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Okay, I may be stirring the pot here a little, but I think it's fair with LA currently in 2nd place.
Have folks been voting based on sheer volume of nice suburbs or per capita "niceness" of suburbs? Because if it's the latter, I respectfully just don't see how LA is that strong of a contender for 2nd.
Don't get me wrong: I love a lot about LA, and even fell in love with Pasadena when visiting, but my sense is that folks are really looking at the upper echelons of suburban areas like Pasadena, or Santa Monica, or Beverly Hills, as opposed to what 90% of suburban LA appears to be characterized as, which is a residential neighborhood that looks like this, and commercial strips that look like this.
I even appreciate the So Cal aesthetic, as it's so exotic from an East Coast perspective, but I guess what I'm seeing is pleasant and certainly suburban, but I'm having trouble with the notion that it's amongst the "nicest." I think for me, it's the intense auto-centricity and monotony that's takes away from character. Most of the area also seems to lack the seclusion/exclusively that tends to make suburbs feel nicest.
Maybe that's just me, but I really just wanted to throw it out there (and I think DC has gotten enough criticism, lol).
I'm pleased to see that Chicago and Philadelphia are now tied for third.
Maybe I should post some Philadelphia-area suburban streetscapes. michgc posted one from New Jersey: Haddonfield, the toniest of the city's South Jersey suburbs. Princeton, in Mercer County, is in the New York CSA but the Philadelphia media market, and the university is located there partly because it's equidistant from both cities, so we can claim it too, at least partially.
Princeton strikes me as though it had been surgically removed from the Hamptons and plopped down in the middle of Central New Jersey.
Yeah, can't forget about King of Prussia, too... super nice area.
yes suburbs of DC quiet livable, nice, walkable, and very very expensive right now, but people are blah, they are like all the same and NOVA is very cookie cutter esp Farifax, highways, strip malls now, MD has some quirkier suburbs and more diversel actually most interesting suburbs are around baltimore because there are some wealthy areas, Annapolis, and some country areas, and yup ghetto areas
NOVA is like all the same until you hit Loudoun county which used to be all wineries but is slowly becoming more like farifax with lots of malls and live to work space and new metro opening at dulles airport
but yup DC burbs are nice and convenieent
DC doesn't have all the prewar villages and industrial cities like the traditional northern cities. But, Old Town Alexandria is one of the most unique and charming cities in the country. The TOD stuff is pretty cookie cutter. But, places like Arlington, Bethesda, Silver Spring are among the most successful examples of the 15-min city.
The streetcar suburbs are certainly charming. But, for the most part unless you happen to live right next downtown area you pretty much need a car for almost everything. The are also struggling with how to grow.
Okay, I may be stirring the pot here a little, but I think it's fair with LA currently in 2nd place.
Have folks been voting based on sheet volume or per capita "niceness" of suburbs? Because if it's the latter, I respectfully just don't see how LA is that strong of a contender for 2nd.
Don't get me wrong: I love a lot about LA, and even fell in love with Pasadena when visiting, but my sense is that folks are really looking at the upper echelons of suburban areas like Pasadena, or Santa Monica, or Beverly Hills, as opposed to what 90% of suburban LA appears to be characterized as, which is a residential neighborhood that looks like this, and commercial strips that look like this.
I even appreciate the So Cal aesthetic, as it's so exotic from an East Coast perspective, but I guess what I'm seeing is pleasant and certainly suburban, but I'm having trouble with the notion that it's amongst the "nicest." I think for me, it's the intense auto-centricity and monotony that's takes away from character and seclusion/exclusively that tends to make suburbs feel nicest.
Maybe that's just me, but I really just wanted to throw it out there (and I think DC has gotten enough criticism, lol).
I voted LA. I just like the architectural variety and just overall mixture of different styles and aesthetics. There's Victorian style streetcar suburbs, beach communities with beautiful Mediterranean style homes, suburbs with old craft bungalows with tree lined streets, suburbs surrounded by nature with tons of wildlife, etc...
