Am I the only one who doesn't like cul de sacs?

[Anonymous]

The ones in Vienna near me are very small and crowded (large homes on lots too small for them). The ones in Potomac were much larger and the homes were more proportional to the lot BUT they were full of old people so what’s the point.

Also, I think the only reason “cul-de-sacs” is accepted is because Americans don’t know French (which is fine). It’s not because it’s actually correct.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in a cul de sac and loved our large pie shaped back yard. We had an island in the middle which most don't nowadays, but it was a great place to play.

[Anonymous]

Cul also means anus.

[Anonymous]

I think it really depends on the design. If the houses are on small lots without garages then there’s little place to park and it becomes everyone’s de facto driveway. But if the lots are big enough to have parking and garages, then the cul de sac becomes a great place for kids to bike and play. We weren’t looking for it when we bought, but now it’s something we love about the house. Almost all the families on our sac have kids and they’re always out there playing and biking.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hate 'em. Kids more likely to get hit by car. Less safe because isolated. Everyone is always paranoid of strangers. Cut off/no walkability/poor urban planning. Prefer my regular street where I can go places and yes there's through traffic but I see people I don't know and *gasp* that's ok.

This is like a laundry list of anti-cul-de-sac talking points. Like a GGWASH young millennial rant.

[Anonymous]

I don't like them either. They're full of crammed in parked cars and hard to turn around in. I also like being in the middle of a larger neighborhood, and a cul-de-sac feels cut off to me. I also would worry about kids playing in the street anywhere, so that wouldn't be a benefit to me.

This is very subjective, so just go with whatever feels right to you.

[Anonymous]

I like them; they draw away some of the NIMBYs from where I live.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate them. I actually refused to buy a house on one.

First of all, they're always filled with a bunch of cars parked on the street.

Second of all, I hate the idea of kids learning to ride their bikes or play hoops in the street.

I know lots of people who live on them, and not one of them have mentioned block parties. I'm inclined to think that, at least in the suburbs, that really doesn't happen as much on people on DCUM like to believe. I'm sure tons of posters will come on and say, "but we have one every month," blah, blah, blah. But as I said, IRL, I know lots of people who live on them, and none of them have ever heard of any block parties happening.

Third thing I hate, is that whenever I see a cul-de-sac, the houses seem to be very close together. I don't know if that's because of their popularity (builders try to fit as many in as possible), but it always seems like you have more neighbors close to you on a cul-de-sac than on a regular street.

Fourth thing, while people say they get less traffic, I've noticed (while visiting friends who live on them) that they get a ton of people who turn in to make a turn and go the other way on the road.

But yeah, most people and real estate agents think they're wonderful. So be it. I also hate neighborhoods that have a lot of them. It doesn't make for ideal traffic flow. And it makes the neighborhood seem disconnected. I guess people like that, but I don't.

I grew up on one. And it was FABULOUS!

Yes, we played in the street all day. Our parents liked it because they could see us. We liked it because it was an easy place to gather... we had a baseball/kickball field figured out, with one street number painted on the ground being home base, and oil spot being third base, etc. It was safe to play in the street because only our parents were driving in them. Our parents parked in the garage or the driveway.

And yes, there were many, many block parties. One of my favorites was a NYE one where the parents were in one house, and the kids ages 5 - 17 were across the street in another. Lots of pool parties too. We had a pool and a huge screened in porch, and the summer parties there were legendary.

The people on our cul de sac were very close, many of them became lifelong friends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hate 'em. Kids more likely to get hit by car. Less safe because isolated. Everyone is always paranoid of strangers. Cut off/no walkability/poor urban planning. Prefer my regular street where I can go places and yes there's through traffic but I see people I don't know and *gasp* that's ok.

This is like a laundry list of anti-cul-de-sac talking points. Like a GGWASH young millennial rant.

PP here. I grew up in one. The paranoia is real.

[Anonymous]

We live on one and while I don't hate it, I miss the busier street that we moved from where we had more pedestrian traffic. I miss sitting in the front yard and seeing people. We are lucky that we are good friends with our neighbors but if we weren't, I would feel very lonely and isolated. We live at the top of the circle, which is great for drainage as we are on a hill, but I do feel like we are in the hidden corner of the neighborhood.

We have very little traffic though so I do feel safe with the kids outside. But I didn't feel unsafe in our old neighborhood because we had sidewalks. I wouldn't write off a house on a cul-de-sac but I don't see why people see it as such a big selling point now that I've lived on one.

[Anonymous]

Nobody pars on the street. We all live in 1/2 acre lots with fairly wide and long driveways. Parking your car on the street would be foolish since we always have kids out there. Even now dyeing "schools I'm looking out my office window and see 5 kids outside playing basketball.

OP, maybe your price range dictates small cramped lots so this might be why it seems so insufferable. I definitely would like living on a street when cars weren't kept in garages. Looks messy and trashy.

[Anonymous]

Love ours. No drive through traffic. Everyone has garages so no cars it’s been very quiet and lively during this past COViD year.

[Anonymous]

I grew up on a cul-de-sac.

It was a crazy place to live. Everyone knew everyone else’s business. Their were multiple affairs between neighbors as well as divorces and re-marriages. We had people end up in prison, a kidnapping, hit-and-run, robberies. One guy fell off a cliff and disappeared for years but then reappeared but with amnesia.

But it was always sunny and we used to play cricket in the street.

And a few of my neighbors went on to become international music stars, particularly the local mechanic.

[Anonymous]

Just bought on one with an HOA. Big mistake. Neighbor has already been over to tell me not to park on the street in front of my own GD house, and that my magnolia tree needs pruning. I closed a week ago. Also, I’m the only POC and they are all original owner white people boomers, so I’m sure they are going to love ordering me around.

[Anonymous]

Cul de sacs are dead ends and bad feng shui. I refused to buy in one.