What's your living preference - Urban, Suburban or Rural?

[skinsone]

My father often had the philosophy of "don't pay others to do things you can do yourself"... which equates to tons of landscaping/tree work, snow blowing, and pool cleaning and cleaning the mildew and crap off the wood shingle siding.

My dad was the same. He was a master carpenter so he taught me how to handle and respect power tools. I'm currently in the process of redoing one of my bathrooms. Removing 24 year old wallpaper and changing out the plumbing and light fixtures. My kids will help me take out the old and reinstalling new cabinets. Have to take advantage of their youth and power arms . They now are the ones who climb the ladder to clean out the gutters .

 

[Huntn]

My apartment is pretty quiet, so it's not too bad. There were somebody people living next door for a while who had 3 small children which was a little weird at times.

Renting houses isn't too common around here, at least from what I've seen.

Right now I think my central AC is on the way out. It seems to struggle a bit and the air handler is making some awful noises from the motor. Thankfully I am not responsible for having to fix it.

I guess the one of the big minuses of renting is that it's not worth investing in the property when you want to upgrade things. My LL tends to neglect the front garden so I find myself weeding it.

I don't blame you for cementing your yard, though that's not a common thing in the northeast. I grew up in my parents house, which was quite large, on 4 acres of land (1.5 of which was lawn), plus a pool, and a long driveway. My father often had the philosophy of "don't pay others to do things you can do yourself"... which equates to tons of landscaping/tree work, snow blowing, and pool cleaning and cleaning the mildew and crap off the wood shingle siding. The house was built ~1999/2000 so now things are starting to have to be replaced. The garage door openers (Overhead Door Brand- supposedly very expensive and "reliable") have all started to fail and were just replaced. The roof needs to be redone soon. Last year they had to bring in $5000 worth of top soil to fix the corners of the yard and where the snow plow ruined the grass by the road over the years. The exterior was restained a couple years ago. The pool had a crack last year, no thanks to the freeze/thaw of New England. New washer/dryer etc etc etc etc. And that's just one home.

On the water, the salt and humity kills everything. Everything rusts, rots, or in other way degrades far more quickly under those conditions.

This is why I'm fearful of ever buying a single family home. So much upkeep, granted a smaller home with a smaller yard is far more manageable.

My dad was the same. He was a master carpenter so he taught me how to handle and respect power tools. I'm currently in the process of redoing one of my bathrooms. Removing 24 year old wallpaper and changing out the plumbing and light fixtures. My kids will help me take out the old and reinstalling new cabinets. Have to take advantage of their youth and power arms . They now are the ones who climb the ladder to clean out the gutters .

Some of how much you tackle has to do with how much mechanical aptitude you have. Mine is high, and I greatly benefited by working in construction, including as an electrician on summer breaks while going to college. I have finished basements and added a 4 season room/porch, added a third garage stall to a house, and refinished a kitchen replacing the cabinets and adding features, but you still have to know your limits.

I hired contractirs to frame out the porch, just because they could do it in 3 days vs me taking a month, pour the foundation of the garage, finish the drywall in the basement, extend the driveway for the new stall and install the granite counters in the kitchen. But I did the rest and it resulted in substantial savings. The $7k I spent in the basement would have been $20-30 to contract out.

 

[eyoungren]

I'm capable and will perform repair/maintenance duties when necessary.

But I hate it. Rather just call the landlord and have her get the owner to fix it.

I pretty much hate yardwork, maintenance and anything having to do with physical labor.

All such things were commonly applied to me as a teenager (while living in that rural area) as a form of punishment or because my dad was in a bad mood. Do something wrong - now you're mowing the lawn. Do it again, guess who gets to clean the pool? Being a normal teenager on the couch watching TV? Stop stuffing your face and get outside and take care of the weeds!!!

Oh hey, you're friends are over to relax on a Saturday? Here's a rake, you and your friends get to raking the yard! Oh sorry, you meant to go somewhere today with your friends? We're trimming trees!

By the time I was 18 all that crap had become MY job while my dad sat inside the house and did nothing.

On and on. And yet another reason I HATE rural!

Having to work pisses me off. I don't enjoy it or take any form of pleasure from it.

I'll pay someone to do it if I can thanks.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

 

[BarracksSi]

For now, I'm going to say Urban, or, at least, Within Reasonable Walking Distance To The Necessities.

