Metros With The Nicest Collection of Suburbs 2023 (living, best, state)
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I don't really care about this topic, but I do want to point out that I spent this past weekend in Northern Virginia and it always blows my mind how similar it is to the Northern Atlanta suburbs. Like, you'd be hard pressed to know if you were in one versus the other.
Yep. I feel like if Sandy Springs and some of the other upscale Atlanta suburbs were a bit more fast-paced, the people were a bit more self-involved and self-important it'd be an almost identical southern version of NoVa. The thing I've always liked about Atlanta is the people are super friendly or at least that's been my experience when I visit, people actually stop and allow you to merge when getting over!
Meh, I really don't think so myself. I think out of the big 3, DFW offers the best suburbs in the state. Austin has about 3 suburbs that somewhat standout from the rest imo. Houston imo only has 2 suburbs that are distinct from the rest (The Woodlands and Sugar Land). Houston metropolitan area is too flooded with unincorporated areas that really have no distinct character. Suburbia Houston is heavily filled with master planned communities with no real character, mostly cookie cutter SFH's. No real town square, main street or downtowns just a lot of roads with restaurants, retail shopping, insert random business on both sides of the main roads. Also throw in some apartment complexes at random and that's Houston suburbs in a nutshell. Not the most atheistically pleasing looking areas but convenient if you prefer a car. Not so if you want a walkable area. There are a few suburbs with main streets that date back to a time when it wasn't swallowed by Houston (Tomball, Old Town Spring, Humble, Richmond) but they're not really that big or impressive either. Unfortunately Houston wasn't surrounded by a lot of historical decent size towns where they could have an impressive town square/downtown area. I actually live in one of the better quality suburbs here in Unincorporated Katy right next to Cinco Ranch and Fort Bend/Richmond area. It's okay. Has all the amenities you'll ever need. Area is really growing. There's an Asian town in close proximity to my place. But still imo lacking soul and character.
Here is one way to think about it, imagine a sinkhole formed and swallowed up the downtown - which city would make it out the best? Easily LA. Ok we would lose downtown LA, that sucks, but we still got a ton of stuff outside of that. You took out some great stuff like the Walt Disney Concert Hall, but you also took out skid row.
Every other city does way worse. The only ones that don't lose as badly are the other cities that sprawl like LA - Dallas, Houston, Atlanta & Phoenix. But would you rather live in Santa Monica/Pasadena/Long Beach or one of the LA suburbs vs. one of the others? LA is taking this one.
Meh, I really don't think so myself. I think out of the big 3, DFW offers the best suburbs in the state. Austin has about 3 suburbs that somewhat standout from the rest imo. Houston imo only has 2 suburbs that are distinct from the rest (The Woodlands and Sugar Land). Houston metropolitan area is too flooded with unincorporated areas that really have no distinct character. Suburbia Houston is heavily filled with master planned communities with no real character, mostly cookie cutter SFH's. No real town square, main street or downtowns just a lot of roads with restaurants, retail shopping, insert random business on both sides of the main roads. Also throw in some apartment complexes at random and that's Houston suburbs in a nutshell. Not the most atheistically pleasing looking areas but convenient if you prefer a car. Not so if you want a walkable area. There are a few suburbs with main streets that date back to a time when it wasn't swallowed by Houston (Tomball, Old Town Spring, Humble, Richmond) but they're not really that big or impressive either. Unfortunately Houston wasn't surrounded by a lot of historical decent size towns where they could have an impressive town square/downtown area. I actually live in one of the better quality suburbs here in Unincorporated Katy right next to Cinco Ranch and Fort Bend/Richmond area. It's okay. Has all the amenities you'll ever need. Area is really growing. There's an Asian town in close proximity to my place. But still imo lacking soul and character.
Which 3 Austin suburbs stand out to you? I like Round Rock and Georgetown has a nice downtown area too. Some of the western suburbs like Bee Cave are really nice too. Also to be fair all 3 have suburbs that are loaded with cookie cutter homes tbh. Homes with character is not really a strong suit for the Texas suburbs, especially the newer ones.
