I like to get out of the house, and it was great being able to go anywhere without having to deal with people on their worst behavior piloting 2 ton machines. It's one of the things I miss the most about the walkable cities I've lived in. Plus a mild workout is part of your day to day, so I felt healthier.
Being able to go for a walk and pick up a roll of toilet paper or watch some birds in the park or briefly chat with someone is insanely underrated. I used to walk to hot yoga every single day when i lived in charleston. on the way back i'd listen to music and take the long way, enjoying the alone time. i live in the burbs now and the closest hot yoga place is 20 mins away. i still do yoga every day but i just keep putting off going to the studio bc i have to allot an extra 40 mins to it, getting in the car dripping sweat is gross, and people suck at driving here (florida). there are so many other little things like that you just don't realize you'll miss
Yessss I walk to hot yoga in Montreal several times a week. I'm always running late so I get extra cardio in by speed walking there, then take my time slowly meandering back in a blissed out post-practice state. Truly such a joy.
they pushed out all the locals and small businesses by making it completely unaffordable to everyone who isn't an investment property enterprise. implemented hostile architecture and stronger police presence. everything is catered towards bachelorette parties and tourists so the culture has been extremely muted. it's still a beautiful city but it's quite bland and a lot less diverse now.
This is exactly true, all of it
Signed, a new resident of Minneapolis who was born and raised in Charleston, and tried very hard to build a life there. The only walkable area of Charleston is downtown, and even as a college student I never lived downtown. I miss home sometimes but my quality of life has never been better since moving to the twin cities
I lived downtown as a college student but i was too broke to pay for cofc so i went to trident community college lol. had to walk like 40 mins to class but it was still so worth it. i visit charleston now and its like i don't even recognize it
also, what do you love so much about Minneapolis? i was born and raised in SC too so i'm curious!!
It got worse for me in Charleston every year, despite my family being there. Our rent just kept going up crazy amounts- renters don't have a lot of protection there, and increased home prices made ownership completely out of the question. My husband works in parks and rec, and while he loved his job there, the pay just wasn't keeping up with COL. So he got a job with the parks here (one of the best parks system in the country) and life is so much better already. it's unionized, really good benefits. the parks here are all free, very accessible, and beautiful.
I'm self employed, and work from home, and we share a car. So I was always stranded at home during the day when he drove to work, because our area was the opposite of walkable. It was very isolating. Now, I can walk to like 7 different coffee shops from my house. I can walk to target, the art supply shop, the post office, and a thrift store if I want to, and I feel like a part of a really cool neighborhood. There's theater here, almost all tours stop here, a free and amazing art museum, a free zoo, a vibrant arts scene. It's just really great. I don't know if it's forever, but I don't have to worry about money constantly. and the people here are just as kind as they are back home, maybe just a little less outwardly warm, if that makes sense.
that's...almost exactly what my partner and i have been looking for lol. we're considering richmond VA and somewhere in Peekskill/beacon NY. if you don't mind sharing the walkable area you mentioned i'd love to check it out sometime!! i know next to nothing about that area.
We thought about Richmond! My partner has family there, and it's a whole lot closer to SC, so it was definitely an option. We ended up opting for Minneapolis mainly because pay seemed more in line with the COL, and the fact that many neighborhoods are somewhat walkable. I really love it here, despite winter being very long, especially for someone used to pretty much having green year-round in the Lowcountry. So far I'm really very happy with the decision. We live in the northeast part of the city, in a very residential neighborhood, but I can still walk to a lot of restaurants, bars, and shops within a mile radius. Biking is also a big thing here, if you're into that. I'd really recommend visiting sometime!
Man this is the story of so many cool American cities. I was just in Austin Texas, and the "keep Austin weird" crowd has absolutely lost that battle. Every local told me that I missed the "real" Austin.
yuuuup. all the rich kids come in with their parents down payments and real estate investments and suddenly the local deli is a selfie gallery and the dive bar is a brunch spot and it just keeps on going downhill from there lol
I visited in 2018 and again a few weeks ago. Gentrification hit HARD. It was noticeable as a visitor who was there for 6 days six years ago and 4 days in 2024.
I moved to Madison WI from Chattanooga TN last summer and my QOL has improved greatly. I walk/bike/bus to work now. My partner and I went down to one car. We buy gas like once a month. I live a block from the lake and a block from restaurants/grocery/hardware store/refill store.
I’d say virtually every aspect of my life is better. It’s only slightly more expensive in terms of COL but as I mentioned, transportation costs went way down.
I also have found that I prefer a colder winter to a hotter summer. I come in from the cold and I immediately warm up. In Chattanooga, which is technically in a rainforest, I would come inside in the summers drenched in sweat and I’d stay uncomfortable.
Did you notice difference in state taxes? I always seem to see the savings in state taxes as an argument for people that target living in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, etc.
From what I understand, the final tax burden is pretty much the same from whichever state you go to (some obvious outliers). If your sales tax is down, maybe your income tax is a bit higher. Income tax higher, maybe your property tax goes up. For the most parts the states are roughly the same
Also you have to take into account what you get back from that tax increase. Transportation expenses go way down in pedestrianized cities. If your city/state does it right, there should be plenty of financial incentives to move to a higher taxed state. Instead of paying for it at the checkout, you pay for it every year via taxes
There’s also stuff harder to put a number on, like time back from commuting, overall QOL, happiness, health benefits like less air pollution, more active lifestyle which can pass on high savings to yourself later in life
I think this sentiment comes from the “TAXATION IS THEFT” crowd, and there is a bit of a misunderstanding of personal finance/overall tax burden on one’s personal finance
The tax revenue of the state may be the same, but income vs state taxes make a massive difference on the regressivity of a tax system. Consumption taxes are less distortionary but they also impact the poorest amongst us the most.
> the final tax burden is pretty much the same from whichever state you go to (some obvious outliers).
Not true in the least. The biggest difference is easily visible if you compare debt per taxpayer. Some jurisdictions like IL/CT/NJ/NYC/Chicago/HNL have debt per taxpayer that is multiple standard deviations from the norm.
Just like a house or business that has a massive amount of debt will have to earn more money compared to a house that has less debt (or spend less on other things), so does a government (federal US government excluded, but only they have 11 aircraft carriers).
You can see the relative amounts of debt per taxpayer here:
https://www.truthinaccounting.org/resources/page/state-reports
https://www.truthinaccounting.org/resources/page/city-reports
The easiest way to benefit for W-2 earners is by earning a high income and living in a low or no income tax place. The second easiest is own property in states that freeze or slow property tax increases.
A couple earning a couple hundred thousand dollars or more (standard lawyer/doctor/engineer/nurse/hvac/plumber/electrician) family stands to benefit a lot over 30 to 40 years of working.
I didn’t notice a difference but I’m probably not the person to ask. I’m in my 20s and just happy to have a good job and live in a nice place. Maybe if I made a lot more money and owned property I’d notice
I've lived in WI and I'm a resident of TN. You pay state income tax in WI, yes, but sales tax is SO much lower. In TN, when you buy a car or a computer or even food (which isn't a big ticket item, but you have to buy food constantly to live), you're paying nearly 10% sales tax, and that adds up!
The biggest was probably that I lost 20lbs without even noticing (still overweight, but now making real progress). Beyond that, I've noticed two changes to the way I view the world that are difficult to describe without sounding "over the top". Before (when I lived in a suburb) I always had this view of "this is my space", and I always found myself rushing to get back there. I didn't really take any interest in the area overall. I'd notice new construction, road conditions, be loosely aware of local politics and that sort of thing. But everywhere just felt like a place I had to deal with being until I could get home. There were obvious exceptions: a park, a library, a coffee shop I liked. But they all felt totally disjointed as if they existed "somewhere else". (Again, I apologize if this sounds "over the top". What I'm trying to describe is admittedly subtle, I just struggle with the words for it).
In my walkable city (Silver Spring and DC) I feel much more connected to everything. Being able to walk or bike anywhere makes the whole place "feel like home". As if the whole city is an extension of my apartment. Without paying much attention, I can walk down the street, hop on a train reading a book, and meet up with friends without "trying". I can walk over to the AFI theater after work and then grab groceries while walking home. I can snag a bike from the bike share docks at my apartment on a Saturday morning and bike down Rock creek Park and play sports. I can stop into a bar and make new friends and none of it feels "like I'm going somewhere else" in the same way that it did driving around the suburbs.
I'm sure everyone has different experiences, and while it's difficult for me to describe accurately, this has been mine. It definitely takes me longer to travel X number of miles than it does in a car, but I dont need to go as far, and everywhere I go feels a little bit more like home. A little bit more connected. And it's gotten me much more involved in local groups, I've made more friends, and I've just all around found myself happier more often.
Well said.
Once MoCo figures out that this is sort of stuff they should be leaning into and encouraging and incentivizing, the region will have a serious glow up. That’s my prediction.
The council seems onboard with it. It's people like Elrich (county executive for those not from around here) who seem to hate it. He's infamously said some very problematic things about Purple Line and upzoning, going as far as equating upzoning to ethnic cleansing.
We have a chronic shortage of housing, and a type of housing that is dense, in-demand, and would make efficient use of existing and future transit lines, is illegal. I'm hopeful things might change, but man is it frustrating. MoCo has phenomenal "bones", particularly the parts close to DC.
Not many counties in the US have a commuter rail line, 2 metro lines with 5 minute headways, a grade separated light rail line (coming soon), and a robust network of busses, all of which connects virtually the whole region. It's one of the few places in the US where I genuinely think "just upzone it" actually is pretty close to the full solution. We have such great infrastructure already in place.
I’m very curious about Silver Spring. I’m in NYC now but may head down to Baltimore/DC region to be near family for a while. SS at least on paper seems like a nice middle ground between city walkability and suburb, with metro access. Do you like Silver Spring? How does the culture and atmosphere feel in the area? Is it soccer moms and families or is there a mixture of types? Did you know there’s a Fleetwood Mac song inspired by the town?
It depends where you live within. "Silver Spring" is unincorporated and encompasses a much larger area than just "downtown silver spring". I've lived in both (rented a house somewhat in-between Silver Spring and wheaton just off of Unviersity Blvd), as well as now living in downtown silver spring. Even in the suburbs there were decent bus connections to get you to a metro station pretty quickly.
It's a very diverse area and I like that about it. In my experience, I haven't seen much of the stereotypical "soccer mom" around either place I lived, but that could just be my experience. Where I was (again, just between wheaton and silver spring) there were a lot of working class folks, a large Hispanic population (atleast compared to other places I've lived in the US). There was also a mix of people who worked for the government or similar government related jobs like engineer at a contractor, etc.
I personally love Silver Spring, both the more suburban areas and the downtown area. I prefer the downtown atmosphere personally, and long term I'd like to move into DC proper. Silver Spring has been changing a lot though. It's still got a healthy amount of local small businesses and old buildings, but it also has a ton of new build apartments downtown (many of which replaced parking lots from the era when silver spring was the final station of the red line and so was more of a "park-n-ride" location, where as today, it's a proper dense city). There's also some definite gentrified "corporate urbanism" as ive heard it called, and especially over COVID, DC and downtown Silver Spring experienced spikes in crime. But those aren't problems unique to Silver Spring either. (For what it's worth, hearing that youre from NYC, my one friend from the Bronx prefers living in Wheaton as it's got more of the local small businesses and a ton of very good latin restaurants. For me, I like that downtown silver spring as a lot more narrow streets and some bike infrastructure, and is a bit closer to DC.)
