What Do You Like and Dislike About Where You Live? Wish You Could Move?

City of Chicago is about the best there is and very cool town to go see the best blues in the world…that rocks big time!

But too many people who don’t give a shit about having fun anymore!! That’s no fun and no nice clean lakes or rivers close to me…just about ruins it completely for me!

Things I like-
Brownstones, old neighborhoods, gorgeous Spring/Fall, cheap food, friends/family nearby.

Things I don’t like-
Humidity, mild Winters, no natural features near-by, Ozone Action Days, lack of affordable housing in areas you won’t be entirely likely to be shot at.

We’d love to move. It’s not in the cards for us at the moment.

Pros: Big nice houses, big yards, nice people, beautiful gardens and streets, awesome friends, good schools, and it’s in California, which is the greatest state of all time. Close enough to the big city center of San Francisco, lots to do, and lots to see (maybe not right where I live, but you don’t have to go far).

Cons: Weather can be a bit cool (I lived in Vegas in the beginning of my life, so I got used to hot and sunny all the time), inflated house prices, and the Bay Area in general is very crowded.

But there’s a reason why it’s so expensive to live here: everyone wants to!

I live as you desire.

In the woods of a small community in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains on 10 acres total with 20 acres of raw land right across my teeny little deadend road of which I am the 2nd of only 3 houses on a total of about 30 acres.

I love my space, the peace, privacy, zero crime, doors and windows open all night, house never locked, keys in the car at all times in an open garage, my farmey pets, AND..best of all a fun local hub about 10 miles down the highway on a beautiful river and miles of hiking trails with two more medium size towns with all amenities within 20 minutes.

Summer nights are magnificent up here!

The downside is…city friends act like I moved to Alaska and whine about the hour to hour and 10–15 minutes drive.

The other downside is finding quality men to date…( not anything I am too broken up about, lol ). Also…the drive home if I want to go out where the nightlife is on occasion. Which is rare because I don’t want to have a few drinks and risk driving back up the hill.

Most of the people in my community are retired, redneck bubbas or younger families.

BUT….it is tons of fun to hostess get togethers and really enjoy sharing my little retreat like living situation with others!

All is perfect. Except that FRIGGIN mole that is still in my back yard.

@Cruiser There is a clean lake right INSIDE our neighborhood.
Cons: no one uses it because it’s so HOT out and you have to buy a dock. The price of a dock if one is available?? Out Of Sight. So there are about five or six docks. Everyone goes to our pool instead. That IS a great benefit but….it’s so HOT at that pool ! If you’re in the warm water I think you could have heatstroke.

@ChazMaz Hey! We had a mole too ! But I think he had a heatstroke and died. Seriously.

@ChazMaz Leave the mole alone. He has a right to your back yard too.
I have a nice house on an acre lot in a really nice town. But it is a small town, nothing to do, no good restaurants, no museums, no theaters, and what is the worse thing for me right now, no jobs to be found. I imagine I will have to sell the house and move to a bigger town to find employment. It really doesn’t bother me as I’m ready for a change now.

I live within 90 minutes of the Rockies to the east. It is always windy and more temperate in term of temperature than many other places in Canada in which I have lived.

It is however a rather dull place with few opportunities for me to find people with whom I could easily relate. The town it self has lots of trees but the whole area around it is high desert with no trees and a fair number of antelope, cows and pump jacks. It’s mainly cattle country and I am no cowboy! On the other hand my rent for a house is very, very low!

The disability and health benefits in this province as the best in Canada so I need to stay in this province no matter what. My parents and children all live far from here.

My wife’s family is also far from here.

We love the mountains and we go there as often as we can afford to do so.
Except for each other’s company, it is something of a lonely existence.

So there are the good and the not so good points.

I love where I live. (New Orleans) Great people, lots to do, it even pulled me out of a life long struggle with depression after moving here because the spirit is so catching!

I always wanted to live in the country, but I think I will wait for retirement to do that….I like Whole Foods (and movie theatres, and nightlife…)too much!

Right now, things are so uncertain and scary that it feels pretty vulnerable living here. But I moved here after Katrina and have decided to stay and settle (just bought a house) even if it means that I just have to dig my heels in and survive. I really hope things get better soon, though. although I am afraid they will get much worse before they even begin to get better

@KhiaKarma you know what? The Whole Foods in New Orleans was the first WF I’ve ever been in and it is gorgeous!! They had this “make your own salad” and it was out of this world.
Question for you: are your fishermen able to get fish from the gulf now? I saw a photo where they were lined up to get free food.

@Coloma That Does sound perfect. And no Homeowners’ Association dues. Lucky you!

We live in Connecticut, in a shoreline town.

I like the town beach, which is semi-private. Anyone can get a season or day pass, but it’s much cheaper for residents. The beach has a great playground, big picnic areas with a lot of shade, and a little snack stand/burger joint. The fireworks for July 4th are held at the beach, and it’s like a huge party. The fireworks are shot from a barge out in Long Island Sound, and laying on a beach blanket while the fireworks explode over your head is one of the highlights of the year!

