What makes an area great to live in? 

You might be a country mouse who wants to live in beautiful nature, away from the hustle and bustle of big-city life. You might be a city mouse who loves the chaos and grime of a city, and every cultural and economic institution that is at your fingertips. 

Of course, if you aren’t extreme enough to want to live in New York City or rural Mississippi, the suburbs serve as the middle ground between the two, and a great deal of the population finds itself comfortable there. It’s easy to rag on the suburbs. They are nowhere near as beautiful as the country, but have just enough natural beauty in manicured front lawns and Wal-Mart parking lots at sunset to keep the residents satiated. Suburbanites feel a sense of security because they aren’t living as close to others as they would in the city. If you live in an HOA suburb, you’re allowed, and even encouraged, to tattle on your neighbors for just about anything. If the house kitty-corner to yours has the wrong color mulch in its garden, you can tell them and force them to change it. It’s the perfect place for busybodies to live.