What is your favorite suburb of your city? - Page 9

nomarandlee · #**161** Posted **Sep 22, 2019, 8:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

yeah, you're talking about trash like these horrid beasts.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.9062...7i16384!8i8192

life must have been utterly terrible back in the bad old days.

Ugh, I wish somehow the city could make such walls illegal overtime. It just kills the aesthetics and the steet vibe to have those walls, especially when there are alternatives and improved/cheap security measures over the last 5 decades.

GlassCity · #**162** Posted **Sep 22, 2019, 8:55 PM**

In Vancouver, definitely New Westminster, though it's hard to say if it counts. It was settled before Vancouver itself, and for a kid from the "true" suburbs, I always thought of New West being part of The City too.

It has a nice historic commercial street, which while could use some more investment, really shows that old brick vernacular that you don't see a lot of in Vancouver itself:

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.20203...7i13312!8i6656

Residential areas are pretty typical streetcar suburb stock so nothing too interesting there, but it's all on a grid and there's a lot of low-rise apartments which contributes to my assessment of it still being "the City."

If New West doesn't count as a suburb, then I would nominate both North Vancouver and Richmond. North Vancouver is very much a streetcar suburb as well, but has seen a lot more investment than New West and so is flashier in its urbanism. Richmond is similarly flashier, but is further from Vancouver and its downtown is a much more recent creation of a rapid transit extension there, which led to the redevelopment of sprawling commercial and warehouse properties.

North Vancouver (Lower Lonsdale): https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.31299...7i16384!8i8192

North Vancouver (Central Lonsdale): https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.31993...7i16384!8i8192

Richmond: https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.17006...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.17389...7i13312!8i6656

In general, I'm very happy with Vancouver suburbs. Just about all of them were laid out in sections and we've done a good job of maintaining the grid that came of that, which is very important to me. Also, many of our suburbs were independent small towns that just got absorbed into the Metro Vancouver blob, so most suburbs will have a small town commercial centre. Today's sprawl continues to spread along that grid.

In Winnipeg, Transcona is really the only fairly-far streetcar suburb that has retained that typology, so I'd call it my favourite suburb for sure. Other Winnipeg streetcar suburbs (River Heights, St. Boniface) are the inner city anymore so I wouldn't count them. Note: Winnipeg is a unicity model, so there's no jurisdictional difference between the city and the suburbs; it's all Winnipeg.

Transcona: https://www.google.ca/maps/@49.89503...7i13312!8i6656

Sun Belt · #**163** Posted **Sep 22, 2019, 10:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawn

For real, you could buy an entire South End bowfront for $60-80k in 1993, methadone stoop-junkie included. That same bowfront won’t sell for less than $1 million now, at the low end. You might even still get the methadone junkie though if you’re on the BU Medical side of the South End...

I never got to go to college in Boston, but my brother lived in the Brighton student jungle in the early 2000s and it was still rough then.

Do you remember how Mission Hill used to be? I lived near Brigham Circle towards the end of that gnarly period, at the beginning of the it being gentrified. That was an area that you'd walk fast and watch your back after sunset.

Now, it's a great place to call home.

Sun Belt · #**164** Posted **Sep 22, 2019, 10:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePhun1

Does Boston even have suburbs in the traditional sense? I thought it was nothing but old New England towns or even cities (Salem) that were absorbed into Boston's sphere of influence.

Yes, Boston sprawls. Just take a peek at the 495 corridor and Southern New Hampshire.

Sun Belt · #**165** Posted **Sep 22, 2019, 10:50 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawn

For real, you could buy an entire South End bowfront for $60-80k in 1993, methadone stoop-junkie included. That same bowfront won’t sell for less than $1 million now, at the low end. You might even still get the methadone junkie though if you’re on the BU Medical side of the South End...

I never got to go to college in Boston, but my brother lived in the Brighton student jungle in the early 2000s and it was still rough then.

My dad rented a 5th floor historic brownstone, 3 bedroom apartment on Beacon St / Hereford in Back Bay. Free parking spot in the alley, view of the Charles River -- this was back in the days before recycling, so we would separate our own trash and leave it for the bums to make some money.

The owners decided to sell and offered my dad first dibs. The price was $300,000 and my dad thought it was OUTRAGEOUS. That same apartment is probably well over $2 million now.

pip · #**166** Posted **Sep 23, 2019, 1:12 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePhun1

Does Boston even have suburbs in the traditional sense? I thought it was nothing but old New England towns or even cities (Salem) that were absorbed into Boston's sphere of influence.

What do you mean? I would have thought Boston is the definition of suburbs in the traditional sense

Shawn · #**167** Posted **Sep 23, 2019, 2:13 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePhun1

Does Boston even have suburbs in the traditional sense? I thought it was nothing but old New England towns or even cities (Salem) that were absorbed into Boston's sphere of influence.

Yes, definitely.

