4 ms·

Yes, that’s true - it’s not affordable for a lot of people who live here, because a lot of people who live here are very low-income. Seeing $100k described as “

Yes, that’s true - it’s not affordable for a lot of people who live here, because a lot of people who live here are very low-income. Seeing $100k described as “poorly paid” felt weird for just that reason though. By the standards of just about everyone I know outside of my cushy tech job, $100k from a single job is extremely privileged. Slight aside on yards, front yards are typically out of course, but I was astonished when I visited one of my coworkers in South Philly and he had a sizeable backyard behind his rowhome. Don’t know how common that is, satellite imagery is too low-res to tell, but I see a decent number that look like they’re 1/3 of the lot! Also, perhaps my standards are skewed - walkability and bikeability are pretty important to me, which means I’d want smaller lot sizes anyway. Big SFHs on big expensive lots aren’t so appealing as a result :)

giantg2 5y ago
Yeah, I agree that $110k is decent and the median for devs. Most of the yards are small - a couple hundred sqft. So maybe we have different preferences for yards. I have fruit trees, a garden, bees, playset, etc. That takes up a lot of room. The garden alone is about the size of many of the yards I've been to in Philly. Yeah, walkability isn't great here. I don't feel safe biking on any road. There are quite a few cyclists around though, so it can be done (bunch of stores within 2-4 miles). I hate how expensive land is around here. I'd love 10+ acres. Rural areas are much cheaper.
- ryukafalz 5y ago
  That’s the direct tradeoff you make though - if you want to be near other people (which typically also means being where the jobs + interesting things are), you get less space. If you want more space, you can go live somewhere rural, but everyone else around you also gets more space, so there won’t be much nearby. If you want a lot of space and to be near a lot of people, you’ll have to pay more. You’re basically paying to have more than your neighbors at that point. (That aside, if you want that much land, why haven’t you moved to a more rural area then?)
  - giantg2 5y ago
    I don't really care to be that close to thar many people. But I do need a job, which is why I moved here. "That aside, if you want that much land, why haven’t you moved to a more rural area then?" My wife won't go for it.

giantg2 5y ago

Yeah, I agree that $110k is decent and the median for devs. Most of the yards are small - a couple hundred sqft. So maybe we have different preferences for yards. I have fruit trees, a garden, bees, playset, etc. That takes up a lot of room. The garden alone is about the size of many of the yards I've been to in Philly. Yeah, walkability isn't great here. I don't feel safe biking on any road. There are quite a few cyclists around though, so it can be done (bunch of stores within 2-4 miles). I hate how expensive land is around here. I'd love 10+ acres. Rural areas are much cheaper.

ryukafalz 5y ago
That’s the direct tradeoff you make though - if you want to be near other people (which typically also means being where the jobs + interesting things are), you get less space. If you want more space, you can go live somewhere rural, but everyone else around you also gets more space, so there won’t be much nearby. If you want a lot of space and to be near a lot of people, you’ll have to pay more. You’re basically paying to have more than your neighbors at that point. (That aside, if you want that much land, why haven’t you moved to a more rural area then?)
- giantg2 5y ago
  I don't really care to be that close to thar many people. But I do need a job, which is why I moved here. "That aside, if you want that much land, why haven’t you moved to a more rural area then?" My wife won't go for it.