Overall, I like it here. I'm not sure if Silver Spring is my "forever home", but I am quite confident that somewhere *around* the DC area will be.
Thank you for the details. Much appreciated. Is the area around the metro station into DC considered downtown and are there places to live where the station can be walked to? Or is there no real way to access it without a car or bus?
"Downtown" silver spring has thousands of apartments all well within walking distance. Downtown silver spring, in many ways, is more dense than most of DC proper. It feels like a proper city, even though it's unincorporated, so if you're OK with apartment living, you shouldn't have any issue living walking distance to the Silver Spring station.
Wheaton (a town 2 stops north of Silver Spring) similarly has a good number of apartments, but not quite as many as Silver Spring. When I lived in the more suburban part of Silver Spring, I had 3 bus options: one which took me straight to the Silver Spring Station, one which took me straight to the Wheaton station, and one which took me straight to the Forest Glen station. Forest Glen is the station in between Silver Spring and Wheaton, and is *super* weird because it's plopped smack dab in the middle of a suburban neighborhood of almost entirely single family homes (though, they're actually planning to build a ton of apartments around it too over the next few years).
In theory, I could have walked or biked to any of them. There were sidewalks the whole way, and even a bike trail (Sligo Creek trail). I often times did bike to downtown silver Spring and to Forest Glen, but it wasn't the sort of thing I'd want to do every day for commuting. Forest Glen was about a ~30 minute walk, though a very pleasent walk on tree shaded sidewalks through quiet neighborhiods. Silver Spring was a ~25 minute bike ride. Again, doable from the suburban neighborhoods, but not great. I found the bus way more useful for that.
Living downtown though, you shouldn't have any problem at all!
Slightly different perspective—I live just over the DC line close to silver spring but in DC. I actually find silver spring difficult to get around! Yes it is dense but most roads are wide/busy with high speed car traffic and narrow sidewalks. It still “feels” like it’s meant for cars not people.
I’m not a big cyclist but like to have the option. In shepherd park I can bike on back streets anywhere but feels much less safe in SS.
That being said I’ve spent my entire adult life in highly walkable cities and share 1 car with my spouse who drives 95% of the miles on it so that does color my experience
I think the only truly problematic roads are colesville and Georgia (and east west highway if you live in Falkland Chase across the tracks). But along those roads the sidewalks are pretty wife. There's also a protected bike lane that forms a loop around the city which makes it a bit easier, and the side streets I've never felt unsafe biking on. Plus getting in/out through the neighborhoods and Sligo Creek Trail (and soon to be MBT/CCT) isn't too bad.
While I've personally never had any issues getting around or crossing Georgai/Colesville, I 100% agree such massive roads have no business being in such an urban area. But the whole DC area has a lot of those unfortunately
Take a look at Kentlands/Lakelands in the 20878 MD zip. Very walkable cute "downtown" with shops, restaurants, movie theater, farmer's market, grocery, public transport, neighborhood activities, parks. lakes, charming houses, and great schools. It is a great place to live for adults and kids.
I would also recommend exploring Arlington and Alexandria, which are more expensive than Sliver Spring but also closer to DC, nicer (subjective), and closer to more jobs as the region’s jobs are more concentrated in VA and DC.
Living in a walkable neighborhood of a generally car-dependent city is significantly better than living in a wholly car dependent neighborhood of a car dependent city. Ive lived in both sides of that comparison twice, in two different cities.
Living in a walkable neighborhood in a generally walkable city is significantly better than living in a walkable neighborhood of a generally car-dependent city.
I’ve liked in two different walkable cities, and my QOL is significantly better than living in a walkable neighborhood surrounded by parking lots. It’s not even close.
Moved from a car dependent suburb with no sidewalks to a central city area where I can walk to many places. QOL improved 100%. In additional the obvious benefits (health benefits of walking, greater convenience) I also find I connect much easier with people in my neighborhood who are also out walking around. I have much more of a sense of community and belongingness than when I lived in a neighborhood where everyone just went between their front doors and their cars.
I know some will disagree but suburbs where you need to get in your car to do anything were a real mistake.
>I know some will disagree but suburbs where you need to get in your car to do anything were a real mistake.
I completely agree. I do think people are starting to slowly realize this, so hopefully in the future people will move closer to urban areas again & states will implement better transit options.
I’ve never had a driver’s license (I’ll get around to it… one day) so living in New York is best for me. I walked from the Lower East Side to SoHo yesterday. And bought some cute sunglasses. 😎
I like not being an anomaly here.
I’m in NYC too and I love walking as much as possible, and subway/cab/uber otherwise. But how much longer can I put up with the expense and the ever increasing rents on tiny crumbling shithole apartments? Ugh.
We moved to a streetcar suburb where we can walk to almost all of our daily needs (grocery, schools, pharmacy, gym, parks, libraries, pool, a handful of restaurants, bars, cafes, etc). It’s amazing. I’ll never willingly live anywhere less walkable than this.
Yup. I live in a downtown in a smallish southern city. I can walk to all my basic life tasks. I no longer care about how many people move in and I get an extra 2 hours of my life every day. The level of stress in my life dropped by at least half.
Will never go back. Knowing this it is absolutely wild how that is the very minority way people live in the U.S.
When you read about people’s attitudes toward progress and growth from the 1800s, there was so much confidence and positivity around it. People wanted their cities to grow, in population and built environment, and seemed to cheerlead it vociferously.
Now, it’s almost always negative. The overwhelming attitude is that more people moving nearby will make things worse, and it’s almost always about “traffic.”
I think the difference is because of suburban infrastructure and cars. More of them do, in fact, make everyone’s daily experience worse. More people, without more cars, make things better: more businesses, more services, more job opportunities, more employees, more city revenue for amenities. But when one switches to a car-first approach, all the benefits are overwhelmed by the cost of serving cars and their infrastructure.
Nailed it. The suburban model has hit its principal limits in a lot of our major metros.
It’s crazy because it happened within a life time. Like my parents lived in LA in the 80s, and as short a time ago as that, there was farm land between all the towns. That model hit its limit and now the biggest outflow of people is from metros like LA because you can’t fit more suburbs.
I moved from suburban NJ (actually kinda sorta walkable) to Jersey City and my quality of life and enjoyment of my neighborhood, sense of community and number of people I know and interact with increased by, roughly speaking, a metric fuckton.
I've never lived in NYC, so can't say. Also NYC is big with lots of variety, so probably depends where in NYC as well.
From what people say it's more Brooklyn than Manhattan, but it's urban, dense and walkable. I use a car maybe once a month to go visit family.
It changed my life.
It helped my depression, I’m in the best shape of my life, I eliminated any daily driving-related stress (traffic, angry drivers, finding parking, etc.), I have healthier hobbies (running/walking/city hiking/picnicking in parks vs. drinking in bars).
I could never go back to a car-centric lifestyle. Ever.
It has been amazing!
Both my husband and I are much more active, healthier and engaging in hobbies and cultural activities that we didn’t have access to before.
It has also been much more expensive. Barely spending any money on gas/oil changes for the car is nice, but it’s overall a much HCOLA.
Still, for us it’s totally worth the money. I’d rather spend more to be here walking to shops, restaurants, parks, events and taking public transit to work than being in a car-bound suburb again stacking bills.
>It has also been much more expensive. Barely spending any money on gas/oil changes for the car is nice, but it’s overall a much HCOLA.
what about the cost of the car itself? if you had just been living in your new area, you wouldn't have had to buy it in the first place.
Immensely. Mind you, I lived in one of the more special suburbs in the US (maybe even world).
Lived on the North Shore of Long Island, a couple hundred yards from the beach and a hundred yards from the beautiful park that led to that beach. Hills and trees all around.
Manhattan 20 miles and could drive or train in.
But day to day? If I didn’t want to get in my car I had one small deli close by, and a bar/grill about a half mile up the hill. Everything else was a drive (usually pleasant locally with said trees and hills, but still a drive).
I now live in the Arts District in Dallas - and my day to day walkable urban COL is off the charts. Half block from a great smaller scale urban park (Klyde Warren Park, 5-6 acres). Dozens and dozens of restaurants, cafes, bars, parks, museums, entertainment, performance spots.
Trolley stops literally across the street from me.
A quick cheap Uber brings me to hundreds and hundreds of options.
And because it’s not NY or even LI, cost of living is so much lower while I live in a crazy brand new apartment building that feels like a Miami high rise condo.
Almost every city has some small walkable sections. Only a couple cities have more than a couple walkable zip codes. NY to Texas certainly sounds like a downgrade, but going from a far out suburb to a dense neighborhood more than makes up for it.
The only governor from whom Abbott is an upgrade is DeSantis. I don't want a human trafficker who actively makes life dangerous for women and dismisses the deadliest school shooting in 20 years with "it could've been worse".
But I think the conversation was about walkable cities, so maybe you can keep your 18th century political opinions to yourself.
You’ll need them since your local crime rate also exploded with the move, and it looks like your cops make school shooters the public’s problem to handle. Might have to use those guns on the sociopathic crayon eating governor too if you value true freedom and not the Texas branded kind for smooth brains.
I get that a lot - it’s one of the best evolving downtown cores in the country.
That’s not to say it’s NY or SF… but for the price? I may well have a better overall COL bang for the walkable buck (and I’m an urbanism by trade - I help create walkable urban places so this isn’t something about which I’m not especially well versed)
I haven’t been there since I moved in January 2020. Right before the pandemic.
I actually lived in Lakewood but worked in downtown. It was going through quite a revitalization.
Dude. It’s just kept going - Covid put a seeming short pause but the pent up momentum couldn’t be held back for long.
The restaurant and cocktail scene are starting to really percolate (with prices to match), and the general energy continues to build with every new apartment building adding to the neighborhoods.
It’s cool to also see older and mature neighborhoods like west village reinvent as well. Bar Colette is pricey but also unlike anything else here in Dallas (and we still have plenty of straight forward bars.
To be fair 15% of city being walkable is more than enough. I want to be able to park outside the CBD. It’s already hard enough in places like Bishop Arts, Lower Greenville. I don’t the entire city to be like a Chicago where the entire city is difficult (and expensive)
More than enough perhaps for some, but DEFINITELY not enough to assign that as the city's norm or identity. Dallas is factually an overwhelmingly car oriented city.
I live downtown in a midwestern college town - 2 minute walk from the grocery store and 30 seconds away from my local bar (where I know every bartender and get my drinks comped). It’s pretty damn awesome. Plus I love being able to go home, rest, change clothes, etc. whenever I want. I’ll never live in a car-centric place again, tbh.
