Do you like where you live?

In My Humble Opinion
21

I love where I live! Sure, it’s not for some, especially if you’re young, impatient and looking for action, but even when I was young, impatient and looking for action it was o.k.

I live in Alabama’s capitol city, love the heat, even the humidity (it’s good for your skin), love the mild winters, love the summer afternoon thunderstorms, love the easy access to the beach, the foothills of the Appalachians, Atlanta and New Orleans.

I probably love it so much because I grew up here, my parents live 2 miles away, and my sister lives 2 doors down. Some of us take comfort in the familiar and dread change. Other pluses: low, low property taxes, good police force, good medical care available, mostly friendly people if you stay away from hot-button topics.

Down sides, but somewhat avoidable if you try: local/state politics and government (think Gov. George Wallace; think Judge Roy Moore), bible thumpers, bigots (of all races), strip malls (this is a city in which services make up like 90% of the jobs), and litter (you nasty people who throw your butts and fast-food wrappers in my yard [I live on a busy street]). Also, there’s not a lot “to do” in comparison to the big cities, and not a lot of night life, but that’s a good thing to me. We have the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, plenty of bars in my opinion, several parks, a planetarium, and a fun Jazz and Blues Federation.

I don’t ever want to move from here, but if I do, it will be to the Southwest. I don’t think I could stand to live in the North; like a magnolia, I just would not thrive in the cold North. (Mind you, North to me is anthing above South Carolina!)

22

I’ve been down there many times and I love it. Trust me… I LOVE the south. My family is mainly from the south… im first generation New Yorker. I don’t complain how the things are different in VA… i PRAISE how things are different. If I could I would move even more south (SC or GA) but my bf doesn’t want to go that far.
I’m a southerner at heart!

23

I’m with C@W - go Melbourne! :slight_smile: The winters aren’t too cold and the summers fluctuate between “it’s great to be alive” and “it’s great to be alive - let’s go swimming at the beach cos it’s bloody hot”. There’s shopping, food and entertainment to suit any taste, and IIRC, it’s up there with Toronto as the most multicultural city in the world.

24

I live in Astoria which is part of New York City. I’m fairly happy here. Lived in NY all my life. shure there are draw backs, but it’s like that anywhere you live.
Pros: I can find somethig to do 24/7. Beaches are about an hour by car or bus. Culturally it’s fantastic. I can walk to the local pool, thats in a huge park with a track,ball field and tennis courts.

Cons: I’m over thirty and have never been mugged or had my apartment broken into (hooray for me) the down side is that I’m way over due. If you go into Manhattan it’s hot, dirty and crowded in the summer time, but hey there are lots of places with air conditioning.

I have traveled a fair amount around the east and west coast of the USA one of the only places I would consider living would be San Francisco. I guess I’m just a city girl at hreart

25

I’m going to live in my Hartford suburb for the next 11 weeks, and then I’m off to Washington for college.

Pros: Safe place to leave, people here are not incredibly outgoing, but accomidating and not the kind who get on your nerves by being overbearing, plenty of white collar jobs in the area, large middle-class African-American populations to the north of us, heavily Democratic (If I wanna move back and run for office ;)), 2 hours from New York and Boston and great schools (If I had been sent to an area private school I probably would’ve gotten a worse education).

Cons: Hartford itself is a dead city and the state is headed nowhere fast. Winters are cold, and IMHO it’s worse to be cold without snow than cold with, and we seem to be getting more of the former in recent years. Very racially and religiously homogenized, neighborhoods have little diversity even though the town does. Culture isn’t great.

I’m undecided on whether I’m coming back.

26

I love where I live - NEW ENGLAND.

I’m not from around here. Originally from U.K. Have travelled to many countries and at one time was considering staying in Malaysia. Then I had the chance to move here.

I didn’t have to be here long to realise that this is where I want to stay. Made more friends here than anywhere else. Climate is great - winters are cold, summers are hot, and the fall (autumn) is spectacular.

:slight_smile:

27

New England is another favorite area of mine. Used to vacation in Maine. I love Portland.
My dad lived in Salem, Mass. for awhile… LOVED IT (not the winters though). I just love the old houses and the history.

28

I really like living here in the South Bay area of Southern California. I live close to Long Beach and am somewhat in the middle of all the locations in the area such as Santa Monica (20+ minutes north), L.A. (20 minutes north), Huntington Beach (10-15 minutes south), Las Vegas (3 hours east/northeast).

However, I live in a relatively smaller city (~10,000) so there aren’t as many places open 24 hours/day and the cops tend to be overprotective of the small area they “control.”

29

I’m in Lincoln, UK, and absolutely detest it. I moved here in summer '94 with my parents, and to be honest it’s never felt like home to me. The locals aren’t particularly friendly or welcoming in my opinion, and the whole place just seems so dull and dingy. Worst of all, there aren’t many good jobs round here, and the pay is low to boot.

At the moment, I’m searching for a job further South. The cost of living will be higher, but it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make in order to be happier. Two years of searching hasn’t brought up anything so far, but I’m lucky in that I have the luxury of being able to sit tight where I am until the right opportunity comes up. When it does, I’ll be off like a shot.

30

No.

31

I don’t love where I live, but I don’t hate it either. Good thing I’m moving 2 months from today. The only place I ever fell in love with when I lived there was Maine. Maybe after grad school I can get back up that way.

32

My hometown has its redeeming qualities. It’s about an hour’s drive from Chicago, so it’s not complete rural wilderness. There are one or two interesting things to do in the area: there’s an art-house theater I tried to get a job at in the richest part of the county. It strikes me as odd that it would be there, since the people in that town always seemed like they wanted to appear intelligent but didn’t want to be shocked or challenged in any way.

