The Illinois Crisis

#126
#126
So what is the opinion of the area of Memphis heading toward Tunica? Is that considered the 'bad' area?
 
#130
#130
armchair said:
I live in a city--historic section of a city--and it is great, for the most part. Do I pay more than people who live 20 or more miles outside the city? Of course, but I have a better lifestyle in most ways. There are more than a dozen restaurants within easy walking distance, along with two markets, florist, dry-cleaners, salons, everything. Need a bottle of wine or an onion--it's a two-minute walk on sidewalks. It is gloriously convenient. We bike when we don't walk. The convenience factor is major. The city has a symphony, ballet, theaters, multiple galleries, parks--all within a 5 to 10 minute drive, and only 10 minutes because of street lights. Our neighborhood is beautiful and historic--great architecture. You get none of this out in counties--no history, no architecture, no culture.

In the counties you get cookie-cutter subdivisions (or worse if you are farther out). In the counties you are driving constantly--wasting energy. In the counties you get more space; other than that, they are sterile and ugly--all strip malls and subdivisions, one after the other going out along major thoroughfares. County people watch TV and grill, maybe play a little golf (declining sport).

Cities, when right, are far superior to counties and burbs. That's why millions of people visit Paris, London, Berlin, Stockholm, New York, Tokyo and Shanghai, etc. Nobody says: "Hey's let's go visit Frackville--I hear the barbeque is great." Suburban sprawl has ruined millions of acres of pristine land and made America a very unattractive place--unless you find strings of shopping centers attractive. And that's where county folk spend their lives--in shopping centers. A lot of new subdivisions are nice, but they go up farther and farther and farther out--and then there's lots of traffic.

White flight to the burbs dealt a major blow to cities, but a lot of them are coming back. If middle-income people in significant numbers moved back to cities, cities would be thriving. The city I'm in has made a pretty substantial comeback, but, yea, the schools remain a problem because a lot of the whites in the city put their kids in private schools after elementary school. The school board has not been very smart.

Counties have their own set of problems. As they grow and sprawls occurs, property taxes must rise to pay for roads and police and fire, etc. The kids are in huge, suburban high schools--some good, many no better than decent, others not so good. If you've had a good living experience in a big city, it is nearly impossible, I find, to live in a suburb. I think we'll see cities prosper in the next 50 years as a lot of millennials are much more comfortable with social diversity and see the advantages of not just living in a city--but working in a city, creating businesses in a city. Depends on what you're into and what you're used to.
Click to expand...

Translation:

Cities rule and counties drool because I am short-sited enough to think that only one "culture" is an acceptable "culture". I'd sell my soul for convenience, value distraction and entertainment, and seem to have little concept that a culture of inter-relational neighboring could be fulfilling.

[Warning: Contradiction Alert]
Everything outside the city limits is ugly and worthless, even though I also offer the opinion that moving outside the city damages the beautiful perfection of nature (that exists outside the city).

[Warning: Contradiction Alert]
Even though the city is the most awesomest and only idiots would consider leaving it, the city would make a comeback and be OK if the idiots would just move back and give us a shot at becoming decent again.
 
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#131
#131
CABVOL said:
So what is the opinion of the area of Memphis heading toward Tunica? Is that considered the 'bad' area?
Click to expand...

Between Tunica and Downtown there is about a 3 mile run on 3rd where it is not very good. They are supposed to be revitalizing that area Graceland to 3rd street which leads north to downtown and South to Tunica.
 
#145
#145
armchair said:
I live in a city--historic section of a city--and it is great, for the most part. Do I pay more than people who live 20 or more miles outside the city? Of course, but I have a better lifestyle in most ways. There are more than a dozen restaurants within easy walking distance, along with two markets, florist, dry-cleaners, salons, everything. Need a bottle of wine or an onion--it's a two-minute walk on sidewalks. It is gloriously convenient. We bike when we don't walk. The convenience factor is major. The city has a symphony, ballet, theaters, multiple galleries, parks--all within a 5 to 10 minute drive, and only 10 minutes because of street lights. Our neighborhood is beautiful and historic--great architecture. You get none of this out in counties--no history, no architecture, no culture.

