RedSquirrelUK
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,899
Location: The UK's beautiful West Country
Aug 2, 2014 13:03:45 GMT
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Post by RedSquirrelUK on Jul 10, 2021 13:25:08 GMT
<-- UK's beautiful West Country. I'm incredibly lucky to live in a house with a coast view on the edge of a town of 30,000 people. I'm almost 2 miles (35 minutes' walk) from the centre (still known as "the village") with plenty of shops and restaurants, primary medical care and schools, via the coast path, the old golf course which is now a nature reserve, or either of a couple of main roads. We have no train station but there are buses a couple of times an hour to the village and several times a day to the Mall 10 miles in one direction and the city centre 10 miles in another. Anyone without mobility issues can get to most facilities.
We are within walking distance of several different woods, fields, 2 nature reserves, the coast, a couple of parks, 2 lighthouses and a lake. The only places I need to drive to are work (3 sites less than 12 miles away) and the city hospitals for medical care. Of course right now, I'm not walking more than 20 minutes round the block several times a week, but that will change once I've finished my treatment.
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Post by sabrinae on Jul 10, 2021 13:26:31 GMT
Nowhere. I live rurally. It’s a 20-30 minute drive to the closest grocery store. 10-15 minutes to the closest village — it has two gas stations a dollar general and family dollar (both of which are new in the last 5-7 years) a pizza place and two cafe type restaurants
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Post by malibou on Jul 10, 2021 13:27:57 GMT
In a 2 mile radius from my house, I can drop my car for service, hit a scrapbooking store, go to several restaurants and a couple of bars, drop returns at the UPS store, get ice cream, go to the bank and library, pick up presciptions, grocery shop, grab a doughnut at our favorite spot, drop the bikes for repairs at two different bike stores, play at the park, and hit up a large mall.
I walk to loads of things, but not as much in the summer, don't want to melt.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 7, 2024 11:23:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2021 13:29:03 GMT
I can walk to downtown (7 mi), a couple of lakes (1 mi and 4 mi), an outdoor mall (5 mi), many parks.
Within .5 mi are all of our needs: bank, grocery store, pharmacy, post office, restaurants, thrift stores, exercise studios, library, etc. None of the restaurants are chains - all "mom and pop".
I do and have walked to all. Though I haven't done downtown in a long time.
I love walking. I loving having something to walk to/from.
I can't live and be happy where I can't walk to things.
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milocat
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,570
Location: 55 degrees north in Alberta, Canada
Mar 18, 2015 4:10:31 GMT
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Post by milocat on Jul 10, 2021 13:29:32 GMT
I can walk my whole village! All 8x4 blocks of it 😉 Downtown has a grocery store, post office (my mail is here not at my house) and a bank. Since it's so small it also means I can be on a country road looking out at the fields when I go for a walk.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 7, 2024 11:23:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2021 13:30:47 GMT
<-- UK's beautiful West Country. I'm incredibly lucky to live in a house with a coast view on the edge of a town of 30,000 people. I'm almost 2 miles (35 minutes' walk) from the centre (still known as "the village") with plenty of shops and restaurants, primary medical care and schools, via the coast path, That's my dream. In another 4-5 years.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jul 10, 2021 13:41:44 GMT
We live in a very urban area so there is plenty we can walk to: restaurants, fast food, exercise studio, coffee shop, bakery, major discount store/grocery store, major furniture store and more. However, we don't walk outside the neighborhood. The weather most of the year is not conducive to walking, this is not really a pedestrian city and drivers aren't as aware of walkers/runners as they should be, major 4-5 lane roads surround us, would have to deal with panhandlers/homeless in some directions. So we drive. sueg - Having lived in France, we have had a taste of your lifestyle and really miss it! The one thing that will get me to move would be to find a place I love that offers the same lifestyle.
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anaterra
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,082
Location: Texas
Jun 29, 2014 3:04:02 GMT
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Post by anaterra on Jul 10, 2021 13:42:07 GMT
I live pretty rural.... the nearest gas station on the edge of town is about 12 miles..
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jul 10, 2021 13:50:55 GMT
At our old house there was a lot that was within walking distance. Gas stations, the college that DH attended (which was primarily why we lived where we did), a couple restaurants, a hardware store, a barber shop, a corner drug store, a couple hair salons. If you were feeling really ambitious there was a strip mall a couple miles away that had a bunch of stores.
Our current house is 0% walkable unless you are counting the park/playground across the street or the lake which is about three blocks away. The public boat landing is about 1/4 of the way around the lake, about 1.5 miles away. Other than that, there is nothing you could really walk or even bike to that’s close to me. We’re roughly bordered on two sides by major freeways that you wouldn’t want to attempt to navigate on bike or on foot. There is virtually everything a person could want between 10-20 minutes away by car though.