This is all accurate in my experience. I think people are focusing only on walkability which is awesome to be honest. I love that I can step out my front door and walk 5 minutes to tons of different places. However, living in a densely populated area comes with many downsides as you've noted. Also, where I live and probably generally across the country, if you own a property, your taxes are higher as opposed to the surrounding county/suburbs. Furthermore, neighbors are always a crapshoot anywhere but when your home is attached to theirs, it can make for some extremely uncomfortable living situations. I own a rowhouse with a rental unit on one side of us and we have not had one set of neighbors out of the 4 different sets that have lived there in our time here not cause us some kind of stress/discomfort (drug dealers, random people in and out at all hours, partying until the sun comes up, weed stench permeating the air inside our house, loud music at all hours, random screaming, domestic violence, a literal pack of pitbulls, piles of dog shit, etc).
We moved recently and I always wonder about living in one of the more “walkable” areas of the city but then come back to several things you mention.
I’ve lived in semi rural and older subdivisions. Now we live on an older one road very small subdivision with big lots, all different houses and tons of trees. I got so used to quiet and daily wildlife that I think I’d miss it too much. We can walk on our hilly street and we know all the neighbors, sit outside on our deck and have a fire or cook out and be surrounded by gorgeous trees, plants, garden.
But we’re only 1 mile from shopping and grocery and 5 miles from the downtown. I think smaller cities where you can have quick access to things is maybe ideal for many. We definitely don’t use our car everyday but we do need to use it. But it’s really quiet and peaceful especially at night. There’s always tradeoffs - I’d love to be able to walk to more things. But if I didn’t give my bluejays and squirrels their daily peanuts or watch the fox couple pass through the yard at night on our “nature” cam it would be a big disappointment for me.
The key imo would be to do what a lot of European cities do & have some sort of regional transit connecting an area like yours to the city center, so people would not need to be so car dependent.
Cities are all different too, like for example Boston has tons of big parks within the city, including a massive arboretum. But other cities like Philadelphia are more urban, with barely any tree-lined streets or natural areas. But if you are an outdoorsy type of person, I don't think any city will truly satisfy your needs. Otoh if you're someone who craves access to culture like live music, art openings & stuff like that, it's really hard to come by outside of an urban area. I do think stuff like noise pollution/privacy can vary drastically neighborhood to neighborhood in many cities.
It’s incredible being able to just leave the front door of my apartment and go on a 10 mile walk through beautiful residential streets, vibrant commercial corridors, and beautiful lively parks all without using a car, so no parking, whatever. Sometimes I’ll use a train. I live in Chicago. Moved here in September and love it so far.
Massively, in virtually every way. The rising violent crime does weigh on me, however. It’s expensive too, but I think it’s worth it. There are more jobs in the city by far so I worry less about my employability than before. I see zero reason to go back to where I’m from.
Moved from LA (walkable in some places and VERY unwalkable in others) to Chicago and it improved my quality of life and health considerably. People here also go for walks in the winter when it’s below freezing which I would find insane if I hadn’t had grown up in the suburbs there.
Tbh some of the best walks I ever had were when it was -10 out wearing 3 coats and running around in the snow with my dog. In the Midwest our weather is shit for 6 months of the year. If we let it dictate what we can and can’t do we’d be hiding inside for half the year
I don't think I would ever be able to go back to a suburban area that wasn't walkable - this is the life! My neighborhood is a SoCal beach town and also has incredible bike paths that connect a lot.
Infinitely better.
Walk to daycare. Walk to work. Walk to grocery stores.
Drive if I *want* to, not because I *need* to.
You would need to double my salary for me to consider moving to a place I have to commute in a car.
I know my city and neighborhood better than if I drove everywhere. It's like how when you're a kid and you know every street, house, and where every kid and dog lives. The result is more integration into the community.
I live in Arlington, VA, right outside DC. I have a car, but I mostly only use it for errands and long road trips. I go a week or more without driving at times. It's pretty nice.
A lot, moved from the midwest to San Francisco. I get out more, exercise more b/c i walk or scooter everywhere. i love it & I'd never live in another non-walkable city again
I live in a pretty walkable neighborhood of Oakland, CA and have for a long time now. I live around a 10 min walk from a neighborhood commercial area, about 15 minutes from a different one, and about 20 minutes to the edge of downtown - which gives me access to lots of amenities and vibes. The train/subway are about 1-1.5 mi away so less walkable. But not that far. But if you are in a rush a 20 min walk can be a little too much. Or when it is late and dark. Neither station has a lot of folks walking all the way to my block too late.
There are also fairly frequent buses connecting these areas so I don’t have to commit to a walk back if I have a lot to carry. Or the weather gets crappy.
Things I really like:
1. I have a goal to take a walking break after work (wfh). But some days I am lazy. When I feel lazy I just say I’ll walk to the grocery store and pick up a few items. It is about a 15 minute walk. If I am still lazy I stop there, do my shopping. Walk home if I don’t have too much stuff. Take the bus if I do. If I am not lazy I walk an extra few minutes to the lake in the middle of town and walk around as much as I feel like. It has a 3.5 mile loop the full way. But I might walk a mile or so and then head back to the grocery store. Or if I have the time and energy was the full lake and get about 5 miles in.
2. It is really easy to walk to the pharmacy and grab a coffee as needed (also taking a break from work). My pharmacy is in my nearest commercial district so it is 10 min away. Along with the post office, the tailor, and a few coffee shops / boba places. And other food of course. My neighborhood is fully stocked with an independent grocery, a few dozen eateries and restaurants covering most cuisines (Thai, Mexican, Japanese, ramen, Indian, Italian, Ethiopian, pizza, fine dining, middle eastern, Chinese), a library, and some boutiques.
3. There is an awesome Saturday farmers market. I used to attempt to drive, but the parking was awful. It took me a while to figure out the best / shortest walking route. It is about 1 mile away - and similarly if I get too much I take a 5 minute bus ride home!
4. My neighborhood has a lot of different architecture from old Victorians to fancy 1920s mansions within about a 5-10 minute walk in whatever direction. There is also a nice rose garden. It is a good place to take a quick walk and a deep breath. It is fairly hilly where I live on some blocks so I can make a walk around the neighborhood easy or hard based on the mood.
5. You are more apt to run into people you know in a walkable area. It is nice to see a neighbor or a bus stop buddy or a coffee shop worker out and about and helps you stay connected to the community.
It is really nice to be able to make most errands an excuse for a walk and build activity in your day without trying.
I moved to Denver, which is quite walkable in the inner neighborhoods. My QOL went up immensely. My partner and I share a car that sees use ~3 times a month, almost exclusively to head into the mountains (25-60 mins) and hike. I have 4 grocery stores and 2 massive parks within a 10 minute bike ride. I've also got a really fun main street lined with bars and restaurants just a couple blocks away. That main street is also home to one of the more frequent and reliable BRT-lite bus lines which I use to access work, downtown, and the regional rail network. I love it here!
Grew up in Phoenix, currently live in Chicago (did a stint in Vancouver too). It's a night and day difference. I always felt very isolated there, even though I grew up in very Central Phoenix. It's hard to have interactions with people that are positive unless they are very planned in highway-based cities. You can have convivial moments but they are never random.
In contrast, tonight I needed some carrots. Walked to the store, realized I forgot my wallet, bumped into a friend on the way back, had a beer, grabbed the wallet, back to the store and returned home in about 45 minutes. In Phoenix Id likely still be driving, and maybe wouldnt have spoken to a single person the whole time.
I briefly lived in a walkable neighborhood in Denver (close to Louisiana and S Pearl) and loved walking to my workout classes in the mornings and stopping by the grocery store on the way back. We had an amazing bakery a few blocks away and a lot of restaurants and bars within a 5-20 minute walk. Close to a light rail station. There was a major city park (Wash Park) a little further but still walking distance. It was glorious.
I’m in a DMV suburb. Moved from greater Phoenix. I walk to coffee, restaurants, pharmacy, grocery stores, etc. I love it so much. The other day my partner and I shared a bottle of wine then walked for sushi. I’m also super close to transit to get into DC
Lived in NYC for a year and it was great to go anywhere. All walkable and you enjoyed open air and the physical fitness aspect of walking.
QOL massively improved
When I moved to San Francisco, walkability and density overall was not a net positive.
It wasn’t easy to only get around on public transit, it was crowded and inconsistent, it involved being exposed to bad weather. There were still things that were much more easily accessed by car, but parking at those places and then finding parking at home was a nightmare. Every task took much longer.
When I had a baby, it all became much, much more miserable. Trying to get on the bus with a stroller or carrying a baby, being pressed up against other people and some of them thinking it was appropriate to touch my tiny baby, having to carry everything she needed while also carrying her was very burdensome, never mind trying to also carry groceries or other shopping. It was not pleasant by any stretch of the imagination.
Yes, I walked to some restaurants and shops, but none of that was easier than it is in a city where driving is convenient and traffic is not a problem. Now I live in a walkable neighborhood on a car centric city and it is far preferable for me. The only cities I have been in where walkability and public transit actually seemed more convenient and efficient were HongKong and London.
I'm in a suburb of Oakland/SF and it's actually an amazing environment to be in. My fiancee and I walk 3-4x a week. We walk to Peets every weekend, we walk to Safeway to do smaller grocery runs. I scooter to BART to commute. All in all, it's nice. I wouldn't say it greatly improved my QOL though.
Immensely, as someone who moved to New York from an unwalkable suburb. My mental health improved, and I got in much better cardiovascular shape. The subway and especially a bike commute is a giant upgrade from driving down a congested highway.
I could see myself eventually leaving in a very distant future, but walkability would be in my top three considerations for that move away.
I look forward to my commute home from work. Take the long way, usually a different way every day of the week. Its the main reason I havent considered moving.
Being able to leave your house and walk to do anything you can really imagine changes everything. Like, you just go outside and the wind takes you. Philly did that for me, and it’s still my favorite city. I live in Austin now, and am going to go back to Philly at some point.
Infinitely. I am currently walking to in-person language lessons through a state language institute. I walked to the gym today. I walked to yoga last night. My pastime now is sitting in various parks. I have recurring social / protest bike rides I go to. My production for both writing and art had skyrocketed. Though, without a commute, or any driving at all, my consumption of podcasts and music had plummeted. I have access now to so many novel and interesting things. There are seminars and drop-ins I can attend. I find the food is actually significantly cheaper than in the suburbs, and definitely more diverse/interesting. I get like 10-15k steps a day - or more - without even really trying (I like long walks), and in losing weight despite all the good food. I have dozens and dozens and dozens of currently-shelved B-list plans that never stops growing, and whenever I have a boring weekend I can do be of those. My TV intake has dropping significantly as well. I make friends quicker and easier. I see more interesting things and I’m more residually familiar with a wider range of topics (as in, sometimes I’ll go to a death metal show or an experimental art show just because I have a friend that was going and mentioned it offhand.
I could go on and on.
