3 ms·

I grew up thinking I wanted to live in the suburbs with a large lot/house, etc. Then after living in a small place where you can walk everywhere, I realized sma

I grew up thinking I wanted to live in the suburbs with a large lot/house, etc. Then after living in a small place where you can walk everywhere, I realized smaller is actually better. I suspect many like me could come to that realization. Also, many people "wish" they could live in a city, but are forced to the suburbs due practical reasons: lower cost housing and better schools.

lettergram 10y ago
Interesting, I grew up in the suburbs and hate living in cities. I live in the bay area at the moment, and even that is a bit crammed for me. The suburbs give you space to do stuff. I grew up on the out skirts of the Chicago suburbs and I could play soccer, go mountain biking, off road, and in the same day go to any store or restaurant you can think of. More in less space might be great, for some, but you still can't fit everything in one place. The suburbs may require a bit of driving, but it's less dense and thus you have less traffic (easy to drive 10 miles in 15 minutes) so you get a lot more in a given area you have access to.
- hx87 10y ago
  Timewise, cities aren't that much further from the wilderness than suburbs are. There are certainly advantages to living in suburbs, space being the primary one, but time isn't one of them.
  - lettergram 10y ago
    I am 100% sure people in Boston, NYC, the Bay Area, downtown Chicago, etc. would strongly disagree that it takes 15 minutes or less to get to a place to hike, horse back ride, and/or fish. Having lived in the Chicago suburbs, downtown Chicago, Champaign, IL and the Bay Area; assuming you live in a suburb (as opposed to Champaign, IL) you'll have access to a much larger variety of places to go in the suburbs. I will however agree that going out to bars, or traveling via foot/public transit would be difficult.
    - arebop 10y ago
      Let's say 30 minutes [https://goo.gl/maps/SjMUzazkmUy https://goo.gl/maps/SjMUzazkmUy]. Is that "much further" than 15 minutes?
    - cafard 10y ago
      I'm cheating here because I live in Washington, DC, and in an area close to Rock Creek Park. But in order if time to get there: the hiking trails of Rock Creek Park, about 10 minutes walking; the nearest riding stables, about 10 minutes driving; fishing at Roaches Run, 25 minutes driving in light traffic.
    - thescriptkiddie 10y ago
      This is only true because you have to drive through the wasteland that is the suburbs to get out of the city. In places without such excessive suburban sprawl you can get out of the city much more easily.

lettergram 10y ago

Interesting, I grew up in the suburbs and hate living in cities. I live in the bay area at the moment, and even that is a bit crammed for me. The suburbs give you space to do stuff. I grew up on the out skirts of the Chicago suburbs and I could play soccer, go mountain biking, off road, and in the same day go to any store or restaurant you can think of. More in less space might be great, for some, but you still can't fit everything in one place. The suburbs may require a bit of driving, but it's less dense and thus you have less traffic (easy to drive 10 miles in 15 minutes) so you get a lot more in a given area you have access to.

hx87 10y ago
Timewise, cities aren't that much further from the wilderness than suburbs are. There are certainly advantages to living in suburbs, space being the primary one, but time isn't one of them.
- lettergram 10y ago
  I am 100% sure people in Boston, NYC, the Bay Area, downtown Chicago, etc. would strongly disagree that it takes 15 minutes or less to get to a place to hike, horse back ride, and/or fish. Having lived in the Chicago suburbs, downtown Chicago, Champaign, IL and the Bay Area; assuming you live in a suburb (as opposed to Champaign, IL) you'll have access to a much larger variety of places to go in the suburbs. I will however agree that going out to bars, or traveling via foot/public transit would be difficult.
  - arebop 10y ago
    Let's say 30 minutes [https://goo.gl/maps/SjMUzazkmUy https://goo.gl/maps/SjMUzazkmUy]. Is that "much further" than 15 minutes?
  - cafard 10y ago
    I'm cheating here because I live in Washington, DC, and in an area close to Rock Creek Park. But in order if time to get there: the hiking trails of Rock Creek Park, about 10 minutes walking; the nearest riding stables, about 10 minutes driving; fishing at Roaches Run, 25 minutes driving in light traffic.
  - thescriptkiddie 10y ago
    This is only true because you have to drive through the wasteland that is the suburbs to get out of the city. In places without such excessive suburban sprawl you can get out of the city much more easily.