Your fantasy home

I own my fantasy home, an elevated 3 bed 2 bath house, on 190 feet of oceanfront in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Fantastic diving, fishing, kayaking etc. Great weather year round, 75-85 degrees every day. Neighbors are a mix of Hollywood types, successful business people, and native islanders. Fish all day and drink cold beers and smoke cigars at night, heaven on earth.

I'm a city boy, too. I've enjoyed living in high-density areas. But now I prefer a slightly different kind of city living.

Picture a neighborhood built in the 1920s, a mix of colonials and Tudors and bungalows. Old trees, green lawns, sidewalks. Houses range in size from, say, 1400 to 3,000 square feet, if they have three livable floors. Lots are small, but not tiny; you don't look out from your dining room into your neighbor's car or bathroom, and you have a lawn big enough to garden.

There's a small town center in easy walking distance. You can get coffee, a drink, or a good meal; visit a few interesting shops; get your dry cleaning done or maybe even see a movie in a small, old theater. Public transport is right there--a trolley or a subway, not a bus. Pop in your token, or swipe your card, and you can quickly travel around town, or maybe into a bigger city right nearby.

A huge number of Americans used to live just like that, by the way. That description fits a lot of older American cities until the '60s or '70s.

This is a great topic! I'd like to live in a city that is within 2 miles of some great wineries and a nice private beach. A 24 hour diner, drug-store and grocery store within 1 mile. A safe track/park suitable for running or biking or dog-walking close by. Can we shorten winter from 4+ months to 3 weeks in this fantasy?

Major highways should be a 10 minute drive [can't hear them, but don't have to wangle for a half hour to reach them]. The airport should be within a half an hour. I'd need 1 great restaurant and 1 great bar should be within 2 miles. Less than a mile from public transit, but parking is also very important. I'd love 6 spots [2 garaged for our car and an antique we're fixing, and 4 outside for party guests].

I want neighbors close enough that they call the fire dept if they see smoke, but far enough that I do not have to talk to them all the time [sorry] and can have private yard parties. Big fenced yard for any pets. I love lofts but need my own structure, so a free-standing house that looks like a loft inside is perfect..and I'm stealing your roof-deck/ocean view idea.

Marcus you described Winchester perfectly...

Can we have two houses? For "everyday" life, I like the city. I like the convenience, and I like the proximity to work, people, activities, and services. I don't mind a certain amount of "bustle." But I like to garden, and I have dogs, so I wouldn't mind a second/vacation home on a slightly larger (but not enormous) bit of land. Maybe someplace like Rockport. I also don't mind a short walk to the beach. And I'd love to be able to get there for weekends by train. For city life, my current neighborhood in Dorchester is just about perfect. I have a bit of a yard, and I'm walking distance to Ashmont Station. Not bad at all.

Marcus' fantasy place sounds like JP to me.

LOL! I knew my description would get some cries of recognition! I don't think Boston really has a place like I'm describing, though; you find it more in the Middle Atlantic and Midwest. These were actual city neighborhoods, which lets Winchester out (so do the inflated prices, but we're not talking money here); plus, only part of Winchester is really that walkable to the center. JP isn't what I mean, either; too congested, and too Victorian. My type of 'hood was part of the 20th century City Beautiful movement, I think. Brookline followed City Beautiful ideas, but it's not a good example of what I mean--Coolidge Corner and Washington Square have too much multifamily housing, while the single families are more isolated, and on loopy winding streets truly meant for cars.

humm, I don't think JP and Winchester are much alike. Marcus, we need more detail.

I agree with Marcus, 100%. And he's spot on about the era -- the more my wife and I looked at houses, the more we realized we specifically wanted a house built in the 1920s. No earlier, no later! Every house we saw of that era had a certain flow and charm about it.

We bought as close to that ideal as we could afford, in the Wollaston area of Quincy -- the lots are about 5,000 s.f., on pedestrian-friendly, tree-lined residential streets with some city bustle, and it's a half mile walk to the Red Line, restaurants, bars, dry cleaner, post office, etc.

