What's it like to live in ______?

[PeacefulChaos]

So I thought this could be sort of fun. (Though I may be wrong)...

Fill in the blank with where you live/have lived (as many as you want) and give your honest opinion of it - good, bad, etc. So...

 

Missouri?

It's humid in the summer and cold in the winter. There isn't a whole lot to do compared to some other places, but overall I found the COL to be pretty good. No real mountains, some rolling hills. If you like the ocean, too bad, closest beach is probably 13 hours away (approximately - Gulf coast). St. Louis isn't bad, Springfield is a huge college town. Overall it's a pretty nice state to live in, but a little bland. Pretty good schools (depending on where you are, obviously), and easy homeschooling laws.

 

 

Virginia?

It has pretty much the same climate as MO but the winter can be milder at times. There can be hurricanes to deal with. COL is higher, there are good hospitals and colleges but schools aren't so great. Mountains in the west and plains/ocean in the east. No real big cities unless you go into northern VA/ DC, where the COL is high. Moderate homeschooling laws, tons of history in this state.

 

 

Etc. And I know my descriptions may be horrid :lol:

[Julie Smith]

It's okay if someone corrects me. In general this in Ontario, Canada

 

No hurricanes, No tornadoes (okay a few small ones in one area), No Tsunamis, No earth quakes. No volcanoes. No floods. No sinkholes. No poison snakes, spiders, scorpions...

 

Cold winters. Sometimes some areas have lots of snow.

[Shelly in IL]

Ok, we've lived in Ohio - our part NW corner is quite flat and windy. Winters have always been brutal, but lately they've gotten better. Tornados are prevalent. There are some great cities. Cincinnati and Columbus are big and fun. Granville and some of the outlaying areas are gorgeous!

 

We've lived in South Carolina! My favorite place to have lived. I wish we could move back today! Gorgeous - Beaufort is the best! Intercoastal waterway with dolphins swimming in it. Shrimping on the docks, the people are oh so fine! I love Southern hospitality. Gotta hate "No See-ums," also subject to hurricanes. Yes, they have rattlesnakes - one found dead in a tree we cut down!

 

Next Florida - eh, it's Florida. It's pretty, but I wouldn't want to live there full time. We've lived in Jacksonville, Pensacola and have visited heavily Palm Beach.

 

Mississippi - believe it or not, Meridian is a great town! We had our first child there, and we had lovely friends and a beautiful home. Not much to do there in Meridian, per se, but really enjoyed going in to Jackson and Birmingham, AL - a reasonable distance away. No snow, usually. Bugs weren't horrid, but they have Brown Recluse and Black Widow spiders {shiver}, but is a huge tornado spot.

 

Illinois - Do. Not. Move. To. Illinois. Rated the worst state in the Union for financial state :( Taxes, taxes, taxes. No concealed carry - only state in the Union!!! Tornados, snow, etc. (I actually like the snow). You know about Chicago... That being said, I have found the best people here. Most like minded, huge homeschool community, favorite people so far!

[Jeannie in NJ]

ok I love, love, love the south Jersey shore , it is the only place I have lived in NJ so others will have to chime in on rest of NJ.

 

Great beach, wonderful Boardwalk, lots of trees just off shore (also the Pine Barens area). I really like the people here. Cost of living is high, luckily dh makes a very good salary, high taxes. Only a few really, really outrageous hot days in the summer and winters vary, some mild but then other winters lots of big snowstorms. In the 30+ years I have been here never hit by BAD hurricane until Sandy. That is why we stayed in our house during Sandy as we left for Gloria in the '80's and Irene last year and they missed us. However, I never want to leave this area except for maybe about 10 min. off shore.

[Hunter's Moon]

Western Massachusetts...

 

I love how we are only about 2 hours from Boston, 1.5 - 2 hours from Rhode Island, 2-ish hours from Cape Cod. We are also only about 3 - 3.5 hours from NYC. The COL is good. There are some dangerous areas, but there are also really nice areas. There is a lot of diversity. There are a lot of good colleges within a reasonable distance. There is sooooo much to do within 3 hours of here. There are a lot of shopping malls/plazas. Fall here is absolutely gorgeous. We do not have too much crazy weather, except for the random tornado in June 2011 and some hurricanes. We are the home of Basketball, Volleyball, and Dr. Seuss. The library system is amazing, and we have interstate loan.

