I'd love rural living, but I've opted for a walkable suburb on the coast. My current job allows me to work at home full time unless I am traveling, and my wife

I'd love rural living, but I've opted for a walkable suburb on the coast. My current job allows me to work at home full time unless I am traveling, and my wife commutes but has a flexible schedule and gets to work at home regularly. There are times where the diversity of a city would be great, but I don't like the noise, traffic, or public transportation. In the bay area, BART is ok, Caltrain isn't bad, but Muni? Oy. Just coming back from a business trip to Tokyo (my first time here), I can see how public transport can be very efficient. That said, even here, I got to over hear some google employees whining about their offices being moved to an area that was mostly business park and not wanting to commute. No matter where you choose to live, there are personal choices that are part of the calculus.