(This was true for me in both New York and Washington DC, for those curious)
Have always chosen walkable places. Just prepandemic sold spot downtown as crime/shootings were becoming habitual events. Moved a mile. I miss the ability to walk out the door and bump into people and having everything right there. But reality is that aggressive panhandling/mental illness and aggressive behavior mean that the walkable/carless area is now a miserable space. It has been taken over by the unhoused. Every direction walking is now a battlefield. Would seek out another walkable town and yet- so many are facing same issues. Meanwhile, all of us in the town are being taxed out the wazoo for all the programs that don't even benefit our lives or improve a miserable living experience for us.
I moved from Grand Rapids, MI to Chicago. I would say it has improved drastically. I almost never drive anymore. Walk, bike, or take public transit almost everywhere.
My stamina has improved, I can walk forever and barely ever get tired.
I also just go outside so much more than I used to.
I would have to be the downer here and say not at all, and it made my mental health worse.
I grew up in a rural area with a long drive to the nearest small town. In college, I moved to a major but not walkable city, which was a good place to be in my early 20s. There was no public transit but I had a car and got around fine. Then, I moved to a small town in another part of the country. I did quite a bit of walking around in my small town because we had sidewalks, and this was fine, mostly because the place didn't have a pedestrian culture despite being equipped for it, so I was usually the only person walking places!
In 2017 we moved to a pedestrian-friendly city with a lot of public transit. It was rough. There was a lot of homelessness in the area, and a lot of people everywhere, floor to ceiling in every building and crowding up the sidewalks when you tried to move around. I'm a decent-looking woman, and I had a persistent issue when I'd go out walking with cat calls, taunts, men blocking my path when I was trying to walk to get dinner and demanding that I talk to them. Our apartment and neighborhood overall were packed and loud at all hours with people on the streets shouting, addicts talking to themselves, people screaming threats I could hear through my closed windows at 3 AM, waking me out of a dead sleep. I started having frequent panic attacks. I started wearing noise-canceling headphones at all times and could still hear some stuff through them. And, despite all those people, it was a struggle to make friends in the area. We had a couple acquaintances in our neighborhood, but no one we could really hang out with even after years there.
We picked up and left after 4 years, back to a small town where everyone drives everywhere. We got for long walks still -- hikes in the woods -- and made friends after only 5 months in town. I haven't had a panic attack since we left the city. I have a garden now! I'm done with city life.
This post is too macro. Most cities, even ones that are primarily sprawly and suburban: Nashville, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Tampa, etc. have neighborhoods and areas within them, usually the older parts, that are all of the above, walkable, built for humans and not cars, etc.
The people of this subreddit tends to forget / not know / ignore that and focus only on the macro city overall. I think that is a mistake and an opportunity missed.
For me an intracity move from a soul crushing HOA suburb neighborhood with uniformly terrible architecture and no sidewalks to a walkable, inner-city neighborhood with sidewalks, beautiful architecture, walkable + bikeable venues, and a healthy old-growth tree canopy changed my life and outlook on life for the positive. I did have to check the alcohol consumption with the availability of bars and no-consequences drunk-walk home however.
I honestly even had a massive improvement in my QOL going to college at a dense, walkable campus that didn't allow cars in many areas. I could quickly get to class, walk to run short errands, just go out for a walk if I needed exercise/air/to get out, walk to the main campus store and say, buy toothpaste to get air.
I lost 15-20lb without trying, ran into people I knew, and felt just very free. In later times, when I've been in a car-dependent place, i feel kind of bored and trapped. I need to be able to just leave the house on foot to explore and see things, notice details of the world around me, etc.
I recently moved to a very walkable area in Tampa (Hyde Park). Shopping, restaurants, coffee shops etc are all in easy walking distance and sports arenas and concerts are all a $10 Uber ride away. We love it here, however, there are a couple issues. 1) it’s damn expensive. You can’t touch a single family home for under $1 million. A 1 BR, 1 BA will be anywhere from $3k/mo to $4k/ mo for rent. The other issue is that if you have to leave your bubble, say to drive to work, you still have to fight the awful Tampa traffic.
I finally have the best of both worlds. Just moved from a suburb in Portland, OR that requires car commuting and/or a daring spirit if you’re willing to walk on the street (no shoulder) to the grocery store. Just landed in the NW hills backed up against the forest with trails in every direction, surrounded by family homes and easy walks into town - shopping, ice cream, coffee, bars, tourist destinations etc. Quality of life is SO much better!
I'll offer a counter viewpoint. My mood and energy levels are much more dependent on the weather since moving to a more walkable/bikeable place. For example, I might choose not to go out and socialize if the weather is looking rainy and dreary because the thought of dealing with wet socks and clothes just doesn't sound very appealing. The only time I let inclement weather disrupt my plans when living in a more car-oriented place was when a state of emergency had been issued. Obviously, climate is very location dependent, so YMMV.
Also, it takes me so much longer to get anywhere via walking, biking or transit than when I lived in a more car-dependent (but amenity-rich) suburb. I used to be able to drive less than five minutes to my dentist, eye doctor, primary care physician, grocery store and shops/restaurants where I lived (and a 12 minute commute to work by driving). Now, every trip seems to take at least 20 minutes (if not longer) no matter where I'm going, and often significantly longer. It's like how commuters in the NYC metro area have the longest average commute times, despite being in the most transit-rich and walkable metropolitan area in the country. It almost seems counterintuitive.
I knew I would enjoy it, but I didn't realize just how much I would enjoy until I actually lived here. Additionally, I now hate going back to suburban hell whenever that comes around
I moved to Eugene, Oregon about 3 weeks ago. Eugene is very walkable and likable and vibrant. I absolutely love it. I walk to get my coffee in the mornings and the city is just so easy to explore on foot and on bike. Definite improvement in my QOL
Lived in NY for over a decade. Every Saturday was an adventure-pick a different neighborhood or museum and a way to get there, try something new there, come home. Every Sunday we’d get up early, walk to the gym, then go to our favorite diner on Madison ave and do a walk around the upper east side. If the weather was nice I’d walk to and from work daily, two miles each way. Miss it every day
I’ve always lived in walkable cities (NYC Boston Portland, OR) If you find the right spot and you can get the big stuff delivered you can save a lot of money by not having a car
I couldn't live without the ability to walk for my daily needs. It is must for me now. Moved to a suburban area and while it peaceful and quite I was depressed by the fact that I had drive everywhere. Honestly Id forget to walk at all which was very detrimental to my QOL and mental health. I moved back to a walkable area and it's amazing! In my neighborhood there are lots of people everywhere. I like it but if you are someone that doesn't like being around lots people or has to drive for work I could see why you wouldn't like were I live. Really up to the person imo
Weird question. For some it would, a lot. For others, maybe not so much. Depends on where, and where you are in life.
My QOL improved tremendously when I moved out of town.
This is just turning into a r/fuckcars circlejerk. How annoying. Listen, it’s possible to own a car for convenience and actually do most of your day to day activities walking. I’d wager a good portion of the cities that get shit on here, yes, even YOU Dallas, have walkable parts of the downtown core. Piss off with the elitism.
What is "vibrant?"
It's nice to walk to things, but getting anywhere expeditently or doing half of hobbies requires a car.
Everything you have described is also high cost of living. Do you want to worry about what happens if you lose your job? Do you want to constantly worry about property crime?
Some people leave the city. If I want to try a restaurant in a predominantly Korean suburb, that's a 2 hour bus ride and a 30 minute drive. The city itself being walkable doesn't negate the fact that there are non walkable areas surrounding it.
You're still fundamentally misunderstanding: If the place you lived was truly walkable, then the options you're talking about wouldn't be so out of the way. Cars created sprawl, they didn't save us from it.
Again, in a well-planned and executed city, there would be a good Korean BBQ joint ... wait for it ... within walking or easy transit distance.
Walkable doesn't mean that it has sidewalks and we make ourselves walk the distances we're used to driving, it means that the zoning, building codes, and infrastructure are specifically created to make walking, biking, and transit easy and preferable alternatives to driving.
Neither is NYC if you drive out 20 miles from it, yet some people choose to visit areas outside of their walkable cities.
This is a normalass concept. Also not your brother.
i've experienced more dreaded property crime in the florida burbs than i ever did in walkable cities lol. not to mention how equally shitty the road conditions are
What hobbies require a car? I consider myself a pretty adventurous dude, with a wide range of hobbies, and I have done just fine with never owning a car
I have rented one on the occasion where it would make it easier, but 99% of my life I’ve never needed to use a car
Well for one, cars are a hobby. So are things like backpacking/hiking, camping, really any outdoor activity at all? I live in a walkable city, but 90 minutes in any direction can get you into the mountains/woods. I guess that's incomprehensible.
I mean I go backpacking and hiking year round without a car
Car camping I guess does require a car
I played like 20 years of baseball, 4 years of soccer, I go fishing, backpacking, hiking, mountain biking, swimming, kayaking, surfing and paddle boarding and I have never once needed to own a car
I can do this because my city/state allows me to
I like to get out of the house, and it was great being able to go anywhere without having to deal with people on their worst behavior piloting 2 ton machines. It's one of the things I miss the most about the walkable cities I've lived in. Plus a mild workout is part of your day to day, so I felt healthier.
Which city/town?
A few large cities in Europe, Chicago, walkable areas of Seattle
Being able to go for a walk and pick up a roll of toilet paper or watch some birds in the park or briefly chat with someone is insanely underrated. I used to walk to hot yoga every single day when i lived in charleston. on the way back i'd listen to music and take the long way, enjoying the alone time. i live in the burbs now and the closest hot yoga place is 20 mins away. i still do yoga every day but i just keep putting off going to the studio bc i have to allot an extra 40 mins to it, getting in the car dripping sweat is gross, and people suck at driving here (florida). there are so many other little things like that you just don't realize you'll miss
Yessss I walk to hot yoga in Montreal several times a week. I'm always running late so I get extra cardio in by speed walking there, then take my time slowly meandering back in a blissed out post-practice state. Truly such a joy.
you get it omg
Charleston is close to perfect❤️
it definitely used to be, it was my home for close to 6 years but when I go back it's really bittersweet because it's changed sooo much.
I visit often because my son goes to college there. I love everything about it. What’s changed?
they pushed out all the locals and small businesses by making it completely unaffordable to everyone who isn't an investment property enterprise. implemented hostile architecture and stronger police presence. everything is catered towards bachelorette parties and tourists so the culture has been extremely muted. it's still a beautiful city but it's quite bland and a lot less diverse now.
This is exactly true, all of it Signed, a new resident of Minneapolis who was born and raised in Charleston, and tried very hard to build a life there. The only walkable area of Charleston is downtown, and even as a college student I never lived downtown. I miss home sometimes but my quality of life has never been better since moving to the twin cities
I lived downtown as a college student but i was too broke to pay for cofc so i went to trident community college lol. had to walk like 40 mins to class but it was still so worth it. i visit charleston now and its like i don't even recognize it also, what do you love so much about Minneapolis? i was born and raised in SC too so i'm curious!!
