Living Car Free - Best cities for living car-free?

Great public transportation, bike friendly etc.
:thumb:thanks.

What kind of citiy do you have in mind? I mean climate wise, size, region, culturally & politically, job opportunities, etc.

Great public transportation, bike friendly etc.
:thumb:thanks.

I think great public transportation is a bit of a tough one in most parts of the US, but if you're talking bike-friendly culture and/or good bike infrastructure, I have these (not very original) suggestions:

1. Boulder, CO (not that much public transport, except to the Denver airport; very good bike infrastructure; bike culture so accepted no one even discusses it)
2. Denver, CO (Light rail in early stages of development; excellent bike infrastructure; less expensive than other places on this list, and just as nice as Portland and Seattle, if you don't mind living really far away from water; pretty flat, with good weather 9 months a year)
3. Portland (Portlandia describes this city as a place where young people go to retire)
4. Seattle (Decent, but not great, bus system; bike infrastructure is mediocre but improving; local culture very supportive of bike use, esp. in-city, but also in most suburbs; lots of hills)
5. San Francisco (Good public transport, in my experience; very nice weather; surprisingly bike-friendly; you'd better be rich as F*** if you want to live in-city, or at least be willing to share housing; really steep hills)

I would add Sacramento. One of the first cities to start putting its trolley system back in during the '80s, large enough to have some urban amenities, but still possible to go for a long ride in the country without driving to it and regular trains to the Bay Area (like fifteen per day). Plus, there is a growing movement to build a velodrome on city park land. Add in the mild climate (you get used to 110F highs in the summer), and it's a decent place.

What about the weather? Not too many cold and wet days?

A.

i've been car-free in chicago for over a decade now. i don't know if it's the best car-free city out there (i haven't ever lived anywhere else so how could i know that?), but i make it work for me, with the city's good transit system picking up the slack when our challenging weather makes cycling a less appealing option. i'd say i'm like a 60-70% winter bike commuter; if it's 4 degrees outside or there's 2 feet of snow on the ground, i'm on the train.

i've been car-free in chicago for over a decade now. i don't know if it's the best car-free city out there (i haven't ever lived anywhere else so how could i know that?), but i make it work for me, with the city's good transit system picking up the slack when our challenging weather makes cycling a less appealing option. i'd say i'm like a 60-70% winter bike commuter; if it's 4 degrees outside or there's 2 feet of snow on the ground, i'm on the train.

You can live car-free in NYC easily as well, but the weather makes it often very unpleasant and the traffic can get bad enough to slow down bicycles. I'd much prefer a place with a milder climate: less humid Summers and warmer Winters and less car traffic.

Louisville KY won't win any awards, but I like the climate here. Public transportation is not great, but it exists.

If you're willing to live and work in the central part of the city (inside the 264 loop) it can be quite easy to get around by bike. There's an up-and-coming bicycle community here. I love the monthly car-free happy hour.

Louisville is also affordable and has not been hit as hard as some areas by the recession.

If you're talking only US cities, I hear Boston is nice, in addition to the usual suspects.

I'm car-free in Toronto, Ontario, and it's no problem at all.

You might want to look at zipcar.com and see which cities they are in, it's a nice thing to have if you're car-free.

I live car free in San Jose, CA. The weather here is very good for cycling, there is decent public transit between a light rail system, buses and a commuter train that connects us to San Francisco. I agree with Spudd that availability of Zipcar makes car free life much easier, and they are not really available in San Jose. I also lived in Boston, and weather was not nearly as agreeable, the road maintenance was atrocious, and the drivers were terrible, but a very good public transit system and a walkable city core made it another place where car free living is not difficult. Boston also has good access to Zipcar.

Louisville KY won't win any awards, but I like the climate here. Public transportation is not great, but it exists.

If you're willing to live and work in the central part of the city (inside the 264 loop) it can be quite easy to get around by bike. There's an up-and-coming bicycle community here. I love the monthly car-free happy hour.

Louisville is also affordable and has not been hit as hard as some areas by the recession.

Louisville, KY keeps coming up often. I actually have a friend who moved there from NYC and I have been meaning to finally come over to visit him. I already looked up rents and salaries and they compare very favorably to NYC: you make less, but cost of living is even lower so you come out ahead. I just need get off my lazy butt.