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Post by Lexica on Jul 10, 2021 13:52:21 GMT
My current house has a lot that is walkable. Within walking distance I have 2 nice parks, one of them with a little manmade lake in the center, a grocery store, multiple restaurants, a drugstore, and my bank kiosk. I don't typically walk to these places because I prefer shopping at Costco and Trader Joes to the closest grocery, which is an Albertson's and pretty pricy. It is fine for picking up a missing ingredient or for that must-have-it craving item like ice cream, but I stopped doing my full shopping there years ago. I do walk to the park with the dog, but I actually prefer driving to the dog park so that he can run off leash.
Moving to a house with a lot that is walkable is actually one of the things on my must-have list.
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Post by playingcinderella on Jul 10, 2021 13:53:26 GMT
A gas station and a Tractor Supply Store. We live in a semi-rural area outside of our little town. Walking to town would be quite a bit further than I'm comfortable with.
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christinec68
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,384
Location: New York, NY
Jun 26, 2014 18:02:19 GMT
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Post by christinec68 on Jul 10, 2021 14:01:30 GMT
I live in a quieter more residential area of NY but there's still a ton I can walk to. In 10 minutes, there's about 20-25 places to get something to eat, a 7-11, 3 major drug stores plus an independent pharmacy, several banks, doctors, personal care places (hair, nails), 2 small grocery stores, plus access to public transportation. I walk up to these places almost daily for one reason or another.
15 minutes adds 2 more 7-11s, a starbucks, more restaurants & fast food places, gas station. 20 minutes and you're at a shopping plaza with clothing stores, movie theater and big supermarket. I don't generally walk to these places unless I happen to them if I am out for a walk.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 7, 2024 11:23:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2021 14:11:43 GMT
I can walk to a grocery store, coffee shop, Lowe's, Walmart, 2 parks, some mom and pop restaurants, chain restaurants, 2 schools...
Nope. A main road needs 4 lanes for cars,, 2 for bikes) to be crossed and people are buttheads on that road.
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Post by mom on Jul 10, 2021 14:12:33 GMT
Nothing is close to my house but I’m on a weekend trip and we have been walking everywhere and I enjoy it.
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QueenoftheSloths
Drama Llama
Member Since January 2004, 2,698 forum posts PeaNut Number: 122614 PeaBoard Title: StuckOnPeas
Posts: 5,955
Jun 26, 2014 0:29:24 GMT
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Post by QueenoftheSloths on Jul 10, 2021 14:15:20 GMT
I live in a small town in a rural area. We can and do walk to the post office, bank, pharmacy, assortment of restaurants, gas stations, dollar store. Also our insurance agent, dentist and (longer walk) car repair and grocery store. Other things within walking distance include salon, bars, churches, schools but we don't need/use those things. My doctor is within walking distance but i dont walk there because i dont want to arrive all sweaty.
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Post by MichyM on Jul 10, 2021 14:20:55 GMT
Everything. Parks, shopping, banks, fine (and more casual) dining, spas, salons, dr appts etc etc etc. And yes, I do walk a lot.
When I was looking 8.5 years ago one of my biggest criteria was an “urban village” and that’s what I ended up with. I love being able to walk to just about anything I need including the ballet, opera, theatre, and downtown (about 1.5 miles to the retail core).
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janeliz
Drama Llama
I'm the Wiz and nobody beats me.
Posts: 5,641
Jun 26, 2014 14:35:07 GMT
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Post by janeliz on Jul 10, 2021 14:23:57 GMT
There are sidewalks on the main road outside the entrance to my neighborhood. So we could walk to a nearby shopping center that has a grocery store, movie theater, and restaurants. We rarely do, though. People drive like such nuts in this city that I’d be afraid I’d end up as a hood ornament. I do see plenty of brave souls doing it, though.
We are also very close (I can see them from my backyard) to a public park and an elementary school. My kids are older now, but I do walk over to the park when it’s time to vote. It’s my polling place.
Most often, I cut through a wooded trail that links my current neighborhood to another neighborhood that has a lake and tennis courts. That’s actually the neighborhood where I lived in high school and where my mom lived until she passed. So I walk over there a lot with my dog, play tennis with a friend who lives there, etc.
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Post by refugeepea on Jul 10, 2021 14:39:13 GMT
What is considered within walking distance? I could walk to a lot of places. The closest is four blocks away. Maybe if I was in better shape. I don't like shopping, so I'd prefer not to delay the process.
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Post by CardBoxer on Jul 10, 2021 14:43:37 GMT
We’re 0.8 miles from a nature center, and couple minutes from walking trails. Just over a mile to a neighborhood shopping center that has most things: grocery store, pharmacy, Starbucks, restaurants - carry-out, eat in, including a couple on a little lake, with benches in common areas. But with a bad knee/foot I haven’t walked anywhere for a while. Our house is on another tiny lake so I can walk a few yards to a deck for that. There’s a company that assigns a walkability score to neighborhoods in the U.S. (and maybe outside?) but the website won’t load right now. In case it’s fixed at some point, it’s www.walkscore.com But it’s been criticized, and here’s an article I thought was interesting about that, if you want to get your nerd on. www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2019/01/10/walkability-indexes-are-flawed-lets-find-better-method1
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Post by Zee on Jul 10, 2021 14:46:23 GMT
I miss being able to walk to stuff. The only thing I can easily walk to is the park behind my house, and I do walk there almost every day with my dog. But I miss the things I used to walk to at my prior homes.