All the towns I showcased are inner-ring burbs inside or along the 128 belt. If Boston had Houston’s land area, every one of these would be inside Boston's municipal borders.

If you go out one level to the 495 belt, you’ll find lots of 1980s+ McMansion sprawl. The one caveat being that in many of these places, you still have a dense downtown built around a traditional New England town common, and MBTA Commuter Line stations. Places like Franklin, Mansfield, Westborough, Littleton, Bridgewater, etc. have all seen 200% growth since the 80s with plenty of sprawl, but still have ~300 year old downtowns with Commuter Rail stations which also saw densification over that same period of McMansion growth.

Shawn · #**168** Posted **Sep 23, 2019, 2:25 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

Do you remember how Mission Hill used to be? I lived near Brigham Circle towards the end of that gnarly period, at the beginning of the it being gentrified. That was an area that you'd walk fast and watch your back after sunset.

Now, it's a great place to call home.

YES. Jamaica Plain and Mission Hill specifically were the nightly lead-in on Channel 5 6:00PM with Chet and Nat. For how many shootings went down that day. Now it’s Boston’s funkiest neighborhood. Man, you lived there at the tail-end of a seriously violent time!

My parents lived off Lower Huntington near Riverway from 72 through 78 and they say it was starting to get bad when they left (for Hyde Park).

summersm343 · #**169** Posted **Sep 24, 2019, 9:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by pip

Any Philly people here? Lets see some Main Line (correct?) suburb pics

Yeah, Philadelphia has some awesome, dense, urban suburbs. Here are some of my favorites:

West Chester, PA
-No rail access currently, but SEPTA is planning on extending Regional Rail/Commuter Rail back to here in the future
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9603...7i13312!8i6656

Kennett Square, PA
-No rail access currently, and no plans to extend rail here
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.8466...7i13312!8i6656

Media, PA
-Regional Rail/Commuter Rail and Trolley access
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9182...7i13312!8i6656

Upper Darby, PA
-Subway/Elevated Rail, High Speed Rail, and Trolley access
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9613...7i13312!8i6656

Doylestown, PA
-Regional Rail/Commuter Rail access
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.3109...7i13312!8i6656

Narberth, PA
-Regional Rail/Commuter Rail access
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0056...7i16384!8i8192

Ardmore, PA
-Regional Rail/Commuter Rail and Amtrak access
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0078...7i16384!8i8192

Bryn Mawr, PA
-Regional Rail/Commuter Rail access
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0219...7i16384!8i8192

Wayne, PA
-Regional Rail/Commuter Rail access
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0440...7i13312!8i6656

King of Prussia, PA
-Currently no transit access, but plans to extend High Speed rail and possibly Regional Rail/Commuter Rail to King of Prussia
-An up-and-coming "new age" urban area
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0835...7i13312!8i6656

Conshohocken, PA
-Regional Rail/Commuter Rail access
-One of the few Philadelphia suburbs where highrises are being built
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0741...7i16384!8i8192

Phoenixville, PA
-Currently no transit access, but there are plans to extend SEPTA Regional Rail/Commuter rail to here
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.1339...7i13312!8i6656

Jenkintown, PA
-Regional Rail/Commuter rail access
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.0956...7i16384!8i8192

Ambler, PA
-Regional Rail/Commuter Rail access
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.1542...7i16384!8i8192

Newtown, PA
-Currently no transit, but there are plans to restore Regional Rail/Commuter Rail service back to Newtown
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.2281...7i13312!8i6656

Wilmington, DE
-Regional Rail/Commuter Rail and Amtrak access
-Very up and coming small city. A lot of companies located here. Up and coming Downtown and Waterfront area with a lot of new construction
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.7455...7i13312!8i6656

Newark, DE
-Regional Rail/Commuter Rail and Amtrak access
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.6833...7i13312!8i6656

Camden, NJ
-Subway, Regional/Commuter rail, and light rail access
-I know what you're thinking, Camden?? But the Downtown and Waterfront area of this small city is very up and coming, with a lot of new construction and some highrises actually being built
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9472...7i13312!8i6656

Collingswood, NJ
-Subway/Heavy Rail access
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.9161...7i13312!8i6656

Haddonfield, NJ
-Subway/Heavy Rail Access
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.8975...7i13312!8i6656

There are so, so many more though, and this is just the Metro Area, this doesn't include any of the towns within the "CSA" including those around Reading, and those along the South Jersey beaches.

the urban politician · #**170** Posted **Sep 24, 2019, 9:16 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

here's a post i made awhile ago showing all of the pre-war railroad town centers in chicagoland:

I realize that your list left out Antioch.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4779...7i13312!8i6656

Yes, I realize that the Metra station is a bit of a hike from downtown. However, if we are including Aurora and Naperville in this list, which also have a bit of a walk between their Metra stations and their downtown cores, I think Antioch is reasonable

Steely Dan · #**171** Posted **Sep 24, 2019, 9:31 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician

I realize that your list left out Antioch.

the original list i posted was only for burbs with tradtionally urban town centers on the 8 "old school" metra lines.

antioch is on the NCS, which only began operating in 1996.

the urban politician · #**172** Posted **Sep 25, 2019, 2:44 PM**

^ Ahh, I understand.