Meh, I really don't think so myself. I think out of the big 3, DFW offers the best suburbs in the state. Austin has about 3 suburbs that somewhat standout from the rest imo. Houston imo only has 2 suburbs that are distinct from the rest (The Woodlands and Sugar Land). Houston metropolitan area is too flooded with unincorporated areas that really have no distinct character. Suburbia Houston is heavily filled with master planned communities with no real character, mostly cookie cutter SFH's. No real town square, main street or downtowns just a lot of roads with restaurants, retail shopping, insert random business on both sides of the main roads. Also throw in some apartment complexes at random and that's Houston suburbs in a nutshell. Not the most atheistically pleasing looking areas but convenient if you prefer a car. Not so if you want a walkable area. There are a few suburbs with main streets that date back to a time when it wasn't swallowed by Houston (Tomball, Old Town Spring, Humble, Richmond) but they're not really that big or impressive either. Unfortunately Houston wasn't surrounded by a lot of historical decent size towns where they could have an impressive town square/downtown area. I actually live in one of the better quality suburbs here in Unincorporated Katy right next to Cinco Ranch and Fort Bend/Richmond area. It's okay. Has all the amenities you'll ever need. Area is really growing. There's an Asian town in close proximity to my place. But still imo lacking soul and character.
The Woodlands is ok with some decent higher density pocket, but yes, you need a car.
Sugar Land (where I grew up) is prime example of "no soul". They have that Imperial Sugar plant right there that could be focal point of a nice development - but nothing comes of it. SL Town Center is a waste with zero residential. The rest is just sprawl along Highway 6.
Otherwise, yes, DFW suburbs are different but also bc how big they are. Take Plano, it has 285k people, compare to Sugar Land and just over 100k peeps. That's the main difference I found between DFW burbs and Houston one anyway - the one in DFW could all be a mid-size city by itself.
Which 3 Austin suburbs stand out to you? I like Round Rock and Georgetown has a nice downtown area too. Some of the western suburbs like Bee Cave are really nice too. Also to be fair all 3 have suburbs that are loaded with cookie cutter homes tbh. Homes with character is not really a strong suit for the Texas suburbs, especially the newer ones.
I can’t think of any that do. Maybe lake Travis? That area is nice. Everything else is very unremarkable
Dallas and houston both have nice burbs that can be affordable
I don't really care about this topic, but I do want to point out that I spent this past weekend in Northern Virginia and it always blows my mind how similar it is to the Northern Atlanta suburbs. Like, you'd be hard pressed to know if you were in one versus the other.
Yeah, I know Koreans who moved to Atlanta from the DMV that say similar things.
Suburbs can be really “soulless”, including the ones from outside the U.S.
I’ve lived in some cooler suburbs (South Pasadena CA, Shaker Heights OH) and lived in FL and TX. The latter two only briefly but I have to be say these two states have the quintessential “soulless” cookie cutter Stepford Wives suburbs. Nice, convenient, newish, manicured, but otherwise interchangeable. Everything is there, but nothing much upstairs.
People keep praising Frisco, and I know a family living in their 2.3 million home with the palatial stairs and grandest entrance. I went there, I went to visit the Cowboy headquarter (my husband had a meeting there.) and I also went to the famous Legacy shopping area.-all I saw was $, the kind of niceness $ can buy (and make), but I was left feeling nothing.
I had the same impression with the O.C (sorry Gaylord) in CA. Just new, nice, all-you-can-have shopping/living convenience but otherwise lacks character and personality. Most suburbs in Greater LA area especially the Eastern side of San Gabriel Valley segued into the Inland Empire are similar. You can’t even remember where you are. San Fernando Valley isn’t much better, either.
My inlaws once had a weekend house in San Marcos near San Diego. Expensive hilltop house and well-manicured streets. The same cookie cutter design. Every house looked the same.
I still think FL has the most unremarkable, bland, cookie cutter, soulless suburbs. They all look the same. It’s very depressing, even with the gorgeous sun and palm trees. (With some exception such as Coral Gable…etc.)