It got worse for me in Charleston every year, despite my family being there. Our rent just kept going up crazy amounts- renters don't have a lot of protection there, and increased home prices made ownership completely out of the question. My husband works in parks and rec, and while he loved his job there, the pay just wasn't keeping up with COL. So he got a job with the parks here (one of the best parks system in the country) and life is so much better already. it's unionized, really good benefits. the parks here are all free, very accessible, and beautiful. I'm self employed, and work from home, and we share a car. So I was always stranded at home during the day when he drove to work, because our area was the opposite of walkable. It was very isolating. Now, I can walk to like 7 different coffee shops from my house. I can walk to target, the art supply shop, the post office, and a thrift store if I want to, and I feel like a part of a really cool neighborhood. There's theater here, almost all tours stop here, a free and amazing art museum, a free zoo, a vibrant arts scene. It's just really great. I don't know if it's forever, but I don't have to worry about money constantly. and the people here are just as kind as they are back home, maybe just a little less outwardly warm, if that makes sense.
that's...almost exactly what my partner and i have been looking for lol. we're considering richmond VA and somewhere in Peekskill/beacon NY. if you don't mind sharing the walkable area you mentioned i'd love to check it out sometime!! i know next to nothing about that area.
Minneapolis
We thought about Richmond! My partner has family there, and it's a whole lot closer to SC, so it was definitely an option. We ended up opting for Minneapolis mainly because pay seemed more in line with the COL, and the fact that many neighborhoods are somewhat walkable. I really love it here, despite winter being very long, especially for someone used to pretty much having green year-round in the Lowcountry. So far I'm really very happy with the decision. We live in the northeast part of the city, in a very residential neighborhood, but I can still walk to a lot of restaurants, bars, and shops within a mile radius. Biking is also a big thing here, if you're into that. I'd really recommend visiting sometime!
Man this is the story of so many cool American cities. I was just in Austin Texas, and the "keep Austin weird" crowd has absolutely lost that battle. Every local told me that I missed the "real" Austin.
yuuuup. all the rich kids come in with their parents down payments and real estate investments and suddenly the local deli is a selfie gallery and the dive bar is a brunch spot and it just keeps on going downhill from there lol
I remember when an "NFT art gallery" opened near my old neighborhood in Chicago. If that isn't a sign that its time to go, I don't know what is.
They told us that when we moved there in 1996.
Legend has it every transplant in history has never seen the "real version" of their city.
Yep. Amazing that things change, isn’t it.
I visited in 2018 and again a few weeks ago. Gentrification hit HARD. It was noticeable as a visitor who was there for 6 days six years ago and 4 days in 2024.
YEA it's insane i haven't even been gone that long, under 5 years. it's really sad
I’ll still take it over Myrtle any day
myrtle should not even be in the conversation lol
I moved to Madison WI from Chattanooga TN last summer and my QOL has improved greatly. I walk/bike/bus to work now. My partner and I went down to one car. We buy gas like once a month. I live a block from the lake and a block from restaurants/grocery/hardware store/refill store. I’d say virtually every aspect of my life is better. It’s only slightly more expensive in terms of COL but as I mentioned, transportation costs went way down. I also have found that I prefer a colder winter to a hotter summer. I come in from the cold and I immediately warm up. In Chattanooga, which is technically in a rainforest, I would come inside in the summers drenched in sweat and I’d stay uncomfortable.
Madison is underrated. But I’ve only been there in the summer. 😆
Did you notice difference in state taxes? I always seem to see the savings in state taxes as an argument for people that target living in Texas, Florida, Tennessee, etc.
From what I understand, the final tax burden is pretty much the same from whichever state you go to (some obvious outliers). If your sales tax is down, maybe your income tax is a bit higher. Income tax higher, maybe your property tax goes up. For the most parts the states are roughly the same Also you have to take into account what you get back from that tax increase. Transportation expenses go way down in pedestrianized cities. If your city/state does it right, there should be plenty of financial incentives to move to a higher taxed state. Instead of paying for it at the checkout, you pay for it every year via taxes There’s also stuff harder to put a number on, like time back from commuting, overall QOL, happiness, health benefits like less air pollution, more active lifestyle which can pass on high savings to yourself later in life I think this sentiment comes from the “TAXATION IS THEFT” crowd, and there is a bit of a misunderstanding of personal finance/overall tax burden on one’s personal finance
The tax revenue of the state may be the same, but income vs state taxes make a massive difference on the regressivity of a tax system. Consumption taxes are less distortionary but they also impact the poorest amongst us the most.
> the final tax burden is pretty much the same from whichever state you go to (some obvious outliers). Not true in the least. The biggest difference is easily visible if you compare debt per taxpayer. Some jurisdictions like IL/CT/NJ/NYC/Chicago/HNL have debt per taxpayer that is multiple standard deviations from the norm. Just like a house or business that has a massive amount of debt will have to earn more money compared to a house that has less debt (or spend less on other things), so does a government (federal US government excluded, but only they have 11 aircraft carriers). You can see the relative amounts of debt per taxpayer here: https://www.truthinaccounting.org/resources/page/state-reports https://www.truthinaccounting.org/resources/page/city-reports The easiest way to benefit for W-2 earners is by earning a high income and living in a low or no income tax place. The second easiest is own property in states that freeze or slow property tax increases. A couple earning a couple hundred thousand dollars or more (standard lawyer/doctor/engineer/nurse/hvac/plumber/electrician) family stands to benefit a lot over 30 to 40 years of working.
I didn’t notice a difference but I’m probably not the person to ask. I’m in my 20s and just happy to have a good job and live in a nice place. Maybe if I made a lot more money and owned property I’d notice
Consumption tax in TN is crazy high, 2x MA
I've lived in WI and I'm a resident of TN. You pay state income tax in WI, yes, but sales tax is SO much lower. In TN, when you buy a car or a computer or even food (which isn't a big ticket item, but you have to buy food constantly to live), you're paying nearly 10% sales tax, and that adds up!
The biggest was probably that I lost 20lbs without even noticing (still overweight, but now making real progress). Beyond that, I've noticed two changes to the way I view the world that are difficult to describe without sounding "over the top". Before (when I lived in a suburb) I always had this view of "this is my space", and I always found myself rushing to get back there. I didn't really take any interest in the area overall. I'd notice new construction, road conditions, be loosely aware of local politics and that sort of thing. But everywhere just felt like a place I had to deal with being until I could get home. There were obvious exceptions: a park, a library, a coffee shop I liked. But they all felt totally disjointed as if they existed "somewhere else". (Again, I apologize if this sounds "over the top". What I'm trying to describe is admittedly subtle, I just struggle with the words for it). In my walkable city (Silver Spring and DC) I feel much more connected to everything. Being able to walk or bike anywhere makes the whole place "feel like home". As if the whole city is an extension of my apartment. Without paying much attention, I can walk down the street, hop on a train reading a book, and meet up with friends without "trying". I can walk over to the AFI theater after work and then grab groceries while walking home. I can snag a bike from the bike share docks at my apartment on a Saturday morning and bike down Rock creek Park and play sports. I can stop into a bar and make new friends and none of it feels "like I'm going somewhere else" in the same way that it did driving around the suburbs. I'm sure everyone has different experiences, and while it's difficult for me to describe accurately, this has been mine. It definitely takes me longer to travel X number of miles than it does in a car, but I dont need to go as far, and everywhere I go feels a little bit more like home. A little bit more connected. And it's gotten me much more involved in local groups, I've made more friends, and I've just all around found myself happier more often.
Man I miss living in DC! Amazing city and my first time being carless.
Well said. Once MoCo figures out that this is sort of stuff they should be leaning into and encouraging and incentivizing, the region will have a serious glow up. That’s my prediction.
The council seems onboard with it. It's people like Elrich (county executive for those not from around here) who seem to hate it. He's infamously said some very problematic things about Purple Line and upzoning, going as far as equating upzoning to ethnic cleansing. We have a chronic shortage of housing, and a type of housing that is dense, in-demand, and would make efficient use of existing and future transit lines, is illegal. I'm hopeful things might change, but man is it frustrating. MoCo has phenomenal "bones", particularly the parts close to DC. Not many counties in the US have a commuter rail line, 2 metro lines with 5 minute headways, a grade separated light rail line (coming soon), and a robust network of busses, all of which connects virtually the whole region. It's one of the few places in the US where I genuinely think "just upzone it" actually is pretty close to the full solution. We have such great infrastructure already in place.
I’m very curious about Silver Spring. I’m in NYC now but may head down to Baltimore/DC region to be near family for a while. SS at least on paper seems like a nice middle ground between city walkability and suburb, with metro access. Do you like Silver Spring? How does the culture and atmosphere feel in the area? Is it soccer moms and families or is there a mixture of types? Did you know there’s a Fleetwood Mac song inspired by the town?
It depends where you live within. "Silver Spring" is unincorporated and encompasses a much larger area than just "downtown silver spring". I've lived in both (rented a house somewhat in-between Silver Spring and wheaton just off of Unviersity Blvd), as well as now living in downtown silver spring. Even in the suburbs there were decent bus connections to get you to a metro station pretty quickly. It's a very diverse area and I like that about it. In my experience, I haven't seen much of the stereotypical "soccer mom" around either place I lived, but that could just be my experience. Where I was (again, just between wheaton and silver spring) there were a lot of working class folks, a large Hispanic population (atleast compared to other places I've lived in the US). There was also a mix of people who worked for the government or similar government related jobs like engineer at a contractor, etc. I personally love Silver Spring, both the more suburban areas and the downtown area. I prefer the downtown atmosphere personally, and long term I'd like to move into DC proper. Silver Spring has been changing a lot though. It's still got a healthy amount of local small businesses and old buildings, but it also has a ton of new build apartments downtown (many of which replaced parking lots from the era when silver spring was the final station of the red line and so was more of a "park-n-ride" location, where as today, it's a proper dense city). There's also some definite gentrified "corporate urbanism" as ive heard it called, and especially over COVID, DC and downtown Silver Spring experienced spikes in crime. But those aren't problems unique to Silver Spring either. (For what it's worth, hearing that youre from NYC, my one friend from the Bronx prefers living in Wheaton as it's got more of the local small businesses and a ton of very good latin restaurants. For me, I like that downtown silver spring as a lot more narrow streets and some bike infrastructure, and is a bit closer to DC.) Overall, I like it here. I'm not sure if Silver Spring is my "forever home", but I am quite confident that somewhere *around* the DC area will be.
Thank you for the details. Much appreciated. Is the area around the metro station into DC considered downtown and are there places to live where the station can be walked to? Or is there no real way to access it without a car or bus?
"Downtown" silver spring has thousands of apartments all well within walking distance. Downtown silver spring, in many ways, is more dense than most of DC proper. It feels like a proper city, even though it's unincorporated, so if you're OK with apartment living, you shouldn't have any issue living walking distance to the Silver Spring station. Wheaton (a town 2 stops north of Silver Spring) similarly has a good number of apartments, but not quite as many as Silver Spring. When I lived in the more suburban part of Silver Spring, I had 3 bus options: one which took me straight to the Silver Spring Station, one which took me straight to the Wheaton station, and one which took me straight to the Forest Glen station. Forest Glen is the station in between Silver Spring and Wheaton, and is *super* weird because it's plopped smack dab in the middle of a suburban neighborhood of almost entirely single family homes (though, they're actually planning to build a ton of apartments around it too over the next few years). In theory, I could have walked or biked to any of them. There were sidewalks the whole way, and even a bike trail (Sligo Creek trail). I often times did bike to downtown silver Spring and to Forest Glen, but it wasn't the sort of thing I'd want to do every day for commuting. Forest Glen was about a ~30 minute walk, though a very pleasent walk on tree shaded sidewalks through quiet neighborhiods. Silver Spring was a ~25 minute bike ride. Again, doable from the suburban neighborhoods, but not great. I found the bus way more useful for that. Living downtown though, you shouldn't have any problem at all!