I love small-town Florida. It's always riding weather. If you need a little more action without chaos, Gainesville would be a good choice. They've got massive bike lanes all over town. If you go to Miami, Orlando, etc, I wish you luck, but not for me, thanks.

Portlandia FTW !
Our city is currently installing new and improved bike lanes and reforming laws.
However I must say, our road rage is high!

Great public transportation, bike friendly etc.
:thumb:thanks.

Copenhagen (Odense is actually nicer), Amsterdam, Hamburg, Stockholm, Oslo,...

I always vote for my hometown of Lansing, Michigan because it's been so good to me. Good housing, not too much traffic, one of the best public transit systems in the country, first city to pass Complete Streets as a ballot referendum, nice climate, big university.....

I live car free in San Jose, CA. The weather here is very good for cycling, there is decent public transit between a light rail system, buses and a commuter train that connects us to San Francisco. I agree with Spudd that availability of Zipcar makes car free life much easier, and they are not really available in San Jose. I also lived in Boston, and weather was not nearly as agreeable, the road maintenance was atrocious, and the drivers were terrible, but a very good public transit system and a walkable city core made it another place where car free living is not difficult. Boston also has good access to Zipcar.

To this, I'll toss in most Bay Area towns - same weather, towns on the west end of the bay have CalTrain (commuter rail), San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and Mountain View have light rail; the east bay has BART (like the DC Metro). Which town is better depends on where you work. I've been living in Santa Clara for over a year and am fairly car lite (nature of my job still requires a vehicle).

I think Platy will agree with me that Austin, Texas is pretty darn good for living car free.
You only get a couple months of really cold weather, the city is populated but not that spread out, buses have bike racks, metro rail has bike hooks, significant amount of bike lanes, and there are enough people biking on a daily basis where motorists are well aware of us.

To be fair I'm car lite, not completely car free but I'm car free more than 3/4 of my week and I have no trouble getting where I need to go.

I think Platy will agree with me that Austin, Texas is pretty darn good for living car free.
Generally yes, I'm in agreement about that. We've developed quite a sprawl that extends into the scenic but hilly areas to the west, where the cycling can be challenging. Hi-tech workers here often find their jobs moving from one place to another every few years, so today's perfect car free living situation can turn into tomorrow's nightmare commute. Having said all that, Austin's got a lot of positives for car free living which you already mentioned.

I'll agree with the earlier poster who mentioned Toronto.

Also, give serious consideration to Victoria, British Columbia and Vancouver, British Columbia, in that order. Both have a mild, albeit damp, marine climate, but Victoria has put a little more effort into making itself bike friendly.

Nanaimo is also worth some consideration and it has a beautiful and compact downtown area. Make sure to visit that city for yourself. It's got a rather quirky character. Not everybody likes it.

I would like to say Portland, OR is not the best and is way overrated.

The drivers here are the worst I have ever experiance in my life. I am almost hit about once a week. In fact I was almost hit twice only tonight, and once yesterday. Dont you just love it when a driver looks you directly in the eyes and proceeds to try and end your life.

Pedestrian deaths are up more than 35%. And in general there is no repercussions for hitting or killing a pedestrian or cyclist.

There are alot of things to love about the area, but dealing with drivers is not one of them.

Louisville, KY keeps coming up often. I actually have a friend who moved there from NYC and I have been meaning to finally come over to visit him. I already looked up rents and salaries and they compare very favorably to NYC: you make less, but cost of living is even lower so you come out ahead. I just need get off my lazy butt.

I'm also thinking Louisville wouldn't be so bad. The weather isn't much worse than Seattle, it's way, way less expensive, and culturally it has almost nothing to do with the rest of the state that elected Rand Paul into office. Personally, I'm kind of enamored with the idea of actually being able to afford a house on a teacher's salary, which is totally impossible here in Seattle...

I'll agree with the earlier poster who mentioned Toronto.

Also, give serious consideration to Victoria, British Columbia and Vancouver, British Columbia, in that order. Both have a mild, albeit damp, marine climate, but Victoria has put a little more effort into making itself bike friendly.

Nanaimo is also worth some consideration and it has a beautiful and compact downtown area. Make sure to visit that city for yourself. It's got a rather quirky character. Not everybody likes it.

