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Old 02-25-2013, 03:48 PM
 
Location: Pasadena, CA
10,084 posts, read 15,774,395 times
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Originally Posted by nei View Post
I don't think it's a Californian thing, but a general west coast (maybe western) thing. The arteries I saw in the Pacific Northwest are more consistenly bike friendly than the northeast, though often here there are narrower low-traffic secondary roads that can be used as alternates.

Year-around weather in California is more friendlier to bicycling. I suspect if the automobile had been invented later, Los Angeles would partly be built around the bicycle…

Looks like LA exurbs also have nice mountain nearby, providing good biking roads; the transition from suburbia to country is more abrupt, unlike the miles of semi-rural spraw that northeastern cities get.

Thousand Oaks, CA - Google Maps

Thousand Oaks, CA - Google Maps
That is really close to where I went to college - there is a huge park right next to the campus (Wildwood) that we would walk to. The more time I spend on this site the more I realize western suburbia is quite different from the rest of the country's suburbia. I don't really care for either but I think I prefer the denser suburbia, though I can definitely see where people who prefer the leafy spread-out nature of the rest of the country's suburbia are coming from.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nei View Post
Was it common for high schoolers to use the local public transportation there? I don't know of anyone who did in my town, excluding the railroad of course.
No, I just had cheap parents that waited forever to get me a car. And then when the car broke I used SMAT to get to my job at Carl's Jr.
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Old 02-25-2013, 03:57 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nei View Post
Was it common for high schoolers to use the local public transportation there? I don't know of anyone who did in my town, excluding the railroad of course.
I had a bike and I took the bus. Yeah, lots of us did. Sure, some had cars at 16 but not most by a longshot. My nephew's a junior in high school and I don't foresee him getting his own wheels til after graduation. So the idea that it is or was an absolute teen necessity is the same to me as a teen owning a Kindle or something. Great if you've got it, but one can cope without.
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Old 02-25-2013, 03:59 PM
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Location: Western Massachusetts
46,009 posts, read 53,194,339 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by munchitup View Post
That is really close to where I went to college - there is a huge park right next to the campus (Wildwood) that we would walk to. The more time I spend on this site the more I realize western suburbia is quite different from the rest of the country's suburbia. I don't really care for either but I think I prefer the denser suburbia, though I can definitely see where people who prefer the leafy spread-out nature of the rest of the country's suburbia are coming from.
My parents aimed to find the largest lot available within their price range and in the area. My mom likes her "private park" in the forest, nice to come home to after spending your weekdays in Manhattan. It was pretty and had its perks as a teenager but it was rather frustrating to get anywhere. After coming back home from college, I couldn't see the benefit of it anymore, it felt way too isolated. Of course most of Long Island couldn't be like that, my parent's first home was on 1/8 acre, actually less than average for the area.
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Old 03-03-2013, 01:18 PM
 
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It depends on which cities. Seattle, SF, Minneapolis, NY, Boston and Denver are really nice cities to raise your kids in.
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Old 03-04-2013, 02:43 PM
 
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Originally Posted by foo cities View Post
It depends on which cities. Seattle, SF, Minneapolis, NY, Boston and Denver are really nice cities to raise your kids in.
Neighborhoods are nice places to raise your kids in, not cities. Two neighborhood in the same city can be heaven and hell comparatively.
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Old 03-11-2013, 12:03 PM
 
Location: Philadelphia, PA
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I was wondering the same thing. It seemed that a city would be an awesome place to raise a kid as they would be fully mobile long before they were 16. Their cultural and social experience would be unmatched. Also they would have already had city living which most young adults aspire to do.
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Old 03-11-2013, 06:56 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,259,082 times
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Originally Posted by MikeNigh View Post
I was wondering the same thing. It seemed that a city would be an awesome place to raise a kid as they would be fully mobile long before they were 16. Their cultural and social experience would be unmatched. Also they would have already had city living which most young adults aspire to do.
The thing is, raising kids isn't so much about going to bars, nightclubs, trendy plays, art museums and the like. It's far more about eating, sleeping, playing, keeping them warm, keeping them healthy, educating them. Until kids get to be in their later teens, the things in "the city" are not that attractive to them. By then, they can take public transportation into "the city".
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Old 03-11-2013, 07:54 PM
 
