Decius wrote:
] I wonder how much of the sprawl is a reaction to the risks of
] living downtown. IE if you fix the problems with the police
] department you actually address the traffic problem.

[ I think that's part of it, but I think most of the reason is economic. I can't count how many people have said "Why live in town when I can build a 3500 sq. ft. house in snellville for 150k?" or similar. People want to have lots of space (er, inside space... open spaces are apparently scary and should be developed) and can't come close to affording it in town. People call me nuts for renting, in the city, when I could get a mortgage on a sizable house out of town for the same money, the issue being that this assumes I want to be 40-60 minutes from anything interesting to me.

For a family tho, it's a no-brainer to them... big house, out of town, for less money. It's reasonable from a certain mindset. Not mine tho. -k]

RE: Census: Atlanta suburbs exploding