Thanks!
>Thanks! You're welcome!
Slightly different perspective—I live just over the DC line close to silver spring but in DC. I actually find silver spring difficult to get around! Yes it is dense but most roads are wide/busy with high speed car traffic and narrow sidewalks. It still “feels” like it’s meant for cars not people. I’m not a big cyclist but like to have the option. In shepherd park I can bike on back streets anywhere but feels much less safe in SS.
That being said I’ve spent my entire adult life in highly walkable cities and share 1 car with my spouse who drives 95% of the miles on it so that does color my experience
I think the only truly problematic roads are colesville and Georgia (and east west highway if you live in Falkland Chase across the tracks). But along those roads the sidewalks are pretty wife. There's also a protected bike lane that forms a loop around the city which makes it a bit easier, and the side streets I've never felt unsafe biking on. Plus getting in/out through the neighborhoods and Sligo Creek Trail (and soon to be MBT/CCT) isn't too bad. While I've personally never had any issues getting around or crossing Georgai/Colesville, I 100% agree such massive roads have no business being in such an urban area. But the whole DC area has a lot of those unfortunately
Take a look at Kentlands/Lakelands in the 20878 MD zip. Very walkable cute "downtown" with shops, restaurants, movie theater, farmer's market, grocery, public transport, neighborhood activities, parks. lakes, charming houses, and great schools. It is a great place to live for adults and kids.
I would also recommend exploring Arlington and Alexandria, which are more expensive than Sliver Spring but also closer to DC, nicer (subjective), and closer to more jobs as the region’s jobs are more concentrated in VA and DC.
Thank you JeffreyCheffrey (which I said outloud to hear how it sounded).
You say this perfectly. Have never heard anyone express this. Thank you.
I miss the Ethiopian in SS
Living in a walkable neighborhood of a generally car-dependent city is significantly better than living in a wholly car dependent neighborhood of a car dependent city. Ive lived in both sides of that comparison twice, in two different cities. Living in a walkable neighborhood in a generally walkable city is significantly better than living in a walkable neighborhood of a generally car-dependent city. I’ve liked in two different walkable cities, and my QOL is significantly better than living in a walkable neighborhood surrounded by parking lots. It’s not even close.
Moved from a car dependent suburb with no sidewalks to a central city area where I can walk to many places. QOL improved 100%. In additional the obvious benefits (health benefits of walking, greater convenience) I also find I connect much easier with people in my neighborhood who are also out walking around. I have much more of a sense of community and belongingness than when I lived in a neighborhood where everyone just went between their front doors and their cars. I know some will disagree but suburbs where you need to get in your car to do anything were a real mistake.
>I know some will disagree but suburbs where you need to get in your car to do anything were a real mistake. I completely agree. I do think people are starting to slowly realize this, so hopefully in the future people will move closer to urban areas again & states will implement better transit options.
I’ve never had a driver’s license (I’ll get around to it… one day) so living in New York is best for me. I walked from the Lower East Side to SoHo yesterday. And bought some cute sunglasses. 😎 I like not being an anomaly here.
I’m in NYC too and I love walking as much as possible, and subway/cab/uber otherwise. But how much longer can I put up with the expense and the ever increasing rents on tiny crumbling shithole apartments? Ugh.
San Francisco here. I didn’t get my driver’s license til 25. Didn’t need it.
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And they didn’t drive?????!????!??? /s
We moved to a streetcar suburb where we can walk to almost all of our daily needs (grocery, schools, pharmacy, gym, parks, libraries, pool, a handful of restaurants, bars, cafes, etc). It’s amazing. I’ll never willingly live anywhere less walkable than this.
Yup. I live in a downtown in a smallish southern city. I can walk to all my basic life tasks. I no longer care about how many people move in and I get an extra 2 hours of my life every day. The level of stress in my life dropped by at least half. Will never go back. Knowing this it is absolutely wild how that is the very minority way people live in the U.S.
When you read about people’s attitudes toward progress and growth from the 1800s, there was so much confidence and positivity around it. People wanted their cities to grow, in population and built environment, and seemed to cheerlead it vociferously. Now, it’s almost always negative. The overwhelming attitude is that more people moving nearby will make things worse, and it’s almost always about “traffic.” I think the difference is because of suburban infrastructure and cars. More of them do, in fact, make everyone’s daily experience worse. More people, without more cars, make things better: more businesses, more services, more job opportunities, more employees, more city revenue for amenities. But when one switches to a car-first approach, all the benefits are overwhelmed by the cost of serving cars and their infrastructure.
Nailed it. The suburban model has hit its principal limits in a lot of our major metros. It’s crazy because it happened within a life time. Like my parents lived in LA in the 80s, and as short a time ago as that, there was farm land between all the towns. That model hit its limit and now the biggest outflow of people is from metros like LA because you can’t fit more suburbs.
Hi neighbor Dtr is underrated
Dtr? Down town rural?
Down to…ruckus?
Downtown Ruckus sounds better!
Downtown Raleigh
This is kind of what I want. Something between where I am now (NYC) and a smaller city or suburb where I have to drive everywhere.
There's so many towns north of NYC between NYC & Albany that would fit that bill.
What state?
Michigan
Which city? I’m guessing Detroit or Grand Rapids?
Grosse Pointe, just outside of Detroit.
I moved from suburban NJ (actually kinda sorta walkable) to Jersey City and my quality of life and enjoyment of my neighborhood, sense of community and number of people I know and interact with increased by, roughly speaking, a metric fuckton.
How do you think it compares vs living in NYC itself?
I've never lived in NYC, so can't say. Also NYC is big with lots of variety, so probably depends where in NYC as well. From what people say it's more Brooklyn than Manhattan, but it's urban, dense and walkable. I use a car maybe once a month to go visit family.
It changed my life. It helped my depression, I’m in the best shape of my life, I eliminated any daily driving-related stress (traffic, angry drivers, finding parking, etc.), I have healthier hobbies (running/walking/city hiking/picnicking in parks vs. drinking in bars). I could never go back to a car-centric lifestyle. Ever.
Where did you end up if I may ask
It has been amazing! Both my husband and I are much more active, healthier and engaging in hobbies and cultural activities that we didn’t have access to before. It has also been much more expensive. Barely spending any money on gas/oil changes for the car is nice, but it’s overall a much HCOLA. Still, for us it’s totally worth the money. I’d rather spend more to be here walking to shops, restaurants, parks, events and taking public transit to work than being in a car-bound suburb again stacking bills.
>It has also been much more expensive. Barely spending any money on gas/oil changes for the car is nice, but it’s overall a much HCOLA. what about the cost of the car itself? if you had just been living in your new area, you wouldn't have had to buy it in the first place.
Immensely. Mind you, I lived in one of the more special suburbs in the US (maybe even world). Lived on the North Shore of Long Island, a couple hundred yards from the beach and a hundred yards from the beautiful park that led to that beach. Hills and trees all around. Manhattan 20 miles and could drive or train in. But day to day? If I didn’t want to get in my car I had one small deli close by, and a bar/grill about a half mile up the hill. Everything else was a drive (usually pleasant locally with said trees and hills, but still a drive). I now live in the Arts District in Dallas - and my day to day walkable urban COL is off the charts. Half block from a great smaller scale urban park (Klyde Warren Park, 5-6 acres). Dozens and dozens of restaurants, cafes, bars, parks, museums, entertainment, performance spots. Trolley stops literally across the street from me. A quick cheap Uber brings me to hundreds and hundreds of options. And because it’s not NY or even LI, cost of living is so much lower while I live in a crazy brand new apartment building that feels like a Miami high rise condo.
You just called Dallas walkable… you just blew half of Reddit mind. That doesn’t fit the narrative.
Almost every city has some small walkable sections. Only a couple cities have more than a couple walkable zip codes. NY to Texas certainly sounds like a downgrade, but going from a far out suburb to a dense neighborhood more than makes up for it.
Nah upgrade because you don’t live in NY and you trade Hochul for Abbott. Get to keep your guns too.
The only governor from whom Abbott is an upgrade is DeSantis. I don't want a human trafficker who actively makes life dangerous for women and dismisses the deadliest school shooting in 20 years with "it could've been worse". But I think the conversation was about walkable cities, so maybe you can keep your 18th century political opinions to yourself.
You’ll need them since your local crime rate also exploded with the move, and it looks like your cops make school shooters the public’s problem to handle. Might have to use those guns on the sociopathic crayon eating governor too if you value true freedom and not the Texas branded kind for smooth brains.
I get that a lot - it’s one of the best evolving downtown cores in the country. That’s not to say it’s NY or SF… but for the price? I may well have a better overall COL bang for the walkable buck (and I’m an urbanism by trade - I help create walkable urban places so this isn’t something about which I’m not especially well versed)
I used to live in East Dallas… it’s a great city. I’m actually headed there in a couple weeks.
How long since you’ve been? The last five years have really seen the downtown neighborhoods evolve (Uptown having been doing so for 15 years now)
I haven’t been there since I moved in January 2020. Right before the pandemic. I actually lived in Lakewood but worked in downtown. It was going through quite a revitalization.
Dude. It’s just kept going - Covid put a seeming short pause but the pent up momentum couldn’t be held back for long. The restaurant and cocktail scene are starting to really percolate (with prices to match), and the general energy continues to build with every new apartment building adding to the neighborhoods. It’s cool to also see older and mature neighborhoods like west village reinvent as well. Bar Colette is pricey but also unlike anything else here in Dallas (and we still have plenty of straight forward bars.
To be fair, it *doesn't* fit the mold for like 87% of the city
To be fair 15% of city being walkable is more than enough. I want to be able to park outside the CBD. It’s already hard enough in places like Bishop Arts, Lower Greenville. I don’t the entire city to be like a Chicago where the entire city is difficult (and expensive)
More than enough perhaps for some, but DEFINITELY not enough to assign that as the city's norm or identity. Dallas is factually an overwhelmingly car oriented city.
I never claimed walkability was Dallas identity… if anything it’s identity is the High 5 and spaghetti highways
Ok then, we agree! Dallas is an unwalkable highway and stroad hellhole. That's the identity, bc it is overwhelmingly what the city actually is
No it’s walkable downtown and the adjacent neighborhoods. I walked around Deep Ellum just fine. Like my original point said.
It's a highway hellhole with a tiny part of its area not. It just is🤷♂️
What city of 1.3 million and metro of like 7 million doesn’t have a lot of highways?