Lived for fifteen years in a Capitol Hill condo (which is for sale!) in Washington, DC, with a grocery store on the next corner, at least a half-dozen restaurants on the next block, and Union Station three blocks way. I was able to walk to work, too, so I left my car in the work garage while my wife's car remained parked in our condo garage.

We're in the suburbs now. Target and Shoppers (grocery) are walkable, thank goodness, but there's barely any public transit nearby, at least not at the scale enjoyed inside DC. There's a decent walk/run trail through a residential loop on the other side of the highway, but some nearby neighborhoods don't even have sidewalks. BWI Airport isn't too far away, but we'll need to either drive ourselves there and leave the car in the lot, or get a Lyft or SuperShuttle -- neither of which is as convenient as riding Metro or hailing a cab.

My personal question for how desirable a location might be is, "How easily can I walk to get milk and eggs?" If the answer is, "It's a twenty-minute drive," I wouldn't like to live there.

 

[Volgin]

Rural is the only way. It's getting way to populated in my town in RI. More shopping plazas every year. As soon as my boss allows me to telecommute I'm going to move. All my sales are done over the phone anyway.

 

[eyoungren]

Would be interesting to see a poll included with this thread.

So, I added a poll.

Everyone be honest. I set it up so you could make more than one choice. But choosing all 5 kind of defeats the purpose.

 

[jeyf]

reference my post above, we moved back to the city.

actually occupied half of duplex i own. the remaining half of the duplex is rented out. I was careful to rent to a compatible tenant. Their rent pays all the utilities, taxes and some money left over.

 

[A.Goldberg]

Have to agree with your dad. It is easier to hire someone, but doing it yourself is entertaining and a feel good experience, lest you cut an arm or hand off. There are very few things I wouldn't do myself. Most of them require heavy machinery I can't use or rent, or very dangerous stuff like electrical.

I personally love breaking stone and concrete with sledgehammers or jackhammers. So much joy.

Some of how much you tackle has to do with how much mechanical aptitude you have. Mine is high, and I greatly benefited by working in construction, including as an electrician on summer breaks while going to college. I have finished basements and added a 4 season room/porch, added a third garage stall to a house, and refinished a kitchen replacing the cabinets and adding features, but you still have to know your limits.

I hired contractirs to frame out the porch, just because they could do it in 3 days vs me taking a month, pour the foundation of the garage, finish the drywall in the basement, extend the driveway for the new stall and install the granite counters in the kitchen. But I did the rest and it resulted in substantial savings. The $7k I spent in the basement would have been $20-30 to contract out.

Well, I definitely appreciate the training in such tasks around the house. I find myself far better equipped than most of my peers to fix things.

I just feel bad though. My parents built their dream house and now all the kids are out of the house and their are no more pets. The house was great having 3 kids and a dog or two. Now that it's just the two of them, it's an even bigger house to maintain with no one around to really help. At least they have a cleaning lady.

 

[invisibleshoes]

Definitely suburban. I don't like the busy city life (clusters of cars and people ), and rural towns just seem so isolated. Suburbs are the perfect medium with neighbors, parks, post office, etc., all in close proximity. Currently live in a cul-del-sac with an active community and neighborhood watch going on, I love it.

 

[0388631]

I just feel bad though. My parents built their dream house and now all the kids are out of the house and their are no more pets. The house was great having 3 kids and a dog or two. Now that it's just the two of them, it's an even bigger house to maintain with no one around to really help. At least they have a cleaning lady.

That's how life works out. While it's sad, parents are incredibly happy that their children have succeeded in life. On the other hand, kids can help their parents not feel alone in a big house with a few juniors and juniorettes goofing around.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I'm capable and will perform repair/maintenance duties when necessary.

But I hate it. Rather just call the landlord and have her get the owner to fix it.

I pretty much hate yardwork, maintenance and anything having to do with physical labor.

All such things were commonly applied to me as a teenager (while living in that rural area) as a form of punishment or because my dad was in a bad mood. Do something wrong - now you're mowing the lawn. Do it again, guess who gets to clean the pool? Being a normal teenager on the couch watching TV? Stop stuffing your face and get outside and take care of the weeds!!!

Oh hey, you're friends are over to relax on a Saturday? Here's a rake, you and your friends get to raking the yard! Oh sorry, you meant to go somewhere today with your friends? We're trimming trees!

