Top LOOKS for Suburbs With Downtowns
Suburbs With Downtowns: Walkable Life at a Slower Pace
So many suburbs are built around cul-de-sacs and shopping centers. Others grew up around a real downtown. A few blocks of shops and public spaces that give the place a sense of core. In these towns, people run into each other more naturally, and you feel like you really live in a place that, on its own, you can be proud of and excited to raise your kids, and still have things to do on a date night or a family night after a game.
A downtown doesn’t have to be big to make a difference. It gives people a reason to stay local and keeps a sense of community that a lot of suburbs lost or never had. The best ones still feel lived in, with a past, rather than not just developed or themed.
What Makes a Suburb With a Downtown
- **A real main area. A walkable stretch of a few blocks with restaurants, stores, and small businesses that locals actually use.
- Enough people to support it. Usually between 40,000 and 150,000 residents, big enough for activity, small enough to feel familiar.
- Working mix of uses. Offices, apartments, civic buildings, and housing close to downtown instead of endless shopping centers.
- Regular community life. Markets, concerts, or events that draw people downtown on weekends instead of to the mall.
- Proximity to a metro area. Often close enough to commute, but with its own rhythm and identity.
Some of our Favorite Suburbs with Downtowns
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville has one of the strongest suburban downtowns in the country. The Riverwalk ties the area together, and there’s no shortage of restaurants or local events. It’s busy on weekends but still feels like a hometown, not a tourist spot.
Why It Works: The city kept investing in its downtown instead of letting it fade, so it stayed the center of daily life even as the suburb grew.
Plano, Texas
Plano’s downtown is small but genuine. Historic buildings, a few blocks of good restaurants, and the DART light rail make it easy to get around. It’s the kind of place where you can live in a house but still walk to dinner.
Why It Works: The combination of rail access and preserved historic blocks makes it more connected and character-rich than most Dallas suburbs.
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder isn’t a suburb, but Pearl Street plays the same role for its surrounding neighborhoods — it’s where everything happens. Street musicians, bookstores, and busy patios keep it lively day and night.
Why It Works: It has the density and culture of a downtown without losing the outdoor, small-city feel that defines Boulder.
Kirkland, Washington
Kirkland’s downtown stretches right along Lake Washington, with small parks, cafés, and a waterfront trail that ties it all together. People come for the view but stay for the walkability.
Why It Works: It’s one of the few suburbs that feels like a real coastal town — you can work in Seattle and come home to water and open space.
Greenville, South Carolina
Downtown Greenville is often held up as an example of how to bring a downtown back to life. The Main Street area is full of restaurants and shops, and Falls Park has become the heart of the city.
Why It Works: Public investment paid off — people actually spend time downtown, and that’s made the surrounding neighborhoods thrive too.
Tiburon, California
Tiburon’s downtown is small and quiet, lined with restaurants that look out over the Bay. The ferry to San Francisco gives it a nice connection to the city without the stress of living there. Consider Tiburon if you want a stunning location, a small downtown but proximity to an amazing city.
Why It Works: It’s one of the few Bay Area suburbs that still feels like a town rather than a collection of houses, small, scenic, and manageable.
Holland, Michigan
Holland’s downtown has real history and doesn’t feel overly polished. The local shops, old brick buildings, and year-round festivals (including their famous-ish Tulip Festival) make it feel steady and local. Even the sidewalks are heated to stay walkable in winter.
Why It Works: The town invests in things that make daily life better, not just prettier, and that’s kept people close to home.
Things to Know
Downtown suburbs are great if you want a slower pace without feeling isolated. Most still require a car, but you’ll use it less. Housing near the center can be pricey, and weekends can get crowded when everyone heads downtown, but the tradeoff is a more complete community — one where there’s always something happening nearby.
-Take the LookyLOO Quiz
-Create Your MoveBook
to explore suburbs that still have a real downtown and a sense of place.
FAQ About Suburbs with Downtowns
Q: How is this different from a “main street” town?
A: Suburbs with downtowns are usually part of a bigger metro area, you can commute to a large city, while main street towns tend to be more self-contained and independent. People like suburbs with downtowns because you have a local "city" you can live around but then go into the big city for bigger events or a change of pace.
Q: Are they fully walkable?
A: Usually just in the downtown core. Most residents still drive for errands, but there’s at least one area where walking works. Growth in development over storefronts or in area condos/apartments is growing the options for a walkable lifestyle, particularly if it's a suburb on a commuter train line.
Q: Are they expensive?
A: Often, yes. The mix of good schools, low crime, and a walkable center drives demand. But you can still find smaller or less-known examples in most metros. Typically, though these will be farther from the big city center.
Q: Who tends to move here?
A: People leaving big cities who miss walkability, families who like having things to do close to home. Really, anyone who wants local restaurants and parks within reach. The retail chain Anthropologie was credited with recognizing a target market of women who "wished" they still lived in a city but, for family reasons, are in the 'burbs and crave a city/town with a downtown. You tend to find them in these suburbs with downtowns.
Q: How do you know if it fits?
A: Visit on a random weeknight. If the lights are on, restaurants are full, and people are walking around, it’s probably the kind of suburb that stays alive between weekends. Or consider a Saturday morning. See if the downtown center is filled with dog walking and coffee clutching.