What are the pros and cons of City Limits vs. Just Outside City Limits?
Taxes! Police! Utilities, services. Bureaucracy and dealing with city hall versus county council (or equiv).
The MHU Due Diligence Manual covers this, and then goes into detail on each topic. If you haven’t already go grab a copy of it - worth every penny.
In my opinion there are no significant differences. The services that the city or township provide vary with every situation. Township councils can be extremely diverse from lenient to off the wall ridged. City politicians may be more consistent or not. Every community owner adjusts to whatever business environment exists so make a decision based on the community itself and the demographics of the client base.
There is no magic bullet in dealing with any bureaucracy. Comply with whatever codes are in place and everyone will be happy.