What are the best cities to live in without a car?
I live in London, and haven’t owned a car in six years, mainly because it feels like totally extraneous expenditure.We live in the south east of the city and don’t have the tube. However, there are within 15 minutes walk of our house three stations on different train routes into the city, none taking more than 15 minutes into the centre, so commuting works well. Uber and mini cabs sort out late night safe transport.We have lots of good small shops and supermarkets between the stations and home. Ditto pubs and restaurants. We tend to bulk-shop online and pick up daily groceries as we need them.If we want to get out of the city, we are members of Zipcar so can hire a car by the hour if needed, without having to worry about fuel, tax or inspections.London is probably harder and more expensive to be in as a driver, and can’t see a circumstance where we’d buy one again, though most of our friends with kids are drivers for convenience’s sake.
What are the best West Coast cities to live in without a car?
San Francisco, Portland, and even smaller enclaves of bigger cities, like Santa Monica or Venice, municipalities of Los Angeles County.I’ve lived in San Francisco, Berkeley, Palo Alto, Paris without a car and that being said, having a car in the city was easy too if you found a flat with a garage. That was key. The great thing about cities like San Francisco is people didn’t identify their self-worth with their car, the way they do in LA. (Yes, people do do this). Muni and Bart are all timed and can help you get around pretty easily. And, you’ll be fit from walking up and down the hills, catching those Muni buses.If you managed to find housing in Santa Monica, it will be very expensive, but there are great little neighborhoods and all you would need is a good market nearby to see you through. Yes, there’s Amazon food delivery service, but it’s pretty expensive and not for everyone. Or, you can wait for the farmer’s markets on Wed and Saturdays and get provisions then.
How is living without a car in your city?
When I was at school at U.C. Davis, living without a car was pretty easy. I had a bike. My student card worked as a bus pass (and otherwise, it cost 50¢). The town and the campus are set up for bicycles, and cars are not allowed in most of the center of the campus. Having a roommate or a friend with a car was plenty. In fact, I didn’t get a driver’s license until after I graduated with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering.Today, I live in Silicon Valley. I do own a car, but my husband has a commute too long to bike and with no viable public transit option. He carpools with a colleague, trading driving days. By contrast, I end up in the car once or twice per weekend, if we go out.I have an excellent, easy-to-bike commute, and I take advantage of that fact to avoid owning a second car. It’s been a long time since I even attempted to drive to work, but I’m pretty sure I can get there about as fast on a bike as I can in a car in traffic. It helps that there’s a bike trail most of the way, which passes under several major thoroughfares so I don’t have to wait for many traffic lights.On days when it rains, I do take transit. I usually kind of like it for the change of pace, but it means coming and going on a bus schedule, which in turn means less flexible hours. It’s about a mile walk on each end, which I chalk up to exercise. It takes me about twice the time to get to work by bus as by bike. I don’t enjoy riding in rain because the roads are slick and drivers are even less aware of bikes than they otherwise would be. The bike trail also runs along a creek, and where it crosses under roads, it floods during storms.My office is reasonably close to the light rail corridor, so I sometimes use that if it’s wet, cold, or dark and I’m going somewhere after work. I don’t live close to light rail.My area is relatively suburban and not very dense. Both homes and businesses are sprinkled around, so there’s not really a hub. The result is relatively inefficient and dificult-to-use public transit. There is a reason few of my work colleagues ever even attempt to commute by bus.I am hopeful that both public transit and bicycle infrastructure in my area will continue to improve.
Can you live without a car in any American city?
You can live in many, or maybe even most, American cities without a car. As long as you are willing to compromise. If you are dependant on public transportation (buses, trains, subways) you may be compromising time. If I drive to work it takes 45 minutes. If I take the bus it takes 2 hours. If I drive to the airport it takes 15 minutes. If I take the light rail and bus it takes an hour.If you take cabs or Uber, you may compromise on money. The bus and light rail cost me $4/day or less if I get a month long pass. I don't think I can even get in a cab for under $5 and I'm guessing Uber is similar, if a bit cheaper.I have lived in the Scottsdale area without a car for about a year. Time was my biggest compromise as was my general health. All the commuting time and the walking time really ate into my day. And carrying a 30lb box of cat litter 3 blocks in 100F heat takes it out of you. Plus, I ended up sunburned and lightheaded even with sunblock and water.There are many other cities that have better public transportation or more walkability and most of them are on the east coast.