I also like our quaint downtown area, with it’s beautiful town green and lack of chain stores or restaurants. We have a Starbucks, Subway, and CVS, huddled together at one end of town where they can’t offend all the little local shops. Our bookstore is incredible, and for a rather smallish town brings in famous authors and celebrities for signings and talks. I like the school system here, the many great hiking areas and parks, the gorgeous fall foliage, and the close proximity to NYC, Boston, and Providence. I like all the little towns around us, and the incredible Italian and seafood restaurants.

Our house is fine, in that it has room for us and meets our needs. There are lot of things that could be updated, and all of the windows need to be replaced. Our yard, however, is awesome. It’s big, private, and shaded by several very big trees. We have a big wooden deck that runs the length of the house and is perfect if you can ignore the fact that it really needs to be refinished! We can cut through the field off our back yard to the high school track and football field, almost all of my husband’s relatives live within an hour (some right down the street, and some only 15 minutes away) and our favorite park for collecting bugs is within walking distance.

What I don’t like about this town is that it is has a reputation for snobbery. There are a lot of people in town who have a lot of money, but I don’t think they are a majority. They seem to want to turn this town into Greenwich (why?!!??!) or some little New England enclave. As a result, people from other areas judge this whole town as stuck up and exclusive. The people who want this town to be seen as a luxurious haven are so vocal that it’s hard to combat. I like to equate them to the religious right in the U.S. It’s a small price to pay, I suppose, for all the benefits of this area to our kids.

Oh, we’re also very, very, very far away from my family. Perhaps that is the biggest benefit to where we live!

@MissAusten That sounds really beautiful. I lived in NJ but never went north of it. Maybe someday…

I like where we live on the whole. I like the small dog park. I like the pool. I like the exercise room.

I love the area that we live in. Close to Washington DC, but in Alexandria, which is a very cool town. I love the seasons.

Is it perfect? No, but we don’t have to go very far to find great scenery.

When we were staying in the country last week, it made me realize how much I do miss living there. Maybe someday again, but for now I am content.

I love my house til the young drunk drama queen moved in next door and in close proximity.

This place sucks. There’s nothing good about it. Drug dealing galore, no Goth bars and city representatives who spend all the tax money on giant clocks instead of fixing the streets or actually adding traffic lights on dangerous intersections.

@Aster I do have one of the cleanest lakes in Illinois an hour and a half away, but that is too far to drive to invest in the high priced mooring you speak of to make it worth while! So we boat in the river, dip out feet in and catch some fish for the hell of it and throw them back before they get angry! ;)

I love my house, it’s just the right size, and I like the floorplan, the yard, and the pool. The weather is great, even the 100 + days, with my air conditioning, but I really miss being near the ocean. I go to the shore every time I can afford it.

I live in Boston’s North End in a small first-floor unit of a four-unit condo. I’m on a street that is full of great restaurants. I love all the activity of Boston and particularly the North End. I like the four distinct seasons. I like all there is to do.

I don’t like living in such confined quarters without space for a workshop and a yard to garden, all of which I had in Virginia Beach. I’d like our next move to take us back to a place within reach of a city, but with some land. A small bungalow or ranch style place would be fine. But having a garage/workshop would be a big plus.

@Aster Honestly, I have to admit that I have not been watching the news. It just makes me so angry and anxious….but the last I know of, there are still some fisheries open, so there is some fish and seafood reportedly untainted. However, many are suffering due to the buisness lost form the closed fisheries as well as the panic that has spread and has affected buisness. So much is unknown at this point. I have not seen anything about people lining up but that is merely because I have chosen to hide my head in the sand. I try to control what I can and let go of what I can do nothing about

Re Whole Foods: I know! The salads and ready made foods are great——not all healthy though. Better for me than all the rich, greasy foods round here!

I live on a farm in New Hampshire. Nestled between the White and Green Mountains. Remote enough that people don’t bother me, but close enough to a college town to have some cultural life. The only disadvantage is that people with similar entertainment interests are rather sparse on the ground here (about 1 Goth per 100 square miles).

I love where Ilive, the only thing I don’t like is the fact that I can only afford to rent my flat and not buy it.

@Aster

No, no HOA dues…but…do have a road committee…this area is much better than my last home some years ago…but living on private, non-county maintained roads have their own aggravations. lol

One person thinks the road should be re-graveled or graded, another thinks it’s just fine…and..of course…there is always ONE self appointed CEO that takes charge! haha

Still…beats being told that your house can only be painted in 3 shades of beige! lololol

Like

One of the cheapest big cities. Sense of community – even if it’s a boring midwest city people seem to have pride. Wide variety of things to eat, there is someplace within 20 miles for almost any taste. Lots of colleges in a small area so there is a surplus of educational choices and you can study pretty much anything you can imagine. I kind of like its midwestern feel. Because of its association with Jack Hanna the zoo is actually pretty nice.

Dislike

Sucky public transportation. I don’t have good enough vision to drive so this is a huge consideration. Not enough “green space” – I love the city but a few more trees would be nice. Flat landscape. Living with family is driving me crazy. It’s what I call a “pass-through” state – people don’t visit here much, just drive by on their way to more exciting locations. As a result of that there are always tons of semi-trucks here which I hate. I’ve lived here my entire life so after 22 years nothing excites me about this place anymore. Requires quite a trip to get anywhere else because outside of my city its farmland for miles and miles.