What sort of environment is best for kids to grow up in?

[sdra]

I've heard lots people say that the countryside or the coast is best for kids when they are young but a town or a city is better when they hit the teens. Also London too for the vast amount of cool things to do.

Do you agree? Where did you grow up and did you enjoy it?

I grew up in rural countryside and loved it but definitely felt quite isolated as a teen. That said I don't recall hating it. It was more just a faff to get to places and I always loved coming home after school.

I guess I'm asking as we are thinking about moving but a bit daunted by where might be best for us all. The wfh thing now means we are no longer tied to the commuter belt. I love big cities but also love wilderness and I'm not sure I'm going to get both.

@TheVanguardSix the thing is I'm not sure most people can afford a family home in Kew, Richmond or Chiswick.

@TheVanguardSix the thing is I'm not sure most people can afford a family home in Kew, Richmond or Chiswick.

I understand what you're saying, but there are people who can afford it. Perhaps the OP is one of them. OP likes a big city. That's where I live, but in a part that can be like being out in the country. It might fit the bill. Just offering my two cents. I think I'm allowed to still post, even if I am a Londoner.

I think it depends how committed you would be to being your children's taxi. My parents moved us from a city centre with a lot of drug culture and crime to the middle of no where when I was 10; we essentially lived in the middle of a field with only 5 or 6 houses within a mile radius. There were no buses; the nearest bus was a 4 mile walk away. It meant we were never anywhere my parents didn't know where we were because they had to take us but to their credit, both worked full time and there were 4 of us kids but they very rarely didn't take us wherever we asked to go. They bought us mopeds when we turned 16 and cars with driving lessons as soon as we were 17 to increase our independence but obviously before that we were reliant solely on them to go anywhere. I loved living in the countryside and the appeal now for my own daughter is if she turns out to be as stroppy as I was she can storm out the front door and go and sulk in the field as appose to the middle of the city centre with God knows who.

Grew up in London, loved it. We could travel all over by public transport at a young age - so many cultural experiences to be had and fun places to visit.

We lived in a very small village when we first had a child, it was lovely initially when we did lots of 'family' activities and we would be driving our DS anyway but when he was 10 we moved to a small town and it did give him more independence... he could walk to school on his own, walk to sporting activities, meet friends etc. We were still on the edge of the countryside for more rural activities.

Apart from my university days (40 years ago) I have never lived in a city, I would love to experience city living, always seems exciting with so many options of things to do but maybe that's just wishful thinking.

We live in a small town. Dh would love to live more rurally but my teen/tween DC are just getting some independence - they can walk to school, walk to friends, the teen can get on the train to a bigger town with friends. If we moved out, they would have less independence and I would become a taxi service. I also feel that (in normal times) there would be less scope for lift shares when going to/from parties or sports clubs.

We’ve always been in the suburbs of big cities, but fairly close in. We’ve made sure we’ve been waking distance to decent sized woods though, so hopefully ticking most boxes.