I also find that LA suburbs tend to be very amenity rich relative to other suburbs in the US. Like the San Gabriel Valley has the best Chinese food in the US. Westminster in Orange County has the best Vietnamese food in the US. South Bay has access to amazing beaches as well as farmers markets, shopping & dining, and such.
Okay, I may be stirring the pot here a little, but I think it's fair with LA currently in 2nd place.
Have folks been voting based on sheer volume of nice suburbs or per capita "niceness" of suburbs? Because if it's the latter, I respectfully just don't see how LA is that strong of a contender for 2nd.
Don't get me wrong: I love a lot about LA, and even fell in love with Pasadena when visiting, but my sense is that folks are really looking at the upper echelons of suburban areas like Pasadena, or Santa Monica, or Beverly Hills, as opposed to what 90% of suburban LA appears to be characterized as, which is a residential neighborhood that looks like this, and commercial strips that look like this.
I even appreciate the So Cal aesthetic, as it's so exotic from an East Coast perspective, but I guess what I'm seeing is pleasant and certainly suburban, but I'm having trouble with the notion that it's amongst the "nicest." I think for me, it's the intense auto-centricity and monotony that's takes away from character. Most of the area also seems to lack the seclusion/exclusively that tends to make suburbs feel nicest.
Maybe that's just me, but I really just wanted to throw it out there (and I think DC has gotten enough criticism, lol).
You posting thos doesnt take away from the fact LA still has arguably the nicest collection of suburbs in America. South Orange County and Ventura County especially are hard to beat, let alone other areas like the upper San Gabriel Valley cities.
You posting thos doesnt take away from the fact LA still has arguably the nicest collection of suburbs in America. South Orange County and Ventura County especially are hard to beat, let alone other areas like the upper San Gabriel Valley cities.
As I’ve documented on CD, I lived in Tustin and Newport Beach. It was my least favorite area I’ve ever lived in. Natural beauty / offerings aside, I just found very little to love about the area. Spent a lot of time in Laguna on weekends. Same deal. Irvine is a nice city, for what it is. But I’m also not blinded by my own experience, and fully understand many folks love OC.
On the flip side, I really, really enjoyed my time visiting Pasadena, Glendale, and Burbank. And that entire Manhattan, Hermosa, Redondo area was a lot of fun.
All of that to say, LA is massive and I trust everyone and anyone can find what they like. Incredible variety.
Now, do I like the suburbs in the area the most of any region? Probably not, because I grew up in legacy northern metros. And my personal definition of a great suburban belt is more of a Leave it to Beaver, Norman Rockwell Painting type of environment. “Americana”. End of that day, it’s simply personal bias and an appreciation I’ll likely never part ways with. Though, maybe, just maybe, these older suburbs do age more gracefully than newer suburbs. I mean, there’s a reason folks love older cities and their architecture around the world, right? Who knows.
I'm certainly aware of that (I've been there a few times). It's definitely not so much the "commercial heart" of EC though as that would definitely be the US-40 strip mall hell. Especially when you compare that to King St. in Old Town Alexandria.
Plus NoVA also has Manassas and Leesburg for somewhat pleasant "small town downtown in suburbia". MD suburbs of DC doesn't really has anything (Unless you count Frederick a DC suburb).
I’m going with Washington. Imo those suburbs have the perfect mix of urbanity, transit, diversity, modernity, things to do, good schools, natural scenery, recreation, etc. also the climate is not harsh.
Nah, I lived there and preference was heavily skewed towards the westside suburbs. Plus really D.C is so small, some DC suburbs would even be suburbs in other metros areas. Same thing with Atlanta.
Yeah, can't forget about King of Prussia, too... super nice area.
Suburbs are nice in Chi town and Philly because its comparing them to core cities with way too many crappy areas.
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