 

Car insurance tends to be on the high side, but the public transit system where I live is really good. It is a walkable area.

 

I live in The City of Homes. There are some seriously cheap houses here that are really nice. Some are in less desirable areas, but there are nicer areas on the outskirts of the city.

 

That is about all I have to say about my little slice of Massachusetts :)

[happypamama]

Central Pennsylvania -- I never, ever want to live anywhere else. It's gorgeous here, even in summer and winter. Spring and fall are like small pieces of Heaven. Enough snow and cold to make you appreciate summer, and enough heat and sun to make you appreciate winter, but we're not prone to huge droughts, astronomical snowstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. (We get a touch of all of it from the surrounding directions, but it's almost never nearly as severe as in other places.) Sunset views over the mountains. Festivals and family-friendly activities all over the place. Hiking, lake swimming, snow sports -- we have it all. Several bigger cities can be day trips. Tons of small businesses, farmer's markets, dairies, etc. You can get the best of the best local food, and the in-season apples and peaches are amazing. ;) Very little traffic. Historic stuff everywhere. The people are so lovely -- friendly, welcoming, very much a neighborhood atmosphere. Many of the laws are very easy and laid-back; the ones that aren't are not that big of a deal (it's a LOT easier to homeschool here than people think). LOTS of stuff for homeschoolers to do, and nobody bats an eye when we say we homeschool. Plenty of educational options, for anything from kindergarten to college.

[TravelingChris]

I think it is very nice that many of you think your areas are so nice. I have lived many places and one way I survived 26 years of military life so far is because I find something or many things to like about each place. Now that I am older and have lived with my chronic diseases for so many years, I think I would have more of a problem living in some of your areas due to such long winters. But I think something that makes our country wonderful is the great geographical diversity.

[Laura Corin]

Eastern Scotland: I love the landscape and the variety of the weather: you can go from bright sunshine to hail, a downpour, sudden strong winds and back to sunshine in an hour. As my golfing brother-in-law found to his cost when he came to stay. We live near a university town, so there are people from all over the place. Edinburgh is an hour away on the train and the Highlands are an easy day trip. It's not as wet as western Scotland and we don't have midges here. Good schools.

 

London: I love how it's like a series of villages: walk a few streets over and the character of the place changes. The parks are wonderful and the free museums are astonishing. I miss the countryside when I stay there for long these days though.

 

Hong Kong: vibrant atmosphere, dramatic views, interesting culture, good hiking, bad air pollution, horrible climate.

 

Taiwan: amazing food, great people; when I lived there the pollution was horrible and the traffic congestion used to get me down. I think it's better now.

 

Northern California: amazing climate, fun people, good country parks. We had very low incomes when we lived there, so didn't get to appreciate a lot of what it had to offer.

 

Bristol: My home town. Artistic, walkable, easy-going, great green space, dramatic gorge and bridge, good schools, built on slavery.

 

Paris: Great place to live for a year. Found it hard to make French friends there though, much harder than when I lived in the provinces.

 

Beijing: Fascinating when I lived there in '85-'86, not long after the end of the Cultural Revolution. Fascinating culture and politics. Mystifying bureaucracy. Polluted. Good people.

 

A City in Provincial China: Laid back, great people, not too polluted, excellent cheap restaurants, good air links to Thailand, Hong Kong, rest of China.

