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I suppose the typical Rochester street looks something like the below; characterized by larger American Foursquare and Craftsman homes along tree lined streets.
Don't get me wrong, both look like nice streets. But I couldn't have guessed Rochester with either with certainty just based on them. The first very well could be Akron, especially the Highland Square neighborhood. The second one also looks very nice, but could be small portions of any stabilizing/gentrified areas in the older Great Lakes cities, or even Columbus (not a Great Lakes city) on the Italianate street.
Not convinced by Dallas's alleys, lots of cities have these. RE: Houston, not only the ditches, but the absence of sidewalks (Maybe because of the ditches?) Those Buffalo street walls are interesting. I've seen this type of house before but always assumed the enclosed front porch was added on. But apparently, house after house in this Buffalo neighborhood!
I love that Buffalo street, especially since it looks like the houses are all well maintained. Buffalo is a city that also has a ton of the 2 1/2 doubles with porches on the upper level, similar to the Cleveland doubles. The street I linked above was probably not aesthetically a great example because it's in a rough area, Forest Hills (between Glenville and East Cleveland), but I knew that neighborhood was an good example of one that is basically nothing but a wall of the Cleveland doubles.
Off hand, do you know what the population density is of that Buffalo neighborhood (or peak density ... I'm guessing 15,000-plus per square mile). Personally, I think it's a great example of an urban neighborhood that can be set a little back from the street and have homes being separated by driveways that still can maintain a very urban population density. And yes, to someone who has some familiarity with the different Great Lakes housing styles, I would definitely be able to say "Buffalo" just from that street view.
Plus, it's a very economical style of home. I have a friend who bought one (both units) on the westside (Jefferson/West Boulevard neighborhood) about 10 years ago for about $80,000. He rented one of the units that paid for his portion of the mortgage alone. He has since, now with wife and kids, moved to a single family home in Kamm's and rents out both units of the double he still owns. Both those units now pay for his mortgage on his new home (he's also handy so he was able to do upgrades himself that increased what he could rent the units for, so that definitely helps).
That street is in an area currently around 14,000 psm, and was 21,000 in 1970, possibly higher in 1960. The neighborhood is actually structurally denser today than in 1970, with many former railroad and industrial spaces now filled with retail and apartments. Population loss in this area of the city was the result of smaller family size, not loss of housing.
This area about 2 miles away currently has the highest density in the city at about 16,500 psm, nearly all in these types of multi-family houses: https://goo.gl/maps/nbhRTHz6rGcU6vcJ7
Last edited by RocketSci; 12-02-2020 at 09:36 PM..
Not convinced by Dallas's alleys, lots of cities have these. RE: Houston, not only the ditches, but the absence of sidewalks (Maybe because of the ditches?) Those Buffalo street walls are interesting. I've seen this type of house before but always assumed the enclosed front porch was added on. But apparently, house after house in this Buffalo neighborhood!
For me its the alleys in Dallas because I never lived in a city where they were so ubiquitous.
For Houston, its decades of annexation with no infrastructure improvements. In areas that are gentrifying, you still sometimes see remnants of the past (though a little better maintained now):https://goo.gl/maps/6WvhM5aTbz889zdW8
Many Buffalo homes (mine included) were built with "sun porches" on typically only one floor, about 8 foot deep, separated from the living room by French doors, usually with large windows on all outside walls. Some homeowners remove the doors and widen the opening in order to expand their living rooms.
Last edited by RocketSci; 12-02-2020 at 09:55 PM..
Don't get me wrong, both look like nice streets. But I couldn't have guessed Rochester with either with certainty just based on them. The first very well could be Akron, especially the Highland Square neighborhood. The second one also looks very nice, but could be small portions of any stabilizing/gentrified areas in the older Great Lakes cities, or even Columbus (not a Great Lakes city) on the Italianate street.
Well, that’s certainly fair. Rochester’s housing stock is similar to that of other Great Lakes/Rust Belt cities. I chose those streets to capture the general feel of Rochester’s urban neighborhoods. The first link was of the Park Ave neighborhood and the 2nd was Corn Hill. Each of those are probably the city’s most defining and recognizable residential areas, particularly Park, although that identity may not be a stand out in the region. Still, you’ll notice similar design even in other less affluent areas across town, such as this:
Without being too obvious with famous landmarks, what are some Google Street Views of various locations that just have "the look" of a certain place to you? As in, if someone blindfolded you, drove you there, and took off the blindfold, you could make a very good guess at your location?
I've moved around quite a bit in the Southeast. I'll start off with a couple of "typical views" from some places where I have lived.
If you unblinded me here, I would almost immediately know I was in the suburbs of Southshore New Orleans. The drainage canal, tightly packed houses, and not a lot of attractive landscaping. Very typical for the area.
But Kenner is a suburb of New Orleans on the Southshore like he said...New Orleans East is a part of New Orleans itself, so it’s not a suburb technically, although it is suburban in character. This is just pedantic. The planners of NO East made sure the drainage canals and utilities were underground to make it an aesthetically pleasing alternative to Metairie/Kenner.
But Kenner is a suburb of New Orleans on the Southshore like he said...New Orleans East is a part of New Orleans itself, so it’s not a suburb technically, although it is suburban in character. This is just pedantic. The planners of NO East made sure the drainage canals and utilities were underground to make it an aesthetically pleasing alternative to Metairie/Kenner.
Okay, I was confused at first, because if Kenner ain't a suburb of New Orleans, then what is?
I would immediately think New Orleans from that view in New Orleans East, but I don't find the area aesthetically pleasing. The style of the homes, the concrete streets, the lack of nice landscaping, etc. all scream NO suburbs to me.
Many parts of Metairie look much better now compared to my younger days. I was surfing through Google Maps in Metairie and just found this coconut palm, which is pretty astonishing. They must wrap that sucker up in the winter, because I can't see how a coconut got that large in Metairie with the occasional freezes. Sorry for the off-topic shift, but I love palm trees! https://www.google.com/maps/@29.9871...7i16384!8i8192
This one is pretty obviously Boston because of the juxtaposition of old and new (though I could see potential for the uninitiated confusing it for NYC or Philly if they're just guessing): https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3588...7i16384!8i8192
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