As a base line, this is my mental model for suburban living: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence,_South_Carolina https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence,_Sout

As a base line, this is my mental model for suburban living: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence,_South_Carolina https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence,_South_Carolina Less crime in absolute maybe, but it's a toss up as to crime per-captia. Driving being viable is just a twisted way of saying driving is required; a strong con for many people including myself (and eats away at all of those real estate savings when you've got car payments and insurance). You just buy online and ship for most large items; rent a van for everything else. Lack of walking is another con; there's a reason the south sports 40% obesity rates. The special thing about "city food" is the diversity. Small populations can't support a plurality of niche restaurants and vendors. Being "away from civilization" I'll admit is subjective, but I don't think at all disingenuous. In the city we have touring bands, brand new stage productions, top of the line art museums, screenings of foreign films, a thriving music scene, and, perhaps most importantly, the ability to meet and learn from people from all over the world. Giving that up for an HOA and yard work seems like a raw deal.