Can you walk to your grocery store? (Plano, Frisco: hair salon, neighborhood)

[GripeWater]

How many of you live within pleasantly walkable distance from a grocery store, pharmacy, pizza shop, ice cream parlour, general physican's office, restaurant, hair salon, bakery, ATM and basic necessities like these?

[TheOverdog]

If you can't theoretically walk to your grocery store and you live in a metro area, then you live in what the USDA calls a 'food desert'.

Food desert:
Food deserts are defined as parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas. This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers.
This has become a big problem because while food deserts are often short on whole food providers, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, instead, they are heavy on local quickie marts that provide a wealth of processed, sugar, and fat laden foods that are known contributors to our nation’s obesity epidemic.

USDA Defines Food Deserts | American Nutrition Association
The USDA defines what's considered a food desert and which areas will be helped by this initiative: To qualify as a “low-access community,” at least 500 people and/or at least 33 percent of the census tract's population must reside more than one mile from a supermarket or large grocery store (for rural census tracts, the distance is more than 10 miles).


I live in central plano, and the answer is yes. I can walk to all that except for Dr office, but I get my haircut farther away by choice. Bad juju on my part, not supporting my local haircutter.

Here's a chart where you can check your area: Chose the 2nd set of components to check access, without any consideration of income.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-access-research-atlas/go-to-the-atlas.aspx#.Umk72XCkqpc

[Gilah G.]

Originally Posted by GripeWater

How many of you live within pleasantly walkable distance from a grocery store, pharmacy, pizza shop, ice cream parlour, general physican's office, restaurant, hair salon, bakery, ATM and basic necessities like these?

We can pleasantly walk to all of these.
Not that we do though

[DitsyD]

Originally Posted by GripeWater

How many of you live within pleasantly walkable distance from a grocery store, pharmacy, pizza shop, ice cream parlour, general physican's office, restaurant, hair salon, bakery, ATM and basic necessities like these?

Me.

[VegasMan_72]

Originally Posted by GripeWater

How many of you live within pleasantly walkable distance from a grocery store, pharmacy, pizza shop, ice cream parlour, general physican's office, restaurant, hair salon, bakery, ATM and basic necessities like these?

What is your definition of "pleasantly walkable distance"? For me I can walk to several of these places within a 2 mile radius and I think most people in the metroplex can as well ( I live in Frisco). Not that we do it though.....

[FalconheadWest]

Who wants to walk to the grocery store and then carry all the groceries home? Even if I lived 1 block from the store, I would still drive.

[Johnhw2]

Originally Posted by FalconheadWest

Who wants to walk to the grocery store and then carry all the groceries home? Even if I lived 1 block from the store, I would still drive.

I agree but if its nice as it is today and I only needed something small and light, I would and could. Trader Joe's is about half a mile away and Walmart Neighborhood stores is one quarter mile away each in difference shopping areas with other things such as those listed. I am in W. Plano and thought both are across busy Preston, both are accessible by foot Market street is about the same distance as Trader Joe's and does not require crossing Preston.

[GripeWater]

I am not talking about hauling heavy grocery every week ( though you can with a wheeled personal shopping bag like people in European cities do), I'm talking about ability to walk to the store to get a bread or eggs or ice cream, etc. By pleasant walk, I meant short 5-10. minute stroll to get a hair cut or pick up Cough medicine and such. I know we have a car centered culture here but most people like to walk for little errands some times and it feels nice to burn some calories while doing it. It suits a healthy living style.

[GripeWater]

Its convenient for teenagers, guests and grandparents as well if they don't have their own car or want to enjoy the neighborhood and get pack of gum, pizza, manicure, prescription, church visit, some socialization etc.

[europeanone]

I live in Plano and am getting a double pannier for my bike so that I can ride to the grocery store a few times a week as well as pick up the kids from school and carry their backpacks while they walk home. What frustrates me about Plano, however, is that the town touts itself to be a very walkable city yet you take your life in your hands when you have to cross the six lane roads that are all over the place...especially when there is a person wanting to make a turn and you are in the crosswalk. Only 1/3 of them have the patience to wait. I can therefore not let my kids bike to school until they are teens. We live about 1/2 mile from our school and it aggravates me to no end. Only walking under electric lines makes this town truly walkable. That said, we are surrounded by all the amenities we need and I can walk or bike to all of them, though at the risk of bodily harm. I'll get off my soapbox now.