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Pasadena is the hub of a sub-region in metro Los Angeles called the San Gabriel Valley. Long history of not just being its own city, but people noticing it as its own city, and noticing its cultural institutions as part of Pasadena.
And yet UCLA football has called the Rose Bowl home for 40 years now?
Los Angeles is a behemoth. And just because it’s filled with cities (and neighborhoods within LA) with their own identities doesn’t mean they’re not “suburbs”
And yet UCLA football has called the Rose Bowl home for 40 years now?
Los Angeles is a behemoth. And just because it’s filled with cities (and neighborhoods within LA) with their own identities doesn’t mean they’re not “suburbs”
The post that you are responding to is not stating that Pasadena is not a suburb.
It's stating that among Los Angeles's suburbs, Pasadena has a more defined identity than Santa Monica, and therefore deserves more recognition as a suburb....
Actually, NigerianNightmare makes a good point regarding Hoboken.
It's the "city" terminal for the Lackawanna regional rail network because the Lackawanna lacked the money to tunnel under the Hudson as the Pennsylvania did. Its Hoboken station predated the original Penn Station by three years (1907 vs. 1910), and it incorporates ferry slips for boats that would carry riders across the river to their final destination (these were ultimately rendered unnecessary by the completion of the Hudson and Manhattan Railroad [now PATH] the year after the station opened).
IOW, Hoboken's railroad station was actually a transfer point rather than a final destination. And since the city didn't have a sizable employment or commercial center of its own (it has no college and its downtown is about scaled to its population), it does meet the definition of a suburb as opposed to an extension of the core city like Cambridge, Mass., is.
Jersey City grew around terminals of three railroads, Erie, Penna, and Jersey Central. Pennsylvania later tunneled under Hudson and East rivers, built the station in Manhattan and built the Hell Gate bridge. The Erie complex is now the Newport section of Jersey City and the Penn was at Exchange Place. Jersey Central terminal and its RR yard was converted to Liberty State Park where the terminal building still stands. Jersey City was basically a railroad satellite of New York.
Hoboken has Stevens Institute of Tech and had a significant port. Terminus of the Hamburg America and the North German Lloyd lines. They’re both satellite cities of NY. Suburbs seems a stretch if you think of a suburb as a predominantly residential community ancillary to a city but thats too limited a definition in the context of todays North American urban sprawl. Montclair is the classic suburb— suburb of Newark, suburb of New York. No one but city nerd would call Jersey City a suburb but I guess he’s not wrong.
I feel like counting neighbors of major cities is cheating. No one considers Hoboken, Cambridge, Jersey City, Santa Monica, etc as traditional suburbs.
I had a feeling that video was going to mention those types of cities so I didn't even watch it yesterday when it was uploaded.
I agree with this. These are cities in themselves. For true suburban-urbanism (I guess to be suburban, you've really gotta be *sub*-urban), Philadelphia has amazing options. Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, and the Mainline in general have great walkability, transit, and pre-automobile urban form. Upper Darby, as previously mentioned, is also a standout. Even suburbs farther out like Media and Conshohocken excel in walkability, transit, and urban form.
I think the more comprehensive answer to this question is going to be much like the answer to the most urban big cities in the USA. Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, D.C., and San Fransisco will top the list for urban suburbs. I am not quite as sure about Chicago. I haven't spent much time in the suburbs there, but I do know the grid extends a long way out, which could add to the cohesive feel it has with Chicago's core. Suburbs like Evanston look relatively urban. My guess is more of those towns were really built up post-automobile, which gives a different kind of feel than the old suburban towns of the East Coast.
Last edited by Muinteoir; 12-11-2022 at 07:00 AM..
Reason: typo
I feel like counting neighbors of major cities is cheating. No one considers Hoboken, Cambridge, Jersey City, Santa Monica, etc as traditional suburbs.
I had a feeling that video was going to mention those types of cities so I didn't even watch it yesterday when it was uploaded.
I agree with this. These are cities in themselves. For true suburban-urbanism (I guess to be suburban, you've really gotta be *sub*-urban), Philadelphia has amazing options. Ardmore, Bryn Mawr, and the Mainline in general have great walkability, transit, and pre-automobile urban form. Upper Darby, and previously mentioned, is also a standout. Even suburbs farther out like Media and Conshohocken excel in walkability, transit, and urban form.
I think the more comprehensive answer to this question is going to be much like the answer to the most urban big cities in the USA. Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, D.C., and San Fransisco will top the list for urban suburbs. I am not quite as sure about Chicago. I haven't spent much time in the suburbs there, but I do know the grid extends a long way out, which could add to the cohesive feel it has with Chicago's core. Suburbs like Evanston look relatively urban. My guess is more of those towns were really built up post-automobile, which gives a different kind of feel than the old suburban towns of the East Coast.
Chicago is absolutely grouped in that mix. Beyond suburbs like Evanston and Oak Park, you have dozens of villages built along railroad on tight grid patterns.
Some notables are Wilmette, La Grange, Park Ridge, and Elmhurst. But there are many more in all directions that very much feel like residential neighborhoods in the city itself.
As a former New Brunswick resident, New Brunswick is absolutely horrible. I love Jersey to death but New Brunswick was making me want to leave fast.
LOL. Really? Granted I've never STAYED in New Brunswick, but I spend quite a bit of time every summer in Somerset and Franklin Township, and routinely take the NJT from New Brunswick into NYC. I've always liked the area. Well, Somerset, anyway... I always just thought of New Brunswick as the area's "downtown," so to speak.
LOL. Really? Granted I've never STAYED in New Brunswick, but I spend quite a bit of time every summer in Somerset and Franklin Township, and routinely take the NJT from New Brunswick into NYC. I've always liked the area. Well, Somerset, anyway... I always just thought of New Brunswick as the area's "downtown," so to speak.
What about it didn't you like?
This is anecdotal and while a lot of people who live here think like this, others may have a completely opposite experience.
In my one year there:
-car got broken into twice. In a garage
-received 8 parking tickets but paid the meters
-homeless population broke into our building and raided the front desk and stole hundreds of packages. Twice.
-i lived in Dorchester, frequent the Bronx/Newark/Paramore Orlando and NB sketched me out
-bar scene for a young college town is terrible.
I just dont like New Brunswick at its current stance. It has so much potential. They lack basic amenities right now in New Brunswick (ie grocery stores). Its growing fast and theres a lot of new development. Im very hopeful though. Also the restaurants are actually good there.
A great alternative to utilize the New Brunswick Northeast Corridor train station would be living in Highland Park. Much cleaner, safer and has good amenities. Its an A+ town.
Somerville, Rahway, Bound Brook, Cranford, Garwood and Red bank are nice Central Jersey towns that are developing. W/ trains.
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