What do you like about where you call home?

[Beachgirl]

I love San Diego, I love the :sunny: and warm weather nearly year round. But I don't love struggling financially, I can no longer afford to live here. I have had to take a medical leave due to an on the job injury and my company has hired over me. I have no job to go back to so this is a perfect time to make a change, new job, maybe even move.

What is it that you like about the place you call home? Is it your quality of life, the weather, etc?

:thankyou:
I can't wait to see your responses!

[ashanti1922]

I love the intermixing of cultures and seeing the city grow and thrive.We have so many suburbs here. And the weather is crazy. It will be 80 degrees today but freezing rain on the weekends, only in TEXAS!

[Sib2of11]

I was born and raised here, and I absolutely love Rhode Island. Yes, sometimes the winters are too cold or too snowy, but it doesn't last long. In RI, you can drive completely across the entire State in an hour. There are the beautiful beaches, the tours of the mansions in Newport, the National Tennis Hall of Fame, the Roger Williams National Park (Roger Williams founded Rhode Island). You can drive to the docks to purchase freshly caught lobster and fish, and in the Fall, you'll see some of the most beautiful foliage ever.

Take a short video tour of Rhode Island now by clicking the link below.

http://www.visitrhodeisland.com/video/ritour.aspx

We may be a little State, but we have so much to offer. :D

[clogaholic]

I was born in Pennsylvania but have called southeast Texas home for most of my life. I've lived in a few other places but my heart is here.

I like the mild winters but could do without the long very hot summers that we often have. I like living in a small town that's near Houston. We're close enough for the benefits ( medical, theater and shopping ) but far enough to not have the congestion and crime.
:bliss: :dance:

[abbie0407blue]

I was raised in PA but have been home in the midwest for over 20 years. I love the warmer climate here. We still have some winter, but, not the snow that I had growing up. We have nice springs and very hot summers, too. Fall is always pretty. I like the change of seasons so the climate here suits me. I guess I'm just generally happy with my life right now and where I live is a big part of it.

[ashanti1922]

CLOG: I love your weather too. We are vacationing in Galveston in July. I can not wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kate]

I'm with Ashanti. I LOVE Dallas! I'm actually in Plano which is a suburb of Dallas. I love the newness here. The area I live is rather new and clean. There are a ton of places to go shopping and eat. :) And the weather has been beautiful!

[SouthDakotaSherry]

South Dakota is beautiful. The air is clean. It is a fabulous place to raise children. Cost of living is not horrible but the wages tend to be low. Mt. Rushmore is nearby and the Black Hills are gorgeous! I would rather live here than anywhere I can think of!

Sherry

[jaycie]

Home is Tennessee. I love the rolling hills, it's just beautiful here. I love the easy way of life. We rarely have snow/ice -- maybe once or twice a year. It can get hot during the summer, but I like hot. As someone else posted, the south does have kinda crazy weather -- it was 60 today, but the low tonight will be in the 30's, and we won't get above 40 tomorrow. We have an old saying... "if you don't like the weather, just wait a day or two"!

[Ginger Coots]

I love that we cant see any neighbours from our home. The most traffic we see from the front window is moose, deer, bear, or coyote. I love that we can drive up the road and drink water from the ground (natural artitian spring). I love going outback in the summer and picking berries for the winter, or out onto the lake and fishing for trout or char...mmmmmmmm. Low crime, everyone knows the person who lives down the road. Not too hot summers (not a heat person).....and cold winters with lots of snow that make you grateful for a warm fireplace and a good book.....

[peachprinceton]

I live in Maine, and for me.... it's my way of life. I'm simple and Maine is full of simple. It makes me who I am and I'm pretty alright with that.

I enjoy the fact I feel free enough to walk outside in my robe for the mail and see no one around me. I can't see my neighbors house and he has that privancy too.

It's the simple things that make me love it here. Of course in the summer it's filled with boating, hiking, walking, picnics and lots of things to do.

There's no place like home

[wingriderprincess]

I'll trade you places :) I would love to live in California because my son and his family live there and I miss my grandbabies to pieces. We talk about moving there but in reality, Missouri is a much cheaper place to live. Our home is almost paid for and DH's parents are here as well as my mother. They are getting up in years and I would hate to leave them now. As for a great place to live?? Maybe if you lived in the Ozarks but in my part of the state it's just a place to park.