Jerkwater, though, is just plain bland. Big fortress-like houses, bumpy roads riddled with potholes, 15-minute drive to the #%^@1!!! grocery store, 1000 or so people, no fun events, few places to go. The Blockbuster here makes a killing.

The only other source of entertainment is the trainwreck of horror known as village politics. I’d tell you all about the neighbor who ran for mayor but ended up with more felony counts than votes, the former police chief who was nicknamed “Chief Wiggum” by just about everybody, and the recent fistfight that nearly broke out at a village meeting, but I wouldn’t want to risk someone from this town checking it out.

I’m moving to Madison, Wisconsin in the fall, which I’ve heard nothing but good stuff about.

The town I lived in for a year was really awful. Collapsed economy, deep-seated racial tensions, complete and utter isolation, rising crime rate, and being regarded as a prostitute whenever you walked alone to the grocery store. I sure am glad I’m not moving back there.

33

Florence in Northwest Alabama, I hate it and want to move.

Pros: Low taxes and low crime. Mild winters usually, it rarely snows more that twice a year. Mostly easy commutes (but it’s getting worse). Some beautiful natural scenery, especially at the Dismals and along the river (but now the city leaders want to develop along it).

Cons: Highest unemployment in the state, 10% right now, and very dependant on aging industries. The schools are a mixed bag. Fundamentalism, many people will stick their religion in your face here. Bigotry and racism: for example, a nearby town has a growing Hispanic community that many people here are openly hostile about. Very small-minded, provincital, small town attitude. This is the best place to live on earth, according to most people here, woe unto you if you disagree. Anyone from further North than Columbia, TN is considered a Yankee, and is distrusted. Very little night life: bad bars, chain restuarants, high school football (wow :rolleyes: ). Limited cultural experiences; but lots of heritage days and small festivals (if you like seeing the same dull activities and musical acts year after year). Middling local theatre (that always gets a standing ovation, because everyone watching knows everyone performing). Strip malls blooming all over, and considered progress. Local leaders who want to turn the area into a tourist destination and retirement community, approve poorly planned money losing projects, and follow their own agendas regardless. The area is mostly neglected by our state and congressional leaders. The only reason our airport is still open is that it barely qualifies for a federal subsidy. Shrinking young population, we have to leave to find work.

I was born and raised here, but it’s not home to me. I’ve traveled and visited other areas. I want to move to the Pacific Northwest or maybe the Carolinas or Northern Virginia. Although Melbourne and other parts of Oz keep sounding nicer the more I read about them.

34

Like it a lot.

Boston is a fabulous and glorious city, and the area I live in is fully of very pretty old brownstones.

The only problem is the T runs aboveground on the street in front of my building, and wakes me up at 6AM every morning. (Lousy Comm Ave… grrrr…)

35

I guess I like Boston okay, but for me to really love it the housing market would have to seriously change so that it became affordable for me to live here. Plus I have issues with all of New England, there seems to be thsi whoel oldest part of the country=best part attitude going on with some of the born-and-bred-here residents.

arisu, I live right on the C line and after the first week or so, I got used to the T noise and it’s never bothered me since.

36

I guess I like Boston okay, but for me to really love it the housing market would have to seriously change so that it became affordable for me to live here. Plus I have issues with all of New England, there seems to be this whole “oldest part of the country=best part” attitude going on with some of the born-and-bred-here residents.

arisu, I live right on the C line and after the first week or so, I got used to the T noise and it’s never bothered me since.

37

oops, I thought I had caught it in time.

38

I live in a smallish town in Tennessee. I don’t like it here.

Sure, it looks kinda nice. We’re close to the mountains and those are pretty in the fall. The weather’s pretty decent too–never gets too cold or too hot. But there’s nothing here. Diversity is practically zero (heaven help you if you aren’t a straight white Protestant that acts within that limited realm of normality, because people just don’t like it if you aren’t) and options for activities are fairly limited. I would love to have some of the stores people talk about, like a good vintage clothing store or an independent music store, but you just don’t get that here. If you want even the slightest opportunity for stuff like that, you have to drive to Knoxville, which is an hour and a half away.

Most people will never leave this area. Job openings are going rapidly downhill, but they won’t leave. They hang around and refuse to even consider a world that isn’t exactly like it is here. I hate that. I know it could be worse (people out in the backwoods still fly their KKK flags proudly–the area I live in isn’t that bad), but I still want to leave. Once I’m out of high school, I fully intend to head far, far away.

jessica

39

I love Phoenix. From the time I was eight years old and visited for the first time, this is where I wanted to live. It’s changed a lot since then, but it’s still a great city. While it’s a very LARGE metropolitan area with a whole lotta people (and more coming every day), it grew up so quickly that it’s very decentralized and feels more like a small city, which is what I grew up in, than a huge one. As a result, there’s stuff to do in every community, not just downtown. In fact, many people find our downtown area disappointing - not enough going on down there. And that’s because it’s happening all over the Valley. In addition, we’re a six-hour drive from San Diego or LA, or a four and a half hour drive from Vegas. Not to mention Mexico not too far away.

We just moved into a new house here last week. I never want to move again.

40

Texas? Chilly? I don’t think you have much to worry about. The panhandle tends to get some snow each year, but that’s about it. Winters don’t last long down here & you’re more likely to complain about the humidity than anything else. (If, that is, you’d even dare to complain about ANYTHING in this great countr- er, state)