated it. It’s the suburbs that are the worst place to be a teen I think. Dull as fuck.

Grew up in London, hated it. The pollution, the constant background noise, the traffic jams, the crime… Would have loved to be somewhere more rural.

I grew up in London suburbs and loved it. Best of both worlds I guess. Bus into central London and our local large shopping area plus local parks

I grew up in a small city and loved it. Everything was on our doorstep - shops, cafes and restaurants, cinema, small theatre, sports hall... The city was small enough that it didn't ever feel too busy, but also big enough that you didn't bump into acquaintances every day.

Direct train and buses to the big city and decent local transport. We were very independent from a young age and didn't need our parents to drive us anywhere.

My school was just outside the city though, in a big forest, so I think that helped the feeling of not living in the middle of a concrete park.

We were sent to grandparents for 8 weeks each summer, they lived very rurally. I loved the open space, greenery, slow pace, animals for about a week. After that I was really bored as there was absolutely nothing to do in the village, nor could I easily take myself to the closest city for a bit of... life. I would hate raising kids rurally myself.

I lived in the country until I was 6 and then moved into London. Living in London (zone 3) as a teenager/ young adult was full of things to do, I was never bored. We had family in a seaside town and I thought it was very dull and backward, back then it took months for the cinema to get the new films etc. However, despite all that I was acutely aware of growing up too quickly and losing my childhood and being exposed to adult life at too young an age.

When I had children I was determined to give them a rural old fashioned life which is what they had and loved and stayed 'children' as long as possible. I don't think they were bored and I made sure to live in a village with a train direct into the nearest cities so they had independence.

Some of them now live in London and love the variety of opportunities and cultural activities available. We were very conscious of making them aware growing up of the different races, cultures and other peoples opportunities or lack of them as much as possible.

It was good from about 16 after leaving school. Socialised non stop and went to college and got a job and had a pretty great social life looking back. (Didn't do very well in my a levels as a result )

Before that it was pretty dire as it was a very large deprived northern town. My school was one of the worst in the country. 330 in year 11 and a Gcse 5 A-C rate of 13%

It really was grim and I couldn't wait to leave.

Longed to have a big garden and a dog and a village primary school and a naice secondary.

Grew up in a city, had kids, panicked and moved to a semi rural town .. realised it was shit so are in the process of moving back to the city.
Downsizing massively! The only thing I will miss is my house!
But there's a reason why the houses are so cheap ...

The town was just too backward for us.
Very very small town mentality and years behind the city in every way.. attitudes, facilities.. even fashion.
Everyone knew everyone and not in a good way...

We met quite a few people who had moved there form The city and they have all since moved back...

Yes it was peaceful, yes it was quiet
But i was actually scared of my kids growing up there and never experiencing other cultures and ethnicities..

Luckily we can now afford to move to the same area I grew up in, which is wonderful!
A smaller house but I honestly couldn't give a monkeys.. my kids will have hobbies.. I will have hobbies.
And I won't be a taxi for years.

I still wish the rural dream had worked for us!
We tried so hard and for the first few years it was great and a novelty,
The kids were outside all the time.
But as they are getting older they need more than a large garden.. and the city provides that

Realised I didn't actually answer your question 🙈🙈

But yes, I grew up in a city and the opportunities and experiences it gave me were incredible! My parents didn't have much money but it was still a wonderful place to grow up!
I was a 10 minute bus away from
Everything a person could want or need!

Grew up in a small city - loved it. My school had a lot of kids who commuted in from rural areas and 90% were jealous of those who lived centrally

Grew up in London and hated it. I moved to the country as soon as I could. Dc want to live in a city!

I’m definitely a country girl. Born in the Elephant and castle. Too scared to go out, bottles thrown from pubs on the old Kent rd, one side of the road to the other. So many racist people. Bomb sites everywhere.
We moved to Essex . When I opened my bedroom window I could see a wood, corn fields and a million poppies. Felt like Anne of Green-gables. No made roads just tracks.

I grew up in the countryside and have almost always lived in the countryside or on the edges of a village. Always wanted to bring my kids up in a rural location and am doing so…..but….DC have recently changed school which is the opposite side of town and is a real PITA to get to (this move was not planned) and we have recently bought a flat in SW1 which we visit regularly. I don’t think I’m at the point where I’d actually move into a city but I can certainly see advantages of living local to the rest of your life. Hopefully our DC will get the best of both worlds with countryside weeks and central London weekends.