Great, another website I'm sure to get addicted to and spend way too much time reading instead of getting my work done.
Quote:
Originally Posted by slowmover
But selling the suburban house and moving into the city makes most sense of all. And to a major metro with decent public transportation. The "future" is down to about [5] North American cities.
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You have that backwards. The rural areas are the cheapest places to live, and public transit is more expensive (in the U.S.)
I can get a nice steak dinner for $9 in Enid OK, or 1 Stella Artois (because they don't have craft) beer in Miami FL. If you look at the cost of living, there is a very positive correlation with population density. When you look at public transit, it's always in crisis. Between outrageous fares and additional property taxes funding these infrastructures, they are still always complaining about not having enough funding. A month pass on the Portland MAX runs $100. For the same money, I can get 800 miles of wherever the heck I want to drive in my marginally fuel efficient TSX (I spend ~$135/mo, and have never ridden the MAX).
Cities won't be the cheap living option until farmland is more valuable than the suburban home that would otherwise occupy it. This would require a population much greater than we have now, which seems unlikely given the slowing in the population growth rate.