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Will the outer suburbs become the next slums?
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Anonymous
| As we see more foreclosures and abandoned homes, especially in the outer 'burbs, will these boarded up homes become havens for troublemakers? |
Anonymous
| This has already begun happening in the middle class neighborhoods of Cleveland. Gang, drug activity and thieves stealing parts from the abandoned houses. |
Anonymous
| It's already happening in the DC area! PG County. Alexandria. It will get worse as the area becomes more and more unlivable and people move further and further out from the city. |
Anonymous
| with gas prices - won't people be movign back closer itnot hte city - living in smaller places? less $$ to commute & less space to heat & cool.....even though more expensive initially. |
Anonymous
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I was always amazed when I moved here from Europe: all these beautiful old Victorian houses in the "worst" parts of DC, while people flocked to pay lots of money to live in these hideous huge apartment towers next to 20-lane highways near places like Landmark - they looked like social housing to me, but Americans love them: "so close to the I-95" etc.
I wonder if good housing stock always has the potential to turn around - if the city government were to get its act together, while some of these newer areas are going to be even more devoid of aesthetic value in a few years time? |
Anonymous
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Agree with PP....eventually the cost of gas etc will make living "closer in" more attractive, particularly in well built housing stock. In the meantime, the pressed board and tyvek houses of the outser suburbs, which are deisgned to fall apart in about 20 years will become the haven for those who cannot afford the inner areas.
I hope the public transportation options for the region become MUCH better in the near and long term. |
Anonymous
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People will NOT be trading down their big houses for small townhouses/condos/apartments closer in any time soon. People want 4k sq ft and a yard and multiple cars and shopping malls.
You're also forgetting that it's NOT AFFORDABLE close to the city. Low income families are being pushed out of their houses in "affordable" suburbs - they're not going to be able to buy or rent an home with a good commute! That's the luxury of the upper middle and upper classes. The issue is not commute or gas prices - it's affordable housing, inflation and grossly overpriced housing. |
Anonymous
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I also see a shift back to city centers (close to work). This is already happening in NY, Oregon and MA. Companies are getting incentives to stay in cities and employees are tired of the cost/time of commuting. Sadly, as with most things, the people on the low end of the social scale are the ones that will get shafted. As the demand for housing in cities increases and areas get "gentrified" (I late this work, but cannot think of an alternative) those who are not already owners will get priced out of the city (see NYC). Some who are owners will gain new found "wealth" by selling, and will in turn move the the very same or similar suburbs that the new city dwellers are fleeing. Of course, the cost of commuting and the lack of services will likely eat away at that wealth and pretty soon the once desirabe
The poor always get screwed. |
Anonymous
You want to bet? Gas prices are driving people absolutely crazy! And they realize prices are not going to go down-it's only up. It's about time Americans woke up- BIGGER is not BETTER. The joke is on them. Funny thing is-no one will buy their home or SUV-they're stuck with them. It absolutely is affordable to live closer in. I was looking at real estate last night (we live in small home, close in location, paid off) in Takoma Park-just for informational purposes only. There were homes for sale-asking price $250K. Now, they might need work but it's close in and extrememly affordable. It's priorities. Who wants to live in their car??? |
Anonymous
| You bet. It's not just the vagrants who are doing the vandalizing-it's also the pissed off owners. Just wait until next year-many more foreclosures. |
Anonymous
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I can only speak for NoVA because I don't know MD. I live in Loudoun County and we moved out here from N. Arlington because we both found that most companies we have worked for or could potentially work for are based in and around the Dulles corridor including Herndon, Reston, and Chantilly. I personally work from home, so I can live in China if I want. I know absolutly no one that commutes into DC. The "worst" common commute for people living out here in Loudoun is Tysons, which is only 11miles from the Loudoun line. On top of that the toll road most always moves quickly. Towering buildings are being slapped up around the Dulles corridor (been to Reston Town Center?) like crazy-not to mention the deveolpment going on in Tysons combined with plans for a metro at the airport and at Tysons. Commercial real estate out here is experiencing a boom. For most of the people I know, moving closer to the city would tack on more commute and less house. This is no longer a bedroom community, people are living and working here.
I could imagine the areas that did not attract companies where people can have high paying degree requiring jobs would be in a bit of trouble. |
Anonymous
Yuck, you could not pay me to live in Takoma Park, that price does not suprise me. 
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Anonymous
Actually, (I am the poster you quoted) I live IN the city, in an apartment (I passed up owning a house in order to live in the city) 1 block from our school and 2 miles to my office. We have 1 car which we fill up once/month (so, yes - we spend approx. $50/MONTH on gas) and rely on our feet or Metro. You're preaching to the choir - I was simply stating that people don't care - they are selfish and want their house, which costs an arm and a leg to light up and heat/cool and yard that's sprayed with pesticides and 2 or 3 cars in the garage. They whine and complain about prices, yet that's what they CHOSE. I don't think behaviors will change dramatically. And especially not until the Baby Boomers retire and the work force actually has a chance to modernize. The old fogies have the "I had to do it, so do you" attitude, thus blocking telecommuting, job sharing and shift staggering options. People SHOULD be paying this much for gas!! It's about time people are held accountable for not using public trans. or carpooling. But, the point of the post isn't gas prices. It's about crime and foreclosures inthe burbs. |
Anonymous
| Geez PP, what is the point of that nastiness? Takoma Park may not be my first choice either, but I would prefer it over an outer burb in Loudon County for sure. Luckily, I live in my first choice neighborhood (in NWDC) and I hope you and the Takoma-Park-Poster do too!! There is no need to bash other people's location choices. Variety is the spice of life afterall. |
Anonymous
Can you tell me where the close-in housing is for $250k? Is that in Takoma Park? |