:silly:

[tinkerbell]

I was born and raised in southern Calif. the first 21 yrs. of my life and thought it was great! It was all I knew. My husband & I got married in Orange County and a year later decided to move to the Denver, CO area because it had a lower cost of living and I had some family here. Well, 28 years later, you couldn't PAY us to live anywhere else!!! This is truly God's country. We have 4 absolutely beautiful seasons (in CA we had one season all year long!) and we have more sunny days than CA. We got 2" of snow last night, and it's 10 degrees out today, but it's bright and sunny and beautiful!

To Kate: My brother lives in Plano too and he just loves it!

[donna6171]

I'm from New Orleans area and wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Even after the hurricane, I still call New Orleans my home. I was born here and still live here. The different cultures that are in the city give my children a look into all the cultures that are in the city - both new and old. Our winters are mild (ok, so we do have the rare snow days 1 or 2 times a decade). Our summers aren't that bad, but I may just be used to them. Our Audobon Zoo is one of the top ten in the country. There's also something to do no matter what the season. Outdoor activities are unlimited, fishing, camping, hunting and whatever else you'd enjoy. Yes, we do have a threat of hurricanes during the season, but we do get advance warning.

[jaycie]

As for a great place to live?? Maybe if you lived in the Ozarks but in my part of the state it's just a place to park.




This made me laugh.... I was raised in Arkansas and you could make the same statement for my hometown! :D

[ashanti1922]

Are you still there now? I was thinking about coming there for a vacation but I was not sure if the city was back up. Last time I stayed at the Hotel Monaco.

[crunchies0313]

Well.. I have lived here my whole life. I want a new scenery!! But I am really close to Houston, and theres Kemah real close...I close to a lot of things.. the beach also!

[Beachgirl]

Donna - I've been to New Orleans and the surrounding area and I do love it. But you're right about being used to the summer weather, It's so hotttt and humid, it's like breathing hot liquid air!!
I sure hope they don't change New Orleans much in the rebuliding process, I love the culture and the diversity.

[Aussie Friend]

I was born and raised in the western suburbs of Sydney, then I met my hubby on a cruise and married and moved to a small country town in central west NSW, Australia. I live in Canowindra.

When I moved here I knew no one and didn't drive which made life interesting as I live 12kms from town and 3 1/2 kms off the roads and my closest company is an old grave site about 200m from the house. My nearest neighbour is about 2km or so away.

All this took some time to get used to but I wouldn't change it for the world. Our population is approx 1700 and I still get my groceries packed and carried to my car. They'll even put newspaper around frozen goods to stop them defrosting on the way home.

The only thing I'd swap is the heat! We have been having 100-110+ temperatures. I can't wait for winter! LOL

[quiltingmare]

I'm originally from New Jersey, but for the last 3 years I have called Tennessee my home. We have 50acres in the country (a big difference from the 100x150 lot we had in Jersey). Its so beautiful here. We have deer and turkey roaming the backyard. We've made trails in the woods so that in the winter we can walk. Its also a slower life style that we like.

[MarieAnn]

I live in Village where if I drive 10 minutes one way I have the beautiful Country-side & if I drive 20 minutes the other way, I have a huge shopping Mall. Pubs, Clubs, restaurants, Night Clubs. Swimming Pool.
Not so long ago, we had acres of land that was doing nothing & had a concrete fence surrounding it. Looking out of my window, it didn't look much at all. But they decided to do something with it, & have made it into a Country Park for all to use. They now have a less noticable fence up with huge gates for the public to use. Now I look out of my window & see a beautiful forrest.
If I look out of my bedroom window out the back, I see acres of fields & trees. I love it.

[Iamnotasaint]

I was born and raised in California and then moved to Oregon for 12 years I thought I would die before I made it back home to California. My husband that I met in Oregon was a Bronx, NY guy so when I said it's time to move back to my home he was ready. That was until I moved him to the desert! LOL

[jasper]

I live in a coastal town an hours drive from Sydney. I love the fact I have bushland behind my house and overlook the sea at the front. There is a large university not far away, the area is very cultural diverse ( lots of yummy places to eat) it is also very cultural and arty which I love. The shopping is fair but at least I'm in the centre of Sydney in an hour so I take frequent shopping expeditions :)

[Lapphundlady]

We live in a tiny cottage in the middle of the countryside. It is very cold at the moment but it is lovely when Spring arrives and all the plants in the garden and fields start to flower. I love the night sky when there is no cloud in the sky as there is no light pollution and there are so many stars it is just amazing. Trouble is you crick your neck and go wow so much you are likely to walk into something!

