Why on earth would city folks move to suburbs (Chicago: 2014, apartments)

[CCrest182]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

Via Chicago, if this board would allow me to give you more positive feedback I would! That's a great collection of quotes.

I've said before that there are suburbs, and there are Suburbs. Popular city neighborhoods like Lakeview were streetcar suburbs before the city annexed them. I personally only have a problem with suburbs that are built exclusively for automobile use (which is basically anything built after World War II). Places like Golf Road and Butterfield road offer a lot of different shops and ammenities, but the vast congested landscape of arterial roads and parking lots is a MISERABLE place to be with no sense of place. Could you imagine being a pedestrian in that commercial landscape trying to buy three things from different stores? People would think you were crazy.

The public realm in today's suburbs is non-existent outside of the privately owned domain of parking lots and shopping malls. Most newer subdivisions don't even have sidewalks! These residential neighborhoods act to separate and isolate people even more, and destroy our sense of community. Houses become islands to themselves in a sea of oversized lawns, and people stay away from each other. Most people only experience the public realm via their automobile in these conditions, with maybe a walk through the neighborhood once or twice a week (dodging cars the entire way, by the way). Where is the place to bump elbows with your common man? Where are the public squares and walkable rows of shops?

And don't even get me started on the recent residential architecture in the suburbs... Houses are getting uglier and uglier every year. We are now seeing every imaginable historical style bastardized and combined in horific ways on the new suburban monstrosities! At least the ranch houses of the past showed some restraint!

I agree wih nearly all you said, until the 'ugliness' factor, and I agree with that, but you'd be disingenuous o say ONLY the suburbs have new ugly homes. I've seen these new residential condo complexes springing up in Wicker park and Logan square, and let me tell you, they look like a three year old built their models out of Jenga blocks. Modern architecture in general is going down the crapper, both in te city and the burbs.

[CCrest182]

Oh, and OP: I'll give you the friggen check mate to this question;

There's no Rahm in the suburbs.

[GoCUBS1]

Why on earth would city folks move to the suburbs?

space/land, affordability, and specific schools...

[holl1ngsworth]

Here's a good reason:

Nature. In the year that I've lived in the suburbs I've seen wildlife I could never dream of seeing in the city. I've seen coyotes prowling, Great Horned Owls hunting, Red Foxes playing, and so many colorful songbirds singing it sometimes makes my head spin. There are few things that smell as sweet as the scent of prairie grass and wildflowers being carried gently on the wind. I feel incredibly grounded whenever I get a chance to walk to a nearby prairie, woodland or marsh preserve. It's a feeling I never knew I was missing in the city. And I can already appreciate the effect nature is having on my child. It's all very primeval and fun.

[doodlemagic]

Originally Posted by Windy City John

Just curious why city dwellers are so h*ll bent on discouraging people that want space and low crime to move to the suburbs.

It's a good thing people like different things--


As far as the city having unique restaurants-- I see more chains downtown than in the burbs. everytime i go downtown I see plenty of locals flooding the lettuce-NOT-surprise-you restaurants; the steak houses Ruth Chris's, Mortons, smith & wolenskies, etc and dont forget the city dwellers favorite--Rainforest Cafe!!!!

Your basically wanting to just start a city is better no suburbs is better thread. There's no denying Chicago has more unique and ethnic restaurants, yet when you make the comparison you seem to want to focus on only restaurnats in Michigan Avenue and State St.

Thats like saying New York has no culture, they have Bubba Gump Shrim and Bennigans in Time Square. Common now you know that's not a fair comparison.

I'm more a suburb guy, I prefer the burbs, I like wide roads, I like having a yard, I like being able to use public restrooms and not having to get keys or be a customer, I like having a yard for my dogs and the rest. That said clearly the city has more going on, things stay open later, you can find any kind of comedy, variety, cultural show, all kinds of museums. Thats not to say suburbs suck or there's nothing fun or interesting to do in the burbs or even that there's no good restaurants but there's no denying the city has the suburbs beat in that regard. I challenge you to go to Naperville or Oswgo and find a neighborhood hotdog stand or a good gyro place or a Thai place thats not some americanized hipster version of thai with peanut butter making up their sauces.

