7 ms·

I don't know anyone who wants to live in the suburbs. They either want to live in the city or far enough out that they can have land and privacy.

aianus 10y ago
There are a lot of people who work in the city but feel they need a house to raise a family. Unless you're making $400k+ a year, that leaves suburbia as the only option in my city.
fullshark 10y ago
I used to think this way but now that I have kids, I get the appeal of Suburbia.
- criddell 10y ago
  Same here. Age 20 - hate the suburbs. Age 40 - love them. I'm guessing when I'm ready to retire I'll either go rural or urban. Probably rural where I can afford to have a nice sized workshop.
  - ghaff 10y ago
    I grew up (and now live) in what are called exurbs today. I do appreciate the access to the city. And appreciate the pros (and cons) or urban living, which was never a good match for my employment options. I've never been a big fan of classic suburbia although the one time I lived in such it gave me a 5 minute commute to work. So there was that.
  - jimbokun 10y ago
    In my 40s with two teenagers, love living in a city (Pittsburgh). They can both walk to school (2 blocks to elementary school, high school is farther, though, about half hour). I love that in the summer they can hang out with friends at the local pool, or play ping pong with friends at the local rec center during the winter. Point being they have a lot of activities with in walking distance where they can meet with friends and we don't have to drive them. My son in high school has discovered he can hang out in one of the many many restaurants around his high school with his friends. I don't think they would have the same freedoms or independence living in a cul de sac somewhere, at least not before getting a driver' license.
- _delirium 10y ago
  In Denmark for many people it goes the other way. Suburbs are nice when you're a couple, because you've got a big yard, lots of space, etc. But once you have kids, they can become more of a hassle. Now you have to drive the kids everywhere. Many people prefer to live in the city (or one of the inner suburbs) once they have kids of a certain age, because then the kids can get around on their own, on bike or transit, rather than the parents having to drive them to/from every single thing. Kids also tend to prefer this, because it gives them more mobility/independence.
  - int_19h 10y ago
    I think it doesn't quite work out that way in US, because biking infrastructure is rather crappy, and so is mass transit.
- TulliusCicero 10y ago
  I have a kid, and I like the idea of living in a suburb, just not a typical American one where you can't walk anywhere. Being forced to drive everywhere sucks. I'd love to see more 'streetcar suburbs' with local amenities within walking distance, where parents and kids can safely bike around, where transit to the city proper isn't a cruel joke, etc.
FT_intern 10y ago
Isn't the entire Bay Area (outside of SF/Oakland) basically one huge suburb?
- _delirium 10y ago
  Even a good part of SF proper (maybe 1/3 or so) feels pretty suburban to me. Two-story single-family homes, each with a private garage as the most prominent feature of the ground floor frontage. Granted, they're more "old-style" suburban homes. On smaller lots and with smaller yards, on a grid street plan, more like what '40s-'60s style suburbs looked like. Not the style popular since the '80s with big houses on huge lots on a cul-de-sac. But not exactly urban, either.
- refurb 10y ago
  I think this is accurate. I'd say most of the west half of SF feels like a suburb. Takes forever to get downtown, tons of traffic and no jobs there. I'd also say it's on big suburb from SF to SJ, plus the other side of the bay.
- johan_larson 10y ago
  Yes. There are a few areas in SF, San Jose, and the east bay that are built up enough to feel truly urban, but the rest is low-rise and therefore quintessentially suburban.
- TulliusCicero 10y ago
  Yes, but people want to go there for the jobs, not because they think it has a great urban form. A lot of people would love to see more compact, walkable neighborhoods in the bay area, but old-timer residents often fight zoning changes tooth and nail, because they want their neighborhoods to stay frozen in time.
dudul 10y ago
How many people do you know?
mjevans 10y ago
What they want are: * 1 Good schools for kids * 2 Privacy (isolation of noise/smell/etc from others) * 3 Space (more of it) * 4 Lower costs (rent, parking, prices in stores) * 5 Safety (a perception that being more isolated makes you safer) * 6 Community (this is often a fallacy) 1, 5, and 6 are all factors related to not having good social organizations at a building / block / school district level because incentives aren't aligned correctly. This could be fixed*. 2 is mostly down to building things in stupid, cheep, short-sighted ways, and building codes that allow that. 3 Too many studio units, not enough 3-4-5 bedroom combo units 4, 3, 2, 1, 5, 6 All due to not enough competition to keep prices down.
johan_larson 10y ago
I grew up in the suburbs, and wish I still lived there. I live in a city now, having moved for work, and regret it. The city is hard to get around in, and it's crowded and expensive. Happy to answer any questions if you have them.
- nunez 10y ago
  Same here. Loved in NYC and now live in a suburb of Dallas. I'm never moving back.
- jimbokun 10y ago
  Depends on the city, and whether or not you are too lazy to walk a few blocks. When I lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn, most things were walking distance, and buses trains and cabs super convenient. I live in Pittsburgh now, and can walk (half hour) or bike (10 minutes) to work. Shopping requires a car, but not much traffic and plenty of parking compared to NYC, so still convenient. I know other US cities, though, have bad public transportation and bad traffic, and those might be worse than living in the suburbs.
  - int_19h 10y ago
    A lot of this is subjective personal preference. What's crowded for one person can be perfectly normal for another.
calebm 10y ago
I live in the Milwaukee suburbs, and I think it's a great deal. I can grow my own organic food in my garden, I can have fires at night, I'm 2 miles from the Ultimate Frisbee fields, 2 miles from wooded mountain biking trails, and 4 miles from a good coffee shop. Cost for 4 bed/2 bath house? $112k (~5 years ago).

