Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
IMO eastern suburbs blow western suburbs out of the water.
We're biased, but I'm in agreement here. Especially regarding historic character and natural preservation/open space.
I couldn't stand to live in an urban area where almost every square foot of land is dedicated to development, which is how the vast majority of Western metros are developed.
Cities and suburbs essentially blend completely together, with much less distinction in density and character compared to the East Coast. To say nothing of the generally much more arid climates with a stark lack of greenery.
Is there a reason D.C. is winning this poll. I've read people on this forum dinging it for it's lack of Old Railroad suburbs. Perhaps the voters don't care about that.
I'd agree Seattle suburbs don't stand out to me. I remember visiting Issaquah for the first time expecting something interesting as the valley and hills that the city is set in is exceptionally beautiful. But the development there left a lot to be desired; it's just okay. Redmond is alright but IMHO its downtown is pretty ugly.
Bellevue has a nice shiny skyline that looks impressive when approaching the city, but it's kind of predictable in terms of amenities as it's packed with the same upscale chains one could find in any other upper middle class corporate suburb in the US. It's got the potential to evolve into something interesting and does have some nice features like Meydenbauer and Downtown parks.
Mercer Island is scenic, but the only thing to do there is gauk at big luxury homes and it doesn't really have much of a downtown to speak of. It's rooted in having former lakeside cottages that have all been torn down for huge modern homes with big footprints on small properties.
I think Kirkland is the one suburb that I wouldn't mind hanging out in for an afternoon as it has a nice waterfront on Lake Washington and a more interesting selection of businesses in its downtown.
Bellevue and Kirkland are walkable. Loved that aspect. Both had some smaller mom and pop restaurants as well.
Is there a reason D.C. is winning this poll. I've read people on this forum dinging it for it's lack of Old Railroad suburbs. Perhaps the voters don't care about that.
I think DC does best with transit-oriented suburbs, for sure, which likely plays the biggest role in its lead.
It also balances modernity and some more historic nabes (i.e., Chevy Chase, Alexandria, Silver Spring, Takoma Park), has a widespread affluent feel, and lots of greenery/open space. A little over-developed in parts, but a far cry from many others.
I can see why it would appeal to a broad cross-section of Americans, though.
Is there a reason D.C. is winning this poll. I've read people on this forum dinging it for it's lack of Old Railroad suburbs. Perhaps the voters don't care about that.
Most Americans want to drive a GMC Yukon Denali and live in a 4-BR/2.5-BA 3,000 square foot home on a 1/4-acre lot to house all of their many (one or zero) children. I lived in Northern Virginia. I hated it because it felt like endless sprawling suburbia that was bland and soulless, yet it was booming. Obviously my desire for a place like Old Town Alexandria or Falls Church City or Clarendon---dense, walkable, transit-friendly, unique, etc.---aren't what the majority of Americans want. To me DC has far more sprawling low-density car-centric suburbs than cute, walkable, historic, charming, unique ones with a "sense of place", but since DC is winning this poll most Americans obviously don't care about that (and that's fine). They just want more square footage and more property and bigger vehicles and more junk. That's fine.
As for me I would take Ardmore, PA (Philadelphia); West Chester, PA (Philadelphia); Cambridge, MA (Boston); Hoboken, NJ (NYC); or Evanston, IL (Chicago) anyday over Ashburn, VA; Chantilly, VA, Centreville, VA, Woodbridge, VA, Gaithersburg, MD, Germantown, MD, etc. (Washington, DC).
I think DC does best with transit-oriented suburbs, for sure, which likely plays the biggest role in its lead.
It also balances modernity and some more historic nabes (i.e., Chevy Chase, Alexandria, Silver Spring, Takoma Park), has a widespread affluent feel, and lots of greenery/open space. A little over-developed in parts, but a far cry from many others.
I can see why it would appeal to a broad cross-section of Americans, though.
Yea, diversity of options is where DC wins imo. You can be in an urban area like Arlington/Alexandria or a wooded, leafy suburb like Great Falls.
Yea, diversity of options is where DC wins imo. You can be in an urban area like Arlington/Alexandria or a wooded, leafy suburb like Great Falls.
I think it’s pretty simply. DC has a pretty unique blend of suburbs. Bos/Phil/NYC are splitting the vote cause they have similar suburbs. Same with LA/Phoenix/SF Bay
Is this unique to DC though? Seems like you can have this at a much larger scale in some of the other cities mentioned here.
It's the balance of the age of its suburbs that makes it more unique though. It has an older, East Coast/Mid-Atlantic feel in many parts, but also doesn't feel as weathered or stodgy as some suburbs around Boston, NYC or Philly, because it's grown pretty rapidly and consistently post WWII (with lots of turnover, too, so it tends to feel more "current"--for better or worse).
That's kind of what I was getting at regarding the "broad appeal."
Is this unique to DC though? Seems like you can have this at a much larger scale in some of the other cities mentioned here.
well, in NJ/NY there are rail burbs but they aren't full blown cities/developed as multi family as those around DC (Bare New Brunswick).
In Boston, theres virtually no dense rail burbs ... maybe the old mill towns and some exburbs/functional extensions of the city? But yeah no.
Philadelphia is between Boston and NYC with the Main Line and PATCO. Beautiful towns, but nto built up as much as DC. But they are beautiful.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
