Is City Centre living vastly underrated in Ireland?

desertcircus

Commuting time when living in city: 15 minute walk.

Commuting time when living in suburbs: 30 minute cycle or 1-hour bus journey.

Notice required for impromptu pint when living in city: fifteen minutes.

Notice required for impromptu pint when living in suburbs: 60 to 90 minutes.

Additional cost of staying out past 11.30 when living in city: zero.

Additional cost of staying out past 11.30 when living in suburbs: 25-30 quid.

dilbert2

pajunior wrote: »

This topic is always way to personal to ever have a proper debate about it. Deciding where to live is one of the most important choices we consciously make in our lives that is so easily debated.
No-one wants the decision they made on that to be brought into question.
In my opinion I plan on living in the city center in the future. It's not perfect but as someone in their early twenties it has most things i want.

Also comparing London to Dublin is ridiculous, London is a huge primate city similar to New York or Tokyo. We're talking nearly about 1.5 times the size of the population of this Island. Compare Dublin to Cardiff or Edinburgh for a better comparison.

I don't really know if focusing on London and New York is to the point either myself. To be honest, both countries they are situated in have a strong history of suburbanisation and bad urbanism. As a result both America, and to a lesser extent England have burnt out and hollowed city centres, not to mention a slight anti-urban bias given the development of many cities through the industrialisation process in those countires. Yes London and New York are great, but look at the amount of cities in parts of the US Northeast or Northern England that are lifeless and hollowed out.

I think it might be better to focus to similiar size cities, or indeed any cities from elsewhere in the world, including continental Europe. France, Spain, Germany etc. all have many fine examples of small to medium sized cities that are attractive places to live.

Another thing, this was in no way meant to be only about Dublin City Centre, I meant all cities in Ireland including Cork, Galway etc.

dilbert2

starbelgrade wrote: »

It's not the City Centre.

It's called "town".

Can be called either, don't see a reason to kick up a fuss about it.

ScumLord

Commuting time when living in a country town: 2 minute walk.

Commuting time when living in the countryside: 10 minute drive

Notice required for impromptu pint when living in a country town: Zero

Notice required for impromptu pint when living in the countryside: 15 minutes

Additional cost of staying out past 11.30 when living in a country town: zero.

Additional cost of staying out past 11.30 when living in the countryside: 5 -8 quid.

ScumLord

dilbert2 wrote: »

Uhh for the last time this has nothing to do with the countryside or country towns, its suburbs-vs- city centres. What part of this is too hard for you too grasp?

That's discrimination! And, you can't really have a proper discussion without all the facts It's like comparing the best alcoholic beverages and excluding everything but Guinness and Bulmers.

floorpie

I thought i'd gotten bored of Dublin until i lived for a few years in various places around the city centre. I appreciate the place all the more now. Paradoxically (i would have thought, before), the sense of community seems to be far greater in town. I'd highly recommend it!

Dudess

I couldn't live right in the city centre because of the noise, or really built-up suburbs that are miles out - e.g. Blanchardstown in Dublin, or the middle of nowhere.

My preference would be somewhere that's between city centre and suburb (e.g. Drumcondra in Dublin - most people here are from Dublin, don't whinge) or somewhere that's between suburb and countryside - e.g. Blarney in Cork.

Unfortunately those are the kinds of places that lots of people want to live, and are pricey.

I currently live in an area that's not quite city centre (Cork) not quite suburb (Mayfield) so it's central and walking distance from town without being noisy. Ideal for me.

desertcircus

ScumLord wrote: »

Commuting time when living in a country town: 2 minute walk.

Commuting time when living in the countryside: 10 minute drive

Notice required for impromptu pint when living in a country town: Zero

Notice required for impromptu pint when living in the countryside: 15 minutes

Additional cost of staying out past 11.30 when living in a country town: zero.

Additional cost of staying out past 11.30 when living in the countryside: 5 -8 quid.

Location of job and friends: city...

parker kent

desertcircus wrote: »

Location of job and friends: city...

Well this sums up a key point. It is completely personal. I would hate to live in the city centre as I don't work there and know 1 person that lives there. Whereas in the area I do live, I work within walking distance and know plenty of people that live nearby. So I have no reason to live in the city centre. It would just create a needless commute through the busiest part of Dublin.

Different people have different situations. Not everybody works in the city centre.

stovelid

WindSock wrote: »

I'd love to live in a city for a spell, suburbs are for zombies.

Only people brought up in the suburbs ever say that.

filthymcnasty

stovelid wrote: »

Only people brought up in the suburbs ever say that.

+1.
The 'burbs are getting a bad press on here! Thing is most people live there, (zombies included).

Malari

I live in Cork city and love it. Not on the island, just off it, so I don't find it noisy at all. I grew up in the burbs, which is fine when you're a kid, but I'd hate not being able to walk into the city now. I spent so many hours of my life waiting for buses and trying to get parking spots. Delighted I don't have to do that any more - never again I work in the burbs though.

OneArt

filthymcnasty wrote: »

+1.
The 'burbs are getting a bad press on here! Thing is most people live there, (zombies included).

I thought they "lived" in graveyards?

That's where I keep mine anyway. Or in the garden. I find they're unhygienic to have as cooks.

denhaagenite

OP, can you please change your thread title to "Is Dublin City Centre living vastly underrated in Ireland?". There's more than one city in the country.

Malari

denhaagenite wrote: »

OP, can you please change your thread title to "Is Dublin City Centre living vastly underrated in Ireland?". There's more than one city in the country.

