i agree that there is suburbia and there is suburbia.

I've been in suburbs that were heavily car-based and didn't even have side walks for pedestrians to walk the hood. I've been in suburbs that were about 2-4 miles from the nearest grocery, but then development happened and it was an easy 1 mi trot to lots of amenities. I've been in suburbs that were revitalized old towns (my personal favorite) that blended via sprawl into the city.

I currently live in a suburb that has a cute little downtown, but no real grocery. There's a corner shop that has a bit of food (mostly processed, but some fresh fruit/veg), another corner shop that focuses on candy/ice cream, two cafes and a fish and chip's shop, a dress shop, and an art gallery, plus our local doctor. There's also an accountant's office, several churches with different public functions, and the bowles club which has the RSA. I'm working to bring in a farmer's market -- ideally a bi-weekly one eventually.

I can't walk to work -- I can take a bus or drive, and we discovered that it saves time and money to drive (i think this is poor planning on the part of the city, but hey, that's just me) so we drive. If the bus system were more affordable, we'd probably go that route as I actually enjoy doing the bus.

I would prefer to live back in the city. I think it would be better for us, but DH loves this suburb. It's only a 15 minute drive to the city, so it's not like it's "far out" -- it's just that I have to drive!