Yes, until you have a family. Then suddenly you need a good school nearby (and good luck bringing children to school in car if they have serious case of motion sickness).
Canadian small towns of 100-300k have good schools. Most of Canada lacks much of any kind of ghetto area. The few ghetto areas that exist are pretty easy to avoid. The good school worries that exist in the USA are pretty much nonexistent in Canada.
Especially if you have a family, too big cities are a cr*ppy selfish choice of parents. kids will have plenty of time to go super urban in their adulthood if that is what they want. As a kid I always felt sorry for kids from big/capital cities, out of touch from nature, far more exposed to stressful fast-paced life. The gap when meeting some was stunning (but this is obviously my super-anecdotal experience).
I walked to school back when I was in elementary school. In grade 2, my mother confirmed that I remembered the stranger rules, and stopped walking with me. It was about a 2km walk.
Why is it ok for this to not be the norm? Why do people just accept that their kids are growing up in a city where they can't be allowed to explore their environment?
I've lived on both sides of the fence. I cover much more ground living in the city then I ever did living in the country or suburbs. I drive 1-2 times a month now compared to 2-3 time a day living outside the city. In my experience the city inspires a lot more exploration. My daughter is all over Toronto on a daily basis.
"Stranger rules" are a net negative, in my opinion. The threat from strangers is overblown--if you want to minimize danger to your kids at the all costs, don't let them see relatives, ever.