I think OP is talking in general terms. Cork and Galway are specifically mentioned...

saywhatyousee

summerskin wrote: »

and new orleans also is more like a large town.

Compared to Tokyo and Mexico city London is nothing but a "large town" this is not whats the biggest city contest.I used to live in the center of Sligo i loved it i just had to move a bit further out as the rent was a bit high.I loved the hustle and bustle and i am an extremely heaver sleeper so the noise at night did not bother me.

Chuck Stone

I read that a lot of people are leaving suburbs and satellite towns in the US for city centres because owning and running (often two) cars is costly.

I remember walking around Barcelona one evening and we walked through this high-rise residential area with kids running about and neighbours chatting to each other. It had a real community-being-together feeling to it which is unusual because that kind of thing is usually attributed to rural villages.

Sir Gallagher

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I read that a lot of people are leaving suburbs and satellite towns in the US for city centres because owning and running (often two) cars is costly.

I remember walking around Barcelona one evening and we walked through this high-rise residential area with kids running about and neighbours chatting to each other. It had a real community-being-together feeling to it which is unusual because that kind of thing is usually attributed to rural villages.

You'd would have that same sense of community in the flats over here too in fairness.

neil_hosey

denhaagenite wrote: »

OP, can you please change your thread title to "Is Dublin City Centre living vastly underrated in Ireland?". There's more than one city in the country.

weh weh weh weh... thats all im hearin

HavingCrack

Sir Gallagher wrote: »

You'd would have that same sense of community in the flats over here too in fairness.

Not always for the better to be honest. I find a lot of 'communities' in inner city neighbourhoods generally aren't very pleasant to new comers. It can be quite clannish in a lot of the flat complexes and not in a good way.

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I read that a lot of people are leaving suburbs and satellite towns in the US for city centres because owning and running (often two) cars is costly.

It varies hugely by region. The North Eastern seaboard (the Boston-Washington corridor) the Pacific North West and Chicago are seeing population growth in city centre's but the Sunbelt is still relentlessly pushing suburban-car focused living at all costs.

Dudess

summerskin wrote: »

10 years living in London (a real city, not an oversized town like Dublin), 2 in New York before moving to Clare I can tell you that country life and a commute is far better than city life, at this time in my life.

However, if you're young and have no responsibilities, city life can't be beaten. But it has to be a real city. Not Dublin.

Dublin is a real city. A city's "authenticity" is not measured by its population. If it doesn't feel to you like a city should feel, than that's just the way you see it - but no need for stating that "real city" bull**** as fact. Looks totally arrogant.

My name is URL wrote: »

I live in the best place in the country. A small quiet village which is less than 1.5 hours drive to the two largest cities on the island, and less than a half hours drive to a couple of the largest towns. I'd hate to live in a city or town tbh.. a lot of people who do; portray themselves as been more cosmopolitan and modern than country folk, despite actually being some of the most insular people you could ever meet.

You live in County Louth I bet!

parker kent

Dudess wrote: »

Dublin is a real city. A city's "authenticity" is not measured by its population. If it doesn't feel to you like a city should feel, than that's just the way you see it - but no need for stating that "real city" bull**** as fact. Looks totally arrogant.

Everything turns into a willy waving contest for some reason. Although there is some merit to the people pointing out that Dublin and all other cities in Ireland are small. So whether you are in the suburbs or the city centre, you're not that far away from the other.

Miss Olenska

parker kent wrote: »

Everything turns into a willy waving contest for some reason. Although there is some merit to the people pointing out that Dublin and all other cities in Ireland are small. So whether you are in the suburbs or the city centre, you're not that far away from the other.

Dublin dwarfs the other cities size-wise though, it can't really lumped in with them. It's a primate city.

SHOVELLER

summerskin wrote: »

having grown up in the countryside in the UK, lived in the mountains in France and also spent 1 year in Geneva, 10 years living in London (a real city, not an oversized town like Dublin), 2 in New York before moving to Clare I can tell you that country life and a commute is far better than city life, at this time in my life.

However, if you're young and have no responsibilities, city life can't be beaten. But it has to be a real city. Not Dublin.

In most cases travel broadens the mind. Not in your case.

Anyway living in town is the best of all worlds. No worries about transport would be the main advantage. And also there are places in town that are not noisy.

Each to their own but would definitely recommend living in town.

parker kent

Miss Olenska wrote: »

Dublin dwarfs the other cities size-wise though, it can't really lumped in with them. It's a primate city.

Well I only added the other cities to stop somebody coming in with some remark about there being other cities in Ireland. I'm really only talking about Dublin versus other larger cities worldwide where there would be a genuine suburban/city divide.

Dudess

Yeah Dublin is a small city but that doesn't mean it's not a real city.

parker kent

Dudess wrote: »

Yeah Dublin is a small city but that doesn't mean it's not a real city.

Well I'm not saying it isn't a real city. That was just that one poster AFAIK. My point was that yes it obviously a city but there is merit to saying that for this particular debate its size should be taken into consideration. Living in Donnbrook, Blackrock, Drumcondra etc is not that far away from the city centre. Our suburbs are very close to the city centre.

Dudess

Oh I know it wasn't you who said that.

I dunno - Dublin 15 is very far from the city centre. Places like Swords and Malahide. Tallaght. They're a good trek out.

HavingCrack

I think people are forgetting to differentiate between inner and outer suburbs, there's a huge difference between living in Shankill or Malahide and living in Drumcondra or Rathmines.

ottostreet

I like living in the country. It's pretty quiet, but I'm only ten minutes drive from nearest town, so if I need anything, I'll go in!