Do you like where you live?
- Thread starter Elrohwen
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In some respects I like it, in others I hate it.
In order to finish university, I've had to move back in with my parents during the school year.
What I love about it is that they've got over an acre yard for the dogs, and there's a couple nice conservation areas close by.
And it's safe. I can go out at 2am even and not feel like I'm going to get harassed.
There's farmland behind us, so we don't really have much in the way of "backyard neighbours"
I grew up in this house - lived here since I was 4 years old.
What I absolutely hate about it is that in order to get anywhere you have to drive. There are no buses (aside from school buses), and to take a cab I'm sure would be well over $100.
We've got 1 store that's walking distance which is open 9-9 each day and horribly expensive. Other than that, we've got a church, and an elementary school.
We're about 20km (~12 miles?) away from any viable town.
Oh and our "high speed" internet is about the same rate as decent internet 10 years ago.
I have to pay more for my cell phone as the cheaper companies don't have towers out here.
And we are the LAST to have our roads plowed from the snow. In a sense, it's great as I've learned some excellent winter driving skills, but really
I'd be fine with this if we had more land. Say 150 acres of woods and farm land like my grandfather has. Sure sign me up. Heck even HE lives closer to a town than I do!
Really though, as long as I live somewhere close to a nice trail to let the dogs run, I don't care too much.
I know I'd rather have land and a small house opposed to a large house with no land.
In order to finish university, I've had to move back in with my parents during the school year.
What I love about it is that they've got over an acre yard for the dogs, and there's a couple nice conservation areas close by.
And it's safe. I can go out at 2am even and not feel like I'm going to get harassed.
There's farmland behind us, so we don't really have much in the way of "backyard neighbours"
I grew up in this house - lived here since I was 4 years old.
What I absolutely hate about it is that in order to get anywhere you have to drive. There are no buses (aside from school buses), and to take a cab I'm sure would be well over $100.
We've got 1 store that's walking distance which is open 9-9 each day and horribly expensive. Other than that, we've got a church, and an elementary school.
We're about 20km (~12 miles?) away from any viable town.
Oh and our "high speed" internet is about the same rate as decent internet 10 years ago.
I have to pay more for my cell phone as the cheaper companies don't have towers out here.
And we are the LAST to have our roads plowed from the snow. In a sense, it's great as I've learned some excellent winter driving skills, but really
I'd be fine with this if we had more land. Say 150 acres of woods and farm land like my grandfather has. Sure sign me up. Heck even HE lives closer to a town than I do!
Really though, as long as I live somewhere close to a nice trail to let the dogs run, I don't care too much.
I know I'd rather have land and a small house opposed to a large house with no land.
To answer my own question, I'm in the Hudson Valley region of NY and I generally really like where I live. I especially love my house and how close I am to a walking trail. I moved to the general area for work 7 years ago (though I was in CT), and bought my house 3 years ago.
My town is ok. It's not particularly cute, but it has everything I need while still being small. There are large and small grocery stores, a couple small hardware stores, about 4 pizza places (lol), Chinese place, pharmacy, my bank, wine store, etc. There is a busy street about 10-20min away with everything I could ever want. I like the feel of a small town and semi-rural life, while still being within easy driving distance of shopping. I'm also 4 miles from work which is awesome.
I really like my general area. It's only 1.5 hours from NYC and a few hours from upstate NY, and has a nice mix of suburban and rural. There are lots of small farms and open spaces, and lots of hiking. I wish there was more dog stuff, but there is probably more here than in many areas. Lately there are a lot of breweries opening up along with good restaurants as more tourists come up from the city. The only thing I hate about it is the cost of living. We will eventually move another 1.5 hours north (Albany area) where I think we'll have many of the same benefits, but cheaper cost of living.
My town is ok. It's not particularly cute, but it has everything I need while still being small. There are large and small grocery stores, a couple small hardware stores, about 4 pizza places (lol), Chinese place, pharmacy, my bank, wine store, etc. There is a busy street about 10-20min away with everything I could ever want. I like the feel of a small town and semi-rural life, while still being within easy driving distance of shopping. I'm also 4 miles from work which is awesome.
I really like my general area. It's only 1.5 hours from NYC and a few hours from upstate NY, and has a nice mix of suburban and rural. There are lots of small farms and open spaces, and lots of hiking. I wish there was more dog stuff, but there is probably more here than in many areas. Lately there are a lot of breweries opening up along with good restaurants as more tourists come up from the city. The only thing I hate about it is the cost of living. We will eventually move another 1.5 hours north (Albany area) where I think we'll have many of the same benefits, but cheaper cost of living.
