Why do some cities like Midland TX, San Angelo TX have alleys? (Dallas: houses, neighborhoods)

[zix]

Why do some cities like Midland TX, San Angelo TX have alleys?

Instead of 1 backyard directly attached to another backyard like in most cities, there are alleys between the 2 backyards where the trash is placed for pick up. Is that the only reason, to hide the unsightly trash bins behind the house?

In Midland, the garage is usually in the front of the house, accessed from the regular street.

In San Angelo, the garage is usually in the back of the house, accessed from the alley.

POSITIVES
1 In both of those cities, where alleys are used, the trash truck goes through the alley. This would save time/money for trash pickup.
2 Trash is hidden better
3 Easier access to the back of the house for the homeowner.

NEGATIVES
1 More land is wasted by having the extra alley which could have otherwise been used for more yard.
2 Easier more discreet access to the back of the house for criminal entry.

For those that have both lived in a house with and without an alley, which is better, and why?

[Westerner92]

I didn't realize this was a distinctly North and West Texas thing for the longest time. My home in Lubbock has a front access garage with a dirt alley in the back like 90% of the city. It's not just for garbage, but for utility lines as well. Many of the newer neighborhoods copy the Dallas model (I believe that's where it originated) and put the garages in the back along with the trash and utility lines.

To me, it just seems much more sanitary and efficient, and there's so much cheap land in West Texas that you can't really justify getting rid of 12' wide alleys for the sake of land costs. Plus, it's one less neighbor that you have to worry about.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by zix

Why do some cities like Midland TX, San Angelo TX have alleys?

In Midland, the garage is usually in the front of the house, accessed from the regular street.

NEGATIVES
1 More land is wasted by having the extra alley which could have otherwise been used for more yard.
2 Easier more discreet access to the back of the house for criminal entry.

For those that have both lived in a house with and without an alley, which is better, and why?

I have always lived in subdivisions (in Texas) with alley access.

In my old subdivision in NW Midland (Northgate), I lived on a block with all front-entry garages and rear alley access, where the dumpsters were. It was very, very convenient to just open the back gate and take the trash out to the dumpster.

I also preferred the front garage access for safety reasons. I had specifically asked for this.

HOWEVER....directly across the alley was a row of homes with rear alley access. The garages were all in the back on the next block.

My neighbor's wife backed into the dumpster, which in turn backed into my fence! Her husband was out the next day installing the new fence sections and a new gate. He did a really nice job, even though it looked weird against the existing old gray cedar planks!

I have had two houses since then (NM), both front-entry. The house I'm in now has no alley access...and I like that, because I am not liable for alley upkeep.

Midland will cite homeowners who don't keep their alley trimmed and free of weeds. After my first citation, I just got the yard service to do the alley once a month. That is the big downside of having rear-alley access, which isn't an issue where I am now.

[joqua]

Originally Posted by zix

Why do some cities like Midland TX, San Angelo TX have alleys?

I have always assumed that ALL older neighborhoods had alleys in most cities. I believe the reasons given are valid. At one time garages were not thought of as something to be seen from the street side, where the house is the star attraction. Even when there was not alley access, older homes usually had the garage set in the rear of the property.

Garbage pickup was another reason and deliveries were also made from the alley, especially where there was limited curb side parking on the street.

Nowadays many cities stipulate a minimum setback distance from the front property line to the nearest structure on the property. Building codes today are stricter than they were in the past about having off the street parking.

[hellpaso]

Houses with front entry garages always tend to be less expensive than homes with garages on the side or in the back--a big garage door is not necessarily an architectural asset right in front of the house. Where I live now, we have a back entry garage/alley set up. The alley is paved, so there is no problem with maintenance (HOA covers that, anyway). My family's home in Longview had an alley for trash pickup, etc. They had a front entry garage there.

[FalconheadWest]

I lived in Dallas area for 25 years, and it's about 50/50 there. Many of the newer, lower priced areas went to front entry garages because studies were done about safety and being able to see your neighbors, and people could hide in the alleys as you drove off and break into your house... And then higher end neighborhoods starting doing it too...

Then I moved to Austin, and I've seen only a couple of neighborhoods with alleys and rear entry garages. Here, the yards all back up to each other with no privacy, the garages are in the front so the house says, "Welcome to my garage" instead of a beautiful house... and people use their garages for storage and park their cars in their driveways and on the street.

Personally, I feel it looks junky with so many cars visible day in and day out. Even in my neighborhood where most houses have 3 car garage, people are still parking in their driveways. It's not as "clean" of a look as when the cars and trash are in the back.

[Ketabcha]

Originally Posted by FalconheadWest

I lived in Dallas area for 25 years, and it's about 50/50 there. Many of the newer, lower priced areas went to front entry garages because studies were done about safety and being able to see your neighbors, and people could hide in the alleys as you drove off and break into your house... And then higher end neighborhoods starting doing it too...

Then I moved to Austin, and I've seen only a couple of neighborhoods with alleys and rear entry garages. Here, the yards all back up to each other with no privacy, the garages are in the front so the house says, "Welcome to my garage" instead of a beautiful house... and people use their garages for storage and park their cars in their driveways and on the street.

Personally, I feel it looks junky with so many cars visible day in and day out. Even in my neighborhood where most houses have 3 car garage, people are still parking in their driveways. It's not as "clean" of a look as when the cars and trash are in the back.

I think that front garages are safer.

There are alleys in Garland and Richardson. I prefer not to have an alley. It's just another access to the property for the bad guys.

A lot of the homes in Abilene have alleys.

[Willsson]

I grew up in Abilene where everybody had an alley and it does keep the home appearances better looking. In my current area I don't have an alley (I'm on a corner lot) but my neighbor across the side street does. My neighborhood being the extent of that development, moving south a newer (still pretty old) development. My back yard is half an alley deeper than his. So, more mowing for me. Also, I have my own trash can where the homes with an alley have a four home common trash can in that alley. That trash can is over full before every pick up and a good south wind will blow trash out of that can and is then caught by my fence. As those residents don't take the responsibility to keep the lid closed, I'll walk over there a couple of times a week to close it for them.

[Zembonez]

It seems that only the older neighborhoods here have alley access. Middle class subdivisions built since the 70s have a front garage for the most part.

[verybadgnome]

I specifically looked for a home in an older neighborhood that had alleys and was grandfathered into many zoning exceptions. The main one in my case is that I have the option to build a second home facing the alley. There are still restrictions on square footage and probably some others I need to research. I'd rather be making money off a nice-sized back yard rather than mowing it. I also like having more density in the neighborhood as it attracts more and a greater variety of businesses that I can walk to.

Also utilities, like telephone poles, are often put in back to help clean up the appearance in the front.

I think the idea about criminals having greater access to a home is mostly hypothetical since it's real easy to get into most people's back yards anyway.