Seems folks who downplay the Los Angeles as a big suburb seem to only ever experience the Valley or the West side

[MordinSolus]

Originally Posted by nslander

The belief is very real:

TX Gov Orders State Guard to Monitor Possible Military Takeover of Texas

Majority of likely GOP primary voters could believe Operation Jade Helm 15 is probably a federal invasion of Texas - Salon.com

The United States of America. In 2015.

I guess all those ****kickers in Texas don't realize that the federal government already controls Texas. A military takeover of Texas is about as sensible as planting a flag in your own living room.

[NyWriterdude]

Originally Posted by Encino.Man

I think that's because in common lore LA means Los Angeles county which is mostly suburban. The actually city of LA besides the valley is no less city like than Queens, NY. Mostly little single homes packed tightly, with some multi family homes and buildings thrown in. Also for a long time the suburban-ness of parts of LA were a strong point. In NYC if you want a 4 bedroom ranch on a family block you have to move to NJ but in LA you can stay in the city all you have to do is go over the hill to the Valley.

No you can do this in parts of Queens, Staten Island, and even parts of Brooklyn. However these areas tend to be far from the city center and the overall real estate not as valuable.

[NyWriterdude]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Everyone takes the statement about Los Angeles differently. I am not sure I would take the suburban statement as a negative, but I do think it is true. When people talk about a large city, like Los Angeles, they are talking metro area, not just the city limits. I was born and raised in L.A. and yes, I have been there in the past 5 years, so my opinion isn't based only on years gone by: it is one big sprawing area. Of course there are regions of the city like Korean town, China town, east Los Angeles, etc, there always have been, but still all in all it is very different from most huge cities, especially those on the east coast like NYC. This isn't bad or good,it is just the way it is.

NYC's metro area is spread over three states so it certainly has it's SPRAWL. Not so long ago there was white flight out of the inner city and big parts of Manhattan itself where ghetto as upper middle class people lived in the suburbs. A combination of federal tax credits and considerable corporate investment remade huge parts of Manhattan and Western Brooklyn and Western Queens into expensive, hip areas as the suburbs lost their appeal (people would rather live closer to work).

Similarly a combination of federal tax credits and corporate investment have reshaped downtown LA, and an expanded transit system is pushing urbanization in the parts of LA that have easy transit access. Any city with a decent train network ends up like this as areas close to public transportation end up becoming a lot more valuable and expensive. Areas in which you must have a car to get around (there are parts of NYC itself like this) have much lower real estate prices because of the inconvenience.

[erin_elise_]

Originally Posted by NyWriterdude

NYC's metro area is spread over three states so it certainly has it's SPRAWL. Not so long ago there was white flight out of the inner city and big parts of Manhattan itself where ghetto as upper middle class people lived in the suburbs. A combination of federal tax credits and considerable corporate investment remade huge parts of Manhattan and Western Brooklyn and Western Queens into expensive, hip areas as the suburbs lost their appeal (people would rather live closer to work).

Similarly a combination of federal tax credits and corporate investment have reshaped downtown LA, and an expanded transit system is pushing urbanization in the parts of LA that have easy transit access. Any city with a decent train network ends up like this as areas close to public transportation end up becoming a lot more valuable and expensive. Areas in which you must have a car to get around (there are parts of NYC itself like this) have much lower real estate prices because of the inconvenience.

very interesting!

[nslander]

Originally Posted by MordinSolus

I guess all those ****kickers in Texas don't realize that the federal government already controls Texas. A military takeover of Texas is about as sensible as planting a flag in your own living room.

Next thing you know, they'll demand a Constitutional Amendment banning the quarantining of soldiers in their McMansions.

[nograviti]

Originally Posted by erin_elise_

very interesting!

Similar story in London actually... Inner cities are now fashionable again there too and prices are going through the roof. Especially next to stations...

LA is more sprawling so this process has taken a bit longer.. But what is most interesting is that suburbs that were previously popular, may become less so as a new generation may not value a longer commute regardless of whether you get more space for your money..

[adamgreenberg]

The suburban-ness is a big selling point. I hate living in super dense walking areas with people buzzing in front of my front door. I was born into it in NYC and it's not that great. I don't get the push for urban, I think it's the fact that most people these days grew up in the burbs and everyone wants differently then what they had. I grew up in Manhattan and Brooklyn and everyone I know has moved to the suburbs or wants too. If you spend 18 years in a 800 sq foot apartment a "McMansion" looks like heaven. The fact that LA has areas that are all ranch homes and low rise apartment buildings with not a million folks walking in the Valley is a good thing for me. I would never ever want to live in Downtown LA or Hollywood

[jm1982]

Originally Posted by adamgreenberg

The suburban-ness is a big selling point. I hate living in super dense walking areas with people buzzing in front of my front door. I was born into it in NYC and it's not that great. I don't get the push for urban, I think it's the fact that most people these days grew up in the burbs and everyone wants differently then what they had. I grew up in Manhattan and Brooklyn and everyone I know has moved to the suburbs or wants too. If you spend 18 years in a 800 sq foot apartment a "McMansion" looks like heaven. The fact that LA has areas that are all ranch homes and low rise apartment buildings with not a million folks walking in the Valley is a good thing for me. I would never ever want to live in Downtown LA or Hollywood

I think this is the appeal of L.A, there is something for everyone in manys ...especially if you have the money to afford it. There are still tons of single family homes, but you are still not that far away from shopping/restaurants,etc in most of them.

I live in an area that isn't really walkable, there is a shopping center within walking distance just a block away but besides that it's basically residential for miles.

I used to live in West L.A and then Hollywood and both areas were pretty walkable . I do miss that a bit as I do like walking and not having to drive everywhere all the time.

I'd like to see other parts of the valley more walkable and with higher quality retail , it looks like it's happening..but slowly. Construction and loosening of credit seems to be on the rise.