Where are you from?

[Tsuga]

Per the other thread, I wonder where opinions are coming from, geographically, in the US. Most of us are Anglophones but not all. I'm asking about where you are posting from, not necessarily where you were born, though it's up to you. Basically I'm asking, where do you feel you got your perspective?

I divided the US into regions because there are too many states. I am trying to do justice to AU and the EU, but forgive me for generalization of minorities. Again, my purpose is not to be like "aha, you're from Canada and you know how smug those Canadians are with all that Maple Syrup" but more to be, "Hm, seems like most people on this thread don't realize that a house can be an impossible dream for young people... they must not be in Vancouver, BC."

Unlike numbers, this one was harder to delineate so if I forgot you, I'm sorry! Also Norway and Switzerland please click EU. I accidentally did EU instead of "Europe".

[Targhee]

Nm

[Garga]

Just now, Targhee said:

I wasn't sure if you were after where I "was from" (i.e. Spent my formative years) or "am from" (i.e. Spent the better portion of my adult life) or "from" (i.e. Currently living).  I went with the middle definition.

 

She said where are you posting from, so I answered where I am right now at this very minute.

[Targhee]

5 minutes ago, Garga said:

 

She said where are you posting from, so I answered where I am right now at this very minute.

uh saw that afterwards. Still, I've only been in my current place 18 months - it doesn't feel like where I'm from

[Garga]

1 minute ago, Targhee said:

uh saw that afterwards. Still, I've only been in my current place 18 months - it doesn't feel like where I'm from

 

Since you’ve been there for such a  little bit of time, I think it makes sense for you to answer as you did.  

[Garga]

I’m from the ‘Mid-Atlantic or New York’ area, but that’s a bit misleading. People see that and think “Baltimore, Washington, Philly, etc”. But I live in the middle of some cornfields in Pennsylvania in an area with a low cost of living.  

So, we’re close to big cities and suburbs, but this particular area feels small town. The number one industry in this area is farming.

[Tsuga]

12 minutes ago, Targhee said:

uh saw that afterwards. Still, I've only been in my current place 18 months - it doesn't feel like where I'm from

 

I should have said, where do you consider yourself to be from. I moved around a lot but I am originally from the Pacific Northwest, and this is where I am now. At one point in my life I'd have said "expat" but I ran out of choices to add in my poll!

[Tsuga]

7 minutes ago, Garga said:

I’m from the Mid-Atlanice or New York area, but that’s a bit misleading. People see that and think “Baltimore, Washington, Philly, etc”. But I live in the middle of some cornfields in Pennsylvania in an area with a low cost of living.  

So, we’re close to big cities and suburbs, but this particular area feels small town. The number one industry in this area is farming.

 

I wanted to separate prairies and Appalachia from mid-Atlantic but choices were very few. I considered doing "not US or Canada" but that felt too North America centric. I realize that Pennsylvania and Ohio in particular don't really "fit" into the poll I posted.

Edit: I decided to lump together some others because most people are from the US so I wanted to let that be its own region. Can you change your answer or are you "stuck"?

[Lisa]

Minnesota

[Arcadia]

I grew up in the most expensive city (for the 5th straight year http://fortune.com/2018/03/15/singaport-worlds-most-expensive-city-eiu/ ) in the world so everywhere else feels cheaper in terms of cost of living. California is big. Where I am in Silicon Valley is expensive but my city is still cheaper than neighboring cities.

[Tsuga]

26 minutes ago, Patty Joanna said:

First half Rocky Miuntains, second half Pacific Northwest.  

If I had to say which was more for National as re character and personality—Ricky Mountains.  But I’m posting from PNW.   

