We all have a list of “nevers.” I will never let my baby eat processed food. I will never let my kids have an iPad. I will never drive a minivan. I will never wear pjs dropping off my children at school. And we have all had to backtrack on some, if not all, of those statements. The cliché is true: never say never.
One of my strongest nevers was “I will never move to the suburbs.” Even though I was raised in the suburbs, I was adamant that I would never own a house outside the city center. I have a list of reasons that still hold true – the houses in town have more character, I like the restaurants better, my husband’s commute would be shorter. I also wanted to live in the city where people were open-minded, my kids could be exposed to diversity, we could eat at fabulous restaurants, and take advantage of the arts and cultural hotspots. I assumed the suburbs were cookie-cutter houses, chain restaurants, and a narrow political spectrum.
I was Wrong
I’m here to say I was wrong and I am now a converted suburbanite.
In 2018, we moved to Sugar Land after a five-year stint in a small town in Louisiana. While I had dreams of inner-city real estate, my husband had dreams of living in a master-planned community and the numbers backed his reasoning. It was more affordable. The schools were good. We would have more room. His argument was solid so I begrudgingly agreed to live there on what I considered a trial basis.
Benefits of the Suburbs
While it wasn’t love at first sight, I slowly came to appreciate what my suburb had to offer. So maybe the houses don’t have as much character, but we do have more space. My kids have a playroom all their “stuff” can stay in. My downstairs, in theory, stay clutter-free.
It turns out with two kids I’m not going to as many fabulous restaurants as I assumed I would. When we do want to go in to one of the top-notch restaurants Houston has to offer, it takes us about 35 minutes to get there. There have been times it has taken me 35 minutes to go 8 miles in central Houston so closer doesn’t always mean faster. Additionally, we have found great locally owned spots by us that our entire family loves.
It’s important for me to stay plugged in and expose my kids to the arts so we still take advantage of Houston’s world-class museums, ballet, and theatre.
My concern that my children wouldn’t be exposed to diversity in the suburbs was wrong as Fort Bend County is also ethnically and politically diverse. According to DatatUSA.com, Fort Bend is currently 31.8% white, 20.1% Asian, 19.9% black, 19% White (Hispanic) and 3.91% Other (Hispanic). Additionally, in the last presidential election, Fort Bend county voted 54.6% Democrat, 44% Republican, and 1.4% Independent. My kids will be surrounded by differing views on a range of topics which is what I wanted.
Once my initial doubts were gone, I realized there are a lot of perks to living in a master-planned community. My kids can safely ride their bikes to school or to friends’ houses. The autonomy they are able to have is great for their self-esteem. The community pool is magical for tired parents during the summer and the HOA, admittedly a double-edged sword, maintains our neighborhood and keeps it looking fresh. I adore our neighborhood elementary school.
Never Say Never to Your Dreams
I won’t lie and say that my dreams of inner-city life have completely died. When I envision our retirement years they involve a small bungalow, townhome, or condo in the city, but I’ve learned even if I’m never an “inner-looper” I can be happy where I’m planted and find the good.
I can’t wait to see which “never” I backtrack on next.
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