I like Nanaimo. It's kind of like a (very slightly) classier version of Tacoma. It's in the shadow of a more glamorous city, but it's a place where people, you know, actually do real work, instead of just operating wine bars and making espresso.

i agree with bragi i too like nanaimo

You can live car-free in NYC easily as well, but the weather makes it often very unpleasant and the traffic can get bad enough to slow down bicycles. I'd much prefer a place with a milder climate: less humid Summers and warmer Winters and less car traffic.
we're all different when it comes to weather. having lived in chicago for three and a half decades since my birth, this kind of climate is all that i know and i'm more than capable of rolling with the meteorological punches by now. as i said before, when chicago's winter weather is less conducive to cycling, the transit system here really helps me fill in the gaps of my car-free lifestyle. to me, absolutely no city can be considered a great place to live car-free unless there is a comprehensive transit system of trains and buses to supplement walking & biking.

as for big city traffic, i've had precious few encounters with d-bag motorists over the years in chicago, but i think i can attribute some of that to knowing my city so freaking well (i've been here for 35 years afterall) that i not only know what routes are best avoided, but i also know all of the side-street get-arounds that allow me to avoid the places where motorists are most likely to behave like jerks.

I'm also thinking Louisville wouldn't be so bad. The weather isn't much worse than Seattle, it's way, way less expensive, and culturally it has almost nothing to do with the rest of the state that elected Rand Paul into office. Personally, I'm kind of enamored with the idea of actually being able to afford a house on a teacher's salary, which is totally impossible here in Seattle...

The weather isn't drastically better than NYC, but the Winters are milder and shorter. However, summers can be really hot and humid, but that's not much different from NYC. It's more laid back I was told. The NYC rush is getting on my nerves. Also, my biggest problem with living in Queens or Brooklyn is that you live on a crowded island with expensive and crowded bridges and lousy bike access to the mainland. At worst, I 'd like to move to New Jersey or upstate NY to be able to ride places on weekends without having to take a train out of the city or ride through ugly suburbs for hours.

I'm trying frantically to pay off my debts, save some money and simplify my belongings to make a long distance move a bit more realistic and easier to pull off.

we're all different when it comes to weather. having lived in chicago for three and a half decades since my birth, this kind of climate is all that i know and i'm more than capable of rolling with the meteorological punches by now.

I grew up and spend the first 22 years of my life in Poland which has cold and snowy Winters and lousy short, wet Summers. But after moving to USA I did experience milder climates during my few trips to the South and started craving them more eventually. I don't know, maybe it's my age, maybe it's my depression but my tolerance for cold, gloomy weather is getting lower every year. I often call in sick on snowy, cold days or even when it's cold and raining hard simply because I can't deal emotionally with wet and cold. I get weary and fatigued during Winters. I hate bundling up too, I feel best in shorts and t-shirt when I feel warm air against my skin. I'm at the point I have to do something because I was quite dysfunctional during this Winter. It was particularly snowy Winter, but still, I want outta here :D

PS.: Sorry for hijacking the thread

A little clarification on the climate in Louisville - We have winter. Some times it's bad, other times it's not. I've lived in the area just over ten years. We've had a number a "major" snow events. We've had one really bad ice storm. Just last Sunday we had a tornado in town.

I'm spent most of my life in Michigan, so winter here seems quite nice. Warmer winters does mean riding in cold rain more often. I'd rather ride in 28F and snowing than 33F and raining.

Also, although the bus service here isn't great, all the buses have bike racks. I've used them a few times.

A little clarification on the climate in Louisville - We have winter. Some times it's bad, other times it's not. I've lived in the area just over ten years. We've had a number a "major" snow events. We've had one really bad ice storm. Just last Sunday we had a tornado in town.

I'm spent most of my life in Michigan, so winter here seems quite nice. Warmer winters does mean riding in cold rain more often. I'd rather ride in 28F and snowing than 33F and raining.

Also, although the bus service here isn't great, all the buses have bike racks. I've used them a few times.

I know you have Winters, but how long do they last? My friend told me they got just as much snow as we did during the last snowfall, but right now it's much warmer there than in NYC.

Do you get these crazy temperature differences when it can be 45F one day and 22F next morning then back up to 40s by the end of the day?

I know you have Winters, but how long do they last? My friend told me they got just as much snow as we did during the last snowfall, but right now it's much warmer there than in NYC.