Everyone should do what suites them if you like the city live in the city if you like the burbs live in the burbs, neither is better or worse its what each person prefers and what suits there needs.

[doodlemagic]

Originally Posted by holl1ngsworth

Here's a good reason:

Nature. In the year that I've lived in the suburbs I've seen wildlife I could never dream of seeing in the city. I've seen coyotes prowling, Great Horned Owls hunting, Red Foxes playing, and so many colorful songbirds singing it sometimes makes my head spin. There are few things that smell as sweet as the scent of prairie grass and wildflowers being carried gently on the wind. I feel incredibly grounded whenever I get a chance to walk to a nearby prairie, woodland or marsh preserve. It's a feeling I never knew I was missing in the city. And I can already appreciate the effect nature is having on my child. It's all very primeval and fun.

Did you know Chicago probably actually has more coyotes than the city. Natgeo did an interesting show recently about animals moving into the cities or I guess better yet us taking over their habitat. I forget the exact number but there's an insane number of coyotes in the city. THey have adapted to being up and hunting at night instead of the day in order to avoid people which is actually the opposite of what they normally do in nature. Also they put trackers on them and find coyotes run like a 10 mile loop hunting and they are smart enough to stay on the railroad tracks and unpopulized areas so most people never even see them or know they are there.

[CCrest182]

Originally Posted by doodlemagic

Your basically wanting to just start a city is better no suburbs is better thread. There's no denying Chicago has more unique and ethnic restaurants, yet when you make the comparison you seem to want to focus on only restaurnats in Michigan Avenue and State St.

Thats like saying New York has no culture, they have Bubba Gump Shrim and Bennigans in Time Square. Common now you know that's not a fair comparison.

I'm more a suburb guy, I prefer the burbs, I like wide roads, I like having a yard, I like being able to use public restrooms and not having to get keys or be a customer, I like having a yard for my dogs and the rest. That said clearly the city has more going on, things stay open later, you can find any kind of comedy, variety, cultural show, all kinds of museums. Thats not to say suburbs suck or there's nothing fun or interesting to do in the burbs or even that there's no good restaurants but there's no denying the city has the suburbs beat in that regard. I challenge you to go to Naperville or Oswgo and find a neighborhood hotdog stand or a good gyro place or a Thai place thats not some americanized hipster version of thai with peanut butter making up their sauces.

Everyone should do what suites them if you like the city live in the city if you like the burbs live in the burbs, neither is better or worse its what each person prefers and what suits there needs.

I'd agree Naperville and Oswego are more known for having large amounts of upscale national and international chains and not much cultural food that reflects locally on the area, but in other suburbs, specifically ones closer to the city like Broadview, Evergreen Park, Franklin Park, Forest Park, and what not, there's actually a plethora of hot dog stands and small huts serving Gyros and Chicago Style Dogs and Italian Beef. Portillos was founded in the 'burbs, believe it or not.

[Lookout Kid]

You guys are replying to posts from seven years ago.

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

You guys are replying to posts from seven years ago.

It's a full-on resurrection!

[holl1ngsworth]

Originally Posted by doodlemagic

...I challenge you to go to Naperville or Oswgo and find a neighborhood hotdog stand or a good gyro place or a Thai place thats not some americanized hipster version of thai with peanut butter making up their sauces...

In Wheaton we have Jack Straw's, which is the very definition of a neighborhood food stand: hot dogs, unique sandwiches and all manner of life-shortening foods. We also have Luong-Loi, which has a delicious and authentic peanut sauce as well as a Pho that makes the back of my eyeballs sweat. Some of the best Pho I've ever had, and the place is BYOB. Supposedely there is even a traditional hot dog cart that gets pushed around the downtown, but I haven't run into it yet.

It's very much same story in any historic suburb with a walkable downtown core. Between Wheaton and next door Glen Ellyn, I've yet to be at a loss for wonderful places to eat -- none of them national chains. Oswego? Yeaaa, probably not so much. The corn is fresh though, right?

Distinctions can be and should be made between the city and suburbs, but further distinctions should be made between various city neighborhoods and various suburbs. Not all city neighborhoods, and certainly not all suburbs, are created equal.