Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I would say there's a third type of suburb as well. Most of New England was actually laid out as fairly rural towns (often with commercial cores) well before suburbanization happened. After suburbs kicked into high gear, they densified, but the resulting road pattern is nothing like the typical cul-de-sac pattern of suburbs elsewhere in the country. Instead the roads just seem random and meandering, and the lot sizes are very large. Here's my hometown, and you can see what I mean. For the most part, you just can't pick out where different builders filled stuff in - and not only because it's been many decades since the bulk of construction.
This ^^^^^
In the east many suburbs began as small towns and villages rather than housing developments, sometimes dating back to the17th century. They have had a lot more time to acquire culture. We don't know where "out west" you are but San Francisco and it's suburbs make a very typical example of an eastern city. In the east everything is older and more established, usually with a history behind it.
Last edited by bryson662001; 10-16-2013 at 11:07 AM..
Its interesting you mentioned Levittown, This is because one of the main reasons that people have even heard of Levittown is because when it was built is was so controversial and different from previous developments on Long Island.
Before WW2, most developed areas on Long Island were of two types. There were the ports along the water, usually dating from the colonial days. Then there was the railroad and streetcar suburbs that were built up from the 1800s and early 1900s.
So here is the difference between Long Island and other suburbs, while much of Nassau and western Suffolk is typical suburban sprawl (especially in the center of the Island where the flat farmlands used to be), there are many pockets where you can still see a older type of development with small downtowns and village centers.
So if someone thinks that Long Island suburbs is just places like Levittown I suggest they take a trip up to Huntington Village. Or Northport. Down to Babylon Village and Amityville. Out to Sayville and Bellport. Back to Port Jefferson, Setauket and Stony Brook. You get the drift.
Levittown (New York) is just one part of the Town of Hempstead. Hempstead is the most crowded part of suburban Long Island containing about 1/3 of the Nassau-Suffolk population in its borders. The good thing for some people is that you are very close to the city.
But even Hempstead has a history that some western suburbs simply do not have (not to mention ocean beaches!). Here is some of the historic landmarks in Hempstead.
Bedell House (1689)
Bellmore Schoolhouse
Birdsall House (1794)
Campgrounds Chapel
Campgrounds Minister's House
Carman-Irish House (1700)
Clowes Homes
Curtiss Airfield
DeMott Family Cemetery
East Rockaway Grist Mill (1688)
Franklin Square National Bank
Geischen Manor
Harold Avenue Cemetery
Herman House
Hewlett House (1740)
Jackson House (1644)
Jerusalem Avenue Schoolhouse
Jones/Dengler Farm House (1700s)
Lawrence House (1830)
Longman House (1854)
Merrick Library
Rock Hall Museum (1767) St. John of Jerusalem Chapel (1865) (oldest church in Levittown???)
St. Michael Episcopal Church
St. Paul's Presbyterian Church & Cemetery
Schoenlein-Mott House
Seaford Historical Society Museum
Seaman Venier House
Seaside Lodge #260 Odd Fellows Hall
Southard House (1655)
Town Hall
United Methodist Church Cemetery
United Methodist Church of Hempstead Weber House (1947) (one of the first Levitt houses, still owned by the first owners, the Webers)
Of course I know about the Levittowns but they are not typical of eastern suburbs, they are typical of western suburbs and they were all built by the same company on the same pattern.
In the east many suburbs began as small towns and villages rather than housing developments, sometimes dating back to the17th century. They have had a lot more time to acquire culture. We don't know where "out west" you are but San Francisco and it's suburbs make a very typical example of an eastern city. In the east everything is older and more established, usually with a history behind it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bryson662001
Of course I know about the Levittowns but they are not typical of eastern suburbs, they are typical of western suburbs and they were all built by the same company on the same pattern.
Well, yeah, because there's no history in the west. It may come as some surprise to you, but there are many western suburbs such as you described above as well. Many of the Denver suburbs were once small farm towns, and some were old mining towns. Golden was a mining town, a brewing town, and the territorial capital of Colorado. Several suburban cities are county seats, e.g. Brighton, Littleton, Golden, Castle Rock, and Boulder. Boulder has the flagship university.
Of course I know about the Levittowns but they are not typical of eastern suburbs, they are typical of western suburbs and they were all built by the same company on the same pattern.
The scale of Levittown isn't typical, but otherwise, its style isn't that atypical.
Its interesting you mentioned Levittown, This is because one of the main reasons that people have even heard of Levittown is because when it was built is was so controversial and different from previous developments on Long Island.
Before WW2, most developed areas on Long Island were of two types. There were the ports along the water, usually dating from the colonial days. Then there was the railroad and streetcar suburbs that were built up from the 1800s and early 1900s.
So here is the difference between Long Island and other suburbs, while much of Nassau and western Suffolk is typical suburban sprawl (especially in the center of the Island where the flat farmlands used to be), there are many pockets where you can still see a older type of development with small downtowns and village centers.
So if someone thinks that Long Island suburbs is just places like Levittown I suggest they take a trip up to Huntington Village. Or Northport. Down to Babylon Village and Amityville. Out to Sayville and Bellport. Back to Port Jefferson, Setauket and Stony Brook. You get the drift.
Great post, though the majority of Long Islanders (and NYC suburbanites in general) live in Levittown-era development and later.
Scroll down. Only 19% of NYC suburban housing stock is 1940 and earlier. Not a perfect of where people live, as you can older village or downtown with newer housing stock, but it's a decent gauge. Though, only Providence and Boston has much older suburbs than NYC, and that's partly because they did less annexation; the metro-wide difference is smaller.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katiana
Well, yeah, because there's no history in the west. It may come as some surprise to you, but there are many western suburbs such as you described above as well. Many of the Denver suburbs were once small farm towns, and some were old mining towns. Golden was a mining town, a brewing town, and the territorial capital of Colorado. Several suburban cities are county seats, e.g. Brighton, Littleton, Golden, Castle Rock, and Boulder. Boulder has the flagship university.
But most western suburbs have much less old parts than eastern ones. From the chart, Denver suburbs are only 2% pre-1940.
This is probably a stupid question and is largely a result of my own ignorance, but I've been watching a lot of horror movies in anticipation for Halloween and I was wondering if the same sort of "suburbia" (I got this from the fact that basically every slasher movie is some non-descript suburb being terrorized by a murderer) exists out east as it does out west?
Are you kidding? Most of the east is made up of suburbs of all kinds outside the general cities. Outside of New York, New Jersey is made up of upper class suburbs. Connecticut is the same. The lower states like North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia are made up of suburbs. Florida is suburbia nation. We have many upon many. Contrary to urbanist, suburbs ain't going anywhere.
Scroll down. Only 19% of NYC suburban housing stock is 1940 and earlier. Not a perfect of where people live, as you can older village or downtown with newer housing stock, but it's a decent gauge. Though, only Providence and Boston has much older suburbs than NYC, and that's partly because they did less annexation; the metro-wide difference is smaller.
But most western suburbs have much less old parts than eastern ones. From the chart, Denver suburbs are only 2% pre-1940.
Thanks for posting that link. Very interesting information.
One thing that is interesting is that a place like Baltimore that is very historic in it's core(or a few outlying towns) overall metro-wide has close to the same percentages of buildings built pre-1940s as a place like Portland. As well, San Francisco and Oakland rank just below Philadelphia. And all of these overall have a higher percentage of pre-war housing stock than a very old city like New Orleans. So while some places on the East Coast have very historic cores that pre-date most urban neighborhoods in the rest of the country, the majority of housing stock is much more recent over the entire expanse of the area.
New England cities seem to have the oldest suburbs though, by far.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
