Would you rather live in a city, suburb, or exurb? (condo, pharmacy)

[moshywilly]

Originally Posted by Vegabern

I didn't think NJ was considered northeastern. I always labeled it mid-Atlantic.

But anyway, it's all about personal preference. To me, the Suburbs are the worst of both worlds, not the best. You're car dependent, you need to drive into the city for work or cultural amenities and you still have to drive out to the box stores in the 'burbs. They may have little parks but suburbs still lack much nature. Plus I can't handle the Stepford Wives-types I run into in cul-de-sac burbs. Too many busy bodies. And if you don't have kids, it would be awkward to live in the burbs.


Maybe you would enjoy a smaller city out west where nature feels more accessible (it's honestly accessible from anywhere if you're willing to look for it). Places like SLC or Boise perhaps? Or maybe the Twin Cities or Madison, WI both with great lakes and walking trails throughout the city.

I could understand why the suburbs can be the worst. Some suburbs lack outdoor activities and lack the exclusive things that cities have. Some suburbs are bad where they only have basic resources, and they don't have fun indoorsy things that cities have such as the exotic museums or theaters (not movie theaters, but like theaters for Broadway shows and plays).

I agree with you about the stepford wives. It's annoying when you have those suburban stay at home moms who are very nosy and/or know everyone's business. My town is a small suburb and it's a great neighborhood, but we had those typical suburban moms. If you have difficult neighbors in the suburbs, then you have to deal with it for life. Suburbs are decent for having children though. I don't plan on having any children though. So living in a suburb will be weird and I am worried about people getting nosy about my child-free life.

Cities out west are better though. They look crowded from Google Earth, but in real life, they look so suburban and spacious (you will need a car then), and then you have access to nature right outside the city.

I'd say North Jersey is the northeast, but South Jersey is the mid-atlantic along with Delaware and Maryland. Notice the line between the North Jersey snowstorms and the South Jersey rainstorms when you watch the weather channel

[moshywilly]

Originally Posted by BurnInTheMil

I prefer a nice, well equipped suburb. One within 30 minutes of the major city it borders, with some restaurants, shopping, groceries, etc...that has all I need without actually having to go into the city.

Currently I live in Walnut Creek, CA and I think that’s a good example of what I mean.

I live in a decent suburb in NJ and NYC is an hour away if you take the fastest route, which will have the most tolls. There is a town called Lincoln Park in NJ that is only a half hour away from NYC and it is safe, deent, and family-oriented. I haven't visited that neighborhood in real life.

[moshywilly]

Originally Posted by Vegabern

Yes, the rare, old, walkable "suburb" that is more like an extension of the city as opposed to a planned suburb with miles of curving pavement and cookie-cutter houses are great. I live in one myself (Shorewood, WI). It just doesn't feel like a suburb to me.

Those nice old walkable suburbs are towns I don't really prefer, but they are a lot better than cities. We have rural-ish towns like that in NJ (Example: Chester) where they have farm land and then they have a walkable downtown.

[moshywilly]

Originally Posted by TheTimidBlueBars

Inner suburbs or the less "it" neighborhoods of the city. I'm in my early twenties, but I don't want to be surrounded by other young people all the time, as I find many of them really obnoxious, opinionated, judgmental, and rowdy. I still want to be proximate to a variety of stores, restaurants, and cultural instututions - but I'd rather not feel like all my neighbors are judging my uncoolness. Nature isn't a big deal for me, nor is noise, but walkability/bikeability is.

But being surrounded by your own age group all the time is cool and means you'll have more friends your age. I'm unlucky in college right now, I have 2 friends and one of them is way older than me. But in the real world, you will be making friends will different ages of young people anyways.

[TheTimidBlueBars]

Originally Posted by potanta

But being surrounded by your own age group all the time is cool and means you'll have more friends your age. I'm unlucky in college right now, I have 2 friends and one of them is way older than me. But in the real world, you will be making friends will different ages of young people anyways.

I don't necessarily want more friends my age. It's nice to have a few, since if you're around the same age as someone else you're more likely to be in a similar career stage and have more time to hang out, but for me, having similar interests and being able to hold intellectual conversations is a lot more important.

[Vlajos]

City! Suburbs are terrible and exburbs are worse.

[moshywilly]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

City! Suburbs are terrible and exburbs are worse.

Haha typical human being. You like cities the most and you gradually dislike civilizations as you go out of a city.

[moshywilly]

Originally Posted by potanta

The thing I do not like about California is that every piece of civilization is a big city and suburban like the suburbs in NJ. California has a lot more open space and yet they have more crowded civilizations than NJ does. That is a reason why I would not prefer California as a first choice dream to live in. Also it is not worth the expensiveness of it either.

I made a grammatical error. I meant to say that California's civilization is is less suburban then the nice suburbs of NJ.

[moshywilly]

Originally Posted by TheTimidBlueBars

I don't necessarily want more friends my age. It's nice to have a few, since if you're around the same age as someone else you're more likely to be in a similar career stage and have more time to hang out, but for me, having similar interests and being able to hold intellectual conversations is a lot more important.

Having similar interests and sometimes helpfulness are important in friendships. I am open to friends ages between my age and one decade older than me, or someone slightly younger than me. It's always more desirable to have your friends your own age. Having friends older than you means they will eventually age and die before you.

[Minervah]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

City! Suburbs are terrible and exburbs are worse.

Do you envision all suburbs as acres of ticky-tacky housing and strip malls? That’s not the case at all.

There are many suburbs right next to cities such as those previously mentioned here. There are Suburbs like Lakewood, Ohio, Evanston and Oak Park, IL, Berkley, CA, or Faifax, VA that are are either next to or very near large cities and are small cities unto themselves.