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Originally Posted by Katiana View Post
The thing is, raising kids isn't so much about going to bars, nightclubs, trendy plays, art museums and the like. It's far more about eating, sleeping, playing, keeping them warm, keeping them healthy, educating them. Until kids get to be in their later teens, the things in "the city" are not that attractive to them. By then, they can take public transportation into "the city".
But for parents many of those things (well, maybe not bars or nightclubs unless you can afford a sitter) can be VERY appealing. I loved being able to walk to museums with my son in a stroller; having those so close meant that we could go for the morning and still be home in time for lunch and nap. Kids can nap, sleep, be healthy, get an education, and play in both urban and suburban neighborhoods. But there is something very special about being able to have so many cultural amenities in such close proximity. Not to mention all the,benefits that come from having so many businesses so close. My old neighborhood in SF was ideal, I think, for families and kids of all ages. Tons of businesses right outside of our doorstep (some we frequented, others that weren't relevant to us, but there was something or everyone), multiple playgrounds, lots of buses, community gardens, big parks and the ocean... So much of city life involves just the acts of daily living, and for us the access to culture was just one small (but very much appreciated! Very cool to live within walking distance of such attractions) part of the appeal, and I think kids of different ages can appreciate that, not just teens. The only drawback was the cost, which is unfortunately part of the reason we don't live there now. And FWIW, going in to visit is a very different experience than having it right outside your doorstep. We're temporary in a much sleepier neighborhood, and for me, I find it energy-sucking. But to each his own. I know others find it restorative, and find the bustle of more urban neighborhoods to be draining.
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Old 03-11-2013, 08:31 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,259,082 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist View Post
But for parents many of those things (well, maybe not bars or nightclubs unless you can afford a sitter) can be VERY appealing. I loved being able to walk to museums with my son in a stroller; having those so close meant that we could go for the morning and still be home in time for lunch and nap. Kids can nap, sleep, be healthy, get an education, and play in both urban and suburban neighborhoods. But there is something very special about being able to have so many cultural amenities in such close proximity. Not to mention all the,benefits that come from having so many businesses so close. My old neighborhood in SF was ideal, I think, for families and kids of all ages. Tons of businesses right outside of our doorstep (some we frequented, others that weren't relevant to us, but there was something or everyone), multiple playgrounds, lots of buses, community gardens, big parks and the ocean... So much of city life involves just the acts of daily living, and for us the access to culture was just one small (but very much appreciated! Very cool to live within walking distance of such attractions) part of the appeal, and I think kids of different ages can appreciate that, not just teens. The only drawback was the cost, which is unfortunately part of the reason we don't live there now. And FWIW, going in to visit is a very different experience than having it right outside your doorstep. We're temporary in a much sleepier neighborhood, and for me, I find it energy-sucking. But to each his own. I know others find it restorative, and find the bustle of more urban neighborhoods to be draining.
If you go over to the Parenting forum and look at the topics that people are discussing, none of them have anything to do with "city or suburb". I've never even seen that subject come up over there. It's just about raising kids, which is the same everywhere.
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Old 03-11-2013, 08:51 PM
 
Location: 25 sq. miles surrounded by reality
205 posts, read 501,737 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katiana View Post
If you go over to the Parenting forum and look at the topics that people are discussing, none of them have anything to do with "city or suburb". I've never even seen that subject come up over there. It's just about raising kids, which is the same everywhere.
This. I think you can raise a happy, healthy and well adjusted child in either environment. Great childhoods have less to do with your specific neighborhood environment and more to do with the memories you make as a family. My father grew up in NYC and one of his favorite childhood memories is going to the Jersey shore and fishing with his dad and grandma. I grew up in the 'burbs and one of my favorite memories is going to Radio City and the Statue of Liberty with my Mom and Grandma. His most vivid memories are outside of the city and mine are in. Both of us wanted a car at 16 and not a subway token. I'm not sure that city vs. suburb really matters as much to kids; when I was a kid, my world was about three streets in any direction.

At the end of the day, it's really the city, town or neighborhood that's best for your individual family.
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