[spunkyfish]

Hi Beachgirl!

I'm Barb and your neighbor to the north in Huntington Beach (in the "OC"). Here's what I love about living here in So. Cal:

* It's February and I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
* I can walk to the beach.
* I can go surfing at the beach, skiing in the mountains or rock climbing in the desert all in the same day. Note, I haven't done this, but I could if I wanted to. ;)
* I'm an hour's drive to LA where I can catch a play/concert.
* Mickey's house is 20 minutes away!
* San Diego is 2 hours south with one of the most beautiful hotels in the world - the Hotel Del Coronado.
* Can't beat the fresh fruit and veggies here - especially the strawberries. Yum!
* I love the various cultures and customs here and the diversity of sitting in an outdoor cafe and listening to 2 or 3 different languages going on.
* The shopping here is amazing! There are malls to be found just about everywhere!
* The weather allows me to play outside most days of the year.

Did I mention it's February and I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt??? ;)

xoxo,
Barb

[intheboonies]

Well, here is another vote for Texas! I am in a small town (about 12,000)on the coast. What I don't like is the humidity, stong winds all the time, and the ever present threat of a hurricane wiping out everything.

But, with humidity comes skin that doesn't become dry & wrinkly as soon, and every geographic locale has some sort of bad weather thing. At least with a hurricane, I have 2-3 days to pack up my most precious belongings and head for higher ground. Can't do that with earthquakes, tornadoes, or forest fires.

My favorite thing about my location is that I am 3 hours or less (that's short in TX Time...it takes about 10 hours to get out of the state!)) away from San Antonio, Houston, Austin, and Corpus Christi. I have access to museums, the Gulf Coast and its beaches, Hill Country, Broadway productions, NASA, international airports, Houston's Medical Center (some of the top of the nation for cardiac and cancer care) great shopping and I have the option to turn it into an overnight trip, or I can leave any unfavorable big city qualities behind go back to my quiet little town that night. And since I don't live in those in those cities, my cost of living is cheaper.

Sorry to hear about your injury. If you decide to move and for some reason you don't pick TEXAS, at least consider a suburb outside the city, or a small town a little further out. You'll get the best of both worlds.

[Beachgirl]

Intheboonies what part of the coast of Texas? I've been to Galveston and Corpus Christi and really have considered the coast of Texas or Florida. My DH has lived in CA all his life, an actual native! So somewhere warm most of the time and near water is his desire. I won't torture him or me by ever living in a cold climate again.
And your advice about a small town is really what I want, quality of life, I am tired of not having a life and friends and I want to really enjoy the next 20- 30 years of my life :)

[Beach Bum]

We have the most beautiful white sugar sand beaches and turquoise water. But other than the beach and the bay, I'm not that crazy about anything else...Hey, I'm still a Louisiana girl at heart!

[intheboonies]

My little town is called Port Lavaca. Although this town itself is pretty unremarkable (and probably not on the map), my house out in the country is about 20 minutes away from a town called Port O'Connor, which is a major intercoastal waterway fishing attraction. It's where the rich folk of Houston and Austin come down to on the weekends and in the summer for their fishing vacations. I'm not a big fisherwoman, but I'm told it's a hot spot.

BTW, I was born in Miami and moved here in the second grade. So I've seen TX and FL beaches. Florida beaches and water are far more beautiful.

[palmasy2002]

Right now I am living with my sister and her family in the same small town I grew up in. Officially we are couch sleepers. Hopefully, within the next few months, my son and I will have a place of own. We are looking into an apartment nearby. *fingers crossed* This will be the first time we will have lived on our own so this will be an adjustment..previously we lived with my husband (been separated since June).