Can you live in Los Angeles without a car?
The transportation is not anywhere near what it is in New York. LA spreads almost 100 miles from one end to the other, so there's no way that a transportation system could get you everywhere you need to go (and if it can, it likely won't be fast). If you're willing to get a job close to where you live you can get by without a car. Realistically, if you're trying to "make it" (whether you're an actor, musician, or writer) you're going to be going all over town for auditions, meetings and interviews, and if you can't make it on time or look professional no one is going to take you seriously. By "studios" I'm guessing you mean actor or musician - a lot of the major lots aren't even in Hollywood (Sony is in Culver City; WB in Burbank). As a musician, you could live in West Hollywood and play at a lot of popular venues, but most are pay-to-play (meaning you pay the venue for 50 tickets and have to sell them yourself) so you need a way to make connections and meet other people. You're going to have trouble finding a studio for that price (a good deal on a 1-br is closer to $1000, and that's before utilities), but you definitely could find a room in an apartment to share for that price. Check in Hollywood or West Hollywood, but beware there's some really crappy areas in each. I don't mean to discourage you but I wanted to be realistic about what to expect when you get here. It takes a year just to make connections, let alone get a job so make sure you have some money saved up (or someone who can help you out), or you're willing to work a full-time job on top of trying to do your thing. Best of luck
Could you live without a car in San Francisco?
A lot of city residents, myself included, live very nicely without a car. We have good public transportation, the city is compact and very comfortable to walk about, taxis are usually available and we avoid the hassles of parking and traffic. You can rent a car if you need one for travel or join one of the city car share programs. There really is no NEED to own a car in SF.
What US cities are easiest to live and work in without owning a car?
Hey, I’ll nominate Pittsburgh, too. We live in the city, near transit lines that reach most places we’d want to go. Within easy biking distance of the University of Pittsburgh, which is where my SO worked. I could easily walk to my job. So there we were, adults nearing 40 with a mortgage but no car, until Tom got a new job one state over. “We” have had a car ever since. I use the quotation marks because I don’t drive. Not that I can’t, but I’m an awful driver. Really, you don’t want me behind the wheel.I do errands walking, using public transit (free now because I’m old — Yay!) and the occasional Lyft to take me and my gear to art class.I once had a bet with some friends on which of us would get to PNC Park first for that evening’s baseball game. We left at the same time, 5:30 p.m. I took a bus downtown, and switched to the underground “T,” which deposited me a scant two blocks from the statue of Honus Wagner. After I entered the park, I called my friends — who were still stuck in traffic. I won a beer. It tasted really fine.
Will it be ok to live in Orlando, US without having a car? Is the city's transportation convenient?
The answer really depends on why you’re going to live in Orlando. If you’re attending UCF or working at one of the big resorts, you’ll probably live in some sort of dormitory-type housing and won’t need a car for commuting to school or work.However, if you’re going to live in Orlando for virtually any other reason, you need to take a hard look at why you would go there. Orlando is really a terrible, hot, dirty, crime-infested city once you leave the resorts.
Can you live in Vancouver without a car?
I was offered a job in Vancouver, yet I have never been there before and don't know if I could live there without a car. I will have my trusty bike with me, but other than that I'll be relying on public transit and walking. The job will be in the downtown area, so in the north, kind of near BC Place if that helps.
What cities in the USA you don't need a car to get around and has nice weather?
Nice weather is entirely subjective.I find warm and hot (70–90°F) with warm water to be ‘nice’ while my dad and both of my younger brothers complain and start sweating profusely when it is hotter than 75°F and have never really lived in a place warmer than Washington state or Montana. They would find what I consider nice to be awful.Basically, there is nowhere in the entire United States that fits what I consider to be nice weather, and it is easy to get around without a car. Literally every city in the US which has very good public transportation also is colder than what I would consider ‘nice’ except Honolulu.