Should I stay or should I go now?

The truth is I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.  My girlfriend and I bought our house in May 2009 and thanks to the $8000 first time home buyers tax credit, we have to remain here for at least 3 years.  And that's totally fine since I love this neighborhood.  North Hampton is one of the great neighborhoods of St. Louis city.  It combines a near perfect location with a great park, retail within walking distance, it is very safe, and everyone is very friendly.  Oh and the neighborhood is chock full of a remarkable housing stock, home values remain stable, and we really love our house.

So why the hell would I be thinking about moving?  Well, I have been introduced to urban living and I am hooked.  North Hampton is really great but it isn't nearly as urban as its neighbors to the north and to the east.  The neighborhood may be safe, but there isn't the real cohesive community feel that other neighborhoods have.  In fact, the neighborhood isn't cohesive at all.  There are actually two neighborhoods within North Hampton, the Tilles Park neighborhood, and Kingshighway Hills, which doesn't even have a website!

Honestly though, I don't have any real complaints about North Hampton....I can see myself living here for many many years. It is more that I am intrigued my other city neighborhoods.  I walk/bike/drive through and I get excited just thinking about living there.  The feeling is strongest when I am in Tower Grove South, Shaw, the Grove, Benton Park, CWE, and Lafayette Square.  The housing stock in this neighborhoods are some of the best in the region, they have strong neighborhood associations, they have amazing historic parks, a lot of inter-neighborhood businesses and a strong identity/sense of place.  I also get the feeling similar neighborhoods have a very bright future ahead of them too such as McKinley Heights, Fox Park, Benton Park West, and Tower Grove East.  I would buy in any of the above and not really give it a second thought assuming I liked the property and street.

Except...this is the real world and a lot of things have to go into consideration before making such a huge decision.  I am happy now, would I really gain a lot by moving?  Shouldn't we live in our house longer than 3 years so it appreciates more?  What if we have to move to another city for career advancement?  What if we really want to start a family...shouldn't we stay in southwest city where it is safest and most family-friendly?  Will our friends and relatives hesitant to visit us if we are in a more transitional area?  Are we really prepared to deal with the complications of living in a more urban place?

I ponder these questions and more all the time.  The truth is that the only thing I'm certain about is that my future will be in the city (or a city if not the city of St. Louis) and not in the far flung suburbs.