By the time I was 18 all that crap had become MY job while my dad sat inside the house and did nothing.

On and on. And yet another reason I HATE rural!

Having to work pisses me off. I don't enjoy it or take any form of pleasure from it.

I'll pay someone to do it if I can thanks.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

I'm glad you raised this point about the back-breaking drudgery, endless toil, and the sheer physical exhaustion of a lot of the work that rural living entailed, especially the sort of rural living where our income comes from the land.

I suspect that many romantics who dream of rural life don't see, or didn't experience, - or are able to avoid - these things.

Peasant societies are rarely romantic about rural bliss - they endure - and, if possible escape - the drudgery and thanklessness of much rural labour.

For many, education and urban salaried employment was an escape from the insecurity and back-breaking drudgery of rural living.

There is a difference between having a country house (financed by a city income) and having to make a living from an unpredictable source such as the land - as climate, fashion, and market demands can all have an impact on how well one can live from the land.

Nevertheless, in Europe, - that is, the part of Europe in the EU - CAP (the Common Agricultural Policy) has given a stability to rural incomes they previously lack when subject to glut and scarcity cycles.

However, the rigid conservatism, stalwart adherence to traditional social and cultural norms, and marked reluctance to embrace social change, and striking resistance to embracing social change - that you find in many rural areas is something that I find deeply unattractive, well.

This means that my lack of passion for rural life comes from several sources, (cultural, social and political as well as geographical).

 

[elf69]

I lived almost all my life from age 2 til 25 in a nice rural village in SW cornwall in UK.

I loved it!
Me and friends used to cycle everywhere, and weekends would go on real long like 10-13 hour rides for fun.

Then I met my first partner and moved into a town nearby.
Well we split up and I moved home with mum again. was real nice to go back to quiet village.

Now I live with my fiancee in a suburban are 14 miles from my original village.
Been her for 6 years almost now, quiet area but only 3 mins walk from a supermarket.

 

[lowendlinux]

I'm not comfortable enough around people to ever want to live anywhere suburban or urban fortunately my wife doesn't care for the city that much either so it all works out.

 

[Huntn]

Guys, I remember a thread here, where someone mentioned modular housing, possibly teenie houses, one manufacturer that offered stackable rectangle modules. Anyone know where that might be at? Thanks.

 

[WinkWink726]

I would literally kill a man in exchange for 10 acres, surrounding by woods, and a new (but modest sized) home in the back of the aforementioned property.

Seriously, inquire within LOL

 

[adrianlondon]

My ideal place doesn't exist. I want a large detached house, half way up a mountain covered in snow with real fireplaces in each room, on the beach, walking distance to the centre of London. The latter is the most important, so that's where I ended up.

Although I was born north of the city, from a very young age I've lived in London. Occasional stints abroad but always back to central London. I feel like I need to be able to walk to the West End, Soho, Covent Garden etc.

However for the last few years, purely by chance, I've been living in the centre of Basel. I've acquired an appreciation for smaller cities that still have excellent public transport and all the culture I can throw a Swiss stick at. I think I'm getting old. I am back in London for long weekends at least once a month though, which helps. I plan to redress the balance by living in a big Asian capital city with millions of other people at some point. I'll probably miss the Swiss mountain air though.

 

[lowendlinux]

My ideal place doesn't exist. I want a large detached house, half way up a mountain covered in snow with real fireplaces in each room, on the beach, walking distance to the centre of London. The latter is the most important, so that's where I ended up.

Although I was born north of the city, from a very young age I've lived in London. Occasional stints abroad but always back to central London. I feel like I need to be able to walk to the West End, Soho, Covent Garden etc.

However for the last few years, purely by chance, I've been living in the centre of Basel. I've acquired an appreciation for smaller cities that still have excellent public transport and all the culture I can throw a Swiss stick at. I think I'm getting old. I am back in London for long weekends at least once a month though, which helps. I plan to redress the balance by living in a big Asian capital city with millions of other people at some point. I'll probably miss the Swiss mountain air though.

There are very few places that I pick over south east Germany, Switzerland, and Austria

 

[eyoungren]

Still the same.

The older I get the more I want my conveniences and the more and more I detest small towns or rural living.

Part of that is the small town mentality.

It gets worse when large cities that used to be small are still operated under that mentality.