 

Based on your typing I'm guessing you're actually posting from a phone. :D

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, Arcadia said:

I grew up in the most expensive city (for the 5th straight year http://fortune.com/2018/03/15/singaport-worlds-most-expensive-city-eiu/ ) in the world so everywhere else feels cheaper in terms of cost of living. California is big. Where I am in Silicon Valley is expensive but my city is still cheaper than neighboring cities.

ah, relativity .. . it's not just about traveling at light speed.

dsil grew up  in a more affluent family in a lower col area. at one point,  he was making really good money and banked a lot.  (he has a lot of 'toys'.)   now . . . he paid down dd's grad school loans.  they put him through a mba program (no loans), bought cars and bought a house. their only debt is their mortgage, but  he feels broke and like he doens't have any money.  he's never been "this broke" in his life.

dd - after years of our financial reverses while she was growing up that felt as cliche (and absurd) as a keystone cop's movie, she finished grad school and got a real job making good money.  they  bank her salary. she's never felt "so rich".  so, she just smiles when he stresses out.

and yeah - here, it's basically silicon valley north.  last summer, a house on our street sold for $895K. (bidding war, < a week.)  it's a tear down. 

[Amira]

I picked Great Britain or Eurasia.  That’s a pretty big category.

[Carrie12345]

I'm in PA and I love it, but I am and always will be from NJ.  The odd thing is, I don't think I've had "normal" (or stereotypical) experiences in either place, so my perspectives may be skewed.  Growing up, my time was split between a suburban lake community, relatively urban areas, and farmland.  Now I live in a rural area that's more economically, culturally, and racially diverse than any of the spaces I grew up in.  I like to be out of the ordinary!

[DawnM]

Hard question to answer.  

[Hannah]

I"m curious who else is posting from Africa?   I'm in South Africa.  You could be in Egypt LOL!

[Amira]

27 minutes ago, Hannah said:

I"m curious who else is posting from Africa?   I'm in South Africa.  You could be in Egypt LOL!

I’ll be in Africa with you in a few months, but all the way up in Egypt.  

[mytwomonkeys]

I grew up in Atlanta but live in FL now. Im surrounded by many fields and cows. 

[TheReader]

Texas, and thank you for recognizing/acknowledging we can't be lumped with those other regions of the US ;) 

*but, most of you I think know, I lived 6 yrs in Brazil, so have a little bit of that in me too. Still, for the purposes of your poll, Texas. Always. (because, Texas....)

[Joker]

I don't really know since you asked where we got our perspective from. I spent the first 20 years in Texas but the next 20 in the West Coast, the East Coast, and the Midwest. I think I learned the most about myself and who I wanted to be while in California. We left CA because of the high cost of living and knew we couldn't raise our dc how we wanted if we stayed there so we moved somewhere cheaper. 

Currently, I'm posting from the Midwest but we probably will only be here until youngest graduates in two years so only about five years total. We will probably go back to the East Coast for a few years after due to dh's job and then who knows where we will go. We want to see where our dc end up after college before deciding.

[Selkie]

I grew up in the rural midwest, lived in several cities as a young adult, missed country living terribly, and moved back here for good to raise my family.

[marbel]

I selected Mid-Atlantic, but much of my perspective comes from  living 40+ years on the US west coast (SF Bay Area CA; Portland OR).  I've only lived here 11 years and still feel like I'm new here.   :-)

[Wheres Toto]

Easy for me to answer since I was born, raised and have lived my whole life in New Jersey.    Basically in the same county in NJ.   

I know we are a very HCOL area.  But I don't really think about it until I read about how things are in other places, mostly here on the forums.  I grew up very poor but in a decent suburban area so it doesn't always seem that bad to me.   It's what I'm used to and salaries do seem higher here to help compensate. 

As a comparison, our 750 square foot home would sell for around $300,000.   A studio apartment in a bad neighborhood in our area but outside of the big cities would rent for over $1000 a month.  

[Arcadia]

8 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

and yeah - here, it's basically silicon valley north.  last summer, a house on our street sold for $895K. (bidding war, < a week.)  it's a tear down. 

