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I've lived in one suburb or another for most of my life. The only one of these where I resided beyond a reasonable walking distance from even one grocery store was the leafy, large-lot town my family moved to when I was in elementary school, where my father still lives. It was a great place to be a young child, with quiet streets and big yards to play in, and woods and fields to roam.
The one period of my life when this setting had its drawbacks was my early teens--too old to be interested in little kids' play but too young to drive. Even then, there was a convenience store less than a mile away, and within a few minutes' walk a commuter rail stop which gave us older kids access to other towns and to the city.
All the other suburban locales where I've lived have been within walking distance of grocery stores, banks, drug stores, various eateries, coffee shops, and bars, and often clothing stores, haircut places, and a variety of other conveniences. From a couple of my suburban residences I could walk to the moves.
Sometimes these establishments were scattered along main streets through or at the edge of my neighborhood, but in one place there was a downtown with stores for all the basic needs plus some specialty shops.
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Originally Posted by Warszawa
If you live in the suburbs of Boston as Nei has stated, this is a different story. Boston suburbs are quite diverse and are practically an extension of Boston itself in some cases.
Interesting that you describe the inner core close to Boston as "practically an extension of Boston itself . . ." In the "What is a Suburb?" thread I discussed that very idea. Since I'm especially familiar with Boston, I used Cambridge and the other small cities just north of Boston as an example, but I suggested that in general the urban core areas adjacent to many older cities like those in the Northeast are in effect extensions of the city.
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Originally Posted by Warszawa
Ive been to Boston so I know that it has a metro that runs well into the suburbs like Alewife and even close to Tufts University. Boston suburbs are not really the best example of a traditional cookie cutter suburb that you would find elsewhere in the US. Spending time in both, I found that even the New York suburbs tend to be worse than Boston´s. If every suburb was like Cambridge or Brookline, I would pack up and say adios to the city forever, but these suburbs are sadly a rare exception
Be careful about drawing definitive conclusions without lots of information. In your posts here you've drawn conclusions about New York City's suburbs in general based on two years of living in the area, and about Houston based on maps. In the case of NYC, it appears that you're mainly familiar with a few towns in Westchester County. But the NYC metro is huge. I really have some doubts about how well you can get to know that area after only two years. Regarding your post about Houston, you can learn a lot from maps, but nothing can replace seeing a location for yourself.
With Boston too you seem to be basing conclusions on too little information. Your having "been to Boston" appears to be too little exposure for you to be familiar with that area, if you think that Boston's suburbs extend only as far as Alewife or the vicinity of Tufts. While not on the gigantic scale of NYC, Greater Boston is a very large metropolitan area, with suburbs extending far beyond Cambridge (or Brookline, or Meford, where Tufts is located), and entire sections of suburbia with their own distinct identities.
When you made the post I quote here, you probably had not yet gotten to my later post where I responded to Nei. In that later post I described the Metro West suburbs where I've lived most of my life. The short version is that the economic hub of Metro West is a large area of malls and office parks.
In the two towns which share that economic center, Natick and Framingham, many residential neighborhoods are classic post-WWII suburbia. In fact some neighborhoods in those towns were originally the planned subdivisions of ranch-style houses which characterize quintessential postwar suburbia. Many other Metro West towns are the sort of leafy suburbs with large lots, and patches of woodland separating the neighborhoods.
Overall, MW is a very low-density area. With this low density, it would be difficult to live in much of MW without a car. However, scattered throughout MW there are clusters of commercial activity with small local businesses you can walk to from nearby neighborhoods.
It seems that very often in this forum, members will characterize the suburbs as entirely auto-dependent, but this is not true. Not only are there suburban towns with busy downtowns, but Boston's Metro West suburbs are a good example of the reality that even in suburban sections that are very auto-dependent overall, it's still possible to find local spots where you can walk to shopping, if that is what you are looking for.
In many cities you see the blocks just outside Downtown to be very desolate, full of parking lots and unused factories and not much else, that is like throwing money to the wind
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Originally Posted by Tim Randal Walker
Which would be obvious sites for new urban neighborhoods.
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Originally Posted by Warszawa
Too bad cities that like Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Fort Worth, etc, don`t realize it
It's not that they don't realize it. I'm sure, if a developer(s) wanted to build a new urban neighborhood, the cities would be willing to cooperate.
It's not that they don't realize it. I'm sure, if a developer(s) wanted to build a new urban neighborhood, the cities would be willing to cooperate.
I wonder why nobody wants to build there. Houston has tons of unused space on the eastside of Downtown, the couple of blocks located south of Minute Maid Park are practically deserted. Its a shame. I bet if you get some nice apartment buildings there they would go for a lot of money. Downtown Austin is a good example that even in Texas there are tons of people who desire to live in a walkable community
I wonder why nobody wants to build there. Houston has tons of unused space on the eastside of Downtown, the couple of blocks located south of Minute Maid Park are practically deserted. Its a shame. I bet if you get some nice apartment buildings there they would go for a lot of money. Downtown Austin is a good example that even in Texas there are tons of people who desire to live in a walkable community
I can't say for Texas/sunbelt cities. But, you cited rust belt cities: Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and the market isn't there for that kind of development, yet.
Just checked Highway 42 when I went to my water aerobics class. It's 45 mph most of the way through the city; the south end is 40 mph, probably because it gets more residential there. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Lo...4d-105.1319296
Now, that's showing your age. It's rare for anyone under 50 to be in one. Yes, I go.
The suburban neighborhood i grew up in was like this. The isolated elderly would often pass away alone in the home and only be discovered when the bills stop getting paid and they sent someone out. I really hope to be able to stay living in a bustling urban upon retirement. I know a lot people will move to a small town or a rural area because it's cheap. But those places do not have the intellectual stimulation that I require. When I'm 90 years old I still want to go down the street to the literary bar, have a few stiff drinks, and listen to authors read books and have interesting discussions afterward. Sitting in a house in front of a TV all day is not the way I want to spend my older years. I don't watch TV or even own a TV and i'm in my late 30s.
Really? Often? Funny, I've lived in the suburbs all my life, and have never known this to happen first hand. It does happen occasionally, but not "often" in a given neighborhood. If you don't want to live in the suburbs, that's perfectly fine. Don't make stuff up to justify it.
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