Thinking About Buying A Home in Bergen County NJ?
If you’re unfettered by a particular job in a particular locale , deciding where to live isn’t as easy as it may seem. Often, a battle ensues between our heads and our hearts. And the real estate mantra of “location, location, location” does nothing to help us decide which location we might prefer – the city, suburbs or a rural setting.
Whether you think that life on a farm is right for you or a penthouse view may be more to your liking, let’s take a look at suburban, urban and rural environments to see if we can shake loose a decision.
Suburban
Ah, the ‘burbs. Although Cicero referred to the hillside homes of Rome’s wealthy residents as “suburbani,” the suburban boom exploded in the U.S. during the 1950s, a by-product of both World War II and the baby boomer generation.
Returning soldiers, waving their G.I. Bill authorizations (now known as the VA loan), were met by more-than accommodating land developers, such as William Levitt, creator of the so-called Levittowns on the East Coast. Since these developments were located just outside the city, they were typically less expensive for veterans than renting a home inside city limits – thus their popularity.
By the 1960s suburbanites made up one-third of the nation’s population, according to the History Channel. Today, the trend is reversed, or so says Time’s Leigh Gallagher. She cites the “endless sprawl” of suburbia as one of the reasons “more and more Americans don’t want to live there anymore.”
The most significant characteristics of the suburbs are:
Subdivisions.
Shopping malls.
A greater population density and fewer agricultural acres than rural areas.
Examples of suburbs include Canoga Park in Los Angeles, Bayside in New York and Oak Park in Illinois. Smaller cities have suburbs as well, such as the many outlying areas of the Twin Cities in Minnesota.
The suburbs are ideal for those who want a small-town vibe with big-city amenities, a quick commute to work in the nearby city, and a yard of their own.
Urban
Urban is a word that connotes different things to different people. It can mean grunge, crime and congestion, or it can bring up images of energy, camaraderie and anonymity.
Urban areas are crowded. In fact, that’s part of the definition of a city: An increased density of humans and their structures make up the urban jungle. The 2010 census tells us that 82 percent of the country’s population lives in urban areas. (READ MORE)