 

Laura

[Myra]

Missouri - Kansas City is a nice big, little town meaning you get the small town ammenities yet the big town services. Hot in the summer - even the asphalt on the roads can melt, Cold in the winter without much snow - lived there for 10 years, but glad to have moved back East

 

Florida - it's hot, but really after a few years you don't even think about the weather being overly hot, great for young toddlers/babies because you don't have to bundle them up in the winter, your friends/family visit you because you're now a vacation destination, but I hate the red ants (son allergic) and the tornadoes, yet loved the beachers. After 5 years, glad to have moved back East

 

New York - upstate - love the seasons and the geography, great for hiking esp in the Fall leaves splender, good school systems, lots of rural areas, but hate the taxes and high cost of living - hoping to retire further up North in the state

 

New Hampshire - really "God's Country", it is so beautiful, close to the ocean, close to Boston, close to everything, no sales tax (thanks Cave for catching my mistake - high property tax), friendly people, good place to rasie a family

 

 

Myra

[SFM]

blast...I was editing...

 

Japan - lovely people, great food, ocean, mountains, safety, historical sites, four seasons on the mainland. Language barriers (written and spoken), lonely at times, easy to homeschool for a non-Japanese national.

 

Texas - Relative ease of homeschooling (I was homeschooled in this State when growing up), bluebonnets, warm and long summers (which for me is not a bonus). I liked the diversity of Texas, there was so much to see IN Texas.

 

Virginia- History, museums, nature, art exhibits, mountains, ocean, traveling ease, expensive, bad allergy seasons, and I am not sure about the homeschooling but if I remember correctly it is relatively easy. We loved Virginia.

[fraidycat]

Saskatchewan:

 

Cold winters, mosquito-y summers. Four seasons.

 

However, no venomous snakes, spiders, huge creepy crawlies, etc. A HUGE bonus.

 

You have to make your own fun.

 

Arizona:

 

Hot. Venomous and gross creepy crawlies. Two seasons - Hot and not. Make your own fun, but things to do within a few hours drive.

 

North Carolina:

 

Hot and HUMID. Venomous and gross creepy crawlies. Three (ish) seasons. Drive for things to do.

 

Minnesota:

 

No venomous stuff, unless you go out into the deep wilderness. I didn't... Four seasons.

 

North Dakota:

 

See Saskatchewan and Minnesota.

 

California:

 

Nice weather. But, earthquakes and venomous crap. Lots of things to do.

 

As for people. I have found that there are good and bad everywhere.

[Mergath]

Minnesota: The scenery is gorgeous, especially as you go further toward the northeastern part of the state. The people are nice, if a bit passive-aggressive, and the state has great libraries, museums, hospitals, etc, and everything tends to be well-funded by the state. In the summer, the mosquitoes will make you pray for death to take you, and the winters are cold as a witch's titty. We get the occasional tornado, but other than that no real natural disasters to speak of. Tons to do if you like the outdoors.

[Guest inoubliable]

Edited for personal safety. If anyone quoted me, could you be so kind to delete? :crying:

 

Virginia - NoVa - expensive. Lots of stuff to do, if you can afford it. Traffic is horrid. Tidewater Region (Williamsburg specifically) - built on a swamp. Mosquito. The type who like to leave craters in their wake. Ferry is cool. CW is cool the first time. No, you can't get discount tickets just for living there. Shenandoah Valley - Redneck meets Deep South. All four seasons. Lots of civil war stuff. Lots of colonial stuff. Lots of presidential stuff. Low COL. Brown recluse spiders.

[cave canem]

New Hampshire - really "God's Country", it is so beautiful, close to the ocean, close to Boston, close to everything, no property tax, friendly people, good place to rasie a family

 

 

Myra

 

 

Do you mean "no sales tax"? I think property taxes in NH are fairly high. It's still a great state, though!

[Dandelion]

Utah - Rocks. Desert. Driving to Colorado for the good beer. Endless highways. Melon Days on the Green River. I think that's all there is to Utah. Unless you're Mormon, anyway. Oh, and no smoking until you're 19.

 

 

 

We do have good beer here in Colorado. Thanks for the props. :cheers2:

 

But I really wanted to comment on Melon Days. DH, DS, and I went on a road trip a few years ago (Colorado to California and back). On the way back, we were planning on spending the night in Green River UT. We didn't book a hotel room ahead of time - that just happened to be the town we were coming through around 8pm that evening and we wanted to stop for the night. Little did we know it was the start of Melon Days. Every hotel/motel/shack/whatever was booked. We could not find a room. So, we bought a few melons, and then drove for another 1.5 hours to spend the night in the next town. People in UT take their melons seriously. Good times. :D

[AngelaNYC]

New York City:

• 4 seasons, Can get very hot in the summer (90s), but averages in the 80s and very cold in the winter (20s) but averages around 35-40. Spring and fall are comfortable (40s-70s).
  
