Possible?: More millenials want liveable neighbourhoods, more transit, etc.

[Veronica]

I really don't undertstand people who commute for an hour or more to get to work.

My husband commutes 90 minutes each way to work in SF. 45 minutes on his motorcycle, 45 minutes on BART.

When we decided we were staying in CA we bought a house where we could afford it. The city we worked in was far too expensive for us to buy in. We initially commuted together, two hours each way. We had to buy that far out to be able to get a house with a VA Loan. We've both changed jobs a few times since. I can see the school I teach at now. It's about 1/2 mile away as the crow flies.

We don't want to live in the city. Our house will be paid off in two years, why even move closer to his job and reset the mortgage clock? Plus I love our house. And my commute is great.

Veronica

[colorisnt]

I'm a millenial, I guess, and I can't forsee myself living long-term in an area sans-public-transit. I really hate driving and don't if I don't have to. I've just returned from being abroad first in Rwanda and then for three weeks in the UK. I used to live in the UK and very much missed the bus system. I was in Manchester, a relatively large city, and never had an issues getting around. There's a big bike culture there and if I lived there, I would bike everywhere. It's a very accessible city.

I currently live in an area where public transit is basically a big joke - buses don't run at night when I come home from work/school. Buses don't run mid-day at regular intervals. In fact, the buses don't even get within a mile of where I need to go and are not very reliable. I gave up trying to take the bus after the 3rd time I took it and they randomly changed the bus route for two weeks without alerting customers. I ended up walking a mile and a half to get where I needed to go in the heat. No thanks. I would have rather ridden there - it's only a 2 mile ride from where I lived! I hate the driving.

That said, the city tries to be bike friendly. They put bike lanes up everywhere, of course, but you can park in them, so I end up finding the ones close to where I lived were dangerous to go in and out of in times of heavy traffic. Other lanes are so narrow and go between two separate lines of traffic, so I try to avoid them and would rather take the lane for my own personal safety. The best thing we have is the MKT/Katy trail. I am moving right up behind it this year and will commuting to and from town as often as I can. I'm still not sure how much more friendly the city is than my hometown, though. And at least at home, I can take the South Shore/Metra to get into Chicago proper. I can't get to a major city safely at all sans-car where I live. STL and KC are both 2/2 and a half hours away by car. There is a bus to STL, but it drops you in a super sketchy part of town which I am not comfortable navagating on my own. I miss living in a metro area.

I really am a city girl. I honestly would have a better quality of life in a huge city than out in the boonies just because driving stresses me out that much. I have OCD and the lack of control of other drivers causes me to stress out. If I get an offer abroad, I'm likely to take it because I don't really have much to keep me here and most of Western Europe is far better with public transit than is most of the States.

[shootingstar]

Hope at least your commuting by bike works out well for now.

There might 4-5 big cities that would fit cycling/transit needs very well with their infrastructure, culture, support in the U.S. Be at least open to that.

[colorisnt]

Oh I would be, but health care is another huge concern for me as well as politics. I just don't feel like I fit in in the states much anymore. It'd have to be a big northern city. The heat in MO kills me. I have determined I could never live any place that hot again haha. Minneapolis would be an awesome place to be. I hear nothing but good things about their transit/bike infrastructure.

I'm happy not to have to worry about being hit by a car while climbing a very steep hill on the way home. I had a close call last year that made me scared to do it anymore.

[Eden]

You would probably like Seattle. Very little hot weather, OK bike infrastructure (but you have to resign yourself to hill climbing), decent public transportation that is growing, and relatively liberal politics.