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I really don't understand why people live so far out in the suburbs. Many seem caught up with the desire for a lot of physical space that (at least to me) seems unnecessary. For example-does every child need a separate bedroom? Kids shared bedrooms for many many years in the past. Do we really need a grassy yard? There are parks/playgrounds available in even the densest communities. Do we really need a den, a TV room, a game room, etc etc etc? It's this desire for tons of room that pushes people out sixty miles or more to find something that they can afford. Smaller place=less commute for the price=more time with family, or relaxing at home or elsewhere.
I really don't understand why people live so far out in the suburbs. Many seem caught up with the desire for a lot of physical space that (at least to me) seems unnecessary. For example-does every child need a separate bedroom? Kids shared bedrooms for many many years in the past. Do we really need a grassy yard? There are parks/playgrounds available in even the densest communities. Do we really need a den, a TV room, a game room, etc etc etc? It's this desire for tons of room that pushes people out sixty miles or more to find something that they can afford. Smaller place=less commute for the price=more time with family, or relaxing at home or elsewhere.
Yes, the developed world is over-tasked & over-stressed and it daily makes me wonder: If humans are in charge of all this, why do they continue to make themselves & everyone in the world miserable?
I say "they" because I consciously checked out of that maniacal rat race years ago. Capitalism is every CEO's wet dream, and every underdog's nightmare.
I really don't understand why people live so far out in the suburbs. Many seem caught up with the desire for a lot of physical space that (at least to me) seems unnecessary. For example-does every child need a separate bedroom? Kids shared bedrooms for many many years in the past. Do we really need a grassy yard? There are parks/playgrounds available in even the densest communities. Do we really need a den, a TV room, a game room, etc etc etc? It's this desire for tons of room that pushes people out sixty miles or more to find something that they can afford. Smaller place=less commute for the price=more time with family, or relaxing at home or elsewhere.
I think paying $3000 per month to rent a Manhattan apartment is even more unnecessary than all of those things.
I know a recent college grad who lives in a 3 bedroom apartment with two other girls. They each pay over 1000 a month. She's moving back home when the lease is up because it's just too expensive. She's currently reverse commuting into NJ, because she works here but lives in the city, and will move back to NJ to save money. I don't understand why people spend a ridiculous amount of money, often for sh*tty or small places, in cities. Perhaps with most cities other than NY it is different, but where I'm from that's how it is. You'd have to be crazy to live in the city unless you had a lot of money IMHO, especially with a family, or simply don't care much about where you live and the size or the neighborhood. Here, there are places just 30 miles from Manhattan with all those things you mentioned in your post. And IMHO QOL is overall better.
I have two children (one in college now) work full time as does my wife. Non of us are all that stressed and my children do well in school and activities. It's how you balance it.
We live in an age where Busy = Important. If your busy everyone most need you, work needs you, select teams need you, your important to the world. Things wouldn't function without you, because your important. You work 70 hours per week, because your important, not a loser. Only important people are busy to the point of breakdown. And you must BRAG ABOUT IT, because as we all known your busy or sorry important.
In centuries past the wealthy bragged about how much they didn't work and how much time of leisure they had, now it is the opposite.
I really don't understand why people live so far out in the suburbs. Many seem caught up with the desire for a lot of physical space that (at least to me) seems unnecessary. For example-does every child need a separate bedroom? Kids shared bedrooms for many many years in the past. Do we really need a grassy yard? There are parks/playgrounds available in even the densest communities. Do we really need a den, a TV room, a game room, etc etc etc? It's this desire for tons of room that pushes people out sixty miles or more to find something that they can afford. Smaller place=less commute for the price=more time with family, or relaxing at home or elsewhere.
How about because the further from the city you go the cheaper it is?
How about because the further from the city you go the cheaper it is?
And in some areas, living in the city means you need to pay tuition for expensive private schools for your children, more than negating any savings you might see from purchasing less gas.
I do, and it works well. I've made trade offs to make it work. We could live further from my job and have a bigger house, but that's not worth it to me. I am underemployed/underpaid for my profession but I'll take that trade off in exchange for the shorter hours and flexibility I get. My son has limited activities because there's no way to juggle everything but he still gets to do things he enjoys.
As I tell my son, we have everything we need and some, even if not all, of what we want. We are doing just fine.
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