> within walking distance of a dozen restaurants and a bar

You're not in the suburbs. At least not the kind that cityfolk say are soulless wastes. It sounds like you live in the downtown of a village or town.

When I think of the 'burbs, I think of vast expanses of asphalt where only the poorest would consider walking and labyrinth enclaves of cul-de-sacs where taking the kid to play with a neighbor requires a half-mile drive to go 500 feet as the crow flies.

> When I think of the 'burbs, I think of vast expanses of asphalt where only the poorest would consider walking and labyrinth enclaves of cul-de-sacs where taking the kid to play with a neighbor requires a half-mile drive to go 500 feet as the crow flies.

Modern design (and redesign, though that has less freedom) of low-density suburbs, while still avoiding street grids to limit residential traffic speeds, often embraces walking and bike paths that are more direct than roadways, and designs that improve transit serviceability, instead of using the branching, cul-de-sac dominated structure of, say, 1960s suburbs.

In a town, but not in its downtown. There are just enough strip malls interspersed between the tract homes to make walking possible. I'm right next to one. In one direction up the largest nearby street, there are some light commercial and industrial areas. In the other direction (albeit slightly farther, maybe a half hour's walk), is another row of stores anchored by a grocery. If I take that walk, there's a good chance that I won't meet anyone else on the sidewalk in that time.

My goal for walkable is to have a good grocery within a 5-minute walk, so that I wouldn't be annoyed if I forgot to pick something up and had to go back. I'd like a dozen good restaurants and a few bars within 10 minutes. So, probably 4x that to allow for different tastes.

Further, I want that walk to be reasonably populated all day and into the night, so I feel safe.

We've got different goals =)

Under half an hour away from work (by whatever means), somewhere I can afford to buy, quiet neighborhood, nice view, trees around, good schools, not too tightly packed, with a reputation of being safe enough that I don't have to worry if no one else is around.

Walkability is a plus, but not at the cost of other goals. If I ever want to see family or friends, a car is a given. Survival doesn't strictly require one, but it would complicate a number of things.