I prefer living just outside a large city. I love being close to anything I need or want, but just far enough away to not be right in it all the time. I also hate living too far away. Where we currently live is alright, although I miss being closer to certain things. The city we now live in (actually bought a house just outside the city limits) is alright and has most things, but I still end up taking trips either to Wilmington (1 hour away) or Raleigh (2 hours away) for certain things. That is the major thing I miss about living just outside of Charlotte. On the other hand living a half hour from the beach is great.