I live in a city because searching for affordable housing doesn’t leave much choice. Waiting lists are months or even years long, so when a spot opens up, you take it.

I lucked out massively by landing the neighborhood I got. Traffic has its moments (mainly when events are going on at the local arena), but not any worse than I’ve experienced elsewhere outside the city. The walkability is a huge plus that outweighs it anyway, and is something that I never had in the suburbs.

It’s not heaven, but it’s certainly not hell. That said, I didn’t have a choice, and that’s the real issue at the heart of it all.