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I love it. My suburb specifically is great, lots to do here and easy access to most major freeways, I can quickly be in "the cities" and just as quickly be in a more rural area. Lots of shopping and little walking trails which is about all I need lol. I virtually never need to venture outside this city.
I've lived here my whole life and can't see myself moving very far.
I've lived here my whole life and can't see myself moving very far.
I've grown to love living here. There is so much to do, the mountains are only about an hour drive to get to, there are hiking trails everywhere and as long as you stay out of Denver County (which is really tiny), it's ridiculously dog friendly. There are a bajillion breweries, great ethnic foods everywhere and the weather is amazing. Public trans is pretty awesome and so many people ride their bikes here as well. It's a very active/fit state.
The thing I wish was different is the water--there just really are not any good recreational lakes. They're either tiny reservoirs or freezing mountain runoff lakes. The rivers are so-so; fun when there's enough water in them but that's pretty hit or miss. Colorado is the headwaters for most of the rest of the country and since water rights favor those "downstream", we actually don't get to keep the majority of our water.
The thing I wish was different is the water--there just really are not any good recreational lakes. They're either tiny reservoirs or freezing mountain runoff lakes. The rivers are so-so; fun when there's enough water in them but that's pretty hit or miss. Colorado is the headwaters for most of the rest of the country and since water rights favor those "downstream", we actually don't get to keep the majority of our water.
I like it.
It could be nearer a proper town.... But I cope. I'm not a big shopper anyway, and I get most of my stuff on the internet. I commute an hour a day and work in a large town so not like I'm totally cut off from the real world.
It could be less wet... I actually can't remember the last day we didn't have rain at some point.
Winters are pretty drab....
Otherwise, it's beautiful. Sometimes too nice. Summer = hoards of tourists.
I like that it's not built up. Tiny population in my village. Pretty. Smells nice. Near the beaches and forestry.
I like feeling cut off from the stress of the 'real world'.
I live 3.5 hours from where I was born.
It could be nearer a proper town.... But I cope. I'm not a big shopper anyway, and I get most of my stuff on the internet. I commute an hour a day and work in a large town so not like I'm totally cut off from the real world.
It could be less wet... I actually can't remember the last day we didn't have rain at some point.
Winters are pretty drab....
Otherwise, it's beautiful. Sometimes too nice. Summer = hoards of tourists.
I like that it's not built up. Tiny population in my village. Pretty. Smells nice. Near the beaches and forestry.
I like feeling cut off from the stress of the 'real world'.
I live 3.5 hours from where I was born.
I live where I was born and grew up.
It's an interesting place to live. It's a university town. For about four months out of the year the population is drastically different than it is the rest of the year. During the school year, it fills up with a lot of white, very privileged kids, a ton of international students, and a lot of people who like to drink. A lot. A friend in Wales once told me "Your city was on a special over here! They were showing video of how drunk the kids get on St. Patrick's Day! Are they all stupid or something??" Well that's embarrassing. We have something called "Unofficial" because the college is normally out for Spring Break on St. Patrick's Day, and God forbid the kids not be able to get hammered, so there's an "Unofficial" day where they all go out and get hammered on that day instead. This past year school was in session on St. Patrick's Day. So they got wildly hammered on Unofficial AND St. Patrick's Day.
Much of the population is highly educated, lots of people with MA/MS or PhDs and if you don't know at least one person working on their thesis, you're probably a hermit of some kind.
At the same time there's also a very large population that is very poor. It's really pretty segregated, too. Very clear "poor parts" of town and "rich parts" and the rest of us just try to make it in the other parts, which are slowly being swallowed into "poor parts" because... well... people are poor. There are lots of farms around here too which is a different kind of social and financial class. We have a few large factories around so a lot of families know each other because there are links through the factories. You can meet a perfect stranger and figure out you're linked in one way or another through one of the factories. SO MANY PEOPLE know my dad. It's crazy.
It's a very strange place to live socially. My friends are blazing rednecks and poor struggling young adults and crazy conservatives and over-the-top liberals and richy-rich professors/researchers.
As to if I like it... I like it well enough that I'm still here. But financially it's a pretty poor city. The people with money are vacating as quickly as possible to other cities in the county. I looked at some of those other cities but I couldn't afford it, so here I am in the poor city instead. Crime is a problem, it's not helped by having a large population of young, privileged kids who are suddenly miles away from their parents and have easy access to more alcohol than anybody could possibly need. There are also a lot of kids who are sent down from Chicago to attend the community college here because their parents think if they just get their kids out of Chicago that will magically solve their being in "trouble"... and, surprise, it just brings the crime element from Chicago and puts it down here instead. Racial tensions can run very high. There are lots of places in town I just plain don't feel safe.
I would much rather live in another of those cities that are overall not so **** poor and not so unsafe, but when you're poor, too, well, that's what you get.
