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.
So in these cities, someone can buy a home in a location that is just as walkable as NYC while making less than $60k?
Insinuating something is just as walkable as NYC isn't a fair argument to make.
If your only qualification for a place to live is total reliance on public transportation, then you are without a choice and must deal with NYC.
However, this post is about "average" people, and the average person in the US drives a car- and in those cities mentioned, driving a car is as convenient as walking. Parking is a non-issue, traffic is generally tolerable, and walking is generally not an option that will cover every aspect of your life.
60K in most of those cities allows car ownership, home ownership (or very nice rental), and money allocatable for savings. NYC housing is simply too expensive for what it is.
Insinuating something is just as walkable as NYC isn't a fair argument to make.
If your only qualification for a place to live is total reliance on public transportation, then you are without a choice and must deal with NYC.
However, this post is about "average" people, and the average person in the US drives a car- and in those cities mentioned, driving a car is as convenient as walking. Parking is a non-issue, traffic is generally tolerable, and walking is generally not an option that will cover every aspect of your life.
60K in most of those cities allows car ownership, home ownership (or very nice rental), and money allocatable for savings. NYC housing is simply too expensive for what it is.
When you limited to your feet, you're limited to a very small portion of the world, if that's what makes you happy- so be it.
Even when I lived in Manhattan I had a car.
Without a car in the USA, you're less than average. Maybe that explains why you 'choose' to live here.
When I lived in Manhattan I had a car too. I choose to live here because I was born and raised here, have my job here which has not yet been matched by another city, my family and friends are all here, and I want to raise my child in a diverse environment. Really has nothing to do with a car other than not having to solely rely on one.
People think public transportation is some type of oasis or nirvana. That is of course, until it takes them an hour to get somewhere because they have to take more than one bus or train, or a combination of the two. This is just the reality of public transportation, no matter where you live at in America.
Now some people just do not have any other choice; can't afford a decent car, cannot afford repairs, cannot afford the property tax on a car, insurance, etc. But I'm not so sure that moving to a large metro, just for the ability to have convenient public transportation, is a smart idea.
I've spent decades in the suburbs and small towns of the Southeast and Midwest. If you want to live in a cardboard-and-staples McMansion, build your kids their own playground in the back yard, build your own theater in the living room, and never go anywhere (except work) or do anything (except work) outside your house, then those places are for you. To me they feel like house arrest.
Good luck even taking a walk without dodging traffic, since there are often no sidewalks. If you need a loaf of bread, you better be prepared to sit in your car for 10-20 minutes to get to a store. Tired of a 40-minute subway commute? Try sitting in your car for 90 minutes, much of it in stopped traffic. You may also miss that unlimited MetroCard when you are paying several hundred a month for gas, insurance, and maintenance on a vehicle (and don't forget that you will need to get a new one every decade or so, at a cost of several thousand). You had better be prepared to mow grass every week, clean wet leaves out of rain gutters every fall, and call repairmen every few months to fix some part of your shoddily constructed dwelling. Also, good luck finding anything more exotic than a hamburger made with any kind of knowledge of what it should taste like. I could go on, but I think you get the idea.
I realize many people are happy with the lifestyle I just described, but I think the reason people would live in NYC or another vibrant city is that they measure quality of life in less materialistic terms. Obviously I think they're right, but if you would rather live in Tudor Manor Estates at the Pines (conveniently located within two miles of the Elm Creek Crossing Shopping Center), do so with my blessing.
Last edited by obsoletest; 09-08-2013 at 07:59 AM..
This is my list of reasonably priced, nicer cities that are good to move to, depending on each person's preferences on culture and weather:
Portland, Seattle, Sacramento, Denver, Minneapolis, Columbus, Pittsburgh. San Diego is kinda pricey, but I feel like it's worth it too if you like that kinda setting.
I wouldn't live down south, but that's just me.
Why not the south? I'm guessing you have stereotypes.
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.
According to one poster that's in Iowa.
