Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I vastly prefer the suburbs. I enjoy driving my private SUV and not mingling with all walks of life walking down a street or on a dirty bus or train. I enjoy big-box stores because you know what certain stores have and what they don't have, you know that prices will be relatively low, and you don't have to deal with the nasty attitudes that people who run mom-and-pop shops always seem to have.
I enjoy having a full-sized yard where I can entertain without having people squeezing like sardines on a 2 by 3 piece of grass or spilling out into the street.
Alternative forms of transportation - be it on a unicycle, big wheel, bicycle, scooter, skateboard - do not interest me. If I am going shopping for groceries those are not viable methods of transportation.
In the suburbs you have all the advantages of a nearby city, but you don't have to live in some claustraphobia-inducing apartment, you don't have to choke on thick plumes of pollution, you don't have to be completely shut out from the natural environment, you don't have to mingle with all walks of life, you don't have to deal with the urban heat island effect, you don't have to deal with the deafening noise, you don't have to deal with neighbors on top, below, and next to you making all sorts of noises, etc. The list goes on and on.
I vastly prefer the suburbs. I enjoy driving my private SUV and not mingling with all walks of life walking down a street or on a dirty bus or train. I enjoy big-box stores because you know what certain stores have and what they don't have, you know that prices will be relatively low, and you don't have to deal with the nasty attitudes that people who run mom-and-pop shops always seem to have.
I enjoy having a full-sized yard where I can entertain without having people squeezing like sardines on a 2 by 3 piece of grass or spilling out into the street.
Alternative forms of transportation - be it on a unicycle, big wheel, bicycle, scooter, skateboard - do not interest me. If I am going shopping for groceries those are not viable methods of transportation.
In the suburbs you have all the advantages of a nearby city, but you don't have to live in some claustraphobia-inducing apartment, you don't have to choke on thick plumes of pollution, you don't have to be completely shut out from the natural environment, you don't have to mingle with all walks of life, you don't have to deal with the urban heat island effect, you don't have to deal with the deafening noise, you don't have to deal with neighbors on top, below, and next to you making all sorts of noises, etc. The list goes on and on.
You stated many of my own thoughts miamiman. Well put!
Hmmm! Cities have more variety, culture, museums, diversity, restaurants, theaters, and transportation. I can go on and on. I can also see the lure of the burbs for some, especially people with small kids, but give me the energy of the city any day over the Walmart/Big Box store crowd. Plus, I hate driving everywhere! Most suburbs are really bland. I would rather sit outside at a restaurant in the city enjoying the atmosphere than on a riding lawn mower. LOL
We all know that everybody wants to live in the suburbs deep down.. Most people who live in the city only live there because they have to, and they have a hard time getting out. There is a very small minority that thinks it is "cool" to live in the city. These people like to parallel park, put their lives in danger walking in their neighborhoods, breath dirty air, be bothered by homeless, watch for rats and cockroaches in their apartments and so on. Than they act like they are elitist and better than everybody. They drink expensive coffee and wear scarves. Why do you guys pretend to like city living. What is really weid, is many can afford a nice large house, but prefer a one room loft that isn't even theirs. My buddies and I were talking about this last weekend while watching racing.
I was raised close to the city, and the more I look forward to my big yard and large house!
I don't like big houses. I'm not against house, in fact I like the idea of a house in the city itself... but a smaller craftsman style or old tudor house. The gingerbread looking houses are cool...
I personally wouldn't want a huge yard. Just something small for the dogs to run in, if your in the city there is usually plenty of park space anyways.
I don't like coffee. When i've lived in apartments downtown I've never had bugs.
People who don't like the city see a high price for less space. I see it as paying more to save more and for convenience. If you live in the city you don't have to drive everywhere... saves you money right there, and it's healthier to get out and walk. I also find most people in the city seem to know their neighbors and local area better... you don't get that in the burbs much.
You are also walking distance to all the entertainment.
It's my preference.... though I do think if suburban neighborhoods were built more as communities (along the lines of the new urbanism developments that a lot of people seem to diss cuz they look generic, but I think just need time to age) and had those communities connected to a downtown location by rail... thatd be pretty cool. I guess along the lines of Orenco Station in Portland tho i've never really seen it to know how it turned out... but even if it didn't turn out well, the idea is good, people just need to perfect the execution.
I never could figure out this either. I've been living in the suburbs/exurbs for over 30 years. When I used to go into Chicago to visit friends, I couldn't stand it. Fortunately, all my friends have now moved to the burbs.
Ya, I can't figure out the attraction of a city either. I like room to spread out with a big back yard, but to each their own. In the next couple of years I'll be moving to a very rural area - where I really want to be.
