4 ms·

If you draw a circle 50 miles in diameter around LA, SF, NYC, Boston, and DC: basically anywhere outside of those circles in the mainland US is pretty reasonabl

If you draw a circle 50 miles in diameter around LA, SF, NYC, Boston, and DC: basically anywhere outside of those circles in the mainland US is pretty reasonable. It's not just the rust belt, really. You can live in Miami, Seattle or Chicago and do just fine.

Amygaz 10y ago
And I would like to add that now is the time to buy within those metropolitan area, because they are expanding, so housing in the suburb is going up.
xianshou 10y ago
You're going to have to include Seattle in the "expensive" set either now or very soon. New homes are going for millions. But other than that, agreed, just go outside the commuting range of all the major hubs and it's cheap!
ghaff 10y ago
For that matter, I live about 40 miles outside of Boston/Cambridge and housing prices are pretty reasonable. Yeah, the commute in is a pain if you work in the city (although there's decent commuter rail service). But if you don't have to work in the city (I don't), there's reasonable housing within a distance that lets you go into the city for an evening. I think some of those other locations (SF in particular) probably have a bigger radius but a lot of the angst about housing prices turns out to apply to very specific urban locales. And new grads were complaining about the price of crappy Manhattan apartments at least since the 80s.
- marchenko 10y ago
  Commuting outside of areas well-served by public transportation is a huge detriment to quality-of-life. Those extra hours really add up, especially during the shorter days of winter. The advantage of moving to a second or third city is that you can still enjoy the amenities of an urban or semi-urban setting at a lower price point. It doesn't even have to be in the Rust Belt (although personally I like Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Cleveland a great deal) - Raleigh and Charlotte are still affordable for people who like that area and climate. And there are any number of small towns in VT, NH, CO, UT, upstate NY, or central MA for the outdoorsy who don't need an urban setting
  - ghaff 10y ago
    That assumes you like cities. I don't dislike cities in general but I also like my rural property. I honestly don't see a particular advantage to small towns. What I like about cities is things like theater, good restaurants, and related culture which typically take significant scale. Not sure what extra hours you're talking about. I have a modest (25 min or so) commute when I go into the (suburban/exurban) office and frequently work remotely. I can't say I miss depending on public transit though I use it when I am in a city.
    - drabiega 10y ago
      Not sure if it's what he was referring to, but when I was able to commute on public transit my commute was longer but I was free to do other things during that time, primarily reading. Now that I live somewhere without public transit my commute is just dead time.
      - ghaff 10y ago
        I listen to podcasts and don't actually commute in that often anyway. To the degree that public transportation = subways/busses, I don't find it all that different as it's not that conducive to reading anyway in my experience.
        Amygaz 10y ago
        I concur. My daily trip starts with the not so reliable and overcrowded commuter rail, with its spotty connection, so reading it is, (with my earbuds on, no music, because this thing is so noisy). I don't deal with the subway/bus frequently but it is only good for podcast time, and often I prefer walking, because it takes about the same time as the bus, and has more benefits.
        3s933x7dpsh 10y ago
        > (with my earbuds on, no music, because this thing is so noisy) Have you tried a pair of closed-back headphones?
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

Amygaz 10y ago

And I would like to add that now is the time to buy within those metropolitan area, because they are expanding, so housing in the suburb is going up.

xianshou 10y ago

You're going to have to include Seattle in the "expensive" set either now or very soon. New homes are going for millions. But other than that, agreed, just go outside the commuting range of all the major hubs and it's cheap!

ghaff 10y ago

For that matter, I live about 40 miles outside of Boston/Cambridge and housing prices are pretty reasonable. Yeah, the commute in is a pain if you work in the city (although there's decent commuter rail service). But if you don't have to work in the city (I don't), there's reasonable housing within a distance that lets you go into the city for an evening. I think some of those other locations (SF in particular) probably have a bigger radius but a lot of the angst about housing prices turns out to apply to very specific urban locales. And new grads were complaining about the price of crappy Manhattan apartments at least since the 80s.

marchenko 10y ago
Commuting outside of areas well-served by public transportation is a huge detriment to quality-of-life. Those extra hours really add up, especially during the shorter days of winter. The advantage of moving to a second or third city is that you can still enjoy the amenities of an urban or semi-urban setting at a lower price point. It doesn't even have to be in the Rust Belt (although personally I like Pittsburgh, Columbus, and Cleveland a great deal) - Raleigh and Charlotte are still affordable for people who like that area and climate. And there are any number of small towns in VT, NH, CO, UT, upstate NY, or central MA for the outdoorsy who don't need an urban setting
- ghaff 10y ago
  That assumes you like cities. I don't dislike cities in general but I also like my rural property. I honestly don't see a particular advantage to small towns. What I like about cities is things like theater, good restaurants, and related culture which typically take significant scale. Not sure what extra hours you're talking about. I have a modest (25 min or so) commute when I go into the (suburban/exurban) office and frequently work remotely. I can't say I miss depending on public transit though I use it when I am in a city.
  - drabiega 10y ago
    Not sure if it's what he was referring to, but when I was able to commute on public transit my commute was longer but I was free to do other things during that time, primarily reading. Now that I live somewhere without public transit my commute is just dead time.
    - ghaff 10y ago
      I listen to podcasts and don't actually commute in that often anyway. To the degree that public transportation = subways/busses, I don't find it all that different as it's not that conducive to reading anyway in my experience.
      - Amygaz 10y ago
        I concur. My daily trip starts with the not so reliable and overcrowded commuter rail, with its spotty connection, so reading it is, (with my earbuds on, no music, because this thing is so noisy). I don't deal with the subway/bus frequently but it is only good for podcast time, and often I prefer walking, because it takes about the same time as the bus, and has more benefits.
        3s933x7dpsh 10y ago
        > (with my earbuds on, no music, because this thing is so noisy) Have you tried a pair of closed-back headphones?

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]