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Americans are rethinking where they want to live

economist.com

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Re: Americans are rethinking where they want to live

#571

Post by Xenoamorphous »

larrymyers wrote: post #10

My family and I decided to stay on the north side of Chicago, a very high cost of living location, despite no longer needing to head downtown every day for work. Why not move outside of Chicago where our cost living would be substantially lower? * We wanted to keep our kids in the same school, which is walking distance. * We like being walking distance to the grocery store, doctor's offices, etc. * Our kids can walk…

I enjoy watching a couple of shows about home renovations that take place in the US (some twin brothers and love or list it, or something like that). Two things always strike me as odd as an European:

* People on that show always needs a shit load of space. Especially in the kitchens, for some reason. Sometimes they are a couple without kids or maybe have one kid but they want 2 ovens? And a huge island is a must. Most of the kitchens in those shows are bigger than the average living room in my country.

* Houses made out of wood and walls that you can punch through. This is a different matter though.

Re: Americans are rethinking where they want to live

#572

Post by Balero »

0x0nyandesu wrote: post #377
Balero wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's part of living in a broken city. Your city (and country) does not need to have a massive homeless problem. This is something the city and state government can fix. Housing, mental health support, drug treatment support and better community policing are all possible, and proven to work. How to get the city and state (and national) governments to fix this problem is another issue.

Ah yes blame the "city" and not the various municipalities sending their homeless to said city. Most of the homeless are not from the cities they are in. They just end up there and then the city has to pay for it for some reason.

I don't entirely blame the city government, though that does have some responsibility, the rest lies with the State and national government.

If the homeless people got the support and resources (eg, healthcare, a secure job, and a reasonably priced place to live) they needed somewhere they were familiar with, far fewer would be leaving to head to a city to try and survive.

Re: Americans are rethinking where they want to live

#573

Post by mcv »

dionidium wrote: post #287
sanderjd wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no reason (besides inertia) that we can't have both. This is how thriving smaller downtowns are, single family homes within walking distance to amenities. It's just that all those areas get really expensive because there are so few of them. But there don't have to be so few places like that.

My wife and I currently live in Providence, RI (by way of NYC). We highly value walkability, but feel like we've aged out of tolerating some other big-city "annoyances." When Americans think of "suburbs" they think of culs-de-sac and arterials, but it doesn't have to be that way. New England is dotted with "small towns" that are basically just suburbs of Providence and/or Boston that are laid out on a grid -- with a…

Even arterials and cul-de-sacs can be great if you build them that way. Many Dutch post-war neighbourhoods are built around arterials and cul-de-sacs, but they all have sidewalks, independent bicycle paths, and each neighbourhood gets a shopping center and 3 primary schools (protestant, catholic and public, because that's how that works here) within walking distance.

These neighbourhoods are denser than American suburbs of course; houses come in rows, and you get a front and back yard, but not an entire plot of land around your home. But that also means plenty of kids to play with. In the street, because often cars are required to drive at walking pace and playing kids have right of way.

I grew up in a street like that. I hated it, and preferred a real city, but it's pretty comfortable living.

Re: Americans are rethinking where they want to live

#574

Post by mcv »

Xenoamorphous wrote: post #571
larrymyers wrote: post #10

My family and I decided to stay on the north side of Chicago, a very high cost of living location, despite no longer needing to head downtown every day for work. Why not move outside of Chicago where our cost living would be substantially lower? * We wanted to keep our kids in the same school, which is walking distance. * We like being walking distance to the grocery store, doctor's offices, etc. * Our kids can walk…

I enjoy watching a couple of shows about home renovations that take place in the US (some twin brothers and love or list it, or something like that). Two things always strike me as odd as an European: * People on that show always needs a shit load of space. Especially in the kitchens, for some reason. Sometimes they are a couple without kids or maybe have one kid but they want 2 ovens? And a huge island is a must. Mo…

Exactly. Those houses always strike me as simultaneously extravagant and cheap quality. A weird combination.

