Search for no car living

Vanity | Vanity - By Prost

[Boazo]

Hooterville

[thoughtomator]

I can get cuisine from fifty different countries within a reasonable walk of my home. Cities are not just crowding and grit.

[ml/nj]

New York City.

I grew up on (car mandatory) Long Island. When I was a senior in college my parents moved to the east side of Manhattan, and sold their car the same day. There were two car rental agencies on their block, and maybe they rented a car three days a year until they moved to south Florida 18 years later.

ML/NJ

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Dinkytown.

[dinodino]

Jax is a poor choice. It's very spread out here and not a good place for someone who wants to walk everywhere.

[ml/nj]

Isn't that a picture of Lake Shore Drive?

ML/NJ

[VeniVidiVici]

Naturally housing should be at least resaonble...

Obviously, reading some of these posts, everybody has a different idea of what "reasonable" is.

It really depends on the lifestyle you are looking for. If it were me, given the same requirements as you state, I'd look for a college town in the South.

Cities *would* be an ideal choice but you'd probably need roommates.

[JOHANNES801]

I guess it all depends on what a person likes and wants out of this life.I was born on a farm and grew up hunting and trapping.I have been to many cities in my younger days but always felt kind of trapped.My wife grew up in the African bush so the country is best for us.

[lonevoice]

Welcome to Free Republic! There are hundreds of cities and towns in the US that would meet the criteria of cars not being a necessity. You need to provide more criteria if you really want reasonable suggestions.

You said "housing should be at least reasonable". That's a very subjective criteria. Can you give some approximation of what, to you, constitutes reasonable?

Also, you mention you're a senior. Does this mean you're retired? Or, will you or your spouse be looking for work? If you'd be looking for a job, what type of work do you do? That would be a big factor in where you live. If you're retired, you'll have a lot more options.

Do you have some climate preference?

[dufekin]

I'm not sure from where you will be coming, or if you will need a job in any certain industry, but here are some general suggestions:

Alaska. Yeah, most of it is very cold; however, the coastal communities like Kodiak, Juneau, and Ketchikan have surprisingly mild winters for their latitude. Surprisingly few Alaskans own and use cars, and many communities are not connected to the road or ferry systems. Most communities in the Alexander Archipelago (Juneau, Ketchikan, and Sitka, for example) are accessible only by air and sea. Alaska is generally rather expensive in cost of living, but not as excessive as some liberal-infested cities.

Small island communities, such as Tangier (Virginia) may be workable; however, they can be subject to prolonged and severe tidal flooding and lack access to the mainland when the surrounding water freezes. Ferry service may be limited, and a private boat may be advisable. As with remote parts of Alaska, these communities may lack adequate emergency medical services as ambulances may be required to travel by ferry.

Major cities. Generally expensive to live, but many have varying qualities of public transportation. Cost of living will vary considerably from city to city and from state to state. In some areas, it may be possible to walk to most destinations safely. Check a cost-of-living calculator, and consider property taxes and cost of housing before locating.

Small cities. Usually having populations near 40,000, these communities will have dimensions on the order of a few miles (10 km maximum from end to end for many of these), which, if equipped with sidewalks, could be walkable in good weather (not ice) or available for safe bicycling. Most urban areas in America have a population density somewhat more than 1,000 people per square mile.

College towns. Plenty of young people (including more than a fair share of unsupervised drunkards of both genders), but not much parking. They're generally more dense than normal cities but usually have good public transportation. Beware--many are dominated by liberals.

Cities with large blind populations. Blind people can't drive, right?

[3D-JOY]

My suggestion too...Celebration isn't cheap though. Disney property...need I say more!

Lots of small towns in Florida though....Check out Melbourne. Sea breeze and not as hot as South Florida in the summer.

[PAR35]

Simple, I have a cousin in Boston who hasn't had a car in 30 years. He travels all over the city by public transportation.

Of course, he is now subject to random, warrantless strip searches without probable cause for riding on the subway.

[AnAmericanMother]

Yeah, you can tell I'm a Southerner - nobody hauls their boat out around here except to clean and repaint. My folks (coastal GA) do keep theirs in their garage, but that's because their island has a communal boat dock with a lift, and there are limited moorings along the dock. Of course, they just have a little Whaler with a putt-putt Evinrude, but it's great for fishing, crabbing, and visiting remote beaches.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I'm just guessing the the "properties" of the picture say Lincon park. If so, that may be Chicago. If it is Chicago the boat slips are empty because it is either fall or spring and the boats are put up for the winter.

[Tobor]

I'm not sure, but I think it is possible to live full time on a cruise ship. The expense should be about the same as an assisted living home.

[AnAmericanMother]

I wonder if you oughtn't to look into a small coastal community as a possibility. My parents are very happy with their small Georgia coastal town (population 1700). They do have a car to get from their small island to town (via bridge and causeway), but it's easily walkable or bikeable (about two miles and flat as a table except for the hump in the bridge - my kids and I do it all the time). You would wind up not putting very many miles on the car. There's a grocery, drugstore, couple of general discount stores, a package store, several gas station/ convenience stores, a good hardware & marine supply, and several good restaurants right in town. A discount mall is out on I-95, about two miles from town. For medical care you really need to drive about 15 miles to Brunswick GA, and if you want to be REALLY high style, another 5 miles or so will get you to the fleshpots of St. Simons or Sea Island.

Of course, you WILL have to buy a boat. It's required. Even the poorest little tarpaper shack has a johnboat parked out front.

[Endeavor]

I now keep a boat in coastal Maine - put her in May 1st this year - it was cold! She'll come out by the first of October and go in the boat shed.

[AnAmericanMother]

Ouch! Too cold for me, I'm a southerner born and bred. Went swimming in Maine once in July - that was a tactical error. Of course, some of our mountain streams in the South are just as cold!