Living on a vibrant city street has its pros and cons – and whether something is a pro or a con depends on your personality.

If you're looking to live a well-connected, vibrant lifestyle, a bustling main street location might be perfect for you.

Bars and Restaurants

Having easy access to a whole buffet of bars, restaurants, and places to socialise is great. After all, if you’re thinking of living in an inner-city urban area, it’s part of the lifestyle.

The plus side of main street life includes more options for dinner and a wealth of choice when looking for venues to catch up with friends. If you also enjoy a late night or two and don’t mind the atmosphere that goes along with it, you’ll be fine.

The benefits of being able to pop out at the drop of a hat and be home in minutes can certainly outlay any negatives. Just ask your friend who has to come back from the ‘burbs to pick up their car on a Saturday morning because they went out for a few impromptu after work Friday drinks the night before.

Many developments on main streets also include cafes or restaurants on the ground level – it doesn’t get more convenient than that.

Transport Connections

Those of us who live in or close to the city often do so because of the easy access to public transport. Having to commute on the freeways every day seems like a nightmare.

The convenience of living close to your place of work also means you might have to get used to trams or buses rumbling past your front door. If you want all the benefits of good transport connections, you might have to put up with some of the hubbub that comes with it.

This is something to consider if you don’t like the idea of traffic in general. Traffic on the roads themselves can also be an issue for some. If it takes you ten minutes to get out of your driveway, it can be a pain.

But the benefit of a new apartment building is that parking is likely to be included, so you can drive home safe in the knowledge there’s your own personal parking spot ready and waiting.

The ‘Vibe’

A big selling point of a lot of apartment developments is the neighbourhood ‘vibe’. Usually, this refers to the combination of recreational and retail amenities, the kind of lifestyle they create and the locals who live that lifestyle.

For some, the vibe of an inner-city neighbourhood is one of the key attractions to living there and they wouldn’t dream of living out in the suburbs.

Main street living doesn’t always mean a super-busy vibe. The trick is to find a development in a location that matches your own lifestyle – or one that you want to adopt. Not all main street developments are the same, nor is every neighbourhood. Find one that resonates with you and you can have the best of both worlds.

If you’re up for a vibrant lifestyle, main street living offers all the action you’re looking for.

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Hero image: Penny Lane