
So Much for the Death of Sprawl: America’s Exurbs Are Booming - acheron
http://opportunityurbanism.org/2015/11/so-much-for-the-death-of-sprawl-americas-exurbs-are-booming/
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rhapsodic
Yep, I'll take a 3/4 acre lot and an attached 2-car garage in a low-crime area
over city living any day of the week. And I know there are a lot of people who
are really bothered by the fact that there are a lot of people like me. It's
fun to watch city dwellers brood and obsess over the existence of suburbs.

~~~
grapes4me
I pay $100/mo (tax free) for unlimited public transit, which allows easy
access to the airport. Most cars cost something like 8-9k just to own per
year. You also make higher salaries in the city, and if you have a % 401k
match, which doesn't cost you anything, well, that is money in the bank
regardless if your expenses are higher.

Not to mention, my commute is 30 minutes or less. One of my jobs my commute
was 15 minutes via public transit.

Have fun driving everywhere in the burbs and polluting the earth with tons of
green house gasses.

~~~
rhapsodic
Actually, I work remotely. I don't commute at all.

The tone of your reply is what I was referring to. You sound angry and bitter
because of the personal preferences I expressed.

You obviously prefer public transit to driving your own car. I don't happen to
share your view, but I'm not going to judge you or berate you because of it.

~~~
grapes4me
Its not just commuting to work, its everything that comes with living close to
things. Socializing is easier, there is more to do, more variety of
restaurants and small businesses, better access to services (medical,
government, library, etc), and world class entertainment. I'm within walking
distance to most things I need even.

I just don't understand why people would want to live in the suburbs over
living in the country or the city. To me, the burbs are isolating and
depressing; they are cultural waste lands. I don't have to to drive
everywhere, or maintain a car and thus I am saving another few thousand
dollars every year, its fiscally a no brainer to live in the city.

if you are going to be a hermit, better off doing it in the country.

~~~
rhapsodic
> I just don't understand why people would want to live in the suburbs over
> living in the country or the city. To me, the burbs are isolating and
> depressing; they are cultural waste lands. I don't have to to drive
> everywhere, or maintain a car and thus I am saving another few thousand
> dollars every year, its fiscally a no brainer to live in the city.

Dude, do you realize you're proving my point in spades?

Why are you trying to convince me that living in a city is better than in the
suburbs? I'm sure for a lot of people it is. But not for me.

 _I don 't care_ if you prefer living in the city over the suburbs. But you've
amply demonstrated that you _do care_ about the fact that I don't. And that's
my original point. And I find it amusing that so many city dwellers care so
much that there are people who don't share their preferences.

~~~
grapes4me
I never implied i cared really, don't be so defensive.

My point, is that city living is objectively better than the suburbs, which is
why i don't understand why people prefer to live in the burbs aisde from
irrational and unfounded fears of crime.

~~~
rhapsodic
> I never implied i cared really, don't be so defensive.

The fact that you expended so many keystrokes explaining why you think city
living is better implies that you do care. And you were the one being
defensive. I never said one word trying to convince you my preference is
better.

> My point, is that city living is objectively better, which is why i don't
> understand why people prefer to live in the burbs.

No offense, but I don't think you're using the word "objectively" correctly.
You seem to put a lot of stock in your perception that it's less expensive to
live in the city. But money is a very subjective value. I make enough money
that I don't have to ride on smelly buses, so I choose not to. You may view it
differently, and that's cool. Perhaps you see it as a personal virtue, or find
it gratifying for other reasons. Whatever. And I like being able to start my
car in my heated garage in the winter, rather than dig it out of a snow bank
parked on the street a block from my house, like some of my urban friends do.
It's all very subjective.

~~~
grapes4me
No i used it correctly

not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on
facts; unbiased.

The only reason I can think of to live in the burbs, is that there can be
better public schools, but if you are not raising a family, any argument you
can give, I can give you a logical reason why living in a city is better.

Regardless of what you spend your money on, or chose to budget, living in a
central location without needing a car, close to all amenities and services,
is better, plain and simple. I don't see how that is not objective, unless you
prefer living far removed from everything and wasting time out of your day
traveling in a car, which statically the more time you spend driving the more
likely you will die or be injured in a accident.

~~~
rhapsodic
OK, you're right. Riding smelly buses that run behind schedule and only stop
within walking distance of an infinitesimal portion of the places I might want
to visit is "objectively better" than getting in a late-model luxury car and
going wherever I want whenever I want...

Dude, do you still not see it? I made a point, not about city living, but
about city dwellers, and you appeared out of the blue, to illustrate my point
in one post after another. If anyone is reading this thread, they probably
think you're a sock puppet created by me. You illustrate my point _perfectly_.

And you also remind me that the city dwellers I've encountered, who obsess
about convincing others that their lifestyle is superior, seem to really be
trying to convince _themselves_ of that more than anyone else.

So, if you makes you feel better, I'll admit that I'm jealous that I don't get
to ride smelly buses or crowded trains every day, while being on guard against
pickpockets, and live without a car because I "don't need" one. It's soul-
crushing that my kids can play in any backyard in the neighborhood without me
worrying about junkies or mentally ill homeless people lurking nearby.

