We are a car dependent nation, and in many residential neighborhoods it is almost impossible to live life without owning a car. Unless you live in a large Metropolitan City such as Washington DC or the surrounding neighborhoods like Arlington Virginia for example, you are practically going to need your car for all everyday occurrences. Neighborhoods that have a heavy reliance on cars destroy the environment by emitting large amounts of carbon monoxide, and are in general an unhealthy place to live.
When buying a home, most people don’t even factor in how reliant they will be on their car. Even for those individuals who take an interest in the importance of walking or taking public transport, figuring a homes proximity to restaurants, shops, and ever other day to day conveniences is almost impossible without taking the time to drive out to the neighborhood, and calculating distances.
Walk Score a new website, gives details on America’s most walkable neighborhoods. Walkscore is a great home buying tool and lets you calculate using zip codes, how dependent on driving you will be. It has a great scoring system that informs you whether the neighborhood is a walker’s paradise or a drivers dream. Walk Score helps people find walkable places to live. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Walk Score measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle—not how pretty the area is for walking.
Living in a neighborhood that is not car dependant is an environmentally sound choice, and should be everyone’s dream. Walkable neighborhoods reduces carbon emissions, plus our dependence on foreign oil, and reduces fuel costs. Walkable neighborhoods create an environment that is a healthy place to live, work and play. Now you have the tools to find a walkable neighborhood, there are no reasons to spend unnecessary money driving, when you could be living a healthy and eco-friendly lifestyle by walking.
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