 

I was looking at the downtown Bellevue condos and the HOA as well as property tax is much higher with similar facilities to the condo complex I live in. The one I was eyeing had a >$1mil asking price and a HOA close to $700. The car tags seems costlier too compared to California’s vehicle license fee.

I do think sometimes like your son-in-law even though my childhood home is also in a HCOL area. $900k would be a 99 years leasehold condo and it would be impossible to get a freehold condo in my childhood area. I don’t feel broke but I do feel that my emergency savings could be higher and college savings for my kids could be much higher. My husband does feel broke but less broke because he had to do without so often as a child despite a bigger childhood home in a lower COL area (same country, but outskirts area). 

[Liza Q]

Brooklyn's in the house! Not quite born and raised (I was born in in Manhattan, uptown) but close!

But I don't live in the funky fresh neighborhoods or in the upscale neighborhoods. By living in what I would call a working class neighborhood, we've been able to live a middle class lifestyle on one income.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I'm in a flyover state - we are occasionally classified as Great Lakes, but only if MI, IL, IN, and WI are being thrown together. We are east of the plains. This is the area of the USA that is generally known as the midwest. A lot of people live here.

[Greta]

Grew up on the Great Plains (Oklahoma), have lived in the Southwest (New Mexico) for almost 20 years.  Briefly lived in upstate NY in-between.  I always felt out of place in OK, though, and I knew by the time I was 12 years old that I wanted to move.  So I wouldn't particularly say that it informed my perspective.  I picked Southwest for the poll.  It's been home for a long time now.  And though I don't want to stay here for the rest of my life, it suits me better than where I grew up.  And if I do end up staying here, I can be happy.

[Tsuga]

7 hours ago, Amira said:

I picked Great Britain or Eurasia.  That’s a pretty big category.

I know, I ended up with a strong US bias. I had to choose categories with a limit of 20 options. We'll have to do a special international one.

[Tsuga]

4 hours ago, HeighHo said:

Rural America, going back to Colonial times.  I'm fringe rural now, since the city folks have moved out here.

I'm a military brat, so my category is the obligatory other. 

  Also suggest adding Middle East as a category.

Very limited number of options so I sacrificed big time on non anglophone country/regional specifics.

[DawnM]

5 hours ago, Hannah said:

I"m curious who else is posting from Africa?   I'm in South Africa.  You could be in Egypt LOL!

 

It is me.  It is complicated.  She asked where our opinions originated.  I grew up in Kenya.  I now live in the States.  I am a TCK.  I don't consider myself Kenyan, but I often don't resonate with the term American either.

[Lady Florida.]

I'm having a hard time voting because of your question about where we got our perspective. While Florida is in the south not all of it is like the south, and even areas within areas are different, including where I live. Though I've spent the majority of my life in a southern state (mostly Florida, 5 years in Georgia) I don't feel southern. I feel Floridian. I lived the first 13 years of my life in a Mid-Atlantic state (NJ) but I don't know that it was there I got my perspective either. I think it's from my family, who are definitely from the northeast (NY & NJ). My FOO is working class and our immigrant ancestors only go back a few generations. And I'm pretty sure that's where my perspective came from. Regardless of where I live I'll always feel my working class, recent immigrant background. 

[gardenmom5]

4 hours ago, TheReader said:

Texas, and thank you for recognizing/acknowledging we can't be lumped with those other regions of the US ;) 

*but, most of you I think know, I lived 6 yrs in Brazil, so have a little bit of that in me too. Still, for the purposes of your poll, Texas. Always. (because, Texas....)

there was  a t-shirt in a Texas tourist gift shop,  that I loved.

"it's a Texas thing y'all wouldn't understand."

I really enjoyed the FW stockyard tour. . . . he pointed out El Paso is closer to LA than it is to Texarkana.

2dd is now in DFW.    she likes it.

