Location |Pad Patter 7.6

[bestcee]

Do you like where you live? Do you wish you lived somewhere else?

I mostly like where I live because we are close to family. By the same token, I hate where we live because we are close to family, and the traffic.

 

[KimJ]

LOL The advantages and disadvantages of close family.

I like where we are (Dallas suburbs) overall. I'm used to the traffic and can usually pick routes or times that aren't bad. It does make learning to drive for my DS much more of a challenge than is was for DH and I having grown up in much smaller communities. I wish the summers here weren't quite so hot (but I'll take that over extreme winters) and that family weren't quite so far away. Having just returned from a road trip to visit family in Illinois and Iowa, I would have liked to have brought some of their 70-degree weather home with us, and not having to drive 13 hours to do so would be nice.

 

[tkradtke]

We live in the city of Chicago and I don't think I would pick anywhere else (although we did just get our new property tax bill... yikes!).

I wish were closer to family so we could see them more often, but both sets of parents live in places that are fun to visit. My husband's parents are about 5 hours away in Michigan and mine are about 9 hours away in Missouri. I love the seasons here in Chicago and I really love a good blizzard. The perk of being in the city is that a good blizzard shuts everything down for a day, but then everything goes right back to normal. I'm not enjoying the 90+ degree temps today though.

 

[mrs2a50]

Love where we live. We moved from the west side to the east side of Washington state 8 years ago. Left the traffic and the rain, and went to the sunshine. Best move we ever made.

 

[AnneofAlamo]

I adore my middle of no where New Mexico!(think Billy the Kid and the Wild West) I know almost everyone that wants to be known, I love that we only have a few grocery stores, and our parades are full of the people who live here, with family waving on the sides. My house is always unlocked except when we go to bed, cause that is what we do. My keys usually are in the ignition or in the door of my cars. If I'm not driving it, my friends will call and wonder who has my car? hahahha It is a pretty awesome town in my humble opinion. HUge houses go for 120K, a person can live off minimum wage and have spending money...lol
and when I get that big city itch, I am an hour from the BIG lights, shopping and dining of two purty big cities.

 

[KimJ]

My keys usually are in the ignition or in the door of my cars. If I'm not driving it, my friends will call and wonder who has my car?

This reminds me of a project I worked in a middle of nowhere small town in North Dakota. Walking into the one eatery in town for lunch meant we got to give our life stories to everyone in the place. Shortly before we were there someone had seen a car they didn't recognize and written down the license plate number. (I don't even know what kind of cars my friends drive. LOL) Turned out to be some guys who had been pulling a series of burglaries in the area and they were caught because of that!

 

[Lindzee]

I love living in Montreal. It's such a cultural mosaic. We live outside of downtown but close enough to enjoy the ambiance and various cultures and languages, but far enough Out to be away from the hustle and bustle when we want. Our house also backs on a protected nature park with lots of paths and a boardwalk over the wetlands; great for long walks. The kids live about 20 min away which is close enough for me.
Maybe I could wish for warmer weathers and less snow, but I have to say Montreal is always prepared with a massive snow cleaning equipment army. We are also fearless, driving through snow storms to make sure the kids got to hockey on time..... Lol.

 

[scrapsandsass]

Our area used to be nice, but lately it isn't so much. We've had an influx of homeless people (the toughest kind of homeless that are more belligerent and not wanting help because they'd rather steal or be violent and not conform to society... not the sort of normal people down on their luck). The neighboring town bused them over, and the only homeless services are just down the street from us. That really isn't the bad part. The bad part is that there are a lot of people who are turning hostile towards the homeless, putting up nasty signs, and trying to be difficult and nit pick to shut down the services or constantly bother police and officials. Now there is a big division in the city of those who want to be vigilantes, and then the rest of us who would rather find solutions and understand that homelessness is an extremely complex, multi-layered problem. My husband works in developing low-income housing and programs in Seattle/King County that help the homeless, so we are frustrated because where we live, the city and county have the resources available (or could), but they don't want to do anything. There are the large portion of people who don't want to pay literally one tenth of one penny in county sales tax but complain about the homeless being around. So now there is just no movement from the city or county and we're just sort of waiting to see what is going to happen.