Honestly though my perfect town/home would be more like a European village, where even the smallest village consists mostly of attached homes clustered tightly around a center, with the local shops, community bustle, and walkable convenience of a small city, and sprawling farmland and countryside just beyond the village's edge.

I don't like super dense living like in Somerville and want some more green space between me and my neighbors but definitely in a diverse (age, races, points of view, incomes) neighborhood. My fantasy home would be an an old school style like a Craftsman bungalow but be as green and energy efficient as possible. Good insulation, solar panels, re-cycled materials. Small sunny plot of land (.25 acre) with trees and lots of sun on the south side so I can grow vegetables. Walk to an ocean beach and a downtown with some great small restaurants and shops and access to quality healthcare. A vibrant and thriving arts community is a must-have as well.

Yeah, I know what marcus is talking about, and like it as well.

For me, someplace like the southend with more life - there actually aren't enough businesses in the South End. People come in from Weston and try to re-make the south end into its suburban image. Which rather misses the point.

And then for weekends and the summer someplace out in the country with lots of land where I don't have to see the neighbors.

Barcelona is as close to the perfect place as I've ever been and is probably my dream location. There are a variety of neighborhoods, allowing for true diversity; restaurants, shops, the ocean and most importantly - La Ramblas, where folks go to stroll nightly, visiting with each other, enjoying the very life of each other and the city.

My fantasy home is much less important than my fantasy location. I could live in an apartment or a house. I've learned I'm a pretty adaptable person. (this is my fantasy, right?)

I have my dream home and town. This is what we looked for. Medium density in a neighborhood within walking distance from the town center. Lots of state park/conservation areas to walk, bike, swim, and go boating. No big box stores and strip malls. We like small businesses where you know the owners. Train to get into the city in under an hour. 1/2 hour drive without traffic. Neighbors are close enough to see, but still have privacy. People are friendly and get together without planning on the weekends. Kids can run through the neighborhood from dawn to dusk with minimal supervision. House would be larger to accommodate kids and pets. Good party house and a place for a large Christmas tree.

Marcus described our neighborhood in Virginia. We bought our 2700 square foot, 1922, 4 bedroom, 3 bath, charming, hardwoods-throughout home for $230,000 last year. Totally updated. We painted. That's it. Nothing more. This year, we'll plant a garden. Maybe buy some furniture for our sprawling front porch.

All that and only one snowstorm -- and that was gone in three days.

Rona, do you still need more detail? Seems like a couple of other fans of 1920s neighborhoods have joined in. I'm good at judging interior square footage, but for some reason never got the knack of describing lot sizes accurately, so not much help there.

I've noticed something in this thread. Some folks like dense cities, some like the country. But it's interesting that a reasonable number of people seem to share my affection for precisely the kind of neighborhood that nobody builds anymore.

Its not just that it's not built marcus, zoning actually makes it very hard to do in new builds. Everybody likes little cafe's and neighborhood businesses, but then votes for laws that make them impossible.

Those areas do exist on Martha's vineyard, but that's not quite reality... Maybe wellesley as well? Scarsdale used to be similar, back in the 70s, and I have great memories of visiting my grandparents in their old tudor and walking down to the village to look at the toystore.

I'm a transplant and don't know the area as intimately as many of you, but doesn't Worcester have a number of houses like you're describing, Marcus? Why would a developer need to build an area like you've described; why couldn't we take it upon ourselves to *recreate* it with what we already have by making changes in the towns we already live in?

Perceptive Listener and charles, together you've hit the nail of the problem.

Zoning laws across America forbid construction of the very neighborhoods that people want to live in. At the same time, nobody wants the "ideal" neighborhoods that we already have--because those neighborhoods have no jobs.

This country has an enormous infrastructure of beautifully-built, wonderfully located old houses. However, most of them sit in places that Larry Summers and the other captains of free trade have discarded into the dustbin of history. Today, if you want a good job, you're forced to live in only a few select cities. So, in these God-ordained metropolitan areas, you have huge numbers of people competing for a tiny supply of decent houses, while much better, prettier and more livable environments elsewhere in America go to rot. Welcome to the twilight of the gods.