As to living anywhere else, if I had more balls, I would have quit my job and moved to the Indianapolis area a few years ago. I probably would have a much better job and more money. But the idea of picking up and moving somewhere without a job and having to live off my savings was terrifying and I didn't do it. So here I am. Poor, in the poor city. Whoo-hoo.
It's an interesting place to live. It's a university town. For about four months out of the year the population is drastically different than it is the rest of the year. During the school year, it fills up with a lot of white, very privileged kids, a ton of international students, and a lot of people who like to drink. A lot. A friend in Wales once told me "Your city was on a special over here! They were showing video of how drunk the kids get on St. Patrick's Day! Are they all stupid or something??" Well that's embarrassing. We have something called "Unofficial" because the college is normally out for Spring Break on St. Patrick's Day, and God forbid the kids not be able to get hammered, so there's an "Unofficial" day where they all go out and get hammered on that day instead. This past year school was in session on St. Patrick's Day. So they got wildly hammered on Unofficial AND St. Patrick's Day.
Much of the population is highly educated, lots of people with MA/MS or PhDs and if you don't know at least one person working on their thesis, you're probably a hermit of some kind.
At the same time there's also a very large population that is very poor. It's really pretty segregated, too. Very clear "poor parts" of town and "rich parts" and the rest of us just try to make it in the other parts, which are slowly being swallowed into "poor parts" because... well... people are poor. There are lots of farms around here too which is a different kind of social and financial class. We have a few large factories around so a lot of families know each other because there are links through the factories. You can meet a perfect stranger and figure out you're linked in one way or another through one of the factories. SO MANY PEOPLE know my dad. It's crazy.
It's a very strange place to live socially. My friends are blazing rednecks and poor struggling young adults and crazy conservatives and over-the-top liberals and richy-rich professors/researchers.
As to if I like it... I like it well enough that I'm still here. But financially it's a pretty poor city. The people with money are vacating as quickly as possible to other cities in the county. I looked at some of those other cities but I couldn't afford it, so here I am in the poor city instead. Crime is a problem, it's not helped by having a large population of young, privileged kids who are suddenly miles away from their parents and have easy access to more alcohol than anybody could possibly need. There are also a lot of kids who are sent down from Chicago to attend the community college here because their parents think if they just get their kids out of Chicago that will magically solve their being in "trouble"... and, surprise, it just brings the crime element from Chicago and puts it down here instead. Racial tensions can run very high. There are lots of places in town I just plain don't feel safe.
I would much rather live in another of those cities that are overall not so **** poor and not so unsafe, but when you're poor, too, well, that's what you get.
As to living anywhere else, if I had more balls, I would have quit my job and moved to the Indianapolis area a few years ago. I probably would have a much better job and more money. But the idea of picking up and moving somewhere without a job and having to live off my savings was terrifying and I didn't do it. So here I am. Poor, in the poor city. Whoo-hoo.
I've spent my entire life, with the exception of college, living in Fairfax County VA. A handful of moves to new houses but all within about a 10 mile radius. College years were spent in Blacksburg VA going home for holidays and summers. The years in college partially count because southwest VA is much different than Northern VA, but I say partially because at least a third of the people attending VA Tech are also from Northern VA.
Personally I love living here overall. It kinda baffles me the number of people who grow up here and complain about there is nothing to do here. We live about 20 minutes outside DC, go about 45 minutes west/southwest and you reach somewhat rural areas. Drive 1-2 hours north for multiple skiing options in the winter. Drive 1-2 hours east (north or south) for beach options in the summer. You name it and there is likely an option for that activity within a 2 hour drive. If you can't find something to do you just aren't trying.
What I don't like is the traffic and cost of living. Moving elsewhere I can get away from this level of traffic. Cost of living I can also move to a cheaper area but there is a mental hurdle with that as well. The pay is lower, understandably, in those areas. Mentally it would be harder to move someplace and take the pay cut I know would be involved. Intellectually I understand it would balance out but seeing that smaller pay check would still be a shock haha. I have kind of the reverse going on right now. My department was bought by another company based in TX, they are still suffering from sticker shock over how much we all get paid. Even more shocked at the idea a number of us are really underpaid for the work we do.
More rural areas of the country where people have to drive an hour+ to reach a Wal-mart (or any "major" shopping center) just aren't for me. I like the convenience of suburban life far too much.
I am jealous of the training clubs I read others talk about though with such cheap classes. I'd do a lot more classes if they weren't pretty much all close to $200 for a 6 week class.