Also, there used to be a ton of farmland around, but now it is being sold right and left and developers are trying to put up giant warehouses (even though there are already tons of giant warehouses that are currently unoccupied). It is a mess. Traffic around us is horrible in the afternoons. You can try to do errands within a mile of your house and it can take an hour because of the horrific traffic and the train tracks that run right down the middle of the city.

I daydream of living in Sumner, which is a neighboring city, that just seems way more laid back and has less problems at the moment. But Tim will never move out of this house because it has been in his family for over 100 years.

 

[IntenseMagic]

I live in southern WV and it is beautiful here. It's a nice size town with just enough to do, but not overly busy. You can go to a movie or concert part of the day, and white water rafting the next if you want. It's quiet and the scenery is breathtaking. And all my family is here. But, for as long as I can remember, I have wanted to live near the ocean, south, warmer. Life circumstances have kept moving from being an option. I despise the winter and can feel my mood changing as the temps get colder. The snow is pretty, but I would enjoy it more in photos I have 3 years until I can retire, and I'm really hoping to start the process of figuring out where I want to spend the rest of my days.

 

[Jan]

Mesa is a good place to live. But I think I'd be happier if we were out from the city a ways. Close enough to still have shopping available when you want it but far enough out to have privacy and that country feel. And I'd so love to have all four seasons! With rain and snow and autumn leaves and all of that. Our closest kids are 40 minutes away and the rest are out of state. I miss them. Miss watching the grandkids growing up and giving them loves. I don't really like condo living that much. It's nice to not have the upkeep of the outside of our home, but I really miss having a yard to grow a garden and have lots of flowers and bushes and trees. And I'd love to have a place for our fur baby to play outside. And a front porch to sit on in the evenings. I really, really miss my front porch.

 

[bellbird]

I mostly like where I live because we are close to family. By the same token, I hate where we live because we are close to family

oh yep, i get that!

 

[Tiff]

I like where I live for the most part, which is the South Bay Area. It is city-ish, but there is lots of nature really close; the ocean is about an hour drive over the Santa Cruz mountains, and the mountains themselves offer lots of nature. House prices and rents are insanely high, though, and there are lots of problems that go with that. I'm aware that traffic can be a nightmare, but we live close to James's work (like less than 2 miles), and I don't work, so traffic isn't really an issue for us right now. I do wish I lived closer to family. But all in all, I can't really complain.

 

[carilyne]

I adore my middle of no where New Mexico!(think Billy the Kid and the Wild West) I know almost everyone that wants to be known, I love that we only have a few grocery stores, and our parades are full of the people who live here, with family waving on the sides. My house is always unlocked except when we go to bed, cause that is what we do. My keys usually are in the ignition or in the door of my cars. If I'm not driving it, my friends will call and wonder who has my car? hahahha It is a pretty awesome town in my humble opinion. HUge houses go for 120K, a person can live off minimum wage and have spending money...lol
and when I get that big city itch, I am an hour from the BIG lights, shopping and dining of two purty big cities.

Sounds ideal except the heat and wind and heat and heat even a dry heat. New Mexico has it's own appeal though.