[charliemae]

I love Rhode Island because, although we are a very, very small state, there are so many things to do. We have Providence, which is the state's capital.....although I'm not a city person, parts of it are nice. There was a tv series a few years ago called "Providence" and some of it was actually filmed in Providence. Right now, Walt Disney is getting ready to film "Underdog" here. We have Newport, where the very wealthy live, where the Tall Ships come each year, and where people can tour many beautiful mansions..It is the "city by the sea", and the wharfs are lined with all kinds of wonderful shops. We have actor Tim Dailey living in Providence with his family. Rememer him as Joe Hackett from "Wings"? Or maybe as the star of Stephen Kings "Storm of the Century"? Our small countryside towns and villages offer real maple syrup when sugaring season starts. You can even watch how it's made. We have lots of apple orchards which do a bustling business in the autumn. We have the Beavertail lighthouse which sits on public land, and has 3 sides surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. It's a great place to sit on the rocks with a picnic lunch, or set a lawn chair on the grass....get some sun, and watch the waves come crashing in over the rocks. I could sit there for hours and get lost in my thoughts...what a great way to de-stress! Once a year, the Narragansett Indian Tribe holds a Pow-wow...I've never been, but a lot of folks go, and they just love it. Boston, Massachusetts is about 75 minutes from Providence, so if you're a Red Sox fan you can get to Fenway Park. If you like casinos, Foxwoods is in Connecticut about 45 minutes from my house. Rhode Island is sandwiched right smack dab in between those two wonderful states, and I'm right smack in the middle of RI.

[Natural Essence]

What I love about were we live is that we are in the country away from the hustle and bustle. Goodrich is near Livingston (aka Lake Livingston) and the only big stores are Walmart and Lowes. So if we want to go somewere else we go to The Woodlands were we can shop anywere we want. We love not having to deal with all the traffic and cars everywere. It's so quiet and slow out here, you can become one with nature, hear all the beautiful nature sounds and actually gaze at the stars at night. It is so wonderful out in the country!

[Docklady]

:fishing: I love that I have land where "critters" from the wild come up in the yard and graze( Deer,turkey,etc.) Theres not a house right next to mine And theres a lake within walking distance(2 miles) :dance:

[danigirl]

I love it here. I love the changes of season. I love that my kids school is so close to our house. I love the grennery and mountain views we have from our house. I love my house. I love PA. Even though I am some what far from where I grew up in PA... I just love it here!!

[Docklady]

Sherry,I agree with you. I love the area you live in. I dont live there but I vacation there because one of my children lives in Huron.

[Mustang30]

The fact that I can safely walk here in town and not worry about robbers, vandals, or thugs. We live in a small town which does have that advantage.

:-)

[nikkinet]

I live in a small town near Phoenix, and I love living here (except for the hot summers). Living in a small town is just a great experience!

Nikki

[Mykhal Jaems]

I love the small town we live it. It is everything you have ever heard about a small town.

Our local radio station has a hourly program every weekday at 9am. It's the Jan Tucker hour. Jan has been broad casting local news for over 50 years. If the info isn't on Jan's show you don't need to know it. She has birthdays, anniversaries, obits, weather, all the local news. During that hour you can call in things to buy, sell, give away. We gave away our 6 puppies last summer thanks to her! And if you have a question how to do something, get info for something or need to comment on something, just call into her show. If she doesn't have the answer you can bet that someone does and is willing to get on the radio and be heard by everyone else. And she shares a recipe every day. I work at the local grocery store and some weeks we are out of a specific item b/c she used it in a recipe and everyone had to try the recipe. Recently a 9 year old girl, Rachel was diagnosed with cancer and the family had to take her a couple hundred miles away to a hospital. They are having all sorts of fund raisers for Rachel. Small town life with a small town radio station.

[GirlyGirl]

I'm originally from New Jersey, but for the last 3 years I have called Tennessee my home. We have 50acres in the country (a big difference from the 100x150 lot we had in Jersey). Its so beautiful here. We have deer and turkey roaming the backyard. We've made trails in the woods so that in the winter we can walk. Its also a slower life style that we like.

I recently saw a cousin who had moved his family to Tennessee 10 years ago...and he loves it. I fell in love with his description of life in Tennessee (they are about 45 minutes outside of Nashville.) Florida is getting too crowded and I hate the hot weather and I miss the changing seasons. And the cost of living keeps going up and up and I dont like the school system for my girls. I'd move to Tennessee now if I could convince my husband to do it.

