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| Thursday, March 16, 2006 |
| Be Careful About Living in the Suburbs of the Suburbs |
Two years ago my aunt and uncle sold their home of the past 35 years in the suburbs of Boston and moved into a newly constructed home located in the suburbs of the suburbs of Boston. USA Today would call it a move to the "fringes" or the "exurbs". Around here we call it "Moving out to the sticks". This trend of moving farther and farther away from core centers is discussed in the USA Today article: Metro area 'fringes' are booming.
For many the decision to move so far out are financial. The further out you are generally the larger the home and more land you can afford. Going back to the example of my aunt and uncle, it was the need for one-level living that prompted them to buy where they did. Their old home required you to climb 15 steps from the sidewalk to get into the front door and once inside the bedrooms were an additional 10 steps up on the second floor. For aging knees this was getting to be too much. After looking at aging ranch or bungalow homes in their old suburb nothing quite appealed. That is when they started looking into building their own home. Since empty buildable land is scarce close to Boston this prompted the move out to the sticks.
While they love the house, they don't love the location. They are a good half-hour drive from the closest grocery store. To shop for more than food or medicine they need to travel at least 45 minutes away. To visit old friends and family it is a minimum hour and a half drive. The infrastructure and amenities are lacking in the sticks. So while their knees are happy, the rest of them feel lonely and somewhat isolated. When asked if they would make the same decision knowing what they know now, they answered "We would have purchased one of those ranch or bungalow homes in our old suburb and paid to have it rehabed to meet our needs. It may have cost more, but at least we would be happier." |
| posted by Boston Gal @ 8:40 AM *
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| 6 Comments: |
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What is considered "the sticks" today, will not be considered such for long. Development is going on everywhere. That area will probably be built up within ten years.
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Hum, Maybe - but that may be too late for my aunt and uncle. The driving so much everywhere is a problem. In their old neighborhood they could walk to a subway stop. The new neighborhood? Does not even have a public bus route.
Things like public transportation and diverse local business districts - those take time to build. Perhaps a new development in an exburb will get a Wal-Mart and a couple of other big box retailer to build nearby - but then will small businesses ever develop or grow in or near there? Probably not. How could they compete?
Don't get me wrong, I am not saying the "sticks" are a terrible place to live or that folks shouldn't move there. What I am saying is to really think about it. Do you REALLY want a huge house and a huge yard (along with a marathon commute)? Or do you want a house? If the answer is you want a house then look hard at the location you are picking. Will spending more for a smaller home but in a more establish neighborhood be a better fit or is the larger home really worth it?
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Amen. Moving to the exurbs so you can buy a big house locks you into a car-based, time-sucking lifestyle. We made a conscious choice to live in a small (2000 sq ft, 3 bed, 1 bath) house 10 minutes from 128 rather than a big house with a big commute. I can walk to stores, the library, and the post office, and it takes me 10 minutes to drive to work. I love it.
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I guess the "sticks" means big house where the two of you live, but here it mostly means small/average house, big, private land, and a place to grow your own vegetables and have egg-laying chickens. McMansion? No thanks. Waste of money and too much hassle.
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The exurbs are booming in the DC region, too. My parents moved to a far north suburb of Chicago, so they could have a new house. But they sacrificed convenience to stores and amenities, and I think they regret it now. On the other hand, my brother and his wife moved from the city to an exurb to build a McMansion and are happy enough with it. I chose to buy a one bedroom condo in the city where I could walk to everything, rather than have a 2 bedroom and be forced to drive all the time.
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i'm confused... is "the sticks" considered Boston and Bostoproper (bright,n/s end,dorchest,etc.), or is it now considered anything within the 128/95 belt???
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What is considered "the sticks" today, will not be considered such for long. Development is going on everywhere. That area will probably be built up within ten years.