 

[AnneofAlamo]

oh heat...pshaw...I love the heat...it makes your bones feel alive!! and you don't sweat, cause it evaporates before it drips! lol that is a plus in my book...
the wind...I don't like the wind..that's it, I'm moving...bhahhha just kidding

 

[carilyne]

I'm in Eastern WA north of Julie so several degrees cooler. I'd rather be near the Rockies. The only family I have left are my boys and my dad. The boys are still in WA so I might concede to Idaho or Montana to be close to them Dad is in CA where it's too hot for me. A close airport is the priority for family. Just another question in the Big Changes of Life soon

 

[carilyne]

oh heat...pshaw...I love the heat...it makes your bones feel alive!! and you don't sweat, cause it evaporates before it drips! lol that is a plus in my book...
the wind...I don't like the wind..that's it, I'm moving...bhahhha just kidding

My body even as a child couldn't tolerate heat. Lived in the panhandle of TX and had to stay inside most of the summer. Otherwise I wouldn't mind it. And actually I meant to include sticky wind -- the kind with sand in it. I do miss small towns too.

 

[littlekiwi]

I love where I am as I'm more independant (no relying on taxis or unreliable buses). its a sleepy part of a suburb in Hamilton, New Zealand. I'm 5 mins away from the local village, 10 mins to both the city/uni - different directions though. Couple of faults with being here, no buses after 6pm on the weekend, its darn cold at the moment and ive lost some contact with family (thats more to do with their days off changing and me not knowing)

 

[jk703]

I'm in the middle of liking it and not liking it, lol. I've lived here in NJ for all of my life. NJ is such a peculiar little state and I think has a bad rap, mostly. My family is here, that is the main reason why I stay. I am an only child, and I can't imagine not having my parents close.

I love that we have cities nearby, mountains, rivers and beaches. All within an hour of me. We get 4 seasons, and most of the time when I am sick of one season, it's time for the next.

I'm in an area where people are nice, and I want to say most of Jersey is, but I'd probably be wrong. I'm just used to the NJ kind of crazy people. We are a blunt bunch, move fast, talk faster and get things done even faster. I think most of the people in NJ are crazy multitaskers, lol! I like the people, especially in my neighborhood.

The schools are great, and we are in a top district. We moved to this town specifically for the school. Since we moved, my son has done a 180 in school and is now an honor roll student. We have our ups and downs, but I credit the teachers, programs and district.

Houses are way too expensive, and taxes are way to high. We have a cute little shoebox of a house pry compared to all of you, but it's got what we need and a great backyard and location. I always think that things are expensive in NJ, but we do have cheap gas, lol! On the offset, I don't think I could make what I make now at my job in most places. So, in a way it all evens out. Work is about 20 minutes away, and traffic usually moves fast, unless there is an accident. It also depends on when you leave. There are a heck of a lot of people in this little state!

TBH, if we could make what we make here in NJ in another location, have a great school district, and a nice town/home, I would consider moving.

 

[djp332]

I've lived in or near Pittsburgh, PA my whole life. I've never lived more than 10 miles from where I was born.

We are hoping to retire next year to Sarasota, Florida. My husband grew up there and we still have family all over Florida. If we don't end up there, maybe somewhere in South Carolina would be good, too. That way we'd be half way to Pittsburgh and half way to Sarasota.

 

[bestcee]

middle of no where New Mexico!

You make it sound lovely. Does your town need a nurse

The bad part is that there are a lot of people who are turning hostile towards the homeless, putting up nasty signs, and trying to be difficult and nit pick to shut down the services or constantly bother police and officials.

Sigh. We are not quite as bad as you, but we are getting closer every year. All the developers want to push the homeless to the suburbs, all the suburbs want the homeless in someone else's backyard. Cities and towns are trying to write regulations in so that homeless centers can't open in their boundaries. And sadly, one of the centers that does a lot of good, and helps get people back on their feet, is spending resources playing politics instead of helping people.

I have wanted to live near the ocean

Me too. I loved living near the ocean, even though it was freezing! I am a water person, and Utah kills me for that reason. Stinkin' land locked state!

its a sleepy part of a suburb in Hamilton, New Zealand

I hear y'all want farmers? And are willing to pay to get them?

Houses are way too expensive, and taxes are way to high.

I've never lived more than 10 miles from where I was born.

Oh man. That's really cool! And so weird to me. I think I've only spent about 5 years of my life living 10.2 miles from my birthplace.