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A normal middle-class family lifestyle in most of America looks something like: a husband, wife and 2 kids living in a 2500 square foot single family home with 2 cars, a garage and a yard. Also, well-rated public elementary, middle and high schools nearby to send the kids to.
How much do you think this lifestyle would cost per year in New York City?
What is "normal" these days? A look at census figures demonstrates that the "normal" two-parent family with children is becoming less and less predominant. 2010 census shows only 20% of households are married parents with kids, 28% are married w/o kids. People are getting married later in life, having fewer kids, and living longer after the kids have left the nest. Alternative lifestyles are becoming more acceptable and less stigmatized/closeted.
What is "normal" these days? A look at census figures demonstrates that the "normal" two-parent family with children is becoming less and less predominant. 2010 census shows only 20% of households are married parents with kids, 28% are married w/o kids. People are getting married later in life, having fewer kids, and living longer after the kids have left the nest. Alternative lifestyles are becoming more acceptable and less stigmatized/closeted.
That this iconic "normal" family isn't the majority of households isn't really relevant to what the cost of such a family would be to live in a city like New York. That 20% still have to live somewhere.
That this iconic "normal" family isn't the majority of households isn't really relevant to what the cost of such a family would be to live in a city like New York. That 20% still have to live somewhere.
True, but I'm not sure if anyone is arguing that NYC is the best choice for "all" families. Maybe its a good choice for higher income families, or families willing to live with less square footage, families willing to forego two cars, etc. If the American dream is all about having the biggest house, the biggest yard, and the most cars, then I'd agree that NYC is a poor option for most.
I laugh when people here say NYC is romanticized or otherwise held up as some sort of ideal. Have any of you spent time in the New York City forum? I love my hometown, but if we are world class in anything, it's in bitching andoaning about how awful the place is becoming. Sometimes I think the only people who love New York are people who don't live there.
Obviously NYC (the city proper) is a bad choice if you want to live in a "2500 square foot suburban house with picket fence". But that isn't the "normal" American family these days. And if you really wanted that sort of lifestyle, there are tons of suburban areas in a 100-mile radius around the city.
How about Portland and Austin? People make them out as some kind of utopian leftist paradise but in reality they're pretty typical American cities with a significant minority of "crunchy" people in the inner neighborhoods.
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