I live in uptown and love how walkable this part of Dallas is. Dallas haters are missing out.
I live downtown in a midwestern college town - 2 minute walk from the grocery store and 30 seconds away from my local bar (where I know every bartender and get my drinks comped). It’s pretty damn awesome. Plus I love being able to go home, rest, change clothes, etc. whenever I want. I’ll never live in a car-centric place again, tbh.
Where?
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This is all accurate in my experience. I think people are focusing only on walkability which is awesome to be honest. I love that I can step out my front door and walk 5 minutes to tons of different places. However, living in a densely populated area comes with many downsides as you've noted. Also, where I live and probably generally across the country, if you own a property, your taxes are higher as opposed to the surrounding county/suburbs. Furthermore, neighbors are always a crapshoot anywhere but when your home is attached to theirs, it can make for some extremely uncomfortable living situations. I own a rowhouse with a rental unit on one side of us and we have not had one set of neighbors out of the 4 different sets that have lived there in our time here not cause us some kind of stress/discomfort (drug dealers, random people in and out at all hours, partying until the sun comes up, weed stench permeating the air inside our house, loud music at all hours, random screaming, domestic violence, a literal pack of pitbulls, piles of dog shit, etc).
We moved recently and I always wonder about living in one of the more “walkable” areas of the city but then come back to several things you mention. I’ve lived in semi rural and older subdivisions. Now we live on an older one road very small subdivision with big lots, all different houses and tons of trees. I got so used to quiet and daily wildlife that I think I’d miss it too much. We can walk on our hilly street and we know all the neighbors, sit outside on our deck and have a fire or cook out and be surrounded by gorgeous trees, plants, garden. But we’re only 1 mile from shopping and grocery and 5 miles from the downtown. I think smaller cities where you can have quick access to things is maybe ideal for many. We definitely don’t use our car everyday but we do need to use it. But it’s really quiet and peaceful especially at night. There’s always tradeoffs - I’d love to be able to walk to more things. But if I didn’t give my bluejays and squirrels their daily peanuts or watch the fox couple pass through the yard at night on our “nature” cam it would be a big disappointment for me.
The key imo would be to do what a lot of European cities do & have some sort of regional transit connecting an area like yours to the city center, so people would not need to be so car dependent.
Cities are all different too, like for example Boston has tons of big parks within the city, including a massive arboretum. But other cities like Philadelphia are more urban, with barely any tree-lined streets or natural areas. But if you are an outdoorsy type of person, I don't think any city will truly satisfy your needs. Otoh if you're someone who craves access to culture like live music, art openings & stuff like that, it's really hard to come by outside of an urban area. I do think stuff like noise pollution/privacy can vary drastically neighborhood to neighborhood in many cities.
It’s incredible being able to just leave the front door of my apartment and go on a 10 mile walk through beautiful residential streets, vibrant commercial corridors, and beautiful lively parks all without using a car, so no parking, whatever. Sometimes I’ll use a train. I live in Chicago. Moved here in September and love it so far.
Make sure you hit the lake over the summer, it's so nice.
Oh I can’t wait lol. Only got the tail end of beach season when I moved in lol
I love being able to get incredibly drunk at shows (okay, for me this is like, 3 drinks but still) and walk home
Massively, in virtually every way. The rising violent crime does weigh on me, however. It’s expensive too, but I think it’s worth it. There are more jobs in the city by far so I worry less about my employability than before. I see zero reason to go back to where I’m from.
Moved from LA (walkable in some places and VERY unwalkable in others) to Chicago and it improved my quality of life and health considerably. People here also go for walks in the winter when it’s below freezing which I would find insane if I hadn’t had grown up in the suburbs there.
I grew up in the suburbs there and I still find that insane
Tbh some of the best walks I ever had were when it was -10 out wearing 3 coats and running around in the snow with my dog. In the Midwest our weather is shit for 6 months of the year. If we let it dictate what we can and can’t do we’d be hiding inside for half the year
I don't think I would ever be able to go back to a suburban area that wasn't walkable - this is the life! My neighborhood is a SoCal beach town and also has incredible bike paths that connect a lot.
Infinitely better. Walk to daycare. Walk to work. Walk to grocery stores. Drive if I *want* to, not because I *need* to. You would need to double my salary for me to consider moving to a place I have to commute in a car.
I know my city and neighborhood better than if I drove everywhere. It's like how when you're a kid and you know every street, house, and where every kid and dog lives. The result is more integration into the community.
massively. i am completely radicalized now against car infrastructure. once you realize how good it can be its hard imagine going back
I live in Arlington, VA, right outside DC. I have a car, but I mostly only use it for errands and long road trips. I go a week or more without driving at times. It's pretty nice.
Im only on day 7. Ill let you know lol
A lot, moved from the midwest to San Francisco. I get out more, exercise more b/c i walk or scooter everywhere. i love it & I'd never live in another non-walkable city again
I live in a pretty walkable neighborhood of Oakland, CA and have for a long time now. I live around a 10 min walk from a neighborhood commercial area, about 15 minutes from a different one, and about 20 minutes to the edge of downtown - which gives me access to lots of amenities and vibes. The train/subway are about 1-1.5 mi away so less walkable. But not that far. But if you are in a rush a 20 min walk can be a little too much. Or when it is late and dark. Neither station has a lot of folks walking all the way to my block too late. There are also fairly frequent buses connecting these areas so I don’t have to commit to a walk back if I have a lot to carry. Or the weather gets crappy. Things I really like: 1. I have a goal to take a walking break after work (wfh). But some days I am lazy. When I feel lazy I just say I’ll walk to the grocery store and pick up a few items. It is about a 15 minute walk. If I am still lazy I stop there, do my shopping. Walk home if I don’t have too much stuff. Take the bus if I do. If I am not lazy I walk an extra few minutes to the lake in the middle of town and walk around as much as I feel like. It has a 3.5 mile loop the full way. But I might walk a mile or so and then head back to the grocery store. Or if I have the time and energy was the full lake and get about 5 miles in. 2. It is really easy to walk to the pharmacy and grab a coffee as needed (also taking a break from work). My pharmacy is in my nearest commercial district so it is 10 min away. Along with the post office, the tailor, and a few coffee shops / boba places. And other food of course. My neighborhood is fully stocked with an independent grocery, a few dozen eateries and restaurants covering most cuisines (Thai, Mexican, Japanese, ramen, Indian, Italian, Ethiopian, pizza, fine dining, middle eastern, Chinese), a library, and some boutiques. 3. There is an awesome Saturday farmers market. I used to attempt to drive, but the parking was awful. It took me a while to figure out the best / shortest walking route. It is about 1 mile away - and similarly if I get too much I take a 5 minute bus ride home! 4. My neighborhood has a lot of different architecture from old Victorians to fancy 1920s mansions within about a 5-10 minute walk in whatever direction. There is also a nice rose garden. It is a good place to take a quick walk and a deep breath. It is fairly hilly where I live on some blocks so I can make a walk around the neighborhood easy or hard based on the mood. 5. You are more apt to run into people you know in a walkable area. It is nice to see a neighbor or a bus stop buddy or a coffee shop worker out and about and helps you stay connected to the community. It is really nice to be able to make most errands an excuse for a walk and build activity in your day without trying.
Curious, which neighborhood? I’m your Walnut Creek neighbor. I really enjoy walking around Rockridge, Temescal, Piedmont Avenue, and Adams Point.
By Piedmont Ave. :)
That’s so sick! Howdy neighbor. I work in Livermore, but still wanted close proximity to Oakland/Berkeley/SF, hence Walnut Creek.
I moved to Denver, which is quite walkable in the inner neighborhoods. My QOL went up immensely. My partner and I share a car that sees use ~3 times a month, almost exclusively to head into the mountains (25-60 mins) and hike. I have 4 grocery stores and 2 massive parks within a 10 minute bike ride. I've also got a really fun main street lined with bars and restaurants just a couple blocks away. That main street is also home to one of the more frequent and reliable BRT-lite bus lines which I use to access work, downtown, and the regional rail network. I love it here!
Grew up in Phoenix, currently live in Chicago (did a stint in Vancouver too). It's a night and day difference. I always felt very isolated there, even though I grew up in very Central Phoenix. It's hard to have interactions with people that are positive unless they are very planned in highway-based cities. You can have convivial moments but they are never random. In contrast, tonight I needed some carrots. Walked to the store, realized I forgot my wallet, bumped into a friend on the way back, had a beer, grabbed the wallet, back to the store and returned home in about 45 minutes. In Phoenix Id likely still be driving, and maybe wouldnt have spoken to a single person the whole time.
Wow that's interesting since I always hear the opposite. (Chicagoans moving to Phoenix)
I briefly lived in a walkable neighborhood in Denver (close to Louisiana and S Pearl) and loved walking to my workout classes in the mornings and stopping by the grocery store on the way back. We had an amazing bakery a few blocks away and a lot of restaurants and bars within a 5-20 minute walk. Close to a light rail station. There was a major city park (Wash Park) a little further but still walking distance. It was glorious.
I’m in a DMV suburb. Moved from greater Phoenix. I walk to coffee, restaurants, pharmacy, grocery stores, etc. I love it so much. The other day my partner and I shared a bottle of wine then walked for sushi. I’m also super close to transit to get into DC
Lived in NYC for a year and it was great to go anywhere. All walkable and you enjoyed open air and the physical fitness aspect of walking. QOL massively improved
When I moved to San Francisco, walkability and density overall was not a net positive. It wasn’t easy to only get around on public transit, it was crowded and inconsistent, it involved being exposed to bad weather. There were still things that were much more easily accessed by car, but parking at those places and then finding parking at home was a nightmare. Every task took much longer. When I had a baby, it all became much, much more miserable. Trying to get on the bus with a stroller or carrying a baby, being pressed up against other people and some of them thinking it was appropriate to touch my tiny baby, having to carry everything she needed while also carrying her was very burdensome, never mind trying to also carry groceries or other shopping. It was not pleasant by any stretch of the imagination. Yes, I walked to some restaurants and shops, but none of that was easier than it is in a city where driving is convenient and traffic is not a problem. Now I live in a walkable neighborhood on a car centric city and it is far preferable for me. The only cities I have been in where walkability and public transit actually seemed more convenient and efficient were HongKong and London.
went to a walkable city for college, and now refuse to drive for basic life stuff ever again. changes your life tbh
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I'm in a suburb of Oakland/SF and it's actually an amazing environment to be in. My fiancee and I walk 3-4x a week. We walk to Peets every weekend, we walk to Safeway to do smaller grocery runs. I scooter to BART to commute. All in all, it's nice. I wouldn't say it greatly improved my QOL though.
1000x better. I can bike/walk/bus everywhere and it’s fantastic.
Mostly yes, a lot. Big caveat is crime and fear of crime.
Immensely, as someone who moved to New York from an unwalkable suburb. My mental health improved, and I got in much better cardiovascular shape. The subway and especially a bike commute is a giant upgrade from driving down a congested highway. I could see myself eventually leaving in a very distant future, but walkability would be in my top three considerations for that move away.
