# What do outsiders not understand about the place where you live? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 25, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355 "2024-03-25T21:29:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2024, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/21 "2024-03-25T23:27:00Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I live on Hawai’i Island. It is not all white sandy beaches and palm trees. Almost all of our shores are black sand and filled with sharp lava rocks. When we visited Hawai’i (6 days in Oaho, 1 overnight to the big island), I was startled at the beach in Oahu being kind of rocky. I wished I’d brought pool shoes; it was pretty uncomfortable. On the Big Island, the only beach we saw was near an active lava flow - and it was indeed black sand. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/22 "2024-03-26T00:17:54Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I was wondering the same thing, actually. I assume because I mentioned his name in the OP. Does Discourse automatically add that tag to any thread that mentions his name? Because I didn’t add it on purpose. Yes, some of the tags are set up to be automatic based on certain keywords in the OP. I don’t know if it’s possible for the OP to remove them if they are inappropriate, but I would hope so. But mostly @What_Exit seems to go through and remove them when asked. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/23 "2024-03-26T00:30:19Z")
I’m not sure if the OP can remove the tag, but I tend to remove odd ones that were either automatically added or sometime the OP adds one that doesn’t fit the tag. If flagged, I remove them of course. Posters are tagging far more on their own now. That’s really great. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/24 "2024-03-26T00:37:46Z")
I often call south Arkansas the 4th-world. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/25 "2024-03-26T01:11:49Z")
We live on 15 acres in the middle of Nowhere, Ohio. If you live in the city or suburbs, there are conveniences you take for granted that we don’t have. There’s no Uber or Lyft. Pizza, Grubhub, or DoorDash delivery? Lol, no one will deliver here. All stores and restaurants are at least 25 minutes away. I also assume a lot of folks in the city or suburbs feel “safe” knowing that neighbors are nearby. They might freak out here, as the only things watching us are rabbits and coyotes. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/26 "2024-03-26T01:13:56Z")
> [@Retzbu\_Tox](#): > > Despite being 700 miles south of Canada, I still have sugar maples, beavers, and bobcats in my yard here in west central Illinois. Given that Canada goes as far south as 41.7 longitude, and ‘central’ Illinois is around 39.5 longitude, you’re really only about 165 or so miles further south than a part of Canada. /geography nerd ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/27 "2024-03-26T01:34:18Z")
And massive industrial chicken, turkey and hog farms. Don’t sell western Ohio short! I grew up next to the Great Darke County Fair and spent weekends at Eldora Speedway. Its real America. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/28 "2024-03-26T01:38:27Z")
Yep. Same here. That’s another thing. When it’s dark outside it IS dark. People can’t believe it. My sister misses street noises and trains when she’s here. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/29 "2024-03-26T01:44:34Z")
You _stand_ on the _right_ side of the escalator, you _walk_ on the _left_ side. (public transit in DC involves a lot of long escalators, and we’re very judgmental about people who don’t follow that particular unwritten rule) ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/30 "2024-03-26T01:49:06Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > When it’s dark outside it IS dark. Oh yeah, absolutely! Even more so on the Big Island because light pollution is minimized thanks to the telescopes atop Mauna Kea. So we don’t have many streetlights and the ones we do have are the kind that don’t interfere too much with astronomical observations. Dark is DARK. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/31 "2024-03-26T01:51:28Z")
I bet starlit nights are wonderous. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/32 "2024-03-26T01:52:33Z")
Similar with Chicago. I spent years explaining to my family that the shootings and other crimes the news plays up happen in a small part of the city nowhere near where I lived. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/33 "2024-03-26T01:54:53Z")
They are! Hawaii Island has lots of different microclimates, so some areas are more prone to being overcast than others. Where I live, we frequently have cloudy skies, so not every night is amazing. But some nights are, and there are places you can drive to where almost every night is a celestial feast. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/34 "2024-03-26T02:17:53Z")
I used to live in St. Petersburg, FL. Far be it for me to say anything complimentary but it is no longer “God’s waiting room” and hasn’t been so in 20 years. There’s plenty to hate about it but being flooded with old folks isn’t one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/35 "2024-03-26T02:56:39Z")
Texas is not solid Republican. In fact, we run fairly close to 50/50 in presidential elections. But Dems haven’t been close enough to get top Texas officials in a while ---
**Author:** ![kitap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@kitap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitap)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/36 "2024-03-26T03:05:47Z")
I’m in Tucson. People think we’re the Sahara Desert when it comes to vegetation, but there’s actually a lot. People also think we’re 110 year round.We aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/37 "2024-03-26T03:31:29Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > More commonly, when Stateside friends hear where we live, they assume it’s a city in Germany It’s really in Belgium, right? And it’s a whole province, not just a city? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/38 "2024-03-26T03:36:41Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I live in the tiny country of Luxembourg. Oddly, one side of my family comes from there, so I did a report in High School on it. Mind you- I am sure you have all the cool info and nitty gritty, while i have some very outdated memories. 999 square miles right? > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > What outsiders think of San Francisco can be seen in the threads here about it I was assigned to work there for about a year. Near the Embaradero. Not much homeless. biggest danger was cyclists with the singlegear bikes going really fast on the sidewalks 9even though there a bike lane right there). Great eating, the best place for food i was ever assigned to. NOT cheap. > [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > It’s really in Belgium, right? And it’s a whole province, not just a city? It is part of BENELUX so you are not totally wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/39 "2024-03-26T03:42:34Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > It is part of BENELUX so you are not totally wrong. It was a joke. There is a province in Belgium called Luxembourg. By Belgian standards it a BIG province. And it used to be part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (the country of Luxembourg). ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2024, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355/40 "2024-03-26T03:46:23Z")
Boston is a lot less cold than most people imagine it to be. I mean you don’t have to go far north or even west for it to be REALLY cold, but compared to places like Wisconsin and Michigan the winters are quite tolerable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-outsiders-not-understand-about-the-place-where-you-live/999355.md?page=3)