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When i think of true America Suburbia, i think of suburban Chicago or Los Angeles mainly, maybe some New York...This goes back to the 80's mainly, my childhood and some of the greatest movies ever made during that time...Everything else plays 2nd fiddle imo
I agree – California-style suburbia is almost instantly identifiable even if it's supposed to be depicting somewhere else in the US.
You see this all the time in movies or TV shows that are supposed to take place in the Midwest or out East. For instance, a lot of movies/shows depicting suburban high schools show students eating lunch or walking around in expansive outdoor common areas, which doesn't exist in most of the country.
Another example is Pam and Jim's house from The Office – even though the house looks like it maybe could be in Pennsylvania, it's got one of those flimsy "car ports" on the side of the house which might protect a car from a bit of winter rain but would be useless in a colder climate like Scranton.
It's certainly no small wonder that foreigners associate American suburbia with California because it's basically all you see in American popular media.
My mother lived in Wilkes-Barre and had a carport.
To me nothing says more about “suburbia” than the Show Time show Weed where the fictional town Agrestic (set in San Fernando Valley CA) and its dysfunctional craziness.
The opening song Little Boxes by Malvina Reynolds said it all:
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes made of ticky tacky
Little boxes on the hillside
Little boxes all the same
There's a pink one and a green one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
And the people in the houses
All went to the university
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same
And there's doctors and lawyers
And business executives
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same
And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
There's a pink one and a green one
And a blue one and a yellow one
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same
Pet Shop Boys also has a song called Suburbia, different tune, similar sentiment.
'Subdivisions' by Rush is the best suburbia-bashing song ever created
'Subdivisions' by Rush is the best suburbia-bashing song ever created
Thanks for sharing.
The thing is, I don’t necessarily see the Little Box song (it’s actually a cute little song.) and Suburbia by Pet Shop Boys (I love that song by the way.) as “bashing”. I find them interesting. In many times social and cultural observations are made and shared, in the context of creating a dialogue/conversation, doesn’t always mean they are “bashing”.
For example if I see the movie American Beauty, I wouldn’t automatically associate it as “bashing” American culture or American suburban culture. It’s a story talking about certain people living in a certain area and with their certain life story going on…..Woody Allen’s work is mostly based in NYC, his characters are often very neurotic, self-absorbed, and less than worth of rooting for by the audience.-doesn’t mean he was “bashing” NYC, in fact artists like him often called their work “a love letter to NYC”.
If anything, story and movie like The Stepford Wives was closer to mocking and satire of the stereotyped suburban life.-but even they contained more feminists undertone than simply “bashing” the suburbs.
California does have a lot of suburbs but the architecture is not what I would describe as suburban.
Disagree.
The most common suburban housing styles on the East Coast are probably Cape Cod and Colonial Revival whereas on the West Coast due to newer built, younger history and terrains/climate are Craftsman, Mid-century, Ranch, Mediterranean and modern boxes styles. These styles of architecture are all over California, both Northern and Southern.
McMansions, the quintessential products of the suburbs, are common on both coasts and in-between.
California is a massive state. The aforementioned suburban style housing does exist and in fact if you drive anywhere between Ventura County and L.A country to Orange County to San Diego they are very common. Even in Bay Area you’d see a $2.5 million shambled ranch house, even somewhere like Salinas there are shiny McMansions in their HOA haven. Even Redding CA has McMansions.
They’re a lot of Spanish style suburbs in Ohio? How about anything like Newport Beach?
American suburbia
I don't care what's in Ohio.
What does architecture have to do with suburbia? Suburbs are defined by the land use patterns and zoning, almost nothing whatsoever to do with architecture.
They’re a lot of Spanish style suburbs in Ohio? How about anything like Newport Beach?
Actually they do.
Google Spanish Revival homes Ohio you’d see Medina, Dayton, Cincinnati, Toledo….in Ohio show array of fairly historical Spanish Revival or Mediterranean houses.
Newport Beach is similarly built like the Hamptons in NY. Big modern boxes houses by the beach. If you’re looking at similar housing style in Ohio you’d find them, in fewer quantity,near Lake Erie in suburbs like Bratenanl (Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love, Calvin Booth from NBA) or Rocky River (some other athletes whose names escape me now.)-all waterfront and intimidatingly huge and “luxurious”.
So yes, they do exist in Ohio.
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