> I feel like people who make comments like this have only experienced NYC/SF and the deep suburbs of those areas.
Agreed. I don't understand the false dichotomy of either ultra-dense NYC/SF or else having to drive 20 minutes to the nearest shop. That doesn't fit my experience at all.
I live in a small town (~10K people) surrounded mostly by forest and mountains, so relatively rural. This is in California.
But I can walk to just about anything I need (multiple supermarkets, pharmacies, hardware stores, many restaurants, movies, etc). On my bike I can easily get to the far side of town (about a mile away) for even more choices in restaurants and shops, breweries, pubs.
So it is entirely possible to have a house well outside a large city and yet have everything within walking distance.
Agreed. I don't understand the false dichotomy of either ultra-dense NYC/SF or else having to drive 20 minutes to the nearest shop. That doesn't fit my experience at all.
I live in a small town (~10K people) surrounded mostly by forest and mountains, so relatively rural. This is in California.
But I can walk to just about anything I need (multiple supermarkets, pharmacies, hardware stores, many restaurants, movies, etc). On my bike I can easily get to the far side of town (about a mile away) for even more choices in restaurants and shops, breweries, pubs.
So it is entirely possible to have a house well outside a large city and yet have everything within walking distance.