Cities with dense semi-rural population?

[Duderino]

I think this perfectly describes much of outer suburbs of Philadelphia.

Much of Chester County, Upper Bucks County and Western Montgomery County have tons of permanently preserved open space that give these areas quite a rural feel for what is a large urban area. While these areas are more expensive compared to the national average, they're still a bargain compared to the Boston area.

Looking around towns like Phoenixville, Doylestown or West Chester should provide you with many options.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by Duderino

I think this perfectly describes much of outer suburbs of Philadelphia.

Much of Chester County, Upper Bucks County and Western Montgomery County have tons of permanently preserved open space that give these areas quite a rural feel for what is a large urban area. While these areas are more expensive compared to the national average, they're still a bargain compared to the Boston area.

Looking around towns like Phoenixville, Doylestown or West Chester should provide you with many options.

OK ... Why are these "semi-rural suburban" areas in Philly and Boston so wonderful while in cities like Atlanta, Houston and Dallas they are blasted as "sprawl"?

[TheHurricaneKid]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

OK ... Why are these "semi-rural suburban" areas in Philly and Boston so wonderful while in cities like Atlanta, Houston and Dallas they are blasted as "sprawl"?

???

I guess it's viewed differently by other people.

After checking out Atlanta, the northern area looks rather good to me, and so do some of the areas of Houston and Dallas. I prefer a northern climate however it's rather impressive to see that these types of communities are not in shortage, at least compared to their availability in South FL.

[mancat100]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

OK ... Why are these "semi-rural suburban" areas in Philly and Boston so wonderful while in cities like Atlanta, Houston and Dallas they are blasted as "sprawl"?

Because they are. That's why. Sheesh.

Seriously though, you have a point.

[PhillyPhan95]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

OK ... Why are these "semi-rural suburban" areas in Philly and Boston so wonderful while in cities like Atlanta, Houston and Dallas they are blasted as "sprawl"?

It's often because they are older, denser, charming, and aren't filled with flat single family dwellings on boring grids centered around a few stores on a strip. That's sprawl. My town (Phoenixville, mentioned earlier on this thread) is dense, with predominantly Victorian style and turn of the 20th century homes. The town itself grew around a steel mill on the Schuylkill River, connected to, but more independent of Philly than Sunbelt suburbs are of their cities. It grew organically, as opposed to the planned suburbia surrounding Sunbelt cities. And don't get me wrong, suburbia does exist in places here, but dotted throughout the suburbs of Philadelphia and Boston are true urban centers outside of the city that are dense, walkable, and very charming, like Phoenixville, West Chester, and Doylestown (Philly burbs), as mentioned earlier. These types of places are few and far between surrounding Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas.

[JaySwelly]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

OK ... Why are these "semi-rural suburban" areas in Philly and Boston so wonderful while in cities like Atlanta, Houston and Dallas they are blasted as "sprawl"?

I've always said that. The Google Maps pictures that I have looked in this thread at of "semi-rural suburban" areas in the Northeast look just like the "sprawl" of Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas. And the "charm" that the homes in the Northeast have...I'm just not feeling the vibe. As far as being centered on a urban area, Roswell, GA and Marietta GA both have very nice downtown areas that are walkable. In fact, I've been to Marietta's several times and there are a lot of people walking around. I'm definitely leaving out a bunch of cities, as I stay mostly on the northwest side of Atlanta, but I think it's somewhat unfair that one side is praised for doing the exact same thing that the other is condemned for.

Sorry to derail the thread, but the picture that the OP posted on the 1st page reminded me of several houses I drove by today when I took the backroads on the way to work. Y'all know that Atlanta traffic...ugh.