ERE City (US)

All the different ways of solving the shelter problem. To be static or mobile? Roots, legs, or wheels?
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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by jacob »

jacob wrote:
Fri Mar 31, 2023 11:44 am
Not that I'm aware of.
Actually, that's not entirely true. There was (and possibly still is) such a group in Copenhagen doing regular IRL meetups of 10ish people with people taking turns hosting. This is part of why there are so few Danes left here on the forum. I should try to figure out how they made it work.

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by zbigi »

jacob wrote:
Fri Mar 31, 2023 1:43 pm
Actually, that's not entirely true. There was (and possibly still is) such a group in Copenhagen doing regular IRL meetups of 10ish people with people taking turns hosting. This is part of why there are so few Danes left here on the forum. I should try to figure out how they made it work.
39 subway stations in a city of just 600k? :) When I visited, Copenhagen looked very easy to get around.

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by jacob »

zbigi wrote:
Sat Apr 01, 2023 6:26 am
39 subway stations in a city of just 600k? :) When I visited, Copenhagen looked very easy to get around.
Initially I was going to make that claim, but since I haven't lived in Copenhagen, I don't know how easy it is to get around. However, compared to Chicagoland, the Copenhagen area is ~10 times smaller in population and area, so it is more likely that the Copenhagen group simply live close together corresponding to if all the 15 or so EREmites in Chicagoland all lived in the same neighborhood, which we do not.

The combined Copenhagen area (consecutive suburbs with no farms or nature in between) contains close to 1M people or about 1/5th of the population of the entire country.

More subway stations may not necessarily be better if it makes for constant stopping and going. This is generally the problem with "inclusive" bus-systems that stop once every km. It can take a long time to pick up everybody from so many stops. The problem with Chicago's L-train system is the spoke design. It's no problem to go downtown, but if you want to visit one of the other spokes, you first have to go all the way downtown and then back out again. There are no outer loops for the subway in Chicago. This also goes for busses and cars. This is likely because US cities tend to be arranged on a grid. Conversely, many European cities have a medieval jumble of a center (easily walkable, crazy to drive) but then concentric "ring streets" as one goes further out making it possible to go around instead of going through the center. What also makes Copenhagen a winner is that it is very bicycle friendly. Technically it would also be possible to make Chicagoland cycling friendly. I mean, I live 8 miles from downtown. It would take me under half an hour to bike in if I had a "lane" to do so; faster than driving. As it is, it's proper suicidal/immortals only. There are a few 'hods that have lanes, like Wicker Park.

TL;DR - If you want to have a social life in Chicago, it's best to live near the Loop.

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grundomatic
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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by grundomatic »

mathiverse wrote:
Thu Mar 30, 2023 6:04 pm
Have any ERE cities or neighborhoods developed over time since the discussion in this thread? For example, are there 5+ ERE people in a single city where people regularly meet up?

I may get a chance to move somewhere new next year and I'd love to move somewhere with ERE peeps. Bonus points if it is a city that is resilient to climate change since I'm hoping to make this next move a longer term stay (1 - 2 decades, if possible), but even if it's not climate change resilient, I'd like to hear about it if there are enough ERE people around.
I'm working on it. Right now I have a network of 2. It seems I've convinced 2 others that were looking for a change anyhow to at least come check it out in fabulous Tucson. If they like it and move, and you do too, that would be your 5 people. You want to come check it out? Talk about it here? Have a video conference?

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by mathiverse »

@grundomatic: I'd be interested in hearing your opinion on the place. I saw it was already mentioned twice before.
unno2002 wrote:
Tue Feb 07, 2017 2:03 am
Acting on our own, on retirement we moved to the city of Tucson, Arizona. “Great” for independent minded retirees, no. Ok, yes. Services are here. If you keep to yourself, you are left alone. In the right home, your heat/cooling costs are not bad. It rains, enough that if collected it can provide for a modest garden. Regarding firearms Arizona essentially respects the US Constitution.
rjack wrote:
Fri Jul 22, 2011 1:05 pm
1) Local farms for food sources

2) Easy to bicycle

3) Warm climate (no snow)

4) Low taxes

5) Gay friendly (I have a gay son and I want him to visit. Also, I consider Gay friendly a proxy for open-minded/liberal).

6) Good soil for vegetable gardening

7) Affordable housing
I'm not sure I can find a place that meets all these criteria, but I'm considering places like Gainesville, FL, Chapel Hill, NC, Austin TX, and Tucson, AZ.
Do you think all the mentioned qualities still hold? What are your thoughts on the town?

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by Frita »

Based on where I currently am, I would also want a community with a critical mass of people who are win-win or win-win-win focused. Always needing someone to lose creates problems. I feel isolated in a place like this regardless of how good it looks and not being personally targeted.

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by mathiverse »

Frita wrote:
Mon Apr 03, 2023 9:39 am
Based on where I currently am, I would also want a community with a critical mass of people who are win-win or win-win-win focused. Always needing someone to lose creates problems.
That seems interesting, but I don't know if I've noticed one or the other dynamic in the places I've lived before. I would probably miss the signs that mean this is a problem. Would you mind sharing some examples?