[CocoinTX]

I live about 25 miles outside of Houston. It's a perfect small town, which is now starting to grow, I might add. People have found us! It's close to a big city which has great shopping, eating and one of the best medical centers. It's not very far from Galveston and the coast, it's only about 3-4 hours from the Hill Country (where I hope to retire some day), where you have San Antonio and Austin, and a gillion other things to do. You can jump on a cruise ship, visit Mexico, drive to Lousiana in a day. MY town is small. There are no worries of harsh crime like in larger cities. There is only one downfall to living here, and it is pollution. My area is known for having some very dangerous pollution, and that is the only reason I hope to retire in the Hill Country. We are very flat here and I love rolling hills, but the amenities make up for it. I haven't really ever lived in another area, so I don't know if I'm missing anything, but it is nice here.

[occ_gurl]

I love the Arizona desert for the wonderful spring, fall and winter, the colors of the rocks and canyons (ie. Sedona, Grand Canyon, Painted Desert) and the variety this state has to offer. We can drive 2 hours north and be in the snow or 3 hours south and be at a beach. Great places surround Arizona too and are a short flight or easy drive like California, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. I've had the most incredible hiking and backpacking experiences here that I never would have experienced if I'd stayed in Indiana. Trips like 8 days rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon or 6 days backpacking through Paria Canyon (gorgeous) changed me forever. We have great Mexican food too! Yum!

[CocoinTX]

I love the Arizona desert for the wonderful spring, fall and winter, the colors of the rocks and canyons (ie. Sedona, Grand Canyon, Painted Desert) and the variety this state has to offer. We can drive 2 hours north and be in the snow or 3 hours south and be at a beach. Great places surround Arizona too and are a short flight or easy drive like California, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. I've had the most incredible hiking and backpacking experiences here that I never would have experienced if I'd stayed in Indiana. Trips like 8 days rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon or 6 days backpacking through Paria Canyon (gorgeous) changed me forever. We have great Mexican food too! Yum!

I've been to Sedona and Phoenix area. It is beautiful there. If I weren't in Texas, Arizona would be my home! :)

[OrahDeb]

:winner: I have lived here in beautiful Georgia for over 23 years and before that, I was raised in northern Alabama. There is no way I'd live anywhere that snow actually stays on the ground in the winter: brrrr! I can't even imagine it. It doesn't mean I don't fully admire and love to watch all the winter sports--I was totally fascinated with the Winter Olympics and went into withdrawal when they were over--I just don't want to participate in them myself. I LOVE having fairly mild winters and in the summer, I don't mind the heat since that's the tradeoff. :sunny: Hanging out by the neighborhood pool is an honored summer pasttime and one we do often with our kids. I also like the seasons so I don't want to live any further south so here's just fine. We live in a suburb so we are far enough from the city crowds when we want to be and close enough to the city culture when we want to be, too. Just right, as a matter of fact. The new Georgia Aquarium is great! :hi5: We take all our visitors to the World of Coke and to Stone Mountain Park, too. Lots of stuff to do right here. [I'm trying to convince my own family we dont' need to go anywhere else for Spring Break but I'm having a hard time with that--wonder why? ;) ]

[hypertyper]

Do you feel a little like we are surrounded by Texans? :smiliewav

I have lived my whole life in Minnesota. I have never really thought about living elsewhere.

[Marian Paroo]

I like living in a town where it is safe enough for me to come home alone from a cultural event, party, dinner, etc. at 2 a.m. or later.

[tanner413]

I like my city becuase it is a safe place (16th safest city in US) and it is very well kept. I love the fact that when I have to call 911 the police and ambulance are here in under 2 mins every time. I love the season changes. I like that I don't have to drive far to get to my stores, school and hospitals (everything seems to be 10-15 mins away at the most).
I really don't have anything to compare my city to, I have lived here all my life.

[Digitizingqueen]

Ok I have lived in Virginia, Calif, Illinois (born there)AND LIvED THERE AGAIN WHEN I WAS 10, CONNETICUT, visited every satae in th e union except main and alaska (never made it that far north) My dad was active duty Navy for 30 years and my husbdna was in for 15 (we were in Virignia as well) oh yeah forgot the 3 months in Jacksonville....have lived in Charlotte NC for 9 years and my dad retired here in 79 (got met and married my husband here in 81) Charlotte has everything ... nascar, football, basketball, big enough for good concerts, but has great apeal because it is 3 hours to the beach and 2 hours to the mountaisn.... losts of stuff to do here and we have all four seasons bu t not as extreme as the NE... I will never live anywhere else If I can help it I love it here!