Would you live near/next to railroad, express way...? (to live, train)

[Ponderosa]

People here are so desperate for a sense of space that they grab up lots next to freeways, arterials and powerlines. The desire to look out the back window and not see someone looking back at you is so intense that they put up with the noise, I guess.

[aj661]

Two out three. I lived in two homes for a total of about 6 years with power lines right behind the property. The first house also bordered the Western Canal in Chandler which made it easier to deal with since that was back in my running days. Other than being an eyesore it wasn't a problem. We lived close enough to the tracks in Gilbert that we could hear the trains at night. Like the smell from the dairy farms, also only noticeable at night, you can get used to it.

[CheyDee]

Originally Posted by aiwei

...And while I am asking the questions, let me add one more: How do you feel about high tension power lines running within 100 yds. of your property?

The railroad may/may not bother me. I would NOT want to live in such proximity to high tension power lines.

[sierraAZ]

Heck, no! I live about 5 or 6 miles from a railroad and still occasionally might hear a train horn at night with windows closed.

Same goes for power lines. Not that they bother me personally that much (other than being ugly), but way too many people don't want to live near them, so resale value will suffer.

[LoneStarJerry]

I've purchased property near Reading Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad, Short Line Railroad, and B&O Railroad. Things went OK for me, and I even ended up very rich when all was said and done.

[Maltose]

We have lived in our house for 11 years and it is 5 blocks from a secondary train line and 11 blocks from the two main lines through town. Our town gets about 80 trains a day running through it. They were so loud you would have to turn the tv up to hear it when they we hanging on the horns. It took me at least 6-7 years to sleep without get woken by them all night long. Earlier this year, our town finally implemented its whistle-free zone (about 8 years in the making) and you wouldn't believe how peaceful not hearing train horns 24/7 is. I can't believe I put up with it as long as I did and I will never intentionally live anywhere near trains again.

[aiwei]

Thanks for all the feedback. I guess most folks would put up with a bit of noise and traffic if they need to; but power lines is another story.

I have looked all over online trying to find info on health effects of high wattage electricity on human bodies. I have so far not found anything in plain English. Basically people says it's bad, but could not provide reasons and evidences as of why and how.

Anyone care to give it a try??

[shiphead]

i wouldn't mind living near a light rail, for obvious reasons

[CheyDee]

Originally Posted by aiwei

Thanks for all the feedback. I guess most folks would put up with a bit of noise and traffic if they need to; but power lines is another story.

I have looked all over online trying to find info on health effects of high wattage electricity on human bodies. I have so far not found anything in plain English. Basically people says it's bad, but could not provide reasons and evidences as of why and how.

Anyone care to give it a try??

This particular article is from 1996, but the info is in "plain English" Midwest Today: Do High-Voltage Power Lines Cause Cancer?

Here is some more: NIOSH: EMF (Electric and Magnetic Fields): Topic Page | CDC NIOSH

[tremontpa]

I enjoyed living next to the Reading and Northern Railroad in Tremont PA. The whistle was never to loud and I enjoyed watching them pass.