Do you get these crazy temperature differences when it can be 45F one day and 22F next morning then back up to 40s by the end of the day?

The winters here are quite variable. This winter has been cold, but not a lot of snow. In the winter of 2004/2005 we had quite a bit of snow. The winter of 2000/2001 (or was it 2001/2002?) was no snow. I've ridden my bike in December in 70F and in March in 30F. It just depends.

Yes, temperature fluctuations are pretty crazy.

Summer is hot and humid, but I rather like it. If you have allergies, you may want to consider elsewhere. Pollen counts are high here from early spring to early winter. I've never had allergy issues, until I moved here.

I'm planning a five-day mini-tour toward the end of this month. I won't be camping, but it could be a cold, wet, tour.

Thanks!

This is a popular topic and there are a number of older threads that you might want to search for.

Truth is, in most cities there are sections that are good and sections that are bad. Figure out where the good section of your city is and move there.

I'm also thinking Louisville wouldn't be so bad. The weather isn't much worse than Seattle, it's way, way less expensive, and culturally it has almost nothing to do with the rest of the state that elected Rand Paul into office. Personally, I'm kind of enamored with the idea of actually being able to afford a house on a teacher's salary, which is totally impossible here in Seattle...

Here in Lansing a teacher could afford a very nice house--a mansion, almost.

This is a popular topic and there are a number of older threads that you might want to search for.

Truth is, in most cities there are sections that are good and sections that are bad. Figure out where the good section of your city is and move there.

Yes. Almost any city is a good carfree city if you move to the right location, and you know what you're doing. Carfree success is at least as much mental as geographical.

I'm partial to small towns and small cities, which has advantages and disadvantages for car-free or car-light living. Not all small communities are created equal. For car-free and car-light living, a couple of points must be considered.

Small communities don't usually have great transit systems, especially not when compared with the bigger centres. For this reason, it's important the community can accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.

Small communities also don't tend to have all services in town. Eventually, some out-of-town trips are necessary. This is the biggest limit to car-free or car-light living in a small town. If there is a good regional transportation system, car-free living can work. Otherwise, it will be impossible.

The weather is pretty brutal in the winter in Minneapolis, but the city itself is very pro-bike. Drivers are pretty nice for the most part. Transit is pretty good: decent bus system, north/south lightrail, and a much needed lightrail to connect downtown Minneapolis/St. Paul is now in the works.

I'd rather ride in 28F and snowing than 33F and raining.


Not me. I'll take cold and wet over cold and icy every time. :)

Here in Lansing a teacher could afford a very nice house--a mansion, almost.

But could that teacher find employment?

Figure out where the good section of your city is and move there.

Oh, if it were only that easy.
Truth is here, like most cities, there's a 'good' section or two but they are so sought after that rent and property values are mega inflated. Here in Austin I'd love to live in Hyde park. Centrally located. Closer to my job than I am now. Close to downtown. Almost every conceivable bus line to get to the outskirts of the city if necessary. Bikes everywhere. Coffee shops everywhere. Yep, found a good section of the city.
Move there? Not possible for me. The rent there is several hundred dollars more for quite a bit less. And a home that would go for $120,000 anywhere else in the city goes for $250,000 plus in Hyde park.

Of course it can be done if your crafty enough. I've got friends who live there with 5 or 6 roommates to offset the costs. Or you can live in a dive but even they are pricey.

Funny enough, it seems like you have to find a good part of town, then live just outside of that to get the best of both worlds.

Well, by good, I don't mean Lexus's and McMansions. You have to balance everything. I live in an inexpensive apartment in a quiet neighborhood with a bus line at the corner. No coffee shops, but just about every store, bank, movie and post office you'd need. Even two bike stores within a mile or two. That's why, when I got a job 10 miles away, I didn't move. There was no place like this near work.

All things pass. I no longer work there, so all has returned to it's original state and I'm much happier.

...Here in Austin...
One part of town I like is the neighborhood around West Anderson and Burnet. There's a busy metro transfer station, a more than adequate Sun Harvest grocery market, and tons of useful/interesting retail.

Another good neighborhood for carfree is the student area near Far West & Mopac. The big advantages there are the HEB, the retail strip on Far West, the frequent shuttle bus service to the university, and the bike/ped bridge from Mopac to Shoal Creek Blvd.

I lived on the east side for seven years and I liked it. Less useful/interesting retail there the further you get from IH35, though.