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Dalai Mama
Drama Llama
La Pea Boheme
Posts: 6,985
Jun 26, 2014 0:31:31 GMT
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Post by Dalai Mama on Jul 10, 2021 14:47:41 GMT
I live in Toronto, just off the Danforth - it's a bit of a hike but I've walked to downtown lots of times (also the Beaches) - it's easier to bike it, though.
ETA - honestly, I'm only a three minute walk from the subway so, pre-Covid, there wasn't much point walking places.
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Post by lisae on Jul 10, 2021 14:50:55 GMT
I could walk to the corner store but I'd rather not get run over or dog bit so we drive everywhere including to the walking trail we use!
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Post by christine58 on Jul 10, 2021 14:53:36 GMT
Can you walk to nearby things? Nope...I am 3 miles out of town on 40 acres of farm land.
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Post by padresfan619 on Jul 10, 2021 14:54:58 GMT
I can walk to just about everything I “need” besides Costco. There’s a grocery store just down the block, tons of restaurants, the zoo, balboa park, Target, coffee shops, etc. Walkability in my area was a major deciding factor when we bought our home, I prefer to walk to most things. I don’t mind driving, I just really enjoy putting in my headphones and taking a stroll.
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Post by pastlifepea on Jul 10, 2021 15:05:54 GMT
I've always thought it would be really nice to live somewhere where I could walk to shopping and downtown area but it just has not ever happened. Where I live now, I could easily ride my bike to grocery store and a few other shopping places but generally don't. I do however ride my bike when I need to have anything done to my car as our mechanic is only a couple miles away. I just put my bike in the car when I am dropping the car off and ride home and then ride my bike back to pick up the car when it's done.
What I CAN walk to is a river close to my house and hunt for fossils in the river which is extremely cool. (for me, at least...I know it's not everyone's idea of fun) I'm sure I am quite a sight with a dive knife strapped to my leg and my sand flea trap headed out to the river. This is probably why I could not do the 100 day same dress challenge as well.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 7, 2024 11:23:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 10, 2021 15:11:51 GMT
There's a florist, Walgreens, CVS, taco bell, burger king, a hardware store, a grocery store, a few other small businesses, our favorite Mexican restaurant, at least two gas stations, a gym, salvation army, a liquor store, Subway, Chinese take out, and several other food places within a mile or less of our house. Probably a few other places that we simply don't need to use.
We walk to the Mexican restaurant when the weather is nice. We've walked to the grocery store when we only need one or two things. I don't like walking there because we have to cross a very busy street and people are assholes. I walk to Walgreens, the gym, salvation army, the hardware store, a sandwich shop (not subway), and others regularly. Our polling station used to be in a school that was about a mile away and within our larger neighborhood so I walked to that a few times. Then they moved it to a church 3 miles away. I walked to it once and had to cross two busy streets with no sidewalks so never again.
There's a dentist office close enough to walk to. After several screw ups on their end with billing, we changed offices. There's also a few beauty salons closed enough to walk to. One specializes in POC hair so not for me. I tried one a few times and then trump happened. I no longer go there because the owner flew a trump flag and put out every Republican that was running in our area up. Bye bye.
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,381
Location: PNW
Jul 20, 2014 21:57:23 GMT
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Post by breetheflea on Jul 10, 2021 15:12:16 GMT
I am walking distance to quite a bit (including several grocery stores) but intermittent sidewalks don't exactly make it enjoyable in some places...
My old house was at the bottom of a huge hill, and not near much I could walk to. When it snowed we were trapped (we could see cars trying to make it up the hill and failing from our upstairs windows) so one of the perks of this house was being able to go get a gallon of milk, even when the roads are a mess.
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garcia5050
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,770
Location: So. Calif.
Jun 25, 2014 23:22:29 GMT
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Post by garcia5050 on Jul 10, 2021 15:17:44 GMT
I’ve got a lot of options within a quarter mile and do walk a lot to those destinations. Only the park, post office and Starbucks require a cross over a busy street. The Boba place, McDonald’s, the butcher and my little neighborhood Walmart do not. It’s too hot right now, so o have to get in all my walking around 7 am.
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Post by peano on Jul 10, 2021 15:21:12 GMT
Nothing. We live in an area with houses on 2+ acre lots. I suppose I could walk to a quick market/gas station that just opened in the last few months. But I don’t eat the kinds of snack foods they sell.
When I lived in Black Rock in Bridgeport I did walk to many places. Likewise in college in Tulsa, I walked/biked everywhere.
Where I end up retiring, I want that kind of setup. It’s so fun to stroll down to a nearby coffee shop in the morning, where you are a regular.
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zella
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,884
Jul 7, 2014 19:36:30 GMT
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Post by zella on Jul 10, 2021 15:31:40 GMT
I can walk to the kitchen, and I usually do. Wish I was joking, but I'm not. My paralytic disorder has me sometimes unable to even walk around the house. I don't say this for pity; more like it's kind of funny, particularly since I hated walking for years!
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