The 'burbs are the worst combination of city and rural. In either urban or rural areas, it's fun to get out and walk/hike, see the sites (city), feel nature (rural), etc.
In the 'burbs, about all you can do (unless there is a city center) is walk the neighborhood. And unless it's pre-50s, the neighborhood is going to be look-alike tract homes.
We used to live right by the beach in a congested part of LA's beach cities; when we had our first kid, we moved down to OC into a larger house. Even though we're now only 1.5 miles from the beach, it took a little adjusting to get out and about.
I swear I gained 10-15 lbs over last 4 years before I figured out how to deal with this new lifestyle (ie driving a car everywhere) and lose the weight.