Life in the 'Burbs: Life is Cheaper There

I live in Central Austin. I have always lived inside Austin, in a fairly central location (except for the one time we lost our minds and moved south to Sunset Valley...but that was a temporary moment of insanity never to be repeated again). Most of the people we know live in Austin, except for family. ARGH. The inlaws all live in the 'burbs. I don't know that they are technically the 'burbs since they are so far out they have to be separate towns. But they are the surrounding areas where most people flee when they can't afford the big city, don't want to live in the older homes in town or just don't like Austin. Anyway, I don't see the allure. The homes all look the same. Each neighborhood is built by a single developer and they use the cookie cutter method of building homes. I am not sure how people can tell their home from the home next to them. Plus there are no trees to speak of. They have planted small trees but they are not big enough to provide any shade. They're more like shrubs.

Out in the 'burbs, there are no unique shops or restaurants. Everything is a chain. Walmart, Chilis, McDonalds...it's always the same. Unfortunately some of the bigger chains feel like they MUST build in the 'burbs only and don't have stores in central Austin, so if you HAVE to go to Walmart, you may have to travel some. In town we have unique shops and stores. Central Market is IN TOWN. Fresh Plus is IN TOWN. The best local restaurants are IN TOWN. The cultural centers like museums are IN TOWN. Why would any one want to live way out there and miss what the city has to offer. A cheaper house does not a HOME make.