I've lived blissfully car-free in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, for about four years. If I went to clubs in Ft. Lauderdale I'd need a car as the public transportation leave much to be desired. But as I am a bit of an agoraphobe, this place is great. EVERYTHING (i.e. all common destinations) is within about 2 miles and my job was only 10 miles away. There are four superb commuter routes from here to Tequesta (north), including along the Atlantic Ocean. Flat as a, as a, um, frying pan. Bicycles are even allowed on the sidewalk here. We used to have only two very cold (e.g., 33-45 degrees) mornings; now we have more, and as long as you're indoors by 9:00 a.m. and willing to bike home after dark in the summer you'll be OK.

But could that teacher find employment?

Probably difficult for the 2010-2011 academic year, but will probably ease up after that. Teacher pay is very good too, especially in larger towns and cities.

Well, by good, I don't mean Lexus's and McMansions. You have to balance everything. I live in an inexpensive apartment in a quiet neighborhood with a bus line at the corner. No coffee shops, but just about every store, bank, movie and post office you'd need. Even two bike stores within a mile or two. That's why, when I got a job 10 miles away, I didn't move. There was no place like this near work.

All things pass. I no longer work there, so all has returned to it's original state and I'm much happier.

I always look for what I describe as "a quiet working class neighborhood." I like a mixture of rental and owner-occupied housing, as well as a nice mixture of ages, skin colors, sexual orientations, education levels, and accents. Actually, this describes a lot of the modest neighborhoods in a reasonably prosperous city.

I've lived blissfully car-free in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, for about four years. If I went to clubs in Ft. Lauderdale I'd need a car as the public transportation leave much to be desired. But as I am a bit of an agoraphobe, this place is great. EVERYTHING (i.e. all common destinations) is within about 2 miles and my job was only 10 miles away. There are four superb commuter routes from here to Tequesta (north), including along the Atlantic Ocean. Flat as a, as a, um, frying pan. Bicycles are even allowed on the sidewalk here. We used to have only two very cold (e.g., 33-45 degrees) mornings; now we have more, and as long as you're indoors by 9:00 a.m. and willing to bike home after dark in the summer you'll be OK.

This sounds very appealing, but something doesn't sound very... um... Floridian to me. Last time I was in Florida, albeit Tampa, even my wife complained about the cars.

One part of town I like is the neighborhood around West Anderson and Burnet. There's a busy metro transfer station, a more than adequate Sun Harvest grocery market, and tons of useful/interesting retail.

Another good neighborhood for carfree is the student area near Far West & Mopac. The big advantages there are the HEB, the retail strip on Far West, the frequent shuttle bus service to the university, and the bike/ped bridge from Mopac to Shoal Creek Blvd.

I lived on the east side for seven years and I liked it. Less useful/interesting retail there the further you get from IH35, though.

Funny you should mention it. I live on the east side, and a good ways from 35 (MLK and Springdale). I really don't like the lack of restaurants and things to do but you can't beat the public transportation options here and it's not so far from downtown or north austin that a good ride can't put me in the action.

My vote is for Pueblo, Colorado...an up-and-comer


www.alternativecommutepueblo.com

Atlanta, Georgia has lots of bike paths and lanes that go through the city, and that's where I live. So there goes my vote!

Well, by good, I don't mean Lexus's and McMansions. You have to balance everything. I live in an inexpensive apartment in a quiet neighborhood with a bus line at the corner. No coffee shops, but just about every store, bank, movie and post office you'd need. Even two bike stores within a mile or two. That's why, when I got a job 10 miles away, I didn't move. There was no place like this near work.

All things pass. I no longer work there, so all has returned to it's original state and I'm much happier.

Awesome. That sounds very Zen.

St George! :)

jk... it's great for the fact that it's so small.

Atlanta, Georgia has lots of bike paths and lanes that go through the city, and that's where I live. So there goes my vote!

Atlanta is an interesting mix of yes you can, and damned near impossible. You have to choose. FWIW I have traveled to Atlanta regularly in the past for business. We would fly in, take the MARTA down to our hotel (http://www.ellishotel.com/) then walk where we needed to go. I love car free trips. On occasion due to luggage or time constraints we would use a car service to and from the airport. I just wish Amtrak had better service to and from Atlanta.

Aaron :)