Is your current neighbourhood really the best place to raise a family?

I grew up in a country subdivision, with free run of the nearby fields and woods. My husband is a confirmed city boy who has no love for the great outdoors. When we started our family, we blended the two, ending up in a part of Toronto that feels like a small town. Our house is close to a pretty ravine, quiet streets, and generations of the same families living around the corner from each other, but we’ve also got easy access to public transit, trendy stores and good restaurants (not that we get to go there these days…).

Writer and Vice Magazine founder Gavin McInnes makes his case for the suburbs in the  Bunch Family post, “Is it Wrong to Stay in the City?“ Known for his hipster and ahead-of-the-trend leanings, it’s surprising to see McInnes come out in in favour of the suburbs, which often get a bad rap for being soulless and against nearly everything Vice stands for.

The father of two makes his case for the suburbs (especially his beloved outer-Ottawa ‘hood), arguing that country kids are lonely, while city kids are over-scheduled and under too much parental surveillance. The suburbs are where it’s really at, he says, adding that the not-city-but-not-quite-country space gives kids just enough freedom to safely make all the best mistakes.

McInnes isn’t the only one yearning for a simpler life. Our parenting columnist Karen Green has written about how she quit the Big Smoke for small town life last year.

For a third perspective on the argument, check out Philip Preville’s controversial article “Exodus To The Burbs.” The Toronto Life story, which ran in September 2011, caused consternation as it chronicled the families who are trading in hectic city life for a “semi-retired” pace in the ‘burbs. (And here’s a roundup of reactions to Preville’s story.)

What do you think? Are you a city mouse? A country mouse? Or somewhere in between?