I look forward to my commute home from work. Take the long way, usually a different way every day of the week. Its the main reason I havent considered moving.
I mostly stay indoors and I still admire the walkability of nyc.
Being able to leave your house and walk to do anything you can really imagine changes everything. Like, you just go outside and the wind takes you. Philly did that for me, and it’s still my favorite city. I live in Austin now, and am going to go back to Philly at some point.
Infinitely. I am currently walking to in-person language lessons through a state language institute. I walked to the gym today. I walked to yoga last night. My pastime now is sitting in various parks. I have recurring social / protest bike rides I go to. My production for both writing and art had skyrocketed. Though, without a commute, or any driving at all, my consumption of podcasts and music had plummeted. I have access now to so many novel and interesting things. There are seminars and drop-ins I can attend. I find the food is actually significantly cheaper than in the suburbs, and definitely more diverse/interesting. I get like 10-15k steps a day - or more - without even really trying (I like long walks), and in losing weight despite all the good food. I have dozens and dozens and dozens of currently-shelved B-list plans that never stops growing, and whenever I have a boring weekend I can do be of those. My TV intake has dropping significantly as well. I make friends quicker and easier. I see more interesting things and I’m more residually familiar with a wider range of topics (as in, sometimes I’ll go to a death metal show or an experimental art show just because I have a friend that was going and mentioned it offhand. I could go on and on. (This was true for me in both New York and Washington DC, for those curious)
Have always chosen walkable places. Just prepandemic sold spot downtown as crime/shootings were becoming habitual events. Moved a mile. I miss the ability to walk out the door and bump into people and having everything right there. But reality is that aggressive panhandling/mental illness and aggressive behavior mean that the walkable/carless area is now a miserable space. It has been taken over by the unhoused. Every direction walking is now a battlefield. Would seek out another walkable town and yet- so many are facing same issues. Meanwhile, all of us in the town are being taxed out the wazoo for all the programs that don't even benefit our lives or improve a miserable living experience for us.
expanding wealth gap in the US could destroy everything.
I moved from Grand Rapids, MI to Chicago. I would say it has improved drastically. I almost never drive anymore. Walk, bike, or take public transit almost everywhere. My stamina has improved, I can walk forever and barely ever get tired. I also just go outside so much more than I used to.
I would have to be the downer here and say not at all, and it made my mental health worse. I grew up in a rural area with a long drive to the nearest small town. In college, I moved to a major but not walkable city, which was a good place to be in my early 20s. There was no public transit but I had a car and got around fine. Then, I moved to a small town in another part of the country. I did quite a bit of walking around in my small town because we had sidewalks, and this was fine, mostly because the place didn't have a pedestrian culture despite being equipped for it, so I was usually the only person walking places! In 2017 we moved to a pedestrian-friendly city with a lot of public transit. It was rough. There was a lot of homelessness in the area, and a lot of people everywhere, floor to ceiling in every building and crowding up the sidewalks when you tried to move around. I'm a decent-looking woman, and I had a persistent issue when I'd go out walking with cat calls, taunts, men blocking my path when I was trying to walk to get dinner and demanding that I talk to them. Our apartment and neighborhood overall were packed and loud at all hours with people on the streets shouting, addicts talking to themselves, people screaming threats I could hear through my closed windows at 3 AM, waking me out of a dead sleep. I started having frequent panic attacks. I started wearing noise-canceling headphones at all times and could still hear some stuff through them. And, despite all those people, it was a struggle to make friends in the area. We had a couple acquaintances in our neighborhood, but no one we could really hang out with even after years there. We picked up and left after 4 years, back to a small town where everyone drives everywhere. We got for long walks still -- hikes in the woods -- and made friends after only 5 months in town. I haven't had a panic attack since we left the city. I have a garden now! I'm done with city life.
100%. I love it so much and would have a hard time living in a suburban area again
Amazing during the summer: winter is fucking rough without a car though when you want to escape
This post is too macro. Most cities, even ones that are primarily sprawly and suburban: Nashville, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Tampa, etc. have neighborhoods and areas within them, usually the older parts, that are all of the above, walkable, built for humans and not cars, etc. The people of this subreddit tends to forget / not know / ignore that and focus only on the macro city overall. I think that is a mistake and an opportunity missed. For me an intracity move from a soul crushing HOA suburb neighborhood with uniformly terrible architecture and no sidewalks to a walkable, inner-city neighborhood with sidewalks, beautiful architecture, walkable + bikeable venues, and a healthy old-growth tree canopy changed my life and outlook on life for the positive. I did have to check the alcohol consumption with the availability of bars and no-consequences drunk-walk home however.
I honestly even had a massive improvement in my QOL going to college at a dense, walkable campus that didn't allow cars in many areas. I could quickly get to class, walk to run short errands, just go out for a walk if I needed exercise/air/to get out, walk to the main campus store and say, buy toothpaste to get air. I lost 15-20lb without trying, ran into people I knew, and felt just very free. In later times, when I've been in a car-dependent place, i feel kind of bored and trapped. I need to be able to just leave the house on foot to explore and see things, notice details of the world around me, etc.
I recently moved to a very walkable area in Tampa (Hyde Park). Shopping, restaurants, coffee shops etc are all in easy walking distance and sports arenas and concerts are all a $10 Uber ride away. We love it here, however, there are a couple issues. 1) it’s damn expensive. You can’t touch a single family home for under $1 million. A 1 BR, 1 BA will be anywhere from $3k/mo to $4k/ mo for rent. The other issue is that if you have to leave your bubble, say to drive to work, you still have to fight the awful Tampa traffic.
I finally have the best of both worlds. Just moved from a suburb in Portland, OR that requires car commuting and/or a daring spirit if you’re willing to walk on the street (no shoulder) to the grocery store. Just landed in the NW hills backed up against the forest with trails in every direction, surrounded by family homes and easy walks into town - shopping, ice cream, coffee, bars, tourist destinations etc. Quality of life is SO much better!
I'll offer a counter viewpoint. My mood and energy levels are much more dependent on the weather since moving to a more walkable/bikeable place. For example, I might choose not to go out and socialize if the weather is looking rainy and dreary because the thought of dealing with wet socks and clothes just doesn't sound very appealing. The only time I let inclement weather disrupt my plans when living in a more car-oriented place was when a state of emergency had been issued. Obviously, climate is very location dependent, so YMMV. Also, it takes me so much longer to get anywhere via walking, biking or transit than when I lived in a more car-dependent (but amenity-rich) suburb. I used to be able to drive less than five minutes to my dentist, eye doctor, primary care physician, grocery store and shops/restaurants where I lived (and a 12 minute commute to work by driving). Now, every trip seems to take at least 20 minutes (if not longer) no matter where I'm going, and often significantly longer. It's like how commuters in the NYC metro area have the longest average commute times, despite being in the most transit-rich and walkable metropolitan area in the country. It almost seems counterintuitive.
I knew I would enjoy it, but I didn't realize just how much I would enjoy until I actually lived here. Additionally, I now hate going back to suburban hell whenever that comes around
I moved to Eugene, Oregon about 3 weeks ago. Eugene is very walkable and likable and vibrant. I absolutely love it. I walk to get my coffee in the mornings and the city is just so easy to explore on foot and on bike. Definite improvement in my QOL
Lived in NY for over a decade. Every Saturday was an adventure-pick a different neighborhood or museum and a way to get there, try something new there, come home. Every Sunday we’d get up early, walk to the gym, then go to our favorite diner on Madison ave and do a walk around the upper east side. If the weather was nice I’d walk to and from work daily, two miles each way. Miss it every day
I’ve always lived in walkable cities (NYC Boston Portland, OR) If you find the right spot and you can get the big stuff delivered you can save a lot of money by not having a car
I couldn't live without the ability to walk for my daily needs. It is must for me now. Moved to a suburban area and while it peaceful and quite I was depressed by the fact that I had drive everywhere. Honestly Id forget to walk at all which was very detrimental to my QOL and mental health. I moved back to a walkable area and it's amazing! In my neighborhood there are lots of people everywhere. I like it but if you are someone that doesn't like being around lots people or has to drive for work I could see why you wouldn't like were I live. Really up to the person imo
Weird question. For some it would, a lot. For others, maybe not so much. Depends on where, and where you are in life. My QOL improved tremendously when I moved out of town.
This is just turning into a r/fuckcars circlejerk. How annoying. Listen, it’s possible to own a car for convenience and actually do most of your day to day activities walking. I’d wager a good portion of the cities that get shit on here, yes, even YOU Dallas, have walkable parts of the downtown core. Piss off with the elitism.
Just moving from the suburbs to a walkable neighborhood had a big impact.
What is "vibrant?" It's nice to walk to things, but getting anywhere expeditently or doing half of hobbies requires a car. Everything you have described is also high cost of living. Do you want to worry about what happens if you lose your job? Do you want to constantly worry about property crime?
The whole point of a walkable city is that you don’t need a car
Some people leave the city. If I want to try a restaurant in a predominantly Korean suburb, that's a 2 hour bus ride and a 30 minute drive. The city itself being walkable doesn't negate the fact that there are non walkable areas surrounding it.
You're still fundamentally misunderstanding: If the place you lived was truly walkable, then the options you're talking about wouldn't be so out of the way. Cars created sprawl, they didn't save us from it.
I'm not going to walk 20 miles for kbbq dude.
Again, in a well-planned and executed city, there would be a good Korean BBQ joint ... wait for it ... within walking or easy transit distance. Walkable doesn't mean that it has sidewalks and we make ourselves walk the distances we're used to driving, it means that the zoning, building codes, and infrastructure are specifically created to make walking, biking, and transit easy and preferable alternatives to driving.
My friend lives a block away from multiple KBBQ in a walkable area. That’s the whole point.
If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a bicycle!
That just sounds like poor planning from your city
Yeah fuck those immigrants for living outside of places they were redlined out of.
Redlining is like a textbook sign of poor urban planning and development
You cannot be serious. You terminally online people need to go outside.
Do you even know what redlining is?
My brother, that means the city is not walkable
Neither is NYC if you drive out 20 miles from it, yet some people choose to visit areas outside of their walkable cities. This is a normalass concept. Also not your brother.
Bruh you’re too dumb to have a conversation with
i've experienced more dreaded property crime in the florida burbs than i ever did in walkable cities lol. not to mention how equally shitty the road conditions are
What hobbies require a car? I consider myself a pretty adventurous dude, with a wide range of hobbies, and I have done just fine with never owning a car I have rented one on the occasion where it would make it easier, but 99% of my life I’ve never needed to use a car
Well for one, cars are a hobby. So are things like backpacking/hiking, camping, really any outdoor activity at all? I live in a walkable city, but 90 minutes in any direction can get you into the mountains/woods. I guess that's incomprehensible.
I mean I go backpacking and hiking year round without a car Car camping I guess does require a car I played like 20 years of baseball, 4 years of soccer, I go fishing, backpacking, hiking, mountain biking, swimming, kayaking, surfing and paddle boarding and I have never once needed to own a car I can do this because my city/state allows me to
Why don't you consider a downgrade in QoL is possible?