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MajorProblem50 t1_j1hzpnb wrote

Reply to comment by modernhomeowner in How people afford life in MA??? by [deleted]

Culture is everything imo. I lived in cheap areas like you mention and it's just so depressing. Cheap areas mean huge spaces, low population and depressing emptiness. It's just sad driving 15 minutes to go to the nearest grocery with huge empty parking lot and empty stores with sad and bored employees. Then there's the restaurants, nothing but chains. Just fast food or average chains everywhere. You'd have tasted all their cuisine within a month of living there. The most social thing most people can do is work and dinner. All of this eventually leads to depression and loneliness and consumption.

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modernhomeowner t1_j1i0joq wrote

Buffalo and Cleveland are not empty farmland. They are cities with pro sports teams (that normal people can afford to go to), gastropubs, hot pot, and outdoor yoga. Dunkin and Papa John's both failed in Buffalo, and local coffee shops are prevalent in city centers and libraries. Without the overpriced real estate and traffic jams. The Wegmans parking lot is just as crowded there.

And what good is the culture of a place if you have to work crazy hours, live so far away from the city to enjoy it, and your rent is so high you can't afford to go to Mare (My wife's favorite Boston restaurant).

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MajorProblem50 t1_j1ihgf5 wrote

Well that's my experience outside of Orlando FL. As for unaffordability, I don't have an opinion there. I know many people who exist in this state as single parents with multiple kids and then there's those that don't think they can exist because they aren't getting the best schools with the best neighborhoods and going out to $$$ restaurants. People have different needs and level of tolerance and adaptability.

In my experience, the most affordable place to live is wherever you have the most family. People you know who take care of each other. I think that's what culture means to some, people who you're familiar with and share the same interests. It's not the museums or fancy coffee shops or venues but activities that bring people who shares the same interest as you together. For example when mayor Wu close down a street and turns it into one big street food and open market area, bringing out many foodies. It's inexpensive because we all need to get there by public transportation and many businesses being in one location create more competition and choices for consumers.

Then there's a sense of freedom from anonymity. A place booming with a diverse culture provides a sense of freedom to do or be whatever you want without feeling of being judged. One can enjoy being alone without feeling lonely. It's a difference between dining alone at a crowded bar vs an empty restaurant. A place where you walk in and no one notices vs a place where everyone turns their head whenever someone new walks in.

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