Bambam Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 If you are planning on staying there long term, I'd think about things like proximity to good health care. And then I'd think about community. Sometimes when folks get older, then need help more. Driving you to/from cataract surgery, driving you other places, helping with house maintenance, sometimes older folks even need people to change their lightbulbs because they simply are not steady enough to get up on a ladder or step stool to change them. Will your kids be close enough to help? Which location will provide more of a community feel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audrey Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Joanne, I think you should go for what you've already said your heart wants... and go urban. :thumbup1: Personally... and this is just my opinion... I think suburbia is a soul-sucking pit of desperate conformity. And, that, dear Joanne, is so NOT who you are. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 suburbia is a soul-sucking pit of desperate conformity. Truer words have never been spoken. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Maybe because I don't live in Texas, but that is not my experience of suburbia or small-town living at all. We don't have an HoA. We don't have to paint our house a certain color. Our children can wear what they want and we can plant a strawberry field in our front yard (and we have). There's nothing I hate more than people who justify their own choices by crapping upon the choices of others... I enjoy the fact that my kids can step out of the house and ride bicycles to the store, which they cannot do in the city due to high traffic speeds. I love the city, but for small children to be independent, it is very hard to have two working parents. Around here, kids have much more independence. True, we have fewer cute little boutiques, but the price we pay in retail originality, we get back so much in a life for our kids, in parks and trees. There is most certainly a trade-off and this is a land for kids and families, but I'd hardly characterize my choices as desperate. Our kids also have more choices, ironically, than the children in the city or the neighboring small towns, because here live centers around the children. Again, it's not a life for everyone and I certainly hope to leave when this part of my life is over, but desperate and conformist? I disagree completely. We hear 40 languages at our local park, at our mall, at our schools. Then again, this ain't Texas and this ain't an HOA. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Joanne, I think you should go for what you've already said your heart wants... and go urban. :thumbup1: Personally... and this is just my opinion... I think suburbia is a soul-sucking pit of desperate conformity. And, that, dear Joanne, is so NOT who you are. :) Love this! My college girl, raised in the big city, loves it too. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 How would your weekday commute time change? Texas traffic is nothing to sniff at. (I'd rather drive the 495 in DC--it's that bad!) Do you have alternate routes available to you if one shuts down with an accident? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Maybe because I don't live in Texas, but that is not my experience of suburbia or small-town living at all. We don't have an HoA. We don't have to paint our house a certain color. Our children can wear what they want and we can plant a strawberry field in our front yard (and we have). There's nothing I hate more than people who justify their own choices by crapping upon the choices of others... I enjoy the fact that my kids can step out of the house and ride bicycles to the store, which they cannot do in the city due to high traffic speeds. I love the city, but for small children to be independent, it is very hard to have two working parents. Around here, kids have much more independence. True, we have fewer cute little boutiques, but the price we pay in retail originality, we get back so much in a life for our kids, in parks and trees. There is most certainly a trade-off and this is a land for kids and families, but I'd hardly characterize my choices as desperate. Our kids also have more choices, ironically, than the children in the city or the neighboring small towns, because here live centers around the children. Again, it's not a life for everyone and I certainly hope to leave when this part of my life is over, but desperate and conformist? I disagree completely. We hear 40 languages at our local park, at our mall, at our schools. Then again, this ain't Texas and this ain't an HOA. Joanne is a single professional woman whose kids are aging out of the house. She doesn't need or want a yard to upkeep or for pets. She will not care too much about the color of the outside of the condo. At this stage of her life, she is looking for low maintenance, convenience, and freedom, as I view it. Houston traffic and promixity to entertainment, shopping, and healthcare are probably about in line with most other large cities. I personally think she should move to Austin because it would suit her better, but her roots are now in Houston. Even in the big cities, there are pockets of revitalized areas with many amenities and the convenience of living in an urban area. Having watched Joanne's life progression over the past 7-8 years, I think this move to an urban condo is spot on for her. It would not work for me (or you - or many people) at all because our goals and circumstances are different. But I felt a rush of joy for Joanne over the prospect of doing something like this. It ring true with who she is and what would enrich and simplify her life. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 My only caveat is to consider stairs vs no stairs, as aging hits. But otherwise, go urban! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 My only caveat is to consider stairs vs no stairs, as aging hits. But otherwise, go urban! Good poont. I saw a House Hunters episode where a retiring couple was downing sizing....the condo they settled on had 3 levels! I just shook my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 I'm a convert to "no stairs is always better" but we live in a colonial in the suburbs and use ramps and equipment to make our house accessible. I can go from thinking "We're out of milk" to having milk in the fridge in 10-15 minutes. Also, I live between two cities that we use equally and wouldn't want to choose one. My suburb, though, is really a small city. I don't know that I'd enjoy a true bedroom community. I would miss my veggie and herb garden, but I wouldn't miss any other home or yard chores. I would miss walking through the woods, but i could make due with city walking a greenish city. A condo with an elevator and laundry sounds dandy to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 How would your weekday commute time change? Texas traffic is nothing to sniff at. (I'd rather drive the 495 in DC--it's that bad!) Do you have alternate routes available to you if one shuts down with an accident? I would not move the move until I am quitting my weekday gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Joanne is a single professional woman whose kids are aging out of the house. She doesn't need or want a yard to upkeep or for pets. She will not care too much about the color of the outside of the condo. At this stage of her life, she is looking for low maintenance, convenience, and freedom, as I view it. Houston traffic and promixity to entertainment, shopping, and healthcare are probably about in line with most other large cities. I personally think she should move to Austin because it would suit her better, but her roots are now in Houston. Even in the big cities, there are pockets of revitalized areas with many amenities and the convenience of living in an urban area. Having watched Joanne's life progression over the past 7-8 years, I think this move to an urban condo is spot on for her. It would not work for me (or you - or many people) at all because our goals and circumstances are different. But I felt a rush of joy for Joanne over the prospect of doing something like this. It ring true with who she is and what would enrich and simplify her life. I agree! And like I said, we sure as heck will be moving to the city when we can. I was responding to whether suburbs are a soul-sucking desperate conformist enterprise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 Off topic, but dh was in a weird movie watching mood yesterday and streamed that weird flick, "Burbs" with Carrie Fisher and Tom Hanks. Bizarre take on suburban life. Anyway, I hope that Joanne gets to make the move and loves her urban digs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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