With that in mind, there are probably several other suburban downtowns that may be worth seeing.

There are also newer suburbs that are trying to create downtowns around their Metra stations. While they will never have the charm of prewar downtowns, I think they should at least be lauded for the effort.

Willow Springs comes to mind as one example:

https://goo.gl/maps/jeSCdZEhrANzPDCx7

They even have a comprehensive plan for pedestrian-oriented development:

https://www.willowsprings-il.gov/wp-...17/11/VCPD.pdf

Can't fault them for trying!

BigDipper 80 · #**173** Posted **Sep 25, 2019, 10:03 PM**

Yellow Springs is a bit far out to be a "suburb" of Dayton (it's more of an exurb), but Yellow Springs is my favorite town in the Dayton metro area. It's a great hippie town with a very active business district and some great hiking trails.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.8051...7i13312!8i6656

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.8037...!7i8704!8i4352

For more "traditional" suburbs, Miamiasburg has a great urban core, although the eastern part of the city is your traditional sprawly shopping district.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.6423...7i13312!8i6656

Sun Belt · #**174** Posted **Sep 26, 2019, 12:40 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawn

My parents lived off Lower Huntington near Riverway from 72 through 78 and they say it was starting to get bad when they left (for Hyde Park).

I lived within walking distance to there -- from Brookline Village to Brigham Circle to Fenway, although I wasn't there in the 1970s, but 1990s.

I lived off Huntington, half block off at least. I used to walk in the Riverway, which was a no-go-zone after dark. JP changed big time as well since then.

ColDayMan · #**175** Posted **Sep 28, 2019, 12:54 AM**

For Columbus, I have several "favorites" but all for different reasons.

Grandview Heights/Grandview - Youthful, dense inner-ring suburb
Downtown: https://goo.gl/maps/DKBWm7tYN7u5SLuy8
Good residential density: https://goo.gl/maps/KsqezhbgmbLUBTYEA
Ditto: https://goo.gl/maps/HXD623fXH5bP6kMX9

Bexley - Jewish, mini-college town
Downtown: https://goo.gl/maps/gj3qbr68MAbonRsQ7
Pleasant boulevard streetcar suburban streets: https://goo.gl/maps/DHpkJx4gHTiV4szs9

Worthington - New England-layed out suburb
Downtown: https://goo.gl/maps/g2cEdhdQ23LaswDG7

Upper Arlington - Tudor, WASPy streetcar suburb
Downtown: https://goo.gl/maps/6Pvj4iQZPMPVA7J99

Westerville - Another suburb-with-a-college
Uptown: https://goo.gl/maps/m9tCssw3EQcFE5ei7

Delaware - Nice old core with Ohio Wesleyan University in the metro's fastest growing county
Downtown: https://goo.gl/maps/pZ728XDKur1QEf419

And blah blah blah.

For Cincinnati, it'd be Covington, Newport, Bellevue, Mariemont, Lawrenceburg, Glendale, Lebanon, Montgomery, and Loveland. And on a Tuesday, Norwood.

For Dayton, Oakwood, Miamisburg, Troy, and yes, Yellow Springs.

dc_denizen · #**176** Posted **Sep 28, 2019, 1:14 AM**

mousquet · #**177** Posted **Sep 28, 2019, 1:17 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColDayMan

Bexley - Jewish, mini-college town

Mouais... I like trees, but theirs are too tall. Look at these. Their trees are taller than their buildings!
It's harder and harder to find anything like this here in metropolitan Paris.

I also like the Jews a lot, cause they're a faithful people, but I would blame on them for their overdone distrust...
It's not really their fault, though. They've been martyred for thousands of years.

JManc · #**178** Posted **Sep 28, 2019, 1:51 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by dc_denizen

Rye NY and New Canaan CT are amazing little towns but very pricey.

AviationGuy · #**179** Posted **Sep 29, 2019, 4:11 AM**

For Austin, it would be Bee Cave because of the scenery and amenities. However, it's way over the top expensive so I can only visit.

For Houston, definitely Sugar Land, because of the ethnic diversity, especially South Asians and Southeast Asians. However, I was there most recently on a Saturday, and traffic was the worst I've ever experienced in any American suburb. Also, when I was a kid, Sugar Land was an easy 20 minute commute from central Houston (when Sugar Land was mainly known as the home of Imperial Sugar). I tried the commute on the Saturday I was there, and it took me an hour to go about 15 miles. I don't know if it's always that way or what.

ThePhun1 · #**180** Posted **Sep 29, 2019, 7:27 AM**

I like Missouri City most among the Fort Bend (North-Southwest Houston area) suburbs.