My fantasy home-

A 3 bedroom, 1.5 or 2 full bath garrison colonial on 1/3rd of an acre for $230,000, and NO ONE ELSE BIDDING ON IT. Of course, this will never happen in Massachusetts, because people act like idiots when it comes to real estate up here.

Marcus - You are beginning to demonstrate symptoms of " Naysayerism". You seem to be believing the garbage that you spew . Seek help.
There are wonderful neighborhoods with gainfully employed residents throughout MA . Try Newton, Waltham,Watertown,Milton,Quincy,.... on for size.They don't have to be built , they already exist.
Maybe if you come out of your mother's basement apartment once in a while you might see the light of day.

While I don't live there, I think Arlington may fill the bill for what people are looking for, well, at least parts of it. Mix of old and now housing, sizes, yards, etc. Not too many McMansions. Walk to Mass Ave along large parts of it with shops, restaurants, etc. Buss / trolley right into Cambridge and Boston. Numerous playgrounds, bike path, etc. Also has a stock of apartments which brings in grad students.

Sister-in-law lives in arlington heights. You can walk to ice cream, hardware store, indian, americana food. Easily take buss up and down Mass ave. I guess for some Mass ave may be a bit too urban (and for some not enough...).

Interestingly, though, having grown up around here, my image of the perfect town is precisely what we have in Arlington, Lexington, Belmont, Winchester, Medford, etc. I spent a bit of time in Long Island (out by Riverhead) and there are no towns as we have them here. Schools are largely regional. There is no town center, no town green, no distinction from when you leave one town and enter the next. As Billy Joel put it, there are just "miles and miles of parking space" adjacent to identical mini-strip malls!

Arlington is pretty close to what you're looking for Marcus. No trolley through the town, however. I know people walk or bike to Alewife on the Minuteman Bikeway. Mix of 1920's colonials and Tudors and bungalows. Old trees. Many neighborhoods have a good amount of space between houses.

There is a toy store in the center, charles. As well as a good array of restaurants, dry cleaning, good coffee(not just Dunkin and SBucks) and shops you can walk to, lots of green space and water (Spy pond, Mystic Lake, Arlington Reservoir), a magnificent library reading room. I can't think of any town that comes closer in Eastern, MA.

I wouldn't say "never", MA is overpriced. In fact, I'd say "soon"

bv - I agree that Mass does a better job of approximating the type of community we are talking about than most places. One of the reasons I moved here, and stay here.

I don't like Arlington much though. Why? Because its a pain to get anywhere from there. Mass transit is poor, driving connections are poor (alewife intersection at ruch hour is just dreadful. Dreadfully designed at any hour. And RT 2 through Cambridge is a joke;.

But I could see living in Newton or Wellesley, without a doubt.

Sally, Arlington does share some similarities. However, it is very anti- public transportation, and while the area around the center is walkable, and so is Arlington Heights to a much lesser extent, most of the town isn't. In fact, where I was describing a residential area of a city, Arlington, despite its density, is anti-urban in some ways. No T, no pubs, narrow demographics (ethnic origins aside) and very nannyish.

REmaven, this was a civil, open and enjoyable discussion until you came along. If you are unable to make comments that meet that standard, then stop making them.

There are restaurants with nice bar areas to sit in Arlingon but not pubs. I think that will change in the coming years and I predict pubs will come to A-Town.

What does "nannyish" mean?

I was in Melrose today and that is close to what you are describing as well and it does have 3 commuter train depots. Though known for it's Victorians, there are many styles in Melrose especially near the downtown. And they have pubs!

Good topic.

I feel like my neighborhood in Weymouth comes close to what Marcus is talking about except the houses are a mix of capes/bungalow/victorian influenced homes. Their are plenty of decent lot sizes, our lot is .42 which is plenty of yard (takes about 45 minutes to mow) Homes are close but not too close, their are some really old big beautiful trees. The commuter rail is a 15 min walk from our house then 20 min to South Station...one can walk to a CVS, Papa Gino's, or a short 1 mile drive to an array of restaurants... we got a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom home for a reasonable price as well... the town has a beach and part of the town is on the ocean. not bad...