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Which desirable neighborhoods are the most ideal in the largest list of US cities, based on the following:
(You can vote for multiple options in the poll)
*Highly livable--relatively quiet, relatively very safe, highly desirable
*Attractive aesthetics of neighborhood streetscapes, including houses, public parks, streets, sidewalks
*Proximity to local good restaurants, bars, shopping
*Good schools, or access to good schools
I broke NYC down separately into Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, due to NYC's large size compared to all others.
If you choose one not on the list, explain which neighborhood and where below.
**The list includes all metro areas over 1,000,000 people**
Last edited by jjbradleynyc; 03-15-2019 at 09:14 PM..
Gold Coast in Chicago over Lincoln Park for sure, but LP is good. Also parts of UWS over TriBeCa in Manhattan for me, or West Village over that. I'm a fan of Carroll Gardens and also Brooklyn Heights.
Many of the places you list are actual neighborhoods of the cities indicated (like Tribeca), but some aren't (places that are more like Scarsdale).
For example, Whitefish Bay is a wealthy, inner-ring suburb of Milwaukee (similar to Winnetka near Chicago; Mountain Brook near Birmingham, Alabama; Williamsville near Buffalo; the Grosse Pointes near Detroit).
The premier city neighborhood in the city of Milwaukee is the East Side, specifically Northpoint. This area has all of comforts of bon vivant, upscale, walkable living that you specify.
The best Milwaukee suburbs for what you list would probably be Shorewood and Wauwatosa (East Tosa). Whitefish Bay is highly desirable, but the nearby restaurant/bar/entertainment scene isn't quite so hopping.
Similarly, Coral Gables is a wealthy and exciting suburban community adjacent to Miami, but Miami's historic prime neighborhood within the city limits is nearby Coconut Grove. If your list really means to include areas outside of the city proper, then the best answer for your list would probably be South Beach, located in the community of Miami Beach.
Allentown, the Buffalo neighborhood you list, is very historic, cute, and attractive, but it isn't really considered a "desirable" neighborhood in the way you seem to mean it. The prime "desirable" neighborhood in Buffalo with best walkability to bars and restaurants, etc., is probably the Elmwood District, and the Bidwell Parkway area specifically is one of the city's most exclusive areas.
Capitol Hill isn't considered that desirable in DC. There are a lot of hipsters there, to be sure, but there's also a lot of blight and poverty, especially in the northern part. If you want a gentrified neighborhood in DC, not gentrifying, that'd be Dupont Circle, NoMa, maybe Georgetown.
I'm not sure we really have an equivalent of these areas in Reno. All the gentrifying areas are still kind of bad, and all the rich areas are either old-money wealthy or new-ish subdivisions where nothing existed before. If I had to pick somewhere, I'd list the Victorian Ave. downtown in Sparks - lots of new condos going up, lots of lively businesses, a museum, and a theater - but it all feels kind of sterile and manufactured and I dunno if the crowd there is that young.
Really odd choices for NYC. Everything is subjective, but Williamsburg is generally considered the most desirable neighborhood for young people. Carroll Gardens is nice, but if you were a Carroll Gardens type, you might actually find Park Slope or Brooklyn Heights more desirable.
Tribeca is expensive because finance bros want to live close to work, and there are lots of investment properties for wealthy foreigners, but it’s typically not considered one of the more “desirable“ Manhattan neighborhoods. I think most people would rather live in SoHo than Tribeca, and those who want more of a traditional neighborhood feel would prefer the UES or UWS.
Edit: I’ve lived in Richmond, and never even heard of Woodland Heights. I just figured out where it is, and no way is anything south of the river the most desirable.
Last edited by gladhands; 03-16-2019 at 07:03 AM..
Yeah, I'd also say some of these choices are strange.
Ladue and Shaker Heights are both suburbs with a rep for toniness. I agree about the Central West End, and in Cleveland, I'd pick Ohio City.
Kansas City's Westside has picked up (and lost much, though not all, of its Hispanic population), but I'd say that Hyde Park, Valentine-Roanoke and Westport (the last of these being the main entertainment district), not to mention the Crossroads*, all have more cachet, and if it's posh you want, well, that's the Country Club District. (At least the OP didn't choose Mission Hills, Kan.)
*The Crossroads Arts District is Kansas City's answer to Philadelphia's Old City, or Tribeca and SoHo in Manhattan rolled into one.
Wash West is probably the most eclectic of all the neighborhoods of Center City Philadelphia, and it's home to what's arguably the best restaurant in all Greater Philadelphia (Vetri), but I think Rittenhouse outclasses it - unless class wasn't one of the criteria.
**The list includes all metro areas over 1,000,000 people**
Tis missing at least one
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