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My wife is from the the burbs of NYC (Westchester Co) and I’ll still take LA over NYC. A lot (or should I say most) of the really nice suburbs (or exurbs more like it) are a hike from NYC. In LA they’re literally right in the middle of the action.
Every major city will have no shortage of really nice suburbs. In some they’re farther out from the city center, others are closer.
I voted L.A too. L.A suburbs have their own personalities. They may not fit your conventional “All American” “WASPY” aesthetic and images but they are the interesting mixture of Spanish Revival, Mexican homeliness and California laissez-faire.
I love OP’s opening: Suburbs, the pure Americana.
Sounds like a title of a rock n roll song.
I’m not a fan of American suburbs, but if I have to pick, L.A’s (not including the O.C. No one in L.A sees the O.C as the suburbs of L.A, and vice versa.) is at least the most interesting.
Marine County in Northern CA is quite nice too. And they too have personality.
I voted L.A too. L.A suburbs have their own personalities. They may not fit your conventional “All American” “WASPY” aesthetic and images but they are the interesting mixture of Spanish Revival, Mexican homeliness and California laissez-faire.
I love OP’s opening: Suburbs, the pure Americana.
Sounds like a title of a rock n roll song.
I’m not a fan of American suburbs, but if I have to pick, L.A’s (not including the O.C. No one in L.A sees the O.C as the suburbs of L.A, and vice versa.) is at least the most interesting.
Marine County in Northern CA is quite nice too. And they too have personality.
DC might be unique in that it offers the Sun Belt-style suburbia many people are accustomed to along with a semi-decent dose of inner ring, old school streetcar era suburbia.
Couldn't agree more. I think that's exactly why it's considered so desirable.
Couldn't agree more. I think that's exactly why it's considered so desirable.
I don't know if desirable is the right word. I think most people living in newer townhome communities in Montgomery or Northern Virginia, if given the choice, would live in a community that looks more like Winnetka, Illinois. The problem is that those places cost a lot so most people resign themselves to living in undifferentiated suburbia with the rest of the masses.
DC has communities that hit this sweet spot of "urban" amenities, affordability and "quality" (new construction and schools) for professionals who can't afford to live in Chevy Chase but consider themselves above far flung suburban McMansion living. But they're still making a compromise. If you quadrupled their HHI, 80% of them would move to Chevy Chase, Bethesda, Arlington or Upper NWDC and send their children to private school. Most of DC's suburbs are "desirable" in the sense that they represent the best possible deal most people can get. But what you can get and what you truly desire are often different things.
If you had the money to conduct widespread opinion polling and rank American suburbs on charm and "wow" factor alone, you might have only a couple of DC suburbs within the Top 50. You'd probably get a list dominated by the Northeastern metros, Chicago and LA/SF.
Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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I prefer urban to suburbia but Marin (no e) was THE nicest suburban area I’ve ever lived in on either coast.
Sausalito, Mill Valley, Corte Madera, Tiburon, Larkspur, Ross, San Anselmo, Fairfax, etc all good. Clay running trails around the bay, numerous public tennis courts, foothills and mountains, Stinson Beach, deer come up to you in the morning (at least where I lived), trees, and very close to SF with commute by ferry an option. Is/was home to influential musicians, artists, film legends, athletes and others from SF’s storied cultural past that are all part of “Americana”.
South Bay (San Mateo, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Los Altos, Saratoga, etc) no slouch either.
Not sure why SF suburbs were not listed as an option.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ainsley1999
Marine County in Northern CA is quite nice too. And they too have personality.
Last edited by elchevere; 05-16-2023 at 10:59 AM..
Id pick a top DMV suburb in NOVA or Montgomery County over Winnetka. Not everyone likes the same style of suburb as you do. Contrary to popular opinion, I would pick one of Chicago’s western suburbs like Naperville over a north shore suburb all day. I can’t stand how un-diverse, homogenous, and small-town ish they feel.
I voted L.A too. L.A suburbs have their own personalities. They may not fit your conventional “All American” “WASPY” aesthetic and images but they are the interesting mixture of Spanish Revival, Mexican homeliness and California laissez-faire.
I love OP’s opening: Suburbs, the pure Americana.
Sounds like a title of a rock n roll song.
I’m not a fan of American suburbs, but if I have to pick, L.A’s (not including the O.C. No one in L.A sees the O.C as the suburbs of L.A, and vice versa.) is at least the most interesting.
Marine County in Northern CA is quite nice too. And they too have personality.
Agreed with all of this.
Marin County looks really pretty. Sausalito could almost pass for a Mediterranean coastal town.
Id pick a top DMV suburb in NOVA or Montgomery County over Winnetka. Not everyone likes the same style of suburb as you do. Contrary to popular opinion, I would pick one of Chicago’s western suburbs like Naperville over a north shore suburb all day. I can’t stand how un-diverse, homogenous, and small-town ish they feel.
You mean racially? Because it doesn't really get more homogeneous than NOVA as far as appearance goes.
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