in response to this thread , what’s the best/most exciting/most wonderful place youve lived, and what made it so great?
For me, it would be Saratoga Springs, NY. Great little town, with rich history, wonderful parks, hot summers and snowy winters, close to the mountains of southern VT, surrounded by hilly farm country and suburban enough not to miss any sort of modern luxuries.
I’ve only lived in a suburb or Denver before, but Boulder is really, really nice. I return to Denver for breaks and I want to cry.
I’ve only lived in four cities and none of them are all that noteworthy but I like the current city I live in. It’s twenty miles outside Salem, Oregon, an hour from the Pacific Coast and an hour south or Portland so there’s plenty to do if I want to do a little travelling.
Bainbridge Island, WA. Beautifu, friendly, a quick boat ride from Seattle. If I could’ve found a job in my field out there, I’d still live there today!
Tallahassee, hands down. I came here from Toronto, and while I get nostalgic for it once in awhile, you couldn’t pay me to be there right now. Despite some urban planning problems that have given way to situations that the city fathers didn’t see coming, it’s still very nice. It’s very green and there are flowers everywhere, like they carved a city out of the forest - not like in Canada where they raze a forest for miles around and build a city on it. The best feature for me is that, even though it’s 25 degrees right now, last week it was 77, and I haven’t seen a snowflake in 6 years.
I’m tickled pink that I live back in my hometown now, even though it’s been below zero for the last week and there’s 4 feet of snow on the ground. It’s all what you like, I guess!
Boulder, Colorado, from 1981 to about 1988 or so.
Except for “farm”, you just described Arlington, Virginia. Although it’s mostly urban & suburban, there’s plenty of hilly semi-rural around 25[sup]th[/sup] Street and northward.
Where I live right now is the best place I’ve ever lived, and I loved the town I grew up in in New Jersey.
Santa Rosa was recently named one of America’s Most Livable mid-sized cities, and for good reason.
I can’t sing its praises enough. The weather is wonderful, it rarely dips below the mid 30’s or so in the winter season. No snow! But, if we want snow, Tahoe and the Sierras are a 3 hour drive. The summers are dry, warm and sunny.
We’re 50 miles from San Francisco, 30 miles from the ocean, the redwoods are nearby, and we’re in the heart of Sonoma County’s wine country. Some of the best restaurants around are right in our backyard. We’re in and surrounded by a tourist hot spot - shops/dining/museums/spas/wineries/activities like hot air ballooning, camping, golf, boating, hiking, cycling among gorgeous views, it’s all here.
We’ve got a great community college, good public schools, and excellent public transportation.
The only drawback is the cost of living. Housing is insanely expensive, taxes are a bit high, etc.
But I can honestly say, the price is well worth it.
It’s a small town, consisting of two habitable islands off of Boston’s North Shore. It’s a peaceful quiet place, and as close as you could want to a major city. I want to move back.
I like where I am now (San Diego) well enough, but, if I had a lot of money I would move back to the Bay Area, or maybe to Cambridge, MA. (I loved the history and the bookstores, although not the weather so much.)
Yes! Another vote for Boulder. Screw you, Oregon.
[Eyeing the Oregon people suspiciously]
I live in the Capital Region and LOVE the whole area. Saratoga’s great (aside from all of the traffic during track season!).
Hey, I was there then. From Jan '83 to Sept. '89 actually. Are you saying 1988 because that’s when you left, or because of some way the town changed?
Boulder gets my nod as best place I’ve lived, too. I really enjoyed living there and had a hard time leaving. I found it to be a tough place to find any kind of meaningful employment right out of college, though. That’s why I left. That, and I felt like I was getting too comfortable while at the same time not doing much with my life. Basically just finding whatever work I could so I could live there. It was ok for a while but it got old. I’d live there again under the right circumstances.
I lived in Niwot, Gold Hill, 4 mile canyon, and a bunch of places in town within walking distance of campus and downtown. Gold Hill was the most sublime. 4 mile was the most comfortable because there were always friends around.
Rochester, honestly.
(Yes, I must have lived in some pretty shitty places. Of course, it’s not the physical that makes a place really shitty, it’s the people.)
Wellington (New Zealand’s capital). Population about 350,000. It’s big enough to have all of the good things that go with a sophisticated city (theatre, music, great cafés and restaurants) without having many of the bad things (traffic problems, pollution). I dislike the heat so I even loved the climate which can be cold, wet and very windy. Fantastic city!
I lived in Boulder, Colorado the year of 1977-78 but actually much preferred the years (1973-76) I spent in **Ft Collins, Colorado.**Much easier to be a pedestrian there, it was quieter but still lots of fun, the people were more down to earth and, Horsetooth Reservoir is real fine.
I actually quite like where I live in central Denver right now–but it does not have a beach.
I grew up onboth coasts and hope to get back to one of them some day.
14 Perkins Street, Worcester MA. First Floor.
Seriously, I loved that apartment. It was big, with a pantry and a porch and wood floors and a basement. I haven’t found an apartment that nice since then. 
Worcester was cool too 
Isn’t that like saying you like Lowell? 
What fishbicyce said.
The quality of life here is simply outstanding. And the people are as warm as the weather.