Big City Life or That Suburban Freestyle?

Another day, another item they clash on -- city or suburbs -- where's the most ideal place to live? Sean and Sam have been exposed to both lifestyles and experienced a variety of environment changes in their combined 43 years on Earth. But if given the opportunity to pick one particular living situation, which would they choose?

Sean (for Urban Living):

Growing up in a suburban life has had quite a positive effect on me, being safe, trusting my neighbors and having a large yard to run around in and host neighborhood home run derbies. But as I got older and moved to East Lansing, as well as experiencing congested urban life overseas and in Oklahoma City, I have to say my mind on the perfect lifestyle has changed. I love being as close to people as possible, even if that means shoving individuals into an apartment building. Human interaction is what life is all about in my eyes. I love city markets, family-owned electronic stores and sandwich shops that no one's ever heard of in a gridlocked cityscape -- businesses every 10 feet. Public transportation, such as my personal favorite, subways, are great for getting around in large cities. Not needing to use a car is ideal and allows you to enjoy the outdoors more.

I feel that in a suburban life, we depend too much on cars. We hardly spend anytime outside in between traveling from building A to building B. Even ATM stops don't require you to step your sneakers on the pavement. City life, for the most part, is a more healthy choice, if lived correctly. Getting out in the morning to get the daily news at the corner store sounds ideal to me, as opposed to having it thrown onto your driveway by the punk paperboy. New York City, Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles are four of my most coveted locations and I desperately want to move to one of them soon. It's tough to find major media jobs in them as a 22-year-old recent graduate, but I won't stop till I get something I want -- in a city, not a suburb with a white picket fence. Not my style.

Sam (for Rocking the Suburbs):

For a gal who has lived in a major city for the better part of the last year, I detest urban areas. My ideal home is actually something like my parents house in Brighton. It's somewhat secluded but close enough to civilization that you have all the conveniences of urban living. When living in suburbs you can sleep in ease with the windows open, listen to the crickets sing you to sleep, and breath fresh air. Those are just a few of the things I have come to miss during my year in Denver.

Cities have a 'hard' feeling. People move faster and smile less. On any given weekend in the suburbs you can find children playing outside, dads mowing lawns, and people barbecuing. Little things like that are lost in the hustle of a city. Even in a 'friendly' and safe city like Denver it's rare to see children playing outside, or neighbors chatting on the sidewalk. Now that the temperatures are warm I often ride with the windows down during my frequent visits to Boulder. As soon as I reach city limits, I can tell I'm back in real life. The air becomes fresh, the noise level drops, the traffic dies down, and the blinding lights dull. As soon as I hit that point, I feel as if a headache has just disappeared. Big cities are attractive to many 20 somethings like myself; however, I think going out to the cool new bars and running a muck all night is over-rated. I'd rather live in a place where you can feel safe while taking an evening stroll and have late-night bonfires with your friends. I suppose, the slower more traditional lifestyle just happens to be my style.