Best Places to Live (according to Boston Magazine) 2012

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

Whether there is shopping in town or within a short drive makes a huge difference to many of my clients. They don't care how close to the town line the shopping is they just care which side of the line it's on. It may sound silly to you, but it's important to people I know.

It does sound silly to me, but I've seen the same thing in other posts and totally believe that it's important to some people. Do you have any idea why?

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

Whether there is shopping in town or within a short drive makes a huge difference to many of my clients. They don't care how close to the town line the shopping is they just care which side of the line it's on. It may sound silly to you, but it's important to people I know.

I believe you; but I've never met anyone like this.

Who cares about invisible lines when it comes to shopping? Where I grew up in MA, we were two towns (two exits) away from the mall in Taunton. However, were were still closer (in terms of distance and driving time) than many people who actually lived within the Taunton city limits. With the exception of taxation, mail, garbage removal and a few other things, the town lines are more or less useless. I would assume that for most people (the vast majority, really), it really doesn't matter when it comes to shopping.

I have zero problem with shopping "just across the town line" being counted as an amenity for the neighboring community. None of these towns are inaccessible islands. Particularly in the Boston area where most are bedroom communities anyway. If shopping is 10 minutes away and it happens to be in another town, it's still easily accessible shopping. Part of the draw of suburbs is the fact that one can live in a quiet residential area while still being close to amenities (be it the principal city, a mall, a grocery store, etc). A huge factor for many people choosing these 'burbs in the Boston area is proximity to Boston. You can't just pretend nothing exists outside the town line for the sake of a fluff magazine article. In real life, it doesn't work that way.

[Bruins_Fan]

"I believe you; but I've never met anyone like this."

I'm with you on this, Irfox

[MikePRU]

I guarantee that you both have met people like this. You just don't know it because you've never tried to help them find a house. Being a real estate agent, I hear preferences from people that don't just come up in casual conversation. Also, I find people often will not voice a preference but rather speak with their actions. So, they're not always obvious preferences or even ones that those people themselves are always conscious of.

In my opinion, for some people shopping centers are a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) issue. They don't want shopping centers in their town. They want their town to have a ruaral feel and not having shopping centers is a big part of that. It doesn't matter if they're just across the border. Having it across some invisible line gives them the psychological effect they're looking for.

Alternatively, I know a lot of people who want to be able to walk to shops and restaurants. So, having shopping and restaurants in a developed town center which is within walking distance is very important to them. If there's nothing within walking distance in that town then they're not interested.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by MikePRU

In my opinion, for some people shopping centers are a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) issue. They don't want shopping centers in their town. They want their town to have a ruaral feel and not having shopping centers is a big part of that. It doesn't matter if they're just across the border. Having it across some invisible line gives them the psychological effect they're looking for.

Now THIS is different than what I interpreted from the original post. I thought you were talking about people who "needed" shopping centers within their city limits and anything across the "invisible" line (even if it were only 5 minutes away) wouldn't work.

I've never heard of that. While I'm not in Real Estate, my mother was a local politician and I'm in planning now. I've been attending meetings on all sorts of projects for as long as I can remember (public and private) for both moral support (for my mother) and my own career. Amenities like shopping, dining, etc. are more than just casual conversation for me and I've still never encountered someone like that.

Now, what you're talking about is a basic NIMBY mentality and oh boy, have I encountered that. It's more than just your opinion; it's a fact of life. The "psychological effect" hits the nail on the head. Especially in Massachusetts where there's an odd mentality among residents of the suburban communities that "we're a small rural community" and those types of business (generally strip malls and the like) "have no business here." I deal with it on a daily basis. The invisible line is important for those types as they don't want to share a zip code with a shopping center. I certainly know where you're coming from. I've seen grown men break down and cry because increased exhaust from the additional traffic in his small town from a new 15,000 sq. foot strip mall would kill his future children. Not to mention that it would attract every rapist, murderer and pedophile from here to San Diego. It's amazing how logic goes out the window when emotion gets the best of someone. Never underestimate a NIMBY.

Alternatively, I know a lot of people who want to be able to walk to shops and restaurants. So, having shopping and restaurants in a developed town center which is within walking distance is very important to them. If there's nothing within walking distance in that town then they're not interested.

This is true too and I'd even put myself in this category. I consider this a bit different than someone who needs to have a shopping center within their city limits (even if one outside is 5 min. away) or they're not interested. Walkability is important for many people. And I'm willing to wager that if everything else was equal for most walkers, (i.e. taxes, schools, safety, etc) they'd live across the city line from the walkable town center as long as it was within walking distance of their home. It's a proximity thing, not a city limits thing.

[BitofEndearment]

I don't get it whenever people talk about how great the Leather District is. I mean, okay it's cute and there are some things to do, but overall I find it to be a little boring. Maybe I have not looked hard enough, but, is there really that much to see and do in that little pocket?

[lrfox]

^There's more and more locating there. Probably the best part about it is the location. It's decidedly urban and right next to South Station, the Financial District and Chinatown. It's pretty tough to beat from a location standpoint. A bit of a reach, but it reminds me a bit of Boston's version of TriBeCa (the scale being much smaller).

[MikePRU]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Now, what you're talking about is a basic NIMBY mentality and oh boy, have I encountered that. It's more than just your opinion; it's a fact of life. The "psychological effect" hits the nail on the head. Especially in Massachusetts where there's an odd mentality among residents of the suburban communities that "we're a small rural community" and those types of business (generally strip malls and the like) "have no business here." I deal with it on a daily basis. The invisible line is important for those types as they don't want to share a zip code with a shopping center. I certainly know where you're coming from. I've seen grown men break down and cry because increased exhaust from the additional traffic in his small town from a new 15,000 sq. foot strip mall would kill his future children. Not to mention that it would attract every rapist, murderer and pedophile from here to San Diego. It's amazing how logic goes out the window when emotion gets the best of someone. Never underestimate a NIMBY.

NIMBY issues can often get VERY heated. We all know we need things like prisons, office buildings, landfills, etc but no one wants it near their house. I almost feel like the state should claim an entire town by eminent domain and make it a giant landfill interspersed with prisons.

Originally Posted by lrfox

This is true too and I'd even put myself in this category. I consider this a bit different than someone who needs to have a shopping center within their city limits (even if one outside is 5 min. away) or they're not interested. Walkability is important for many people. And I'm willing to wager that if everything else was equal for most walkers, (i.e. taxes, schools, safety, etc) they'd live across the city line from the walkable town center as long as it was within walking distance of their home. It's a proximity thing, not a city limits thing.

I would put myself in this category as well. I like to be able to walk to eat or shop. I don't feel the need to live in an urban area but I like a town with a developed town center and I like to live within walking distance of it.

I would add that certain towns have a reputation for being more rural than others. Many people avoid these towns not realizing that parts of them may border the shopping area of another town. A town's "reputation" or perceived "character" definitely impact whether a person will consider living there or not.