• Cost of living is high, but salaries are, too.
  
• Insane amount of great things to see and do: restaurants, museums, zoos, science centers, churches, gardens, theater, shopping, libraries, galleries, farmers markets, cultural events, and tourist areas & events.
  
• You can find food from just about any country in the world - just in my borough (Queens)
  
• Within an hour you can be on the beach or go skiing or visit a farm.
  
• Homeschool regulations are excessive, imo, but easy to deal with. And the kids get free Metrocards (train/bus passes). There's a lot of very active groups and the field trips are awesome.
  
• Extremely diverse.
  
• Very rare to have weather issues or earthquakes
  
• Some parts of the city you want to steer very clear from (anything bad pretty much stays in the bad neighborhoods)
  
• Artsy, upscale, crunchy, very walkable, and exciting.
  
• Great public transportation system - many people don't bother owning a car.
  
• Lots of history here
  
• Less than a third of the city is loud, trafficky, and congested. The other two-thirds are residential, quiet, and we have yards and garages.
  
• It's a fantastic place to raise kids.
  
• I can walk to anything within 5-15 minutes of my home (supermarkets, churches, 2 libraries, cleaners, salons, playgrounds, gyms, schools, etc)
  
• In all the large American cities, NYC was voted the friendliest and greenest with the lowest incidence of crime. (Betcha didn't think that was true, huh?)
  
• And of course there's the fact that we're just cooler than everyone else. :coolgleamA:
  

 

[caroljenn]

Southern California, 1 hour or so outside of Los Angeles

Good things:

I can go skiing in the morning and then have dinner at the beach. How great is that?

The weather is usually pretty good, no snow unless you drive to it, which you can fairly easily.

Lots to do- shopping, sports, museums, you name it, we have it

It's home, where our families and friends are.

 

Bad things:

High state taxes (have gotten even worse)

Traffic is just ridiculous- dh drives 40 min in morning, sometimes 2 hours on way home

Smog. Yuck!

Earthquakes, although they are few and far between, and most are very small

Hot in summer

No seasons to speak of- we have our weird mini-seasons, but not sure if they count!

Lots of clueless, vain people- the closer to LA the more there are!

 

[suzybluecheese]

This explains my hometown best:

 

 

 

Yes! Beaumont stinks!

[Guest inoubliable]

We do have good beer here in Colorado. Thanks for the props. :cheers2:

 

But I really wanted to comment on Melon Days. DH, DS, and I went on a road trip a few years ago (Colorado to California and back). On the way back, we were planning on spending the night in Green River UT. We didn't book a hotel room ahead of time - that just happened to be the town we were coming through around 8pm that evening and we wanted to stop for the night. Little did we know it was the start of Melon Days. Every hotel/motel/shack/whatever was booked. We could not find a room. So, we bought a few melons, and then drove for another 1.5 hours to spend the night in the next town. People in UT take their melons seriously. Good times. :D

 

 

LOL. We camped out on the River in a state park. Their state park ranger people do not like young college punks. There's a story... it involves the pouring of beer out, a U.S. Marshal, a ticket, and a very cold night on the beach. Let's just say that there is a time and a place for everything - and that time and place is college.

[Guest inoubliable]

Anyone from Cleveland?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM

[wintermom]

Alberta - Rocky Mountains are amazing! Long, cold winters with the warm perks of chinooks (if you get them). Explosively warm springs. No humidity in the summers. No Provincial sales tax. Friendly people and courteous drivers who stop to let pedestrians cross the road.

 

National Capital Region, Ontario - Beautiful and colourful Autumns. Great snow for skiing. Shortish winters. Warm and humid summers. Lots of museums, cultural activities as well as outdoor activities. Big city perks for a small city. Quite multi-cultural.

