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I haven't had a car in 11 years, I know dozens of people in Chicago without them as well, and it's not just cause of money. If you're in the right neighborhood and get a job in the city, it's quite easy. My friends and I all make $60K-$110K and I'd say of the 20 people I see most, 15 of them don't have cars. The ones that do drive them to work and basically it ends there.
Of course for having a family I think almost anyone would get a car, just cause it makes it SO much easier with a baby no matter what your situation.
As for singles or newly married though, there are countless neighborhoods in Chicago, NYC, Boston, Philly, San Fran, etc. where you can very easily live without a car. Chicago has areas like North Center that have good schools, are extremely safe, lots of transit options, shopping, restaurants, etc. and it's all tucked away just west of Lakeview in the city. Tons of families there, although many of them have cars just cause there's room to park and it makes appointments and all that other crap easier with a kid. Most friends I know in the city with kids very rarely use their cars - but they're certianly not giving them up.
My wife and I live car-lite in Hollywood, Los Angeles. I tend to walk more often than I take transit, and when I take transit it tends to be for things that are local to Hollywood so it's almost always the bus even though there are two subway stops within a half mile of me.
My wife (then GF) and I lived completely car-free in Brighton, Boston. Wasn't too much of a hassle though there are definitely some times I wished we could have had a car (unfortunately couldn't afford it then, couldn't even afford car-share). Personally I find Hollywood better for car-light or car-free living because there are more amenities within a mile or so but Brighton was pretty great too.
Someone may have mentioned it earlier but the key is to look for a car-free or car-light neighborhood as most everyone does most of their day-to-day within that neighborhood. I might as well be tourist when I go to Koreatown or DTLA because I rarely have a need to go to separate neighborhoods other than for pleasure most of the time. I would imagine just about every major city has at least a neighborhood or two where this is possible, expect maybe the really really sprawled out cities (for example even Phoenix has some neighborhoods that don't seem too tough). I guess the big problem would be if your job is very far from any walkable neighborhoods or there is not a good transit connection - I've never encountered that problem so far (and I applied to a lot of jobs in LA and Boston - almost all could be reached without a car).
Walkscore isn't perfect, but it's very useful for identifying neighborhoods where you can function car-free or car-lite. I'd say that 70 is a minimum Walkscore for a viable car-free location, and probably north of 80 is better.
It's often hard to work within your own neighborhood if you're not working at home. So I'd look for a location where I can do daily/frequent errands via walking--with a grocery store, a drug store, maybe a farmers' market, local shops. Probably in a place like that the walking environment would be adequate--good sidewalks, crosswalks etc., but that's something to look for. Then I'd want good, frequent transit to my workplace and the workplace of other adults in the household. I'd also want transit that isn't just commute oriented, so I could go to a restaurant or movie beyond the neighborhood.
Most US locations don't fit this bill, but there are plenty that do.
Im still in Austin, always thinking about this. I live with my wife who has a car, finally got rid of mine earlier this yr. I don't regret it at all. No worry about a big repair bill. My ebike is going strong and I have a faster e motorcycle I converted to electric so I can use the faster roads safely.
But the problem still exists. We visted Portland. Its still an auto wasteland with stinky cars everywhere. The number of bike commuters was giving hope.
Im just tired of reading about deaths by auto everywhere. I worry about my wife when she uses her scooter going to work. So many distracted careless drivers. I'd like to possible have a kid someday and not worry about he/she living in this environment. This country is so big, I can't believe we are so limited with lifestyle options that are centered around the automobile. Its as if the car is god.
I wish Bicycle City in south Carolina would become a reality. I think I will have to live in a rural area to get away from the hordes of autos. But chances are the roads will still be dangerous to use with high speed traffic. And the lack of economy and business opportunity will be the main drawback.
In this country, there is no getting away from the automobile the way you want. I was just in Amsterdam and spent two days riding around the city. Even with excellent bicycle infrastructure, there were still cars, trolleys and hordes of bicyclists that pose danger (although it was a dream and I would take it in a second!). You're not going to get away from those factors unless you do go someplace that's like a bicycle city. Problem then is that the job opportunities are probably pretty non-existent (unless you both work remote).
Rural living is extremely dangerous with riding a bicycle IMO. Fast moving cars on winding country roads is a nightmare; better to deal with more traffic that's going 25 mph (or less) and is used to seeing bicyclists. Given your preference and the heavy constraints you have, I would recommend finding a smaller city that has a good/growing bike culture that allows you to get around in light traffic and/or greenways. Even a quaint neighborhood in a city like Minneapolis could be a big step up from Austin.
If Portland is full of "stinky" cars (I consider it very bike friendly) maybe you should go to one of those planned communities where people use golf carts. Golf carts are often electric, so that may appease you. I'm guessing people there still use cars, but look into Peachtree City, Georgia. According to wikipedia:
Quote:
Peachtree City has a system of golf cart paths which spider across the town and provide a secondary means of access to almost any destination within city limits. These multi-use paths stretch for more than ninety miles throughout the city. Many places of business have specially designated golf cart parking spaces and the Peachtree City Police Department has several golf carts that patrol[4] along the paths. Over 9,000 households own a golf cart, more than any other city in the world, and use them as an extra vehicle for local transportation.
I don't know if people use gas golf carts though. You'd have to find out, I guess.
Last edited by muffincake; 12-06-2014 at 10:26 PM..
I imagine it won't be too long now before driverless cars are the majority on the roads and human beings piloting vehicles manually becomes something a few people do for fun. Accidents, drunk driving, even traffic congestion - largely a thing of the past. It won't happen overnight but it's coming.
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