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Interestingly enough, there are others I prefer to most of those in your list. Newburyport, Hingham, Duxbury, Manchester by the Sea, Beverly.
No doubt there are quite a few interesting and unique coastal suburbs around Boston, despite the fact that the MetroWest is the most notorious suburban region in MA.
Location: Chapel Hill, NC, formerly NoVA and Phila
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheTimidBlueBars
I picked half the options, Boston, Chicago, LA, NYC, and Philly. I like strong and interesting suburban downtowns (ideally with rapid transit/commuter rail) and there are a lot of those in these metros.
Was never the biggest fan of metro DC, the current winning choice. NOVA is so sprawly --- even in areas not far from the DC border, like McLean and North Arlington --- that the Silver and Orange Line stations out there aren't that useful for most people. And the suburbs I saw in Maryland, besides a few like Wheaton, Bethesda, and Silver Spring, mostly had nonexistent downtowns or just like one block along a highway that temporarily narrows. (The endless red brick architecture, while some of it is nice, also gets old IMO)
I agree with this wholeheartedly. I lived in metro DC for over 20 years (half in Maryland and half in NoVA), and their suburbs pretty much stink as far as community feel, nice downtowns, and uniqueness. I loved living there, but that was in spite of the look and feel of most of the suburbs. It took me a while to find "my place." I'll take the walkable suburbs with real downtowns outside Philly (and other cities) any day!
Here are some beautiful and unique developments south of Atlanta since the north side always seem to get the most praise
1. Trilith - https://www.trilith.com/
2. Serenbe - https://www.serenbe.com/
Atlanta truly has some of the best burbs in the nation.
Atlanta is one of those places that surprises me with each visit. It seems like I am always finding something new. I had been there quite a few times in the past, for instance, but only during my last visit did I end up in The Battery in Cumberland (I didn't even know this existed, and quite frankly, who would think, considering the forest nature of the metro and how everything is hidden by green, valleys and hills.) https://www.google.com/maps/@33.8887...7i16384!8i8192
And then, even those suburbs without a "downtown core" so to speak still have their own charm. I've spent some time in Morrow, and am considering buying property there. I love the rolling hills, the trees, the sharp contrast to Atlanta itself (downtown ATL is a mere 20 minutes away, and the airport 10 minutes...)
Atlanta has been and remains one of my favorite metros due to its layout, and the variety and multitude of its suburbs.
(This isn't nearly as remote as it may seem... Right behind that hill with the trees are more streets lines with homes. But it retains this quaint, small-town atmosphere due to its layout and tree cover. I love it.) https://www.google.com/maps/@33.5656...7i16384!8i8192
Here are some beautiful and unique developments south of Atlanta since the north side always seem to get the most praise
1. Trilith - https://www.trilith.com/
2. Serenbe - https://www.serenbe.com/
Atlanta truly has some of the best burbs in the nation.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mwj119
Interestingly enough, there are others I prefer to most of those in your list. Newburyport, Hingham, Duxbury, Manchester by the Sea, Beverly.
No doubt there are quite a few interesting and unique coastal suburbs around Boston, despite the fact that the MetroWest is the most notorious suburban region in MA.
From a google shots perspective, the ones selected photographed well from a waterfront advantage. I grew up in the Newburyport area and agree it's one of the nicest towns for its brick downtown, federalist housing stock, and nearby beaches and wildlife refuge at Plum Island.
Manchester by-the-sea is a cool little nautical town with the nicest beach on the North Shore (Singing Beach), but you can't park there in the summer unless you're a town resident (lucky them!). Beverly is a very well rounded suburb with a mix of urban and suburban parts, some scenic shoreline, and a nice array of amenities. Duxbury (Deluxebury) has a very scenic beach, probably the nicest one on the South Shore. Hingham is just okay, it's very residential. Nearby Hull and Nantasket Beach have more to do.
Marblehead is the most unique suburban coastal town for me as it's endowed with many 18th and 19th century homes with a shoreline of nice sandy coves and granite headlands. It's rocky coast gives a feeling of being on the Maine coast, the downtown reflects its fishing village roots, and it has a beautiful natural harbor.
Metro West is where the lions share of Boston's suburban wealth is concentrated since its a huge base for employment in the area. But it's not that interesting and I never found many reasons to go there. If I were to take my pic of suburbs there, Newton would be the most well rounded suburb with amenities in abundance and very attractive suburban neighborhoods and Concord is beautiful with its bucolic semi-rural charm along with its historical relevance. If one wants to gawk at affluent residential neighborhoods, then take a drive around Weston or Wellesley. But they don't want you there, lol. Natick is the retail hub with the biggest mall in the state.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 03-21-2023 at 06:23 AM..
I think this is a really good thread so far and really shows the diversity of opinions about suburbs.
Most of it comes down to what we're accustomed regionally and expectations around that. I personally put the most value on suburban areas that have grown more organically.
I can understand the pleasant and new appeal of "planned" communities like you find in the Sun Belt, but there's just something "off" a town that was literally conceived entirely in a corporate board room.
But nothing beats organic charm, in my view, that was cultivated over many years, which is why I'll always be partial to the Northeast.
Another aspect that hasn't been discussed: highways. I personally can't stand oversized roads with non-stop piecemeal development and huge expressways traversing otherwise serene environments. This is an aspect where I've found Boston and Philadelphia are absolutely the best. Very limited expressway and highway development in their suburbs, especially for their size. It makes the overall living environment so much more pleasant.
My Top 5 would be (in no particular order):
LA
Chicago
Philly
Detroit
Atlanta/Dallas (Tied)
This is for major cities. Smaller cities like San Jose, Raleigh-Durham, and Orlando have been places I've been to that have all seemed to have some pretty nice suburbs.
Not on the list, but I found Clevelands inner ring suburbs to be hugely underrated and fantastically walkable/transit oriented. In fact, places like Lakewood, Shaker Heights, and Cleveland Heights are among the few suburbs I've been to where I've noticed a huge number of kids walking and biking to and from school which is an indicator of a healthy quality of life for all ages. Shaker Heights and Shaker Square are basically model suburbs with good transit/rail connections to downtown with schools within an easy 10 minute walk of neighborhoods and a well connected network of parks and greenways accessible to most homes by foot.
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