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LA is the original template of the Sunbelt type of city. Dallas, Phoenix, and Houston from what I remember was based on LAs low rise of development. LA is as sunbelt as it gets.
No it's not. LA truly is a unique case. It's not 100% sunbelt. It's best to just categorize LA as a West Coast city. Same with SF. It's not truly an "old school" city, or a sunbelt city. It's unique. Again, it's better to categorize SF as a West Coast city.
LA is the original template of the Sunbelt type of city. Dallas, Phoenix, and Houston from what I remember was based on LAs low rise of development. LA is as sunbelt as it gets.
It's still way too packed in to be considered a typical sunbelt.
I think it slots somewhere between a Sunbelt, low-density city, and an old-school, high-density city. In many ways its a bizarre hybrid.
Last edited by RaymondChandlerLives; 04-11-2013 at 01:16 AM..
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RaymondChandlerLives
It's still way too packed in to be considered a typical sunbelt.
Good luck explaining how Seattle and Portland have "East Coast" elements, but Los Angeles does not. Not that L.A. is an old school city the way you're thinking, but it does have a rather large, old school core.
Seattle and Portland had more labor/manufacturing and shipping industries before LA's time in the 20th century. They evolved differently and mirror a much closer image to typical old school cities like Boston or Pittsburgh than LA does. LA keeps reinventing itself as it evolves but it is the original sunbelt template indeed. LA also realized urban infill before most sunbelt cities.
No it's not. LA truly is a unique case. It's not 100% sunbelt. It's best to just categorize LA as a West Coast city. Same with SF. It's not truly an "old school" city, or a sunbelt city. It's unique. Again, it's better to categorize SF as a West Coast city.
Miami is quite dense too in layout, and is still a Sunbelt city. Sunbelt cities don't have to be low density. It sounds like you and RCL are eqating Sunbelt cities with low density and sprawl. But the common thread among them is that these cities grew during the age of the automobile, and the cities designs accomdated for them. San Francisco grew before the age of the automobile and still resembles a old school city like on the East Coast.
In America, I only care about Washington, Miami, and New York for "living in", my list used to be at least 15-20 long but I'm at the point where only three places appeal to me in this country for living in. So what does that say about which I prefer? Answer is both, not every city in either region is a carbon copy with carbon attributes.
Rest of America? I wouldn't live in the rest readily and would rather go abroad but truly admire Chicago, San Diego, Tucson, Denver, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco/Bay Area, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, San Antonio, and I suppose Phoenix and Portland too. Let's just say I like all these places "equally" I suppose. I like these cities, as you can tell my "favoritism" is all over the map.
Beyond that, I either haven't been (Nashville, Minneapolis, Raleigh) or just don't care about every living in or seeing again (the rest).
Last edited by Trafalgar Law; 04-11-2013 at 07:55 PM..
Miami is quite dense too in layout, and is still a Sunbelt city. Sunbelt cities don't have to be low density. It sounds like you and RCL are eqating Sunbelt cities with low density and sprawl. But the common thread among them is that these cities grew during the age of the automobile, and the cities designs accomdated for them. San Francisco grew before the age of the automobile and still resembles a old school city like on the East Coast.
I don't think people realize there can be such a thing as dense sprawl.
And there are old school cities that are IN the Sunbelt, such as San Francisco and New Orleans, although they boomed well before the WWII area and as such a lot of their development isn't auto-oriented.
Too much polarity in this choice. The Bos-Wash corridor cities aren't the only "old school" style of city in the country. Cities like Buffalo, Rochester, Pittsburgh, Cleveland.....lots of cities that were built up pre-WWII are "old school" but also have single family homes with yards and walkable urban neighborhoods combined. That environment did exist before the WWII. It's not "an apartment or rowhouse with no yard where you can walk to stuff" OR " a single family house with a yard where you have to drive to everything". There is A LOT in between.
To add....I prefer the types of cities I mentioned overall because they combine what is IMO the best of both worlds. I also like the idea of a detached single family home; but also more walkable streets. Also the cities that were built in this style pre-War have much richer architecture than "sunbelt-style"
Last edited by just_sayin'; 04-11-2013 at 08:25 AM..
Too much polarity in this choice. The Bos-Wash corridor cities aren't the only "old school" style of city in the country. Cities like Buffalo, Rochester, Pittsburgh, Cleveland.....lots of cities that were built up pre-WWII are "old school" but also have single family homes with yards and walkable urban neighborhoods combined. That environment did exist before the WWII. It's not "an apartment or rowhouse with no yard where you can walk to stuff" OR " a single family house with a yard where you have to drive to everything". There is A LOT in between.
Basically and even some suburbs can be dense. Case in point, Kenmore, which is a suburb of Buffalo has 15,000 people in an area of 1.4 square miles and is one of the 100 most dense municipalities in the United States. So, even suburbs of cities can be very dense.
Live in Sunbelt cities and visit urban cities. Thought I definitely wouldn't mind living in an urban environment for a year or two, I'd rather settle in a place like Houston or Atlanta. That's mainly because I prefer Sunbelt personalities though.
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