Personally I love living here overall. It kinda baffles me the number of people who grow up here and complain about there is nothing to do here. We live about 20 minutes outside DC, go about 45 minutes west/southwest and you reach somewhat rural areas. Drive 1-2 hours north for multiple skiing options in the winter. Drive 1-2 hours east (north or south) for beach options in the summer. You name it and there is likely an option for that activity within a 2 hour drive. If you can't find something to do you just aren't trying.
What I don't like is the traffic and cost of living. Moving elsewhere I can get away from this level of traffic. Cost of living I can also move to a cheaper area but there is a mental hurdle with that as well. The pay is lower, understandably, in those areas. Mentally it would be harder to move someplace and take the pay cut I know would be involved. Intellectually I understand it would balance out but seeing that smaller pay check would still be a shock haha. I have kind of the reverse going on right now. My department was bought by another company based in TX, they are still suffering from sticker shock over how much we all get paid. Even more shocked at the idea a number of us are really underpaid for the work we do.
More rural areas of the country where people have to drive an hour+ to reach a Wal-mart (or any "major" shopping center) just aren't for me. I like the convenience of suburban life far too much.
I am jealous of the training clubs I read others talk about though with such cheap classes. I'd do a lot more classes if they weren't pretty much all close to $200 for a 6 week class.
Nope, and I will gladly leave first opportunity I have.
I love the city as a whole, there's always something to do, but I don't want to live here. Gladly come visit for weekends and such, absolutely!
It just comes down to I'm not happy in such a big city. I need more space.
In the perfect world, I'd move out of the province, away from the BSL. However, thee is practically 0 chance of that happening.
I love the city as a whole, there's always something to do, but I don't want to live here. Gladly come visit for weekends and such, absolutely!
It just comes down to I'm not happy in such a big city. I need more space.
In the perfect world, I'd move out of the province, away from the BSL. However, thee is practically 0 chance of that happening.
I like it here in Madison, WI. I am very far away from were I was born and raised at this point. I was born in Germany and lived there until I was 18.
Madison is a lovely town to live in. Our little house is okay...there is so much I would like to do with it or to it, but time and finances are not where they would need to be for all that.
WI has some lovely areas to visit like Door County.
The winters a bit of meh...this winter in particular has been wicked, but it has been wicked everywhere else too.
As for living somewhere else... I have lived in Oklahoma and wild horses could not drag me back there. I have lived in Iowa, both in Ames and the Des Moines area, and I did not mind living there.
There are places I would not mind to try living... Seattle looks nice (I have a friend that lives there). I have known a few people living in Portland and they have all said it is very nice.
Madison is a lovely town to live in. Our little house is okay...there is so much I would like to do with it or to it, but time and finances are not where they would need to be for all that.
WI has some lovely areas to visit like Door County.
The winters a bit of meh...this winter in particular has been wicked, but it has been wicked everywhere else too.
As for living somewhere else... I have lived in Oklahoma and wild horses could not drag me back there. I have lived in Iowa, both in Ames and the Des Moines area, and I did not mind living there.
There are places I would not mind to try living... Seattle looks nice (I have a friend that lives there). I have known a few people living in Portland and they have all said it is very nice.
I live in the greater Lafayette area of Indiana. I like my town. No real reason. I just do. I've grown up here and while most people say, "Omigosh, I can't wait to leave!!!"...I enjoy it here. It definitely feels like it is developing. So many new businesses and shopping plazas and roads. It's a nice mix of rural and (very small) city. I also like it's location. Short drive to Indianapolis and a longer drive to Chicago, but both are very accessible.
If I had my way, I wouldn't leave. However, we will be moving out of state sometime here in the next few months. When Michael is out of the service, we do plan to come back to the state, if not the city.
If I had my way, I wouldn't leave. However, we will be moving out of state sometime here in the next few months. When Michael is out of the service, we do plan to come back to the state, if not the city.
I think I would be more ok with where I live if it wasn't so immensely populated around here. I live in northern virginia. There is quite to do around here and it seems to be fairly dog friendly for the most part, but the traffic is terrible. People are always in such a big hurry to get from one place to the next and a lot less friendly because they are stressing out over one thing or another.
I'm planning to move back to NM later on this year. I love it out there. Far less populated. The area I'm looking into is an up and coming area. It used to be a smaller town when I was in high school but it's growing into a small city. There is still quite a bit to do out there and its pretty dog friendly as well. I love the sunsets out there and living near mountains since Albuquerque and surrounding areas are in the valley of the mountains.
I'm planning to move back to NM later on this year. I love it out there. Far less populated. The area I'm looking into is an up and coming area. It used to be a smaller town when I was in high school but it's growing into a small city. There is still quite a bit to do out there and its pretty dog friendly as well. I love the sunsets out there and living near mountains since Albuquerque and surrounding areas are in the valley of the mountains.