In the counties you get cookie-cutter subdivisions (or worse if you are farther out). In the counties you are driving constantly--wasting energy. In the counties you get more space; other than that, they are sterile and ugly--all strip malls and subdivisions, one after the other going out along major thoroughfares. County people watch TV and grill, maybe play a little golf (declining sport).

Cities, when right, are far superior to counties and burbs. That's why millions of people visit Paris, London, Berlin, Stockholm, New York, Tokyo and Shanghai, etc. Nobody says: "Hey's let's go visit Frackville--I hear the barbeque is great." Suburban sprawl has ruined millions of acres of pristine land and made America a very unattractive place--unless you find strings of shopping centers attractive. And that's where county folk spend their lives--in shopping centers. A lot of new subdivisions are nice, but they go up farther and farther and farther out--and then there's lots of traffic.

White flight to the burbs dealt a major blow to cities, but a lot of them are coming back. If middle-income people in significant numbers moved back to cities, cities would be thriving. The city I'm in has made a pretty substantial comeback, but, yea, the schools remain a problem because a lot of the whites in the city put their kids in private schools after elementary school. The school board has not been very smart.

Counties have their own set of problems. As they grow and sprawls occurs, property taxes must rise to pay for roads and police and fire, etc. The kids are in huge, suburban high schools--some good, many no better than decent, others not so good. If you've had a good living experience in a big city, it is nearly impossible, I find, to live in a suburb. I think we'll see cities prosper in the next 50 years as a lot of millennials are much more comfortable with social diversity and see the advantages of not just living in a city--but working in a city, creating businesses in a city. Depends on what you're into and what you're used to.
Click to expand...

first paragraph is pretty spot on until the last sentence. now if you are just considering suburbia as the counties you might have an argument.

the issue with cities is the same thing that triggered your "white flight" it is quickly becoming too expensive to live in the city. and where it is cheap there is crime on a pretty massive scale. if you are looking for a house in decent condition and want to spend under 200k you are getting a house that has bars on the windows and the AC unit. that's what the millennials are moving into and dealing with. Its what I am struggling with, and a couple of my friends have done exactly what I described above. so lets not pretend that living in the city is always peaches and cream.
 
#146
#146
85SugarVol said:
That people are fleeing the Midtown, East Memphis areas for the suburbs. They're not.

The false equivalency that neighborhoods like Central Gardens & Evergreen = Cordova & Hickory Hill.
Click to expand...

Guess we will see who is right in another 20 years.
 
#149
#149
I like city living. I understand the convenience. But there are sacrifices. Space, cost, schools. All for the right to spend $20 for trendy avocado toast. I believe when most of these college educated milliniels get older, they are going to want space and and a nice school for their kids. Unless they are really well off or have family help...which a lot do.
 
#150
#150
Orange_Crush said:
Translation:

Cities rule and counties drool because I am short-sited enough to think that only one "culture" is an acceptable "culture". I'd sell my soul for convenience, value distraction and entertainment, and seem to have little concept that a culture of inter-relational neighboring could be fulfilling.

[Warning: Contradiction Alert]
Everything outside the city limits is ugly and worthless, even though I also offer the opinion that moving outside the city damages the beautiful perfection of nature (that exists outside the city).

[Warning: Contradiction Alert]
Even though the city is the most awesomest and only idiots would consider leaving it, the city would make a comeback and be OK if the idiots would just move back and give us a shot at becoming decent again.
Click to expand...

His rant frames the division of America quite well. This is largely the attitude of urban America, and obviously those poor saps unfortunate enough to live (if you can even call it living) in flyover country are resentful of how their betters rightfully look down on them.

Why do we even have flyover country and rural America. Let's divide it off into national forests and corporate run farms and force everyone else into these urban Meccas so they can be educated and cultured.
 
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