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I also think that there is still the thinking that everyone in "the suburbs" must work in "the city". That has not been true for a long time. Heck, the Denver Tech Center is in Englewood! There are lots of employers (in addition to the city/county/school district/hospital contingent) in Boulder and Broomfield as well. There is a fair amount of employment in all the Denver suburbs, excluding the above, which are the employees it takes to run a town.
Good point. Some people are just determined that "you can't win no matter what you say". First they say they hate the suburbs because there are no jobs (and therefore they hate the town because everyone has to commute). Then when you try to point out that you have employers and short commutes, they switch sides and start sneering "oh well, then you're not really a suburb." Both are faulty arguments. They sound convincing until you actually examine them
I just found this link, which support Tesaje's post:
Metro Washington Overview | Insiders' Guide® to Washington DC, 4th Edition (http://www.insiders.com/washington-dc/main-overviews4.htm#Heading25 - broken link)
It lists Montgomery County as a suburb, and Frederick County as an exurb.
Thank you for providing reference material, and supporting your position. Your name is also on my list of people who get rep points again once I've spread some more around.
Thank you for providing reference material, and supporting your position. Your name is also on my list of people who get rep points again once I've spread some more around.
Oh, btw I just e-mailed the publication and asked what they use as a specific definition for "suburb" and "exurb." I hope they reply, they authors have some good insights, and I will respect the definition they supply. But I am frustrated that they used these terms without defining them.
However,
most Americans do prefer suburbs cause that's where most of Americans chose to live. Im more of a big city person myself but there's no denying which environment most people prefer.
Did you read the earlier posts about "satellite cities?" What do you think of the term?
The term "satellite city" was coined by an urban geographer many years ago (I'd tell you who, but can't remember--has been a few decades since I studied geography and sociology). He used it to describe self-contianed cities that had their own economies (as opposed to suburbs), but owed their existence to their proximity to a larger city (like suburbs). Classic examples he used were Elgin, Aurora and Joliet, Illinois. Ironically, these 3 cities are now becoming suburbs of Chicago as their original manufacturing economies are evaporating and Chciago's sprawl has grown out to and is enveloping them.
When I first moved here, even Gaithersburg was a distinct city with farm space between it and Rockville, which also once was distinct.
Forgive me in advance for saying this, but you must be talking about a loooooong time ago! When my family moved to Frederick in 1969, there was little, if any open space between Gaithersburg and Rockville, and farmland? I don't think so! I have lived in rural Illinois, believe me, I know farmland when I see it. It's not a few acres with horses.
I don't know how to put this into words well, but I have found that when I moved somewhere, what looks to me like general suburbia is not seen that way by long timers and locals. I think that's b/c they know what it used to be like, before infill. I think that's what drove this whole issue about Frederick, MD.
Last edited by Katarina Witt; 01-04-2008 at 03:15 PM..
Reason: add
The term "satellite city" was coined by an urban geographer many years ago (I'd tell you who, but can't remember--has been a few decades since I studied geography and sociology). He used it to describe self-contianed cities that had their own economies (as opposed to suburbs), but owed their existence to their proximity to a larger city (like suburbs). Classic examples he used were Elgin, Aurora and Joliet, Illinois. Ironically, these 3 cities are now becoming suburbs of Chicago as their original manufacturing economies are evaporating and Chciago's sprawl has grown out to and is enveloping them.
Very interesting, I might have to look this up. I wonder who coined the term "bedroom communities" too. And "exurb". Which term came first? And what other terms are there (clean ones, I mean.... we all know some of you suburb haters called them "giant soul-sucking (word deleted)-holes")
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we all know some of you suburb haters called them "giant soul-sucking (word deleted)-holes")