 

Norway - Beautiful climate, not too cold in winter and not too hot in the summer. Gorgeous scenery with mountains, fjords and valleys. Amazing wooden structures - churchs, houses, outbuildings, etc. Lots of outdoor activities. No mosquitos!!! No bears or animals to worry about when camping. Delicious breads and dairy products.

[NotSoObvious]

Central Virginia- a blue dot in a sea of red

 

Wineries galore.

Laid back, educated people

Big local music scene

Unbelievably gorgeous. Seriously. Every time I leave my house I am in awe and we've been here 18 months.

Four seasons with a mild winter.

FALL

SPRING

Abundant wildlife. That's good and bad.

Bears. In my driveway.

Blue Ridge mountains

Farms, vineyards, orchards

Local food everywhere

Farmers markets almost year round

Amazing day trips

2 hours from DC without having to live in a suburb

Historical sites everywhere

Fairly low cost of living, especially if you are a few miles out of the city

Lots of random graveyards...

I love it here.

 

[Dandelion]

 

LOL. We camped out on the River in a state park. Their state park ranger people do not like young college punks. There's a story... it involves the pouring of beer out, a U.S. Marshal, a ticket, and a very cold night on the beach. Let's just say that there is a time and a place for everything - and that time and place is college.

 

Hear, hear.

 

I think I would have been most upset about the wasting of perfectly good beer. There's just no excuse for that. Sounds like you made the most of your college years. :D

[NotSoObvious]

 

 

Ok you convinced me. Unless someone from WA can make a better sell. :001_tt1:

 

You should follow Charlottesville's FB page. The pictures are enough to get you here. :)

 

WA is gloomy!! We have sun!!!

 

I should work for the city...

[MedicMom]

deleted

[Guest inoubliable]

Edited for personal safety.

[Desert Rat]

Fabulous Las Vegas?!

 

No bugs (well, not many). No mold or mildew. No humidity. No snow. These are the reasons I stay.

 

The city never sleeps. Need cough syrup at 2 in the morning? Less than 5 minutes away. Have a hankering for steak and eggs for under $4 at 3am? Not a problem.

 

The heat is a bit much in the summer time. But the mild winters are worth it.

Our state taxes are paid by tourism.

The mountains can't be beat and I have told my dh I will never live anywhere that doesn't have them.

 

Most asked questions, especially when I was a teenager living here and visiting elsewhere:

Do you go to school in the casinos? (No)

Do you live in a hotel? (I wish! Can anyone say room and maid service?!)

Do they teach 21 in school? (No, but my kids play a mean blackjack and it's great for addition)

 

The thing I dislike most about Vegas? The plastic nature of the people here. Everything here is fake, if ya catch my drift. It's hard on the self esteem.

[Lily_Grace]

Northern Italy?

 

It's not like the movies. :) People are very laid back and reserved up here and routine is a big part of life. Every major town has a weekly market for everything from groceries to clothing and plants. If something is needed during the week there are usually small grocery stores here and there. (They don't sell Crisco, or any type of vegetable shortening). Children go to school 6 days a week, but like everyone else, get a 2 hour break during the day for lunch and rest. (this means all the stores close, too)

 

Religion and customs are a HUGE part of life. Christmas starts on Christmas day and continues until Epiphany, with bonfires and Santa-witches bringing treats (Befana). Carnevale starts tomorrow. Every town holds at least one yearly celebration, be it streets full of nativities or showing off the procuitto made. Many places look just how they would have a hundred years ago. Unless it is a government biulding, handicap access is not required. The stone steps show hundreds of years worth of use and will probably not be replaced until holes are worn in. In Italy, you do not fix what isn't broke. You patch, make do, and tune up, but very little is actually replaced. My 75yo neighbor is riding the bike he got for his 16th birthday.

 

The food is wonderful, and the location is almost even better. With public transportation I can go almost anywhere in Europe in a day. I have the beach an hour away and the mountains in my backyard. I think leaving here will be very hard.

[Onceuponatime]

As I experienced them: (because I don't know what they are like now.)

