would you consider a suburb a town? (difference, money, California)

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by GLS2010

In Florida, they call all suburbs cities. Like the city of Oviedo, which basically started out as a small rural town outside of Orlando but is now engulfed in development from Orlando so it has a population of about 30,000 a density of 1,700 per sq mile and is called a city.

For the most part, that is the case in Colorado as well. I live in a suburban city.

[wburg]

From the way you describe it, katiana, it doesn't sound particularly suburban. Whenever someone talks about the attributes of a city, the place where you live seems to have them all. Maybe you have been living in a city all this time and didn't realize it?

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by wburg

From the way you describe it, katiana, it doesn't sound particularly suburban. Whenever someone talks about the attributes of a city, the place where you live seems to have them all. Maybe you have been living in a city all this time and didn't realize it?

It's a city. It was a city when we moved here in 1982 and it had 5000 people. That's how it is in CO. It's also suburban. Though there are jobs here, many, if not most people commute to jobs in the metro area or Boulder. It's 25 miles from Denver proper. Most of the Denver suburbs are actually cities. Ditto many other cities' burbs throughout the country. Maybe we need to redefine "suburb".

[wburg]

Redefining "suburb" is kind of the whole point of new urbanism--these so-called "new urbanists" were primarily interested in replicating neighborhoods like the one where you live.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by wburg

Redefining "suburb" is kind of the whole point of new urbanism--these so-called "new urbanists" were primarily interested in replicating neighborhoods like the one where you live.

The thing is, many suburbs are already like this, which the NU people would know if they ever went into a few and took some time to "smell the roses" there. I hate the NU subdivisions which just have a coffee shop, a dry cleaners and a dentist's office, etc in their "business" area and for all intents and purposes otherwise look just like any other suburban subdivision.

[wburg]

The thing is, most suburbs built after World War II aren't like yours. When we talk about crappy, uniform, overwhelmingly residential car-centric suburbs, that is the kind we are talking about. The fact that you don't live in one doesn't mean they do not exist in great quantity in most of the country.

I don't like those NU subdivisions either--they generally lack the economic and income diversity of the neighborhoods they are trying to model, and the public transit that made streetcar suburbs possible in the first place. That's why I live in an "old urbanist" neighborhood.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by wburg

The thing is, most suburbs built after World War II aren't like yours. When we talk about crappy, uniform, overwhelmingly residential car-centric suburbs, that is the kind we are talking about. The fact that you don't live in one doesn't mean they do not exist in great quantity in most of the country.

I don't like those NU subdivisions either--they generally lack the economic and income diversity of the neighborhoods they are trying to model, and the public transit that made streetcar suburbs possible in the first place. That's why I live in an "old urbanist" neighborhood.

Well, who's this "we" kemosabe? I thought people were expressing their own opinions here, not working as some sort of "re-education committee". Just how much of the country have you seen?

I grew up in an area that was a combination of older "streetcar"-type suburbs and newer, immediate post WW II burbs. I was born just a few years after WW II. After the houses went in, the stores, churches and public facilities came along as well. My mom used to complain that many people in their church joined just because it was the closest church, but really, so what? She got what she wanted, and they got what they wanted. Many of these burbs are fairly walkable; lots of people live close enough to a supermarket where you can get lots of things besides food, e.g. prescriptions at most of them, small hardware supplies, etc. Most of these burbs have civic organizations and as good a sense of community, if not better, than many cities where government is very detached from the average citizen. In many burbs, the township commissioner or the town councilman may be your neighbor, have kids that go to school with your kids, and so forth.

[wburg]

In many burbs, you can't really walk to anything and if you don't have a car you're basically a pariah, the stores are the same generic cardboard cut-out chain stores, and the closest thing to a sense of community is seeing the same bunch of bored teenagers hanging out in front of the 7-11. It's very nice that you grew up in an older suburb that wasn't like that, but I did, and it pretty much sucked ass, and most of the other suburbs I have seen (which does add up to quite a few) don't seem much better than that.

By "we" I mean the people you are constantly complaining about for criticizing the suburbs. I am unaware of where we are building our re-education facility to brainwash the masses, but once it is complete I will advocate for an all expenses paid vacation for you at our new urbanist re-education resort.

[japster28]

Originally Posted by the city

So would it be safe to presume suburbs with less than 100,000 population will fall with the small town feel, and ones above will have city feel? With the exception of inner-ring suburbs.

Any suburb over 100,000 population seem to develop their own urban center and not be considered a suburb. Like with Pasadena and Glendale.

Well not always, Northfield, IL, a suburb of Chicago has a population of about 5000, but does not really feel too much like a small town due to a major road crossing through it, and large shopping centers right by it.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by wburg

By "we" I mean the people you are constantly complaining about for criticizing the suburbs. I am unaware of where we are building our re-education facility to brainwash the masses, but once it is complete I will advocate for an all expenses paid vacation for you at our new urbanist re-education resort.

That seems to be mostly you, but I'll take you up on the all expenses paid vacation. I could use one!