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I actually worry a lot about self-driving cars. I think they'll lead to more urban sprawl. Since it won't be a big deal to live out far away. Commuting will be

I actually worry a lot about self-driving cars. I think they'll lead to more urban sprawl. Since it won't be a big deal to live out far away. Commuting will be much faster on a freeway filled with autonomous cars moving quickly, and you able to just sit back and enjoy the ride. I think this will ultimately lead to the US becoming far more conservative. Large cities are traditionally much more liberal areas.

cortesoft 9y ago
Right, but I think that has a lot to do with interacting with a large, diverse, group of people in your day to day life. Won't this still be true for people who live in the country but commute to the city every day?
ghaff 9y ago
In general, a lot of the same politics apply to the suburbs and exurbs of large cities as the downtown cores. (There are differences based on wealth but it's not a clear liberal/conservative split.) I'd also note that a lot of jobs are not actually in cities but in suburban and exurban areas. In the Boston area, for example, I expect the majority of tech jobs are outside of the cities in spite of a significant increase in recent years.
kcorbitt 9y ago
If I were investing in property today, I'd be buying waterfront property a 45-60 minute drive away from a vibrant coastal city. I agree with you that self-driving cars will increase sprawl -- people will feel less of a need to live in the city center if they can still get there with little expense or fuss. Having views of the water, on the other hand, will be just as attractive as ever, and may replace living downtown as a symbol of wealth.
- ghaff 9y ago
  By and large those locations are already pretty expensive. Marin County and Half Moon Bay in California are no bargains. Even further out, nor is Santa Cruz. The North and South Shores of Massachusetts are pretty expensive as well.
  - kcorbitt 9y ago
    There are still relative bargains to be found in the Bay Area matching my criteria. My rent went up when I moved recently from Pacifica to San Bruno, despite the fact that San Bruno is a suburban wasteland with nothing to recommend it beyond proximity to freeways. That said, I wouldn't recommend buying property anywhere in the Bay Area at current valuations. The specific coastal city I had in mind when formulating my above strategy was actually Barcelona.
  - yellowapple 9y ago
    California in general is pretty expensive, comparatively speaking. You might find better deals in the Central Valley, but that's about it AFAICT.
- WalterSear 9y ago
  I'd go out further. 2 hours each way is nothing at the beginning and end of the day, if you are able to work the whole time. Schedule all meetings from 11-3, and you leave at 9 and be home by 5.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    Speaking as someone who had a long commuter rail trip for a period, it's still a big chunk out of your day. And, if this sort of thing really became widespread, it's a good bet that you won't be the only one doing it. So what's a one hour commute today could well turn into a two hour commute.
brandonmenc 9y ago
And what exactly is wrong with this? A lot of people like back yards and quiet.
DougN7 9y ago
That's a very interesting view. Large cities are generally more liberal. I've always thought they attracted liberal minded people, as opposed to people becoming liberal from living there. Why do you think the opposite?

cortesoft 9y ago

Right, but I think that has a lot to do with interacting with a large, diverse, group of people in your day to day life. Won't this still be true for people who live in the country but commute to the city every day?

ghaff 9y ago

In general, a lot of the same politics apply to the suburbs and exurbs of large cities as the downtown cores. (There are differences based on wealth but it's not a clear liberal/conservative split.) I'd also note that a lot of jobs are not actually in cities but in suburban and exurban areas. In the Boston area, for example, I expect the majority of tech jobs are outside of the cities in spite of a significant increase in recent years.

kcorbitt 9y ago

If I were investing in property today, I'd be buying waterfront property a 45-60 minute drive away from a vibrant coastal city. I agree with you that self-driving cars will increase sprawl -- people will feel less of a need to live in the city center if they can still get there with little expense or fuss. Having views of the water, on the other hand, will be just as attractive as ever, and may replace living downtown as a symbol of wealth.

ghaff 9y ago
By and large those locations are already pretty expensive. Marin County and Half Moon Bay in California are no bargains. Even further out, nor is Santa Cruz. The North and South Shores of Massachusetts are pretty expensive as well.
- kcorbitt 9y ago
  There are still relative bargains to be found in the Bay Area matching my criteria. My rent went up when I moved recently from Pacifica to San Bruno, despite the fact that San Bruno is a suburban wasteland with nothing to recommend it beyond proximity to freeways. That said, I wouldn't recommend buying property anywhere in the Bay Area at current valuations. The specific coastal city I had in mind when formulating my above strategy was actually Barcelona.
- yellowapple 9y ago
  California in general is pretty expensive, comparatively speaking. You might find better deals in the Central Valley, but that's about it AFAICT.
WalterSear 9y ago
I'd go out further. 2 hours each way is nothing at the beginning and end of the day, if you are able to work the whole time. Schedule all meetings from 11-3, and you leave at 9 and be home by 5.
- ghaff 9y ago
  Speaking as someone who had a long commuter rail trip for a period, it's still a big chunk out of your day. And, if this sort of thing really became widespread, it's a good bet that you won't be the only one doing it. So what's a one hour commute today could well turn into a two hour commute.

brandonmenc 9y ago

And what exactly is wrong with this? A lot of people like back yards and quiet.

DougN7 9y ago

That's a very interesting view. Large cities are generally more liberal. I've always thought they attracted liberal minded people, as opposed to people becoming liberal from living there. Why do you think the opposite?