We thought a small town outside the suburbs would be perfect for our family — but ended up in a walkable city instead

We didn't plan on moving to a city, but we're so glad we did.

John Serbell

More and more families are choosing to move to semi-rural communities and developments outside the suburbs, according to 2025 Census data. My family almost did, too.In 2019, we bought an off-grid house on 40 acres in northern New Mexico. Then, in 2021, our son was born, and after a traumatic postpartum experience, we decided to move back to the St. Louis area, where my wife is from.At first, we thought we wanted land and space. We figured that even an acre or two would allow us to stretch out and feel close to nature, all while enjoying the benefits of living near a city.We ended up landing on something else entirely.Surprisingly, we fell in love with a neighborhood in the city

My wife suggested we expand our real-estate search to the city.

John Serbell