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It doesn't work for me from a financial point of view. Saw an article a few months back that said suburbanites spend 24% of their income on transportation. Then add in 25-30% for housing.
In the city I pay more for housing at about 40% of my paycheck, but basically nothing for transportation since my car is 9 years old and I drive ~5k a year. My $1k bike does most of my trips within 5 miles. There is no way I can rationalize the purchase of a new car even when the time comes, so basically I'll be in a situation in which a $5k car is needed about every 10 years. I could even go to car sharing now that its available locally.
Let's say its a wash when you add up the numbers..........I'm still way ahead since transportation costs can be filed under "consumables" whereas my home appreciates about 6-7% a year (I'm in a better market than most). Real Estate is not the best investment in the world but historically it beats inflation. Cars depreciate 99% of the time. Having a commute of less than 15 minutes, by bike, is the icing on the cake.
Some of these master-planned suburban communities seem to have an aversion to convenience stores, local bars. I recently drove through the Ivins suburban area of St. George, UT last week. I drove and drove and drove and not a convenience store in sight or gas station. Were they hiding somewhere and I didn't see them?
I felt sorry for these kids that live there. Suppose they suddenly got a craving for a candy bar or a Slurpee, God knows how far they'd have to go to find a 7/11. And suppose you were the forgetful type, you forgot to buy an ingredient for something you were cooking that nite. Sheesh!
Some of these master-planned suburban communities seem to have an aversion to convenience stores, local bars. I recently drove through the Ivins suburban area of St. George, UT last week. I drove and drove and drove and not a convenience store in sight or gas station. Were they hiding somewhere and I didn't see them?
I felt sorry for these kids that live there. Suppose they suddenly got a craving for a candy bar or a Slurpee, God knows how far they'd have to go to find a 7/11. And suppose you were the forgetful type, you forgot to buy an ingredient for something you were cooking that nite. Sheesh!
What an eerie, frightful drive that was! Spooky!
Yep, you are a chauffeur on demand to your kid's every whim and appt. -that's when they aren't getting fat playing video games all day, they'd look at you like you are crazy if you asked them to walk somewhere.
I could never live in a place that I can't pop out of my door to get a banana and muffin a couple of minutes walk away. Love knowing that while having the many dinner parties with the neighbors, if we ever forget an ingredient or need some more ice it's just up the street, and great restaurants and pubs in case we don't want to cook that night. I remember having a toothache that was keeping me up one night and popped on over to 7 11 at 3:00 AM got some medication as was good to go, car is growing cobwebs. And like the other poster mentioned, we still have plenty of BBQs in our great urban (and beautiful) backyards, and everybody walks there.
I hate needing more than a tiny push mower to manage my lawn--if any.
I hate having to drive 30+ minutes to work, adding a full HOUR+ a day that I'm away from my family and friends. To make matters worse, that hour is then filled with the annoyance of dealing with crappy drivers and the danger of being slaughtered on the highway.
I hate not being able to run out and get a snack or do something for several hours if I have a beer or two at home. Also, having to figure out which of us is going to be the designated if we want to go to a bar or club.
I hate the idea that my home has to be some sort of giant castle with pale shadows of the kind of entertainment I could experience for real if I lived in a proper city. "Home bars", "home theaters", "home exercise equipment"; these all can't hold a candle to the real thing and cost way more than going to an actual theater, an actual bar, or an actual gym.
I despise sprawl. The UK car show Top Gear said it best when the host stood in the center of an intersection somewhere in Alabama and said, "You have your Red Lobster on this corner, strip mall on that corner, and gas stations on two others. This is what all of America looks like." (He's not far off in his assessment, especially in the South).
I live in Florida and I need a car to get anywhere because everywhere I need to go is spread out over a 5-10 mile area, and the intense heat prevents walking or biking most of the year. Not to mention that public transport is a joke outside of the major cities (Jax, Miami, Tampa).
When I was in Philadelphia for a couple of months, everything I needed was within a 3-4 block radius of my brownstone. I would gladly put up with the increased noise and decreased privacy for the convenience and gas money saved.
Sprawl is fine, if we didn't have it, most people would move to the country or to smaller cities. I just hate parking lots and damn strip malls, one-entranced subdivisions, and the commute to the city.
I'd rep you, but it won't let me; I must spread the wealth first.
The bolded part is the reason I voted against sprawl, I just hate the way everything looks the same from town to town. Houses, shopping centers, gas stations, etc. all look dull, boring, and lacking character. This is what the corporate world has resorted to.
The UK car show Top Gear said it best when the host stood in the center of an intersection somewhere in Alabama and said, "You have your Red Lobster on this corner, strip mall on that corner, and gas stations on two others. This is what all of America looks like." (He's not far off in his assessment, especially in the South).
Sadly, The Host is correct about most of the South.
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