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That's funny because I've had similar experiences with North and West suburbanites who come to my suburban area south of Chicago.. Or when I tell them where I'm from.
Yeah, that's why I said:
"about #4, I dont know if it's like that in other suburbs, or just the one I lived in, but that was one of the reasons I really didn't like it."
Maybe I worded that wrong. I think the news makes it look really bad
Well, the media reports crime, and in most cases, the urban cores have the most crime, which many families simply want no part of. I understand if people don't want to move to the city due to crime because it is very apparent in many cases and allowing kids to live in large cities will give a child much easier access to things parent's don't want their child exposed to. I know in my family history, they moved out of an Italian New York neighborhood which had too much crime and I understand it. Though i feel more families should begin living in urban cores to bring back the glory they once had.
@ urza216
1. Why just "white people"
2. Racist or prejudice? big difference
3. Its more so class oriented than race IMO
most people who bash the burbs .....were probably born & raised in the burbs, or even the country. Or they're city folks who rarely leave their 1 block radius and belive that all suburbs are boring and bland
Not me! I was born and raised in the city, and my parents moved us to the burbs when I was a teenager. It was immediately apparent to me which one I preferred. I moved back to city living after college and have raised 2 kids here. Neither of them has any desire to live in a burb. (And no, not all suburbs are boring and bland. Just the ones built post-WWII).
I was born in a big city. When I was about 8 years old, I moved to a suburb. I didn't like it . here are my reasons for not liking it:
1. It was just boring to me. Houses, trees, houses, trees, chain stores. If you took me to a suburb, and then blindfolded me and dropped me off in a bunch of other suburbs, they would all look the same to me.
2. Too spread out. You have to drive to get anywhere. In the city, usually theres a lot to do within walking distance of your house.
3. Not as much to do in the suburbs. In the city, there's festivals, museums, parks, nightlife, etc. in the suburbs, there's not much of that, if any of it at all.
4. The other kids at my school had wrong thoughts of the city. When I would tell someone I was from the city, I've had a lot of people ask me "Did you get shot?" I know there's more crime in cities than suburbs, but it's not like I'm dodging bullets everytime I step outside my house. My school took a field trip into the city (philadelphia) to see the liberty bell and independence hall.(I must've been in 8th grade or something) I remember on the bus ride there people had their windows on the bus open, and I remember kids saying, "Put your windows down, were gonna get shot!!!!" wtf? I would here stuff like that all the time
about #4, I dont know if it's like that in other suburbs, or just the one I lived in, but that was one of the reasons I really didn't like it.
5. I like living in a place people know of. Not a lot of people outside of the Philadelphia area have heard of Bala Cynwood, Wynnewood, Bryn mar, Ardmore, etc.
Those are my main reasons for not liking suburban life. We moved back to the city when I was around 15 or 16 though Suburbs do have better public schools and are safer, but that's about it
But some people may not like city life. To each his own
While that is generally true today, it wasn't always that way. And it doesn't have to be that way in the future!
Not me! I was born and raised in the city, and my parents moved us to the burbs when I was a teenager. It was immediately apparent to me which one I preferred. I moved back to city living after college and have raised 2 kids here. Neither of them has any desire to live in a burb. (And no, not all suburbs are boring and bland. Just the ones built post-WWII).
touche
I know a few pepople who were in the same situation. They moved back quick. Right after high school
The main problem I think most people including my self have with suburbs is that they tend to be boring and sort of ugly. I am not implying that all suburbs are boring or ugly in any way I just think that a lot of people don't like the often (but not always) repetitive look of suburbs and the sometimes almost no character. Some older suburbs and even newer ones are more established places that I could see enjoying. The main problem I have with suburbs is not the place its self but the people. Now I am not saying that this is the case for all suburbs/subdivisions but it is for a few and it really bothers me. I will start with an example, ok so a family buys a nice car on credit, their house is on credit, all their clothing on credit, they have a perfect credit score but live in a not so rich neighborhood. Now I have nothing against buying things on credit but the problem I have is that it causes a false self entitlement and pride in these people and causes a lot of them to show off and be quite rude. This attitude situation really ticks me off. Of course not all people in these places are like this and in fact just a few but those few drive me nuts. Also, I forgot to add to my first reason that lots of suburbs also don't have a very large share of local places and are like chain after chain. This could be architecturally unattractive to some people and just the plain fact that there is a lack of local places could bother some. And again, none of these things apply to everywhere as everything is but this is just my opinion. I really wouldn't mind living in a suburb but I'd rather live in a more urban environment just because it is to my taste.
LOL! Everything you just said could totally apply to peeps who live in the city. You know what's monotonous? Grey, dingy buildings with only the littlest sky poking through...not that it applies everywhere...LOL!!
No, seriously, it's all obviously a matter of taste. But I personally can't stand the crowds, the noise, the crime, and the horrible traffic/no parking.
As for festivals, arts, music, sporting events...
1. We have a lot of that right here
2. I can get to almost anywhere downtown in less than 20 minutes (which is how long it takes my friends who live downtown to get to most venues downtown - ironic, huh?), so I can participate in all the amenities of the city while still having all the advantages of space, privacy, huge yard, higher-end grocery stores and shops, less traffic, and more safety.
And no...I'm not up to my eyeballs in debt, and neither are most of the folks I know...
What I don't understand is why people in the city have such disdain for life in the suburbs or outer cities. You don't hear people in the 'burbs talking sh*t about the folks in the city...why all the hating?
I have to say it depends on one factor: children. Even Lewis Mumford, the urban enthusiast/suburb hater, admitted that the railroad suburbs were good places for children. Good schools, low crime, space to play. For young and childless, the presence of plays, bars and other nightlife outweigh them. There are, of course, exceptions. Chicago suburb Naperville has attractions for the childless. Also, too many of the "walkable" downtowns don't have food stores or places you need to go frequently.
Money speaks louder than your vote and by choosing to live in suburbia you are choosing to support an unsustainable, wasteful style of development. As big as our country is, space IS limited and plowing over forest and farms so that you can have a .375 acre yard isn't the way to go. Build more densely and create good public spaces in these dense areas where people can interact and recreate outdoors. That IMO is the way to the future. If you want space, become a farmer or stop having kids
Oh, brother! Do you realize the city was once either forest and/or farm, too? That it was just plowed over (actually I thought the phrase was plowed under, but whatev) longer ago? What's with this .375 acre yard stuff? Here in the Denver, CO burbs, 1/4 acre is considered huge. Believe it or not, I interact more with my neighbors in my suburban city than I ever did in Denver. We have festivals, parades, that sort of thing here, too, and the average person can participate on a much more personal level.
Suburbs are like towns except they're really close to the city, so you can just drive to city when you're in need of what the city offers.
I wonder why it's only the suburbs everyone complains about and not the towns? Towns are pretty much smaller suburbs without the city nearby.
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. here are my reasons for not liking it:
