My family's immigrant story certainly started in the suburbs. We arrived from Britain in 1976 (I was five years old) and rented a townhouse in Meadowvale, Mississauga. Two years later my parents bought a house at Winston Churchill and Derry.
But, with my Dad working downtown it made no sense to live in the 'burbs, so my parents sold the big Mississauga house and bought a bungalow north of Kingston Rd. in the "upper" beach (debatable real estate jargon, I know. To me, upper beach is anything north of Queen, south of Kingston Rd).
Moving to Toronto was the smartest thing our parents could have ever done for us. I could now readily and easily take transit everywhere, had access to great bike trails, vast part-time employment opportunities (try finding a part time job in Meadowvale in 1985, it's there, but hard to find), access to free city swimming pools (you don't find that in 'Ssauga) and for whatever reason I connected with a much more academically-focused crowd that the pot-smoking hosers I used to hang out with in Meadowvale.
When it came time to buy a place in 1998 (after getting my uni degree in Ottawa), I chose Cabbagetown, even though my work was at Highway 7 and 400 in Vaughan. Soon enough I landed a job at Yonge and Lawrence, and life was grand. I've had other jobs since then, and lived in Fredericton for three years, but am now back in Cabbagetown.
Speaking as an immigrant, I'd say downtown living is far, far better than the 'burbs.