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by macg »

Follow-up questions on Tucson, what neighborhoods are best for walkability? I've only been there once, but it was for a golf trip, so I didn't investigate neighborhoods. I'm currently expanding my search for possibilities for my next move. I would want to rent, and I don't own a car. Any information is appreciated, thanks!

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by grundomatic »

@ mathiverse
Short answer is yes, but since I am trying to sell you I had better elaborate.

1. There are (somewhat) local farms that sell at farmers markets, including at least one done as CSA. I prefer to take the veggies from the waste stream. 2 places within 2 miles of my house sell a box of “rescued” veggies Saturdays Nov-May for $10.

2. It’s easy to bicycle, and if you plan/position yourself right it can even be enjoyable–quiet “bicycle avenues” rather than designated lanes on busy streets.

3. Oh, it’s warm. Think of it as opposite winter. June-Sept is brutal, no doubt. We get up early to beat the sun, but otherwise most people don’t want to be outside. However, one original selling point for me was when I came for El Tour and was cycling in short sleeves in November, and eating dinner outside comfortably.

4. Low taxes–the state income tax is 2.5%, and property taxes are lowish, at least compared to what others here have said–currently $1268 a year for our modest 3/1 SFH.

5. DW volunteers every year at the pride festival, goes to drag shows at local bar, goes to a monthly female storyteller’s event, etc., so it seems to me there is a community here focused on that type of thing. What it looks like from the inside, I have no idea.

6. The soil depends on your lot. Gardening will need to be adjusted for the desert, but the county library maintains a seed library featuring things that presumably do well here, as well as resources for what to plant when. Rainbarrel highly recommended.

7. Whether the housing is affordable depends who you ask. Ask the person that just sold their house in California, and it’s a bargain. Ask a “local” whose salary has not gone up 80% in the past 5 years like the home prices, and it seems pricey. Retail rent is just as bad, though there are deals to be found for those that are determined.

I’ll try to describe the “vibe” without stirring up trouble. I’ll try to avoid political words. The laws in Arizona tend to be on the side of personal freedom. I find the people in Tucson to be open minded. There’s a major college here. I think having an Air Force base, as well as it being a “traditional retirement” location with transplants and snowbirds from the midwest is what keeps it from becoming the full-blown Portland of the SW. Homelessness is an issue because except the hottest months, it’s a nice place to live outside. There is crime and neighborhoods are very patchy in town–the feel and look can change from street to street. “Bougie” and “scary” sometimes live very close to each other. Being surrounded by mountains makes for some nice views. It also limits the sprawl to two corridors along “the 10”, making for much more infill, redevelopment, and renovation in the city than other places. I really, really don’t want to start a climate change war, so I’ll acknowledge it could become unlivable here, and it could also be that in the short/medium term it might be better to live in the place that can handle a few more days over 100 degrees vs the place not ready for things to get hotter.

Happy to answer any other questions about the city. Hard to know where to start and where to stop. In some ways, it’s just like any other place in the US. In other ways, it’s quite different.

@Frita
It’s kinda what I’m working towards.

@macg
You are going to want to be downtown or midtown–too many neighborhood names to list. Also depends how far you want to walk and what you want nearby. Give me your range and needs and I can probably pick something out. If you are willing to bicycle things get much, much better, especially midtown, but even out towards the burbs in some cases.

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by macg »

grundomatic wrote:
Mon Apr 03, 2023 2:40 pm
@macg
You are going to want to be downtown or midtown–too many neighborhood names to list. Also depends how far you want to walk and what you want nearby. Give me your range and needs and I can probably pick something out. If you are willing to bicycle things get much, much better, especially midtown, but even out towards the burbs in some cases.
My main hope is to be within 1 - 2 miles of a grocery store and a library. I work from home, so I don't want to be right in the center of any "party spots", where it would be noisy until bars close... So a boring neighborhood lol. Walking and bicycling are my modes of transportation. Thanks!

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by grundomatic »

@macg

I’ll use intersections as a guide. I used to live near Speedway and Swan, and it was great. There is a Sprout’s nearby which is great for bulk goods and produce, and then Fry’s isn’t far up the road for when you don’t want to spend $4 for a jar of peanut butter. There is a super small library just a few blocks behind the Sprout’s where you can pick up anything you’ve requested from the entire library system. It is also by the 3rd St Bicycle Boulevard, which will get you to the university or downtown should you ever want to do that.

I now live near Craycroft and Golf Links, and there is a Walmart Neighborhood Market close to my house, but the produce isn’t very good so we shop at Fry’s on the way home from work. Still easy enough to bike from there. The closest library is further away, but still still within 2 miles.