 

Puerto Rico in the 70's- Lush tropical rainforests, poverty, beautiful beaches, amazing seashells, beach stands with empanadas, roadside stands with roasted chickens, coconut candy, coconut everything, free coconuts, bananas everywhere, mangos everywhere, brilliant colored flowers.

 

Key West in the early 80's- bohemian, beautiful weather, conch houses, tourists, hotels, restaurants, marinas, gold chains, drug runner boats, cuban refugees, snorkling, swimming and more swimming.

 

Sicily in the 80's- Scirroco winds, dry heat summers, drizzly winters, ancient, barren, sheep on the roads, crazy drivers, Mt. Etna, delicious food, market days, old women in black crocheting on the doorsteps, a little girl shouting "Bella Sole" after a rain shower.

 

The suburbs of Philadelphia in the 80's- expensive, crowded but friendly, old cape cod style houses, corner stores, hot in summer, cold in winter, hot pretzels

 

Near Memphis- oppressive heat, crepe myrtle trees, space between towns, low cost of living

 

Podunk Virginia- Peanuts, soybeans, cotton, pine trees, decaying farm houses, back roads to nowhere, everyone knows everyone else's business.

[Myra]

Do you mean "no sales tax"? I think property taxes in NH are fairly high. It's still a great state, though!

 

 

 

oops - Yes, I meant no sales tax and the property taxes more than make up for it! Thanks for ca tching that!

 

 

Myra

[Heather in Neverland]

Michigan (southeast near Detroit)- gray, cold, depressing, boring. Guns, drugs, crime. I was born and raised in that area but I can't imagine choosing to live there.

 

North Carolina (western)- beautiful, lovely weather. I can't get enough of the Blue Ridge Mountains! And Lake James... happy sigh... amazing. On the downside, not very diverse or educated. People are pretty close-minded. My Korean ds stuck out like a sore thumb and people made rude comments all the time. The employee at Chuck E Cheese actually accused me of kidnapping him because "y'all don't look nothin' alike." I was floored. Still, I'd probably like to live there again but maybe closer to Asheville this time.

 

Malaysia- where would I begin? Tropical, amazing weather. Delicious food. Eye-popping culture everywhere you look. Lots of money on this island, lots of progress. A bit crowded and the driving is HORRIBLE. But the people are warm and friendly and it is very safe, much more safe than Michigan. We love our life here!

[Greenmama2]

It's okay if someone corrects me. In general this in Ontario, Canada

 

No hurricanes, No tornadoes (okay a few small ones in one area), No Tsunamis, No earth quakes. No volcanoes. No floods. No sinkholes. No poison snakes, spiders, scorpions...

 

Cold winters. Sometimes some areas have lots of snow.

 

Sounds great to me. Almost like here (Mountains near the Eastern seabord of Australia). We have none of those, oh...except the poisonous spiders and snakes. We have terrifyingly venomous versions (numerous) of each of those. It snows a few times each winter at our altitude, doesn't often stick though.

[Wheres Toto]

Northern New Jersey can be different from south Jersey (my dh's whole family is in south Jersey).

 

Only an hour or two from the shore but we don't get hit by the hurricanes as bad since NYC acts as a buffer. We do get slightly more snow than south Jersey. We've lost power for a week at a time but aren't trapped in the house more than a day.

 

We can hop a train and be in NYC in an hour, Philadelphia in 2 hours, Washington DC in 4 hours, or we can hop in the car and be in farm country in 1/2 an hour. There are lots of things to do, eat and experience. 24 hour diners, bagels, pizza, 24 hour grocery stores. Lots of classes, museums, nature parks. Very diverse culturally and religiously.

 

High cost of living and high taxes but salaries also tend to be higher, and it doesn't seem as hard to get a job as other places. Even the teenagers my dd danced with find jobs making $9 or $10/hour.

 

Super easy homeschooling. No regulations but lots and lots of classes and activities.

 

Traffic stinks and it can be hard to find land unless you are in the far Northwest, although there are a ton of lake communities where you can get separation from your neighbors.