aianus 10y ago

There are a lot of people who work in the city but feel they need a house to raise a family. Unless you're making $400k+ a year, that leaves suburbia as the only option in my city.

fullshark 10y ago

I used to think this way but now that I have kids, I get the appeal of Suburbia.

criddell 10y ago
Same here. Age 20 - hate the suburbs. Age 40 - love them. I'm guessing when I'm ready to retire I'll either go rural or urban. Probably rural where I can afford to have a nice sized workshop.
- ghaff 10y ago
  I grew up (and now live) in what are called exurbs today. I do appreciate the access to the city. And appreciate the pros (and cons) or urban living, which was never a good match for my employment options. I've never been a big fan of classic suburbia although the one time I lived in such it gave me a 5 minute commute to work. So there was that.
- jimbokun 10y ago
  In my 40s with two teenagers, love living in a city (Pittsburgh). They can both walk to school (2 blocks to elementary school, high school is farther, though, about half hour). I love that in the summer they can hang out with friends at the local pool, or play ping pong with friends at the local rec center during the winter. Point being they have a lot of activities with in walking distance where they can meet with friends and we don't have to drive them. My son in high school has discovered he can hang out in one of the many many restaurants around his high school with his friends. I don't think they would have the same freedoms or independence living in a cul de sac somewhere, at least not before getting a driver' license.
_delirium 10y ago
In Denmark for many people it goes the other way. Suburbs are nice when you're a couple, because you've got a big yard, lots of space, etc. But once you have kids, they can become more of a hassle. Now you have to drive the kids everywhere. Many people prefer to live in the city (or one of the inner suburbs) once they have kids of a certain age, because then the kids can get around on their own, on bike or transit, rather than the parents having to drive them to/from every single thing. Kids also tend to prefer this, because it gives them more mobility/independence.
- int_19h 10y ago
  I think it doesn't quite work out that way in US, because biking infrastructure is rather crappy, and so is mass transit.
TulliusCicero 10y ago
I have a kid, and I like the idea of living in a suburb, just not a typical American one where you can't walk anywhere. Being forced to drive everywhere sucks. I'd love to see more 'streetcar suburbs' with local amenities within walking distance, where parents and kids can safely bike around, where transit to the city proper isn't a cruel joke, etc.

FT_intern 10y ago

Isn't the entire Bay Area (outside of SF/Oakland) basically one huge suburb?

_delirium 10y ago
Even a good part of SF proper (maybe 1/3 or so) feels pretty suburban to me. Two-story single-family homes, each with a private garage as the most prominent feature of the ground floor frontage. Granted, they're more "old-style" suburban homes. On smaller lots and with smaller yards, on a grid street plan, more like what '40s-'60s style suburbs looked like. Not the style popular since the '80s with big houses on huge lots on a cul-de-sac. But not exactly urban, either.
refurb 10y ago
I think this is accurate. I'd say most of the west half of SF feels like a suburb. Takes forever to get downtown, tons of traffic and no jobs there. I'd also say it's on big suburb from SF to SJ, plus the other side of the bay.
johan_larson 10y ago
Yes. There are a few areas in SF, San Jose, and the east bay that are built up enough to feel truly urban, but the rest is low-rise and therefore quintessentially suburban.
TulliusCicero 10y ago
Yes, but people want to go there for the jobs, not because they think it has a great urban form. A lot of people would love to see more compact, walkable neighborhoods in the bay area, but old-timer residents often fight zoning changes tooth and nail, because they want their neighborhoods to stay frozen in time.

dudul 10y ago

How many people do you know?

mjevans 10y ago

What they want are: * 1 Good schools for kids * 2 Privacy (isolation of noise/smell/etc from others) * 3 Space (more of it) * 4 Lower costs (rent, parking, prices in stores) * 5 Safety (a perception that being more isolated makes you safer) * 6 Community (this is often a fallacy) 1, 5, and 6 are all factors related to not having good social organizations at a building / block / school district level because incentives aren't aligned correctly. This could be fixed*. 2 is mostly down to building things in stupid, cheep, short-sighted ways, and building codes that allow that. 3 Too many studio units, not enough 3-4-5 bedroom combo units 4, 3, 2, 1, 5, 6 All due to not enough competition to keep prices down.

johan_larson 10y ago

I grew up in the suburbs, and wish I still lived there. I live in a city now, having moved for work, and regret it. The city is hard to get around in, and it's crowded and expensive. Happy to answer any questions if you have them.

nunez 10y ago
Same here. Loved in NYC and now live in a suburb of Dallas. I'm never moving back.
jimbokun 10y ago
Depends on the city, and whether or not you are too lazy to walk a few blocks. When I lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn, most things were walking distance, and buses trains and cabs super convenient. I live in Pittsburgh now, and can walk (half hour) or bike (10 minutes) to work. Shopping requires a car, but not much traffic and plenty of parking compared to NYC, so still convenient. I know other US cities, though, have bad public transportation and bad traffic, and those might be worse than living in the suburbs.
- int_19h 10y ago
  A lot of this is subjective personal preference. What's crowded for one person can be perfectly normal for another.

calebm 10y ago

I live in the Milwaukee suburbs, and I think it's a great deal. I can grow my own organic food in my garden, I can have fires at night, I'm 2 miles from the Ultimate Frisbee fields, 2 miles from wooded mountain biking trails, and 4 miles from a good coffee shop. Cost for 4 bed/2 bath house? $112k (~5 years ago).