Re: Americans are rethinking where they want to live

#575

Post by mlindner »

88913527 wrote: post #360
foofoo4u wrote: post #91

I sure am. I live in San Jose (which resides in the Bay Area). Here’s why I am leaving. - $2,700 per month for a 500 sq/ft apartment. - Homeless people everywhere the moment I step foot out of my apartment. - Smells like urine on many sidewalks. - Literally half of the buildings are vacant or abandoned (in downtown). - Human feces on sidewalks and entrance to buildings. - Political and ideological homogeny. Keep your…

What areas don't have political and ideology homogeny anymore? There are two Americas. I would enjoy an area with better tolerance to the other side's ideals, but it seems that's in short supply everywhere. There's a real viciousness for the other side at the national level, but I can't understand it at the individual human being level or the community level. Your neighbor may not share your politics, but it also doe…

> I would enjoy an area with better tolerance to the other side's ideals, but it seems that's in short supply everywhere.

There isn't better tolerance on either side. You're mistaking agreeing with group think for tolerance. What is tolerated is just a different set of behaviors, but intolerance is high regardless for behaviors outside that set. You just don't see the intolerance when you agree with the majority.

Re: Americans are rethinking where they want to live

#576

Post by oblio »

brnt wrote: post #259
lucasverra wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Paris is the Walkability by definition city. 20-min ride on a regular bike, and you've crossed half of it. Lots to dislike, but I love Paris human side ^^

Thats Paris centre however, where about 600k quite rich people live. Ile-de-Paris is a bit larger, and is where most of us reside. We're happy if the RER is only 20m away from our house and work.

Ile de France is bigger than LA, it's not small.

Re: Americans are rethinking where they want to live

#577

Post by oblio »

more_corn wrote: post #311
politelemon wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The driving aspect is the main thing that kills any daydreaming I do about moving to the Scottish Highlands. It doesn't stop the daydreaming, however.

My friend moved to a little village in Scotland. Super cute, walkable, near the Spey, easy drive to a city or two for a flight back to civilization. Great schools, no healthcare costs. The equity he cashed out from selling his place in California bought the nicest place in town for cash. He’s really liking it. I’ve gone to visit a few times. Makes me reconsider spending so much for my shoebox house in SF.

Just like any important decision in life, you need to ask him about it after 1 year, 5 years, 10 years.

Honeymoon phases are common.

Re: Americans are rethinking where they want to live

#578

Post by oblio »

unexpected wrote: post #84
jacobolus wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Suburbs are very unfriendly for the elderly compared to cities. The ideal suburbanite is an upper-middle-class person in their 30s–50s in good health who really likes driving their large car and has hobbies they can do individually from inside their own home (e.g. woodworking, gardening), and doesn’t mind that life is miserable* there for their kids. Everyone else is more or less a second-class citizen. * Edit: subur…

Why do you automatically assume that kids are miserable in the suburbs? My kids rather like running around in our backyard, use our pool everyday in the summer, and having tons of friends on the block. At the same time, I can't imagine that they would enjoy living in 2 bedroom apartment, having no yard to play in, etc. This disdain for suburbs is quite tacky and out of touch. It's okay to think differently. I'm glad…

> having no yard to play in

You don't need a yard as much when you have parks :-)

Or neighborhood play areas, where they can play with class mates.

Re: Americans are rethinking where they want to live

#579

Post by oblio »

eweise wrote: post #266
jacobolus wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Suburbs are very unfriendly for the elderly compared to cities. The ideal suburbanite is an upper-middle-class person in their 30s–50s in good health who really likes driving their large car and has hobbies they can do individually from inside their own home (e.g. woodworking, gardening), and doesn’t mind that life is miserable* there for their kids. Everyone else is more or less a second-class citizen. * Edit: subur…

My kids love the suburbs. There's almost no crime. They can bike into the hills, forests, lakes, downtown, friends houses, the mall. Schools are great. One of my friends raised his kid in SF before finally moving out to suburbia when she was a teenager, stayed in the house most of the time. Now she's got a great circle of friends and is never in the house. Cities are for single adults trying to find a mate.

Are all American cities so crime ridden that kids can't just bike around the neighborhood?

Re: Americans are rethinking where they want to live

#580

Post by selimthegrim »

refurb wrote: post #565
telotortium wrote: post #558

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Okay, then, don't move to the rural areas. As a child of Republicans and a recent visitor to Nashville suburbs, where my parents have moved, I assure you that no one in the bedroom suburbs of major southern cities cares about someone with "dark skin" (they don't hate black people either, but I'm guessing she's South Asian, or you would have said black).

A friend of my brother is South Asian and grew up in Mobile, AL in the 1990's. Said he had zero issues with race and more racial diversity in his neighborhood than where he lives now in Silicon Valley.

I know two South Asian women from Mobile and one of them had pretty big racial issues in HS.
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