I have a couple coworkers that live near Grant and Alvernon, who used Dodge [Bike] Boulevard to bike to work before they started carpooling. Think there is a Walmart there. Whenever I drive by I think to myself how that intersection seems to attract the weirdest people in the city. I suppose that’s what makes the area affordable. Or maybe the area being affordable attracts those people. Probably both. You’d probably still be using the library near my old place.

Those places would be a good start for an ERE home base search. There are probably other good spots that I am just not familiar with. If you spot something elsewhere, I could go scope it out or ask around.

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by Frita »

mathiverse wrote:
Mon Apr 03, 2023 10:23 am
That seems interesting, but I don't know if I've noticed one or the other dynamic in the places I've lived before. I would probably miss the signs that mean this is a problem. Would you mind sharing some examples?
Sure, I was reflecting on the zero-sum game where one has the advantage at the cost of someone else. (I would argue that often times there is only a short-term gain with the victor ultimately losing.). Win-win is advantageous to both sides because they are able to engage, learn from each other, compromise, and possibly co-create a better solution. Win-win-win has others (to include the environment and future generations) in mind.

I live in a place that has great recreation, natural beauty, and a concentration of well-educated people. But there aren’t many jobs and the majority pay poorly. And it’s expensive to live here. That brings out a dog-eat-dog culture to include nepotism, throwing people under the bus to get some sort of advantage, and turning a blind eye to shady stuff.

Ironically, part of the surface narrative is how caring and awesome we are. (Granted, we have a concentration of non-profits created as employment.). The reality is quite different. Most people are insular. There is little to no discussion as it could mean job/business loss. Avoidance and blaming are common.

Example: The police chief hired a good ol’ boy who had lost a couple jobs after unnecessarily killing people. (His father is a former head of law enforcement.) Fast forward this guy unnecessarily shot (and killed) a person in the back. The investigation went nowhere. The officer with the trigger finger was promoted to detective with a big raise within months. Finally a grand jury was held but the district attorney sealed the case. The murdered man’s family sued at that point. The chief, the DA, and the detective are no longer employed. (This is actually improvement, but I don’t feel safe or have much trust in the system here.)

Edit: Corrected verb tenses from present to past

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by macg »

grundomatic wrote:
Tue Apr 04, 2023 11:07 am
Those places would be a good start for an ERE home base search. There are probably other good spots that I am just not familiar with. If you spot something elsewhere, I could go scope it out or ask around.
Thanks so much! I will research and let you know if I have any more questions.

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by grundomatic »

Since I'm trying to sell my city, I thought I'd elaborate on the "rescued" produce available.

This organization saves produce from being dumped in the landfill at the Mexican border: https://borderlandsproducerescue.org/

They then send it to places like the church-run food bank in my neighborhood: https://www.facebook.com/valueveggies/

As an aside, arriving on my bike today made for better connection than just driving my car through. I asked a couple questions and was subsequently hit up to volunteer.

Here is a picture of what I got today. $10, 22lbs of produce:

Image

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by Frita »

8-)
grundomatic wrote:
Sat Apr 08, 2023 5:09 pm
Just finished a delicious tabbouleh bowl so the produce looks tempting. I used to volunteer with produce rescue in Denver (Metro Caring https://www.metrocaring.org/) and was shocked how much great stuff is trashed. (And I discovered that collards are even taster than kale.) Are the veggies organic? And what are your favorite ways to use the medley of peppers?

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by grundomatic »

Every once in a while the veggies are organic–which makes it feel like an even bigger win. Right now the peppers mostly get used in sandwiches and stir fry, with other favorites being fajitas, tacos, stuffed pepper soup, and greek salad when I want to get fancy and spend on feta cheese and olives.

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by Frita »

grundomatic wrote:
Tue Apr 11, 2023 9:58 am
Every once in a while the veggies are organic–which makes it feel like an even bigger win. Right now the peppers mostly get used in sandwiches and stir fry, with other favorites being fajitas, tacos, stuffed pepper soup, and greek salad when I want to get fancy and spend on feta cheese and olives.
Indeed, organic seems to be double the cost. Some local growers are not certified and pass the savings on. I would like a part-time weed for veggies exchange, if they ever need some help.

Delicious inspiration, thanks, Greek salad (or sandwiches with fluffy pita) has fallen off of my radar. (It’s now intermittently warmer—with a high of 70 degrees today!—so soup seem less appealing.) Do your weekly walk and talks ever involve other activities like shared meals?

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by lillo9546 »

Why the US, and not other countries like Germany, France, Italy, UK, etc?

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by chenda »

lillo9546 wrote:
Mon Jun 12, 2023 7:10 am
Why the US, and not other countries like Germany, France, Italy, UK, etc?
There are other threads about Europe and other continents.

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Re: ERE City (US)

Post by grundomatic »

My neighbor across the street is moving, house going on the market March 1. All their plumbing has been updated (as well as floors & kitchen, I think), the house just had energy efficiency work done, and has a new roof. Price will probably be between $200k and $250k. The high was 70F today when I was weed-whacking their yard for them. Who wants to come be my neighbor? I can make zucchini bread and we can get into all kinds of shenanigans.

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