 

[Clix Pix]

I definitely prefer the convenience of having gas stations, stores, libraries, cultural activities, and well-lighted streets. Last week I was in a older small town in Pennsylvania, which while it may have been delightful at one time, seems to have lost its charm. Traffic was surprisingly busy there, though, especially during the times people were going to or returning from work. Parking in the downtown area was distinctly limited. There were shopping areas a distance away on the outskirts of town apart from the downtown area, so I imagine that this is where most residents do their shopping for groceries, clothing and other items. At night, driving around there was a little scary, though, as the streets were very narrow, very hilly and very poorly lit in the residential areas. Even with the GPS I almost got lost trying to return to my hotel!

 

[Septembersrain]

Still the same.

The older I get the more I want my conveniences and the more and more I detest small towns or rural living.

Part of that is the small town mentality.

It gets worse when large cities that used to be small are still operated under that mentality.

I think suburban for me. Close enough to the big city for convenience but still enough outside of it that I could have a decent backyard. Dreams, ahh.

As for now apartment in the city does the job.

 

[KingslayerG5]

I don't care either way. I lived in all three of them. If I had to rank it...

Suburban
Urban
Rural

My family has property in a rural area where it is mostly farming. Pretty boring but ZERO stress. People sleep real early and eat dinner by like 5pm. The busiest store is one 7-Eleven they have.

If I have a family, it's definitely suburban. I love Yorba Linda / Anaheim Hills area. I don't mind urban either as I lived in one of the most densely populated areas ever but hate the traffic and smog.

I'm just not a rural boy but don't mind visiting. I can never be "the rural juror" (30 Rock reference).

 

[eyoungren]

People sleep real early and eat dinner by like 5pm. The busiest store is one 7-Eleven they have.

This was pretty much how I grew up from the age of 10 to 16 when I got a car and could leave. And I left to be in the largest city I could in my area every chance I got.

People get up early. I hate that, have always hated it and continue to hate it - even though I MUST do it myself in order to support my family.

It's unfortunate that America at least, is a day people's world. I would much rather get up at 5:30 pm and report to work around 8pm (and leave at 5am). I'm a night person and this rural lifestyle has grated on me for a very long time.

During my teen years I had argument upon argument with my dad about how late I got up on the weekends. He's from South Dakota so was always expecting me to be up and outside working hard by 7am.

I hate yardwork. When we (my wife and I) finally get a home everything that supports grass will be concreted over. Unfortunately, my dad never had this mentality so we had to hammer out a compromise where he wouldn't bitch at me about sleeping late and I'd get my ass up by 10am.

My wife and I had a job once for seven years. Night shift from 9pm to 1am. It was perfect. I went from that to a job that started at 1pm and had me out at 10pm. That was perfect too.

If I didn't have kids it might be a little different.

But the kind of person I am makes me a pariah in the rural lifestyle. It's hard to be me when they roll the sidewalk up at 3pm.

 

[jeyf]

I live in the south west US. Water is mostly the issue here. Had houses in the mountains, suburbs, and now the city. I really like urban living. I wont dwell on the issues of rural or urban as they are fairly obvious.
-i think people bring their own good or bad with them so every where is the same
-go figure; your preferences will and should change. 4example; there is a stubborn long lasting drought in the western US. Difficult supplying water to your mountain home. Home owners insurance is high because of the fire danger.

live well everyone

 

[Clix Pix]

Night owl here, too..... When I was working in the public library, I always preferred the evening shift (1 - 9 PM) and that way I could sleep in and get up and get moving at my leisure in the late morning while still arriving at work on time and throughout the day be at my liveliest. Most of my colleagues thought it weird that I loved the evening shifts and would volunteer to take on an extra beyond my already-scheduled three nights; they were always happy to work out a trade! Most of them had families and children who needed to be readied for school, etc., and I didn't so everything worked out well. For some reason i always hated working on Saturdays, though (aside from the fact that I had to be there early in the day, it just didn't seem right to be at work when other people -- friends and family -- were free to do as they liked and I couldn't participate). Thankfully we didn't have to work every Saturday.

Now that I'm retired I can happily stay up reading until 3:00, 4:00 AM and then can have a nice sleep and lie-in until I'm ready to get up, which may or may not be before noon! Aside from the fixed-income piece of it (which sucks) retirement is really great! Your time is your own.....

 

[0388631]

I'd love a larger garage. Designers and builders seem to not understand the concept of having a large garage to accompany a large house.