Both city life and suburban living have their benefits and drawbacks.

While there is no concrete answer as to which is better, here are some points to consider if you are thinking of transitioning from the city to the suburbs.

Community and family

Suburbs are less densely populated than cities and there is often a greater sense of community among residents. Living in a suburban neighborhood allows for the opportunity to form relationships with families nearby. Suburban residents tend to stay put longer, providing the opportunity to form long-term relationships with neighbors that may not be possible in cities.

People who live in cities tend to move more frequently due to a variety of reasons, making it more difficult to form and maintain friendships with neighbors or other local people in the area. Children who attend schools in the suburbs are more likely to form long-term friendships and grow up together than those children living in cities.


Generally speaking, schools in the suburbs usually rank higher than those in the city, particularly the inner city. This is due to a number of factors, including funding disparities and higher city populations. Standardized test scores consistently rank higher in suburban schools.

Since homes are spread out more in the suburbs, there is a lower risk for overcrowding.

Smaller class sizes allow students to get more specialized attention that they may need in order to learn, which they would not have had the opportunity to receive in more densely populated city schools.

Living space

The suburbs give home buyers the opportunity to purchase more property for the same price or oftentimes much lower than in urban areas. Larger homes with more square footage are easier to come by in the suburbs largely due to the amount of space available.

On average, properties in the suburbs provide enough acreage to accommodate significant yard space. Finding this amount of the space in a city environment will be difficult and will add up quickly.

A suburban living space will also often be quieter and experience fewer disturbances from people nearby. Suburban areas have less traffic than cities, which also makes for a cleaner environment.

While urban living can be quite attractive, when you are beginning to start a family or already have one, you may find life outside the city a breath of fresh air.

Susan McDonough of Medfield is a Realtor and a sales associate in the Wellesley office of William Raveis Real Estate. She can be reached at Susan.McDonough@raveis.com.