The 'Burbs

This science blogger asks, earnestly, "What's so good about the suburbs?" and gets a few interesting answers, including from someone in Huntsville, Alabama, who argues for their home as a city (of sorts). I was a suburban creature until I moved to New York when I was almost 27, so I feel like I know both experiences pretty well. Big-city living has two major advantages -- access to culture and public transportation (though even many cities are weak on that second part). I'd score most of the rest for the suburbs (living space, noise levels, cleanliness, grocery stores, etc.), but the wild card is socializing. City life creates more opportunities for it, and I think also attracts the kind of people who want to socialize more frequently. I'm not someone who wants the typical picket-fence set-up, but if I had good friends around, I wouldn't have a problem with the 'burbs. Of course, there are some that seem too creepy for words.