If its not broken, don't fix it

This was such an interesting topic to me, being from an extremely small suburban (some may say rural) town.  We didn’t have the convenience of some things that cities offered, but I wouldn’t trade my childhood home and the town of Lancaster for anything.  I had a nice size home, spacious yard, and quiet road to play and ride bikes.  Everyone was close knit and happy.  Generations of families settled here, and even some people who worked in Charlotte (45 mins north) chose to live in Lancaster, SC.  I've noticed in the past couple of years the growth from Charlotte is making its way down Highway 521 with tons of buildings and apartments coming up, almost as if they're trying to make the area something it's not.  This is causing many people to move further and further down crowding each town from there out. 

Looking at where I am today, I just signed a lease for an apartment in Montgomery, Alabama.  While still southern and economically friendly, it’s in a city that’s something I’m not used to.  I’m paying well over $1,000/month for a smaller apartment.  It will definitely be a change for me, and I am already considering buying an affordable place in the suburbs of Montgomery after my lease is up, where my space would double in size, and mortgage would be half of my rent, yet I would be just as happy and comfortable.  This is where the majority of families choose to trade the city life in for when they settle.  Sure, there are positives and negatives to every city and suburb, but they work.  So, why fix suburbs if they aren’t “broken”?

In the end, it’s a total opinion of each individual.  Some people may choose to stay in the city, spend an absurd amount on tiny housing, but have different conveniences, while others (like me) would prefer to commute to work and settle in a larger home with room for my family to live and grow having other luxuries like cars, etc.  It’s all about preference and personal desires.