2 hours ago, Arcadia said:

 

I was looking at the downtown Bellevue condos and the HOA as well as property tax is much higher with similar facilities to the condo complex I live in. The one I was eyeing had a >$1mil asking price and a HOA close to $700. The car tags seems costlier too compared to California’s vehicle license fee.

I do think sometimes like your son-in-law even though my childhood home is also in a HCOL area. $900k would be a 99 years leasehold condo and it would be impossible to get a freehold condo in my childhood area. I don’t feel broke but I do feel that my emergency savings could be higher and college savings for my kids could be much higher. My husband does feel broke but less broke because he had to do without so often as a child despite a bigger childhood home in a lower COL area (same country, but outskirts area). 

dsil - grew up in a lower col area.   I grew up in bridle trails  (at recess - we'd stick grass through the fence to feed the horses.  now people don't have horsee) -  my dad's bf from college lived on cougar mt.   did a lot of driving back and forth on 140th and bell-way . . . I occasionally go past - and it just blows my mind.  I remember when the building that gave the impression of towering over the town (it really wasn't a city then) was the gorgeous chrome and glass bank on top of the hill.  (i'm glad it's still there - but I wonder when it will be torn down to build something bigger.)  this was before seafirst built what is now the paccar building.

property costs have just been insane.   1dd has a house here (and we thought it was crazy then) - but I question if 1 or 2 ds will end up living here.  

 

40 minutes ago, DawnM said:

 

It is me.  It is complicated.  She asked where our opinions originated.  I grew up in Kenya.  I now live in the States.  I am a TCK.  I don't consider myself Kenyan, but I often don't resonate with the term American either.

what does TCK mean?

my personal opinion is american is a fairly broad term.   you've got huge diversity among regions  - then you bring in different immigrant populations - including the "time period" in which they immigrated.   

[gardenmom5]

57 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

I'm having a hard time voting because of your question about where we got our perspective. While Florida is in the south not all of it is like the south, and even areas within areas are different, including where I live. Though I've spent the majority of my life in a southern state (mostly Florida, 5 years in Georgia) I don't feel southern. I feel Floridian. I lived the first 13 years of my life in a Mid-Atlantic state (NJ) but I don't know that it was there I got my perspective either. I think it's from my family, who are definitely from the northeast (NY & NJ). My FOO is working class and our immigrant ancestors only go back a few generations. And I'm pretty sure that's where my perspective came from. Regardless of where I live I'll always feel my working class, recent immigrant background. 

my mother's family was midwest very rural poor farmers.  on the same land going back to the 1840s.   they came to seattle to work during "the war", and stayed.  My mom was seven.  (they went back every summer.)   yes - I have that perspective with me - even though it was a generation removed.  I can appreciate my grandmother was  a hard worker.   

[Loowit]

I grew up in a rural logging community in the pacific northwest.  I currently live about 20 miles from where I grew up.  I did live out of the area for college and after DH and I first got married for a couple of years, but still in the pacific northwest and mostly only about an hour from home.

[Liz CA]

Grew up in Northern Europe but lived in CA for 32 years. Voted CA because all my adult years were spent here. 

[Tsuga]

3 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

I'm having a hard time voting because of your question about where we got our perspective. While Florida is in the south not all of it is like the south, and even areas within areas are different, including where I live. Though I've spent the majority of my life in a southern state (mostly Florida, 5 years in Georgia) I don't feel southern. I feel Floridian. I lived the first 13 years of my life in a Mid-Atlantic state (NJ) but I don't know that it was there I got my perspective either. I think it's from my family, who are definitely from the northeast (NY & NJ). My FOO is working class and our immigrant ancestors only go back a few generations. And I'm pretty sure that's where my perspective came from. Regardless of where I live I'll always feel my working class, recent immigrant background. 

I know Florida is quite different. Among the extra regions I wanted to get we're Gulf Coast area, and different parts of Canada.

I'm lumped in with Hawaii where I can't even afford to visit, lol. This just gives a general idea. Sorry for asking so many to.squish into a box.