[RoughCollie]

Boston/metro Boston:

 

Pros: Great place to live! 4 teams: Red Sox, hockey, basketball, football. History. Great library systems. Beaches and mountains within a 1-2 hour drive. Fantastic museums. Low humidity in summer (from perspective of Southerner), and not too hot. Fresh seafood. Intellectual, well-educated people. Never a shortage of fun things to do, including shopping and restaurants if that floats your boat. No bugs, few spiders, and if you see one of the 3 types of rarely seen poisonous snakes, the herpetologist at the Museum of Science will think you are the luckiest person in the world. Easy drive to anywhere in New England, where there is lots more fun stuff to do. No tornadoes (at least not in the 22 years I lived there). No earthquakes. World class medical center. Many great universities. Liberal. Diverse. Great place to homeschool. Many really good school systems. Great public transportation system in Boston.

 

Cons: Not the friendliest place. Long, cold, snowy winters. Pretty cold from October through April. Very high cost of living. High property taxes.

 

Western PA, 1.5 hours north of Pittsburgh:

 

Pros: People are friendly, polite, and helpful. Beautiful, green, hilly area. If you like farming or hobby farming, there is plenty of space to do it. If you like hunting, camping, fishing, and hiking, opportunities abound. Easy to find locally grown food. Lower cost of living, except for food. Spring shows up in late March, right on schedule. Large variety of interesting birds to watch. Lots of cows. People like big dogs, and I've never met anyone who was afraid of them. Hot, humid summers. People are very self-sufficient and eager to teach Citiots how to do things.

 

Cons: Cold winters (much less snow than in MA). Low state taxes, offset by local taxes (business and personal). Low property taxes. Nothing to do, culturally speaking. No ocean. Library system not the best (you will have to buy the books they don't have and can't get). Very conservative, Christian, non-diverse, authoritarian culture. People believe in ghosts, and evolution is a dirty word. Too many deer (big problem for drivers and food growers, lovely for hunters). Too many drunks. Too many drug users. The school system makes the ones we were familiar with in MA look like expensive private schools. Lots of uneducated people. After nearly 4 years, I have not met anyone who likes to read. The tiny mall has boring shops, and is always empty. There is only one tiny bookstore (Books A Million). An iceberg lettuce and ranch dressing sort of place. Once in awhile, I see men in town carrying handguns unconcealed (in holsters). Medical care is mediocre. Lots of bugs, spiders, mice, groundhogs, and snakes. No taxi service in town. If you wear glasses, have a large vocabulary, and read books, everyone thinks you are a Genius and it takes a lot of work to make them realize you are not a Snob. If you are a long-haired male teenager, they think you are a drug dealer. When my son is at school or in town, strangers ask him to sell them drugs!

 

Oddities:

 

I live in a rural area, away from a town, where there are more cows than people. Anything happens out here, and everyone knows about it right away. We bought our puppy home in the pitch dark one Sunday night. Early the next morning, I received the first phone call about the puppy. The caller had found out about him at the general store down the road at 5 a.m. In contrast, after living in our house in MA for 10 years, the couple next door finally spoke to me -- they wanted to know if I still ran a daycare center out of our home. They actually thought our kids were daycare kids!

 

The clouds are lower, seem bigger, and you can see three sides of them and sometimes the tops.

 

Cloudbursts happen a lot, and I've never experienced that except for here. All of a sudden, from one second to the next, there will be a deluge of rain that soaks you to the skin.

 

Sometimes I have to stop in the road because a chicken is standing there -- can't honk because it would startle the cows, goats, horses, and/or sheep and disturb the quiet.

 

Our light pollution is from the moon. Much of the time, it is pretty darned bright out there in the middle of the night. When it is dark, I can't see my hand in front of my face, and if it is not overcast, there are a million stars.

 

It is relaxing to live here. If I go to Pittsburgh or to a heavily populated suburb, I pretty quickly feel hemmed-in by concrete, cars, and too many people.

[Heather in Neverland]

Northern Italy?