In a suburb like Pasadena CA (but it’s its own city!) you either see grand, artistically inspiring well-maintained moneyed architectures with history, or you see rundown, crammed bungalows/ranch houses/cottages that were previously working class but now sell for $999/sqf.-with some interesting Craftsman houses in-between. Unlikely to see newish cookie cutter master planned subdivisons with uptight HOA on board.
South Pasadena CA doesn’t even allow high risers. There are probably two newish development in the entire city, and they are tucked in from the streets and with two flights.
Suburbs can be done beautifully. The visual symmetry, architectural design that keeps the integrity of the house in tact, respect of the local culture/legacy, humanly thoughtful with the needs of the residences, and mostly, don’t be an eyesore. There are huge differences between mansions and McMansions. The latter is quickly and cheaply built, not much design and aesthetics, lack of the harmonic relation with the land and the neighboring communities, and nouveau riche to the ninth heaven.
Suburbs can be really “soulless”, including the ones from outside the U.S.
I’ve lived in some cooler suburbs (South Pasadena CA, Shaker Heights OH) and lived in FL and TX. The latter two only briefly but I have to be say these two states have the quintessential “soulless” cookie cutter Stepford Wives suburbs. Nice, convenient, newish, manicured, but otherwise interchangeable. Everything is there, but nothing much upstairs.
People keep praising Frisco, and I know a family living in their 2.3 million home with the palatial stairs and grandest entrance. I went there, I went to visit the Cowboy headquarter (my husband had a meeting there.) and I also went to the famous Legacy shopping area.-all I saw was $, the kind of niceness $ can buy (and make), but I was left feeling nothing.
I had the same impression with the O.C (sorry Gaylord) in CA. Just new, nice, all-you-can-have shopping/living convenience but otherwise lacks character and personality. Most suburbs in Greater LA area especially the Eastern side of San Gabriel Valley segued into the Inland Empire are similar. You can’t even remember where you are. San Fernando Valley isn’t much better, either.
My inlaws once had a weekend house in San Marcos near San Diego. Expensive hilltop house and well-manicured streets. The same cookie cutter design. Every house looked the same.
I still think FL has the most unremarkable, bland, cookie cutter, soulless suburbs. They all look the same. It’s very depressing, even with the gorgeous sun and palm trees. (With some exception such as Coral Gable…etc.)
In a suburb like Pasadena CA (but it’s its own city!) you either see grand, artistically inspiring well-maintained moneyed architectures with history, or you see rundown, crammed bungalows/ranch houses/cottages that were previously working class but now sell for $999/sqf.-with some interesting Craftsman houses in-between. Unlikely to see newish cookie cutter master planned subdivisons with uptight HOA on board.
South Pasadena CA doesn’t even allow high risers. There are probably two newish development in the entire city, and they are tucked in from the streets and with two flights.
Suburbs can be done beautifully. The visual symmetry, architectural design that keeps the integrity of the house in tact, respect of the local culture/legacy, humanly thoughtful with the needs of the residences, and mostly, don’t be an eyesore. There are huge differences between mansions and McMansions. The latter is quickly and cheaply built, not much design and aesthetics, lack of the harmonic relation with the land and the neighboring communities, and nouveau riche to the ninth heaven.
Thats how I felt in Long Island, close to the Hamptons. And parts of NOVA
Which 3 Austin suburbs stand out to you? I like Round Rock and Georgetown has a nice downtown area too. Some of the western suburbs like Bee Cave are really nice too. Also to be fair all 3 have suburbs that are loaded with cookie cutter homes tbh. Homes with character is not really a strong suit for the Texas suburbs, especially the newer ones.
I was referring to Round Rock, Georgetown and San Marcos. I know it might be a stretch to say San Marcos is a suburb of Austin but it's considered one at this point. And yes all 3 have neighborhoods full of cookie cutter homes and what not but I think they have some downtowns that set it apart from other burbs in the area and most burbs in Texas. I'm not saying these 3 are cream of the crop when it comes to American suburbs in general. Definitely not
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