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, Tsuga said:

I know Florida is quite different. Among the extra regions I wanted to get we're Gulf Coast area, and different parts of Canada.

I'm lumped in with Hawaii where I can't even afford to visit, lol. This just gives a general idea. Sorry for asking so many to.squish into a box.

years ago, there was a family at church where the wife was from hawaii - but they were living in the south sound. they'd go visit her family (only had to pay airfair).  and their big hawaiian looking sons. . . would sit on the beach and complain about the weather.   they were PS boys at heart.

[Above The Rowan]

I'm in Ontario Canada. About 6 hrs drive north of Toronto. 

I grew on the east coast of Canada (Newfoundland). 

[Scarlett]

I answered The South.  I lived in AR from age 10-47 and my mom was raised up there as well.  I live in OK now, for 6 years, but I don't really feel at home.  

[importswim]

I'm posting from Florida but I'm originally from England. We moved to the US when I was 10 and I was raised in a very British household. It was a third culture kid experience. I answered "the South" in your list but there are those in the deep south that would not consider Florida to be part of the south! I picked before I read your opening post. I would say that my thinking is definitely not stereotypical Southern.

[importswim]

8 hours ago, gardenmom5 said:

 

 

what does TCK mean?

Not the PP you were quoting but since I used it too I'll reply! TCK means Third Culture Kid  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_culture_kid

I said I had a TCK experience but mine was mild compared to my husband who was raised overseas by his American parents (I was raised here by British parents but there are many things I missed out on culturally because my parents didn't know much about American culture).

 

 

[Guest]

Mid-Atlantic. I was born in this state and have always lived in this state. I definitely think my perpective is heavily influenced by the bi-polar areas in which I have always lived  There is a tremendous range of attitudes, lifestyles, faiths, economics, political views and ways of life even within a small radius. My immediate area where I live is largely white, middle class/working class, Catholic or Protestant Christian, traditionalistic people. But, depending on which direction I drive, I can be in a very diverse area within ten minutes. I could be in exceedingly wealthy neighborhoods in <10 minutes, or in rural fields with modest old farmhouses. 

It’s interesting. 

[Mergath]

I was born, raised, and have spent most of my life in Minnesota.

[foxbridgeacademy]

On 4/28/2018 at 1:15 AM, gardenmom5 said:

ah, relativity .. . it's not just about traveling at light speed.

dsil grew up  in a more affluent family in a lower col area. at one point,  he was making really good money and banked a lot.  (he has a lot of 'toys'.)   now . . . he paid down dd's grad school loans.  they put him through a mba program (no loans), bought cars and bought a house. their only debt is their mortgage, but  he feels broke and like he doens't have any money.  he's never been "this broke" in his life.

dd - after years of our financial reverses while she was growing up that felt as cliche (and absurd) as a keystone cop's movie, she finished grad school and got a real job making good money.  they  bank her salary. she's never felt "so rich".  so, she just smiles when he stresses out.

and yeah - here, it's basically silicon valley north.  last summer, a house on our street sold for $895K. (bidding war, < a week.)  it's a tear down. 

I get this. DH grew up comfortable. They lived on a big piece of land with a nice house, new cars and eventually millions in the bank.  I grew up so poor that... well I still try to hoard food (I NEED a pantry as big as a bedroom).  We are FINALLY at a point where DH feels comfortable, I feel like we've hit the freaking lottery.  It's weird.

As for the poll I wasn't sure how to answer. I've lived all over the Eastern 1/2 of the US.  I'm from a part of Indiana that would never be called a plains state and is nothing like the Great Lakes area (we, uh, make fun of "those" people, sorry).  I currently live in TN but it's Nashville area and except for a few small things doesn't feel like the South at all, but I picked it anyway.

[Bluegoat]

Canada, right on the east coast.

[gardenmom5]

oops. wrong thread.