 

It's not like the movies. :) People are very laid back and reserved up here and routine is a big part of life. Every major town has a weekly market for everything from groceries to clothing and plants. If something is needed during the week there are usually small grocery stores here and there. (They don't sell Crisco, or any type of vegetable shortening). Children go to school 6 days a week, but like everyone else, get a 2 hour break during the day for lunch and rest. (this means all the stores close, too)

 

Religion and customs are a HUGE part of life. Christmas starts on Christmas day and continues until Epiphany, with bonfires and Santa-witches bringing treats (Befana). Carnevale starts tomorrow. Every town holds at least one yearly celebration, be it streets full of nativities or showing off the procuitto made. Many places look just how they would have a hundred years ago. Unless it is a government biulding, handicap access is not required. The stone steps show hundreds of years worth of use and will probably not be replaced until holes are worn in. In Italy, you do not fix what isn't broke. You patch, make do, and tune up, but very little is actually replaced. My 75yo neighbor is riding the bike he got for his 16th birthday.

 

The food is wonderful, and the location is almost even better. With public transportation I can go almost anywhere in Europe in a day. I have the beach an hour away and the mountains in my backyard. I think leaving here will be very hard.

 

This sounds lovely. Do you mind if I ask what city you live in? Is it very cold in the winter?

 

 

[Ottakee]

West Michigan---we can have all 4 season in just a day or week here. In the past week we got 2 feet of snow and temps in the single digits and below zero, then 3 inches of rain and temps in the upper 50s, followed by temps in the single digits and another foot of snow.

 

Homeschool laws are very easy and lots of homeschool support.

 

We are rural and have a hobby farm but are only 15 minutes from one of the top "litle known" beaches in the US and about 35 minutes from a major city with top notch medical care, cultural opportunities, major shopping, etc.

 

Economy is getting better. We had very high unemployment rates and that is starting to get better but most of the new jobs are paying $8-10/hour and many without benefits which makes supporting a family very hard.

 

Lots of great resources for kids with special needs.

[caitlinsmom]

Utah- Ugh. Utah. My home state. We call it the vortex because it has the horrible habit of sucking one in and never letting them go! Gorgeous scenery, 4 spectacular season, judgmental, keeping up with the Jones mentality prevails. Relaxed atmosphere for the most part. Decent housing costs low wages. Always seemed stagnant to me.

 

Portland Oregon- Gorgeous. Love the rain, the smell, the breezes, the sun bursts. People were nice but not overly friendly. Amazing things to see. The beach is 2 hours away. Berries! Amazing berries from little road side stands. Scary places on the NE side, really scary. NW was a mix unlike I had ever seen before. Craftsman houses everywhere which I loved. Traffic was horrible especially near down town. Coffee shops everywhere which I loved to see even though I don't drink coffee. I was there as a newlywed so I imagine my views of it would be different now. If I wanted to live in the city I would probably choose Portland.

 

East Idaho- Beautiful views of the Tetons right from the highway. Clear skies, no pollution. Farms, mountains, potato fields, rivers, lakes, sand dunes all within minutes of my house. Views so far you can get lost just looking. Friendly people. No traffic. Cheap housing. Horrible job market. Lots of chemicals used in the fields during the summer. Rural with low population. Even our "Big city" is the equivalent to some of your 'burbs. Quiet. Not much for cultural opportunities but with the wide open spaces who needs it? Large active homeschool population. Best homeschool laws in the country! Four seasons with cold and long winters. We were -25 last week and 30's this week. Summer time we peak at high 80's-90's for a week or two then drop back to the high 70's to low 80's. Lots of snow machine, skiing, and snowshoeing trails. Short growing season for things like tomatoes but peas and other cold lovers do amazing. Bears, wolves, mountain lions, moose, deer, elk, coyotes, fox and rattlesnakes can be found walking down main street in the winter time (well not the snakes anyway) or in your backyard in the summer. Camping comes with many warnings but is amazing for the adventurous (not me!). Huckleberries are to die for, as long as you bring a gun on picking days because Bears are fond of them too. Yellowstone National Park is just up the mountain with sights unlike any place on earth. We can visit the park anytime we want which pretty much makes this best place to live in the country.