Us people who like urban areas can't understand why someone would want to be in a more... well.. boring environment. I can't figure it out. Why be in a location where you have to drive your car all the time and don't know your neighbors? It's cold and unfriendly... and unhealthy (statistically urban living is healthier)..
exactly, notice how if you're in your 30s all your old friends have moved out of the city? Why? Probably because they are impossible to live in. I just bought a house that was forclosed on. It is in a nice development. Not close by to any crack heads, and I have room! Who walks to a super market anyways? You really going to walk 12 bags home from Walmart?
Living in the burbs is way more efficient. Your grocerys are cheaper, your cost per sq ft of house is cheaper, and you can walk without getting mugged.
I still haven't seen a urbanite explain why in this whole thread. "Because I like them", "Your stupid", "TO each his own", is not a answer. Typical liberal, scarf wearing, starbucks drinking, urbainites
Cheaper groceries? The city market is much cheaper the the chains around me, and the food is more fresh. However the NICEST grocery store in the city is in my downtown:
Walk like 8 blocks and you can buy the freshest fruit
The Plaza area and Westport in KC are not downtown, but are urban areas... with a vibe you won't find in the suburbs.....
and Urban houses here in Kansas City:
Hopefully kcmo is cool with me posting his pics.... he puts them all over these forums too =)
Just saying... you can live urban, in the city... have a nice house.. and all the convenience and even more then the suburbs have to offer.
Both sides have made good arguments. Cities are no better than suburbs and suburbs are no better than cities. It just depends on who you ask. I would be happy in a city or suburb; I care more about the region I live in. Some people might be happy in any region as long as they live in a city or as long as they live in a suburb.
cities become horrible after awhile because of the riffraff and all the negatives they cause(bad, loud, or unclean neighbors), it's not just the population density. some cities are great because they have a higher population of educated or sophisticated people and some cities don't.
i live in a smaller city and it feels gross because of the people who comprise the population, not necessarily the crowdedness factor. i was just at the state fair and it was full of 'riffraff' and i regretted going. i should have known better, it was nauseating. what's even more disturbing is that these people represent the majority. *pukes*
compare that to a congested city like tokyo which doesn't feel nearly as icky even though it's much more congested because the people at least seem like they are, well, human! not subpar animals not nearly on your level. you notice it in the way they behave and approach people or respond. they do not have overly or bizarrely exaggerated mannerisms or tone of voice and are more civil. dare i say um, somewhat normal in what you would consider or identify as human behavior versus anything else.
i swear most of america feels like an uneducated cesspool of slobs and retards or backward racist children of the corn towns.
the only immigrants making this place better is indians, asians and perhaps middle-easterners.
i'm sorry but to be totally frank, hispanics, rednecks(not necessarily southern), average mainstream americans(totally f*cking stupid and ignorant) and african-americans(not africans) tend to degrade american culture. wherever there is a preponderance of these groups, it just feels like garbage and before you call me a racist. let me tell you, these groups are highly racist toward others and that is why i don't like to live in areas like this.
it's very predictable but erroneous to assume someone such as I to be called racist for making these observations. but that would not be correct.
it's the negative aspect of american culture that has created a garbage mindset and behavior which has condoned it. aka rudeness. a bizarrely degenerate culture which has in some way praised in a subverted fashion belligerant and rude attitudes to a heinous degree.
i have noticed the behavior of africans versus african-americans which the former are usually more civil in behavior even in comparison to the majority of americans period, for example.
the prices of housing is steeper in nicer areas simply because of the riffraff. the affordable places are usually taken up by those who often damage or dirty the place. there is no excuse for this unless you are in a third world country. this country has indoor plumbing.
you do not have to be rich or highly educated to keep a clean place. you just have to be a decent human being. case in point, although hawaii is expensive. you see a lot of very old apartments and buildings that are clean nonetheless because the tenants or owners keep it that way.
you can't say that about most of the united states.
there is a sizable population that is just garbage and there is no further excusing their behavior.
Riff raff is relative and can be present in the suburbs as well. Some cities have to deal with certain types of crime and suburbs have their crime to deal with too. One place might have more violent crime and another might have more drunk drivers to deal with and both types kill just as many people in this country, roughly.
What you seem to forget in the aspects of maintenance is weather. Places like Hawaii can have good maintenance of their old apartments due to the weather, as well as a population that is less likely to be transient due to history, the ethnic demographics and location. Also, the fact that building is limited anyway, also contributes to why it would be easier to keep older buildings up.
As for the groups generalizations, that is telling in and of itself. To just make sweeping generalizations about groups of people is silly due to the varience of such groups. Even some the sentences in your posts were self explanatory in this regard.
Also, let's not pretend that there are rude people in suburban areas and in other countries in this world. Such things manifest themselves in different ways and that is just an unfortunate reality of the human condition.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I just bought a house that was forclosed on. It is in a nice development. Not close by to any crack heads, and I have room! Who walks to a super market anyways? You really going to walk 12 bags home from Walmart?
