What's the WORST place in America to live?

[TraceyS/FL]

Central Coast of CA. Aside from teh variety of weather issues i hated for 35 years - my in-laws live there, along with the not sane branch of my side of the family.

 

Nope, not going back there ever.

 

Give me a tornado or a hurricane - just don't make me live in the same town as them again.

[Caroline4kids]

Georgia. Sets my allergies absolutely haywire. Once I had to live there for six months, and I absolutely swear I woke up the first morning with a sinus infection and battled them until we left. Seriously.

 

I live in Huntsville, AL. Great city, excellent shopping, good amenities, HORRIBLE allergies. 90% of people who live here are on some drug to cope and worst of the the Native Americans DID NOT settle here because when they tried they all got sick and many died. They called it the Valley of Death (no joke). I like it here, but I too am medicated just to survive!

[Caroline4kids]

I agree with whomever posted that small towns are the worst. Funny thing is I thought they would be nicer, but if you haven't lived in one forever or had relatives that did....you are and will forever remain an alien.

 

 

My husband calls Heron Lake, MN the armpit of the earth. He calls it a great example why global peace is impossible. When 700 people can't get along their isn't much hope for the rest of the world! He lived there his whole life and being an insider doesn't always make it easier. :confused:

 

To be fair, we love his parents and sisters who live there, but small town politics is MEAN.

[Heather in AL]

...and I have had allergy shots for the last five years to "cope" with the allergies. I agree with Caroline4kids (I'm waving at you, can you see me? :seeya:) that the Native Americans didn't settle here for long. My allergist told me he has heard they called it many variations: The Valley of Sickness, The Valley of Death, The Valley of Lung Sickness, etc. It's all the same thing to us sufferers!

 

Allergies aside, however, it's a GREAT place to live, as it's so close to other cities...4 hours to Atlanta, 6 hours to the beach, 2 hours to either Nashville or Birmingham, 3 1/2 to Gatlinburg, Tn, 11 to Disney. Sigh. We're in SUCH a good location, it's made us want to stay despite the horrible allergies. I've been here over 23 years now, and I can't think of anywhere else I'd want to live. Everywhere else seems so far away from other places!

 

Where do I *not* want to live? Farther south (the heat here is PLENTY for me!), in Tornado Alley (we get plenty of those already), Alaska, or too close to any large city. I'll take Huntsville(Madison County) with it's 500,000 residents any day over a mil+!! I don't like too many people or too many cars! :tongue_smilie:

 

(the other) Heather in Al

[Plucky]

I disliked Dayton, Ohio; Tacoma, WA; parts of NJ. I'm a westerner and really don't want to live on the East coast or the South.

[abbeyej]

I would also never in this life or any other live in Atlanta. Dh was offered a job there last year that would have relieved a lot of financial pressure but I. will. not. live. in. Atlanta.

 

And see, I'm pretty darn content here. ;) Wouldn't want to live out in the suburbs (ack!), but we have a cute little house, great home schooling community, wonderful cultural opportunities... Okay, now the *bugs* make me crazy, and the allergens are pretty bad... But overall, it's a pretty decent place to be. :)

[I talk to the trees]

We have lived in Central NY for 7 long, hideous years. I have found both the people and the weather to be unbearably cold. I could go on and on and on.... but won't. (I am suffering from a massive case of cabin fever right now...and a migraine...and next week is the "royal visit" from Mil... so I'm in a general state of grumpiness, and probably should just go eat some chocolate and :chillpill: ) Honestly, though, if I could leave here tomorrow, I would gladly do so and never look back. :auto:

 

-Robin

[Audrey]

South Florida I know many are from there and some from West Palm Beach but the op asked so I am just responding as kindly as possible.....but nothing, absolutely nothing can get me back there. I spent over 10 miserable years there until my Knight in Shining Armour (aka dh) rescued me and got me out of there.

 

 

Grew up in WPB. If anyone even TRIED to drag my dead body back there, I'd get up out of the **** coffin and kick their patootie for even thinking of it!

 

Not. even. over. my. dead. body!

 

 

ETA: But... take my opinion with a grain of salt because I won't ever be moving back to the States, period.

[Mommyof4ks]

Anywhere up north, because I get cold when the temp is below 60! I also avoid big cities if possible due to traffic. Las Vegas, because it is so very dry there and I never did get used to being shocked everytime I walked across carpet (we were only there 2 weeks, but that was enough for me). Come to think of it northern Florida and central Texas are about the only places I really want to live that I know of (I have not visited many states though).

[Colleen in NS]

I need to be where the New Yorkers are. When I say New Yorkers I don't mean the Dutch of upstate, I mean NEW YORKERS. I don't know what it is, the tell it like it is attitude? The sense of humor? It's just funny no matter where I've lived I've always gravitated toward those people.

 

I lived in Elizabeth NJ for almost 3 years and I LOVED THE NY/NJ STATE OF MIND!! I miss it!!! I still have friends around that part of the world (LI, Roselle, Elizabeth, southern CT - yes, I count that in the NYC area, etc.).

 

EDIT: ha ha, now I just finished reading the thread and I see that others have referred to areas just outside NYC as the armpit of the east coast - I remember Elizabeth being called that when I lived there. Someone else referred to the Oranges, Bayonne, Jersey City, too. We drove through all this area a couple of years ago, and......I guess I'd have to say, I'd never want to live in that area again. But I still miss the state of mind. We stayed with old friends in Roselle, and I don't think I've laughed that hard in years!!!!!!!! And I love NYC.

Edited January 2, 2009 by Colleen in NS

[Demal]

Remember... God's Country is South of the Mason-Dixon and East of California (well maybe East of Las Vegas) :-)

 

Ha. That is my worst area in America, with the exception of the large cities and university towns.

[Colleen]

Even the places I don't care for have something to offer. (Dare I say, even Lubbock and Odessa aren't all bad? Granted, I really wouldn't want to live there but they do offer wide open spaces. While Beaumont, TX, which is actually far worse, at least has access to the coast and to cultural events in big cities.) Even the least appealing big cities have at least a handful of decent museums, music clubs, and/or restaurants. Stir crazy small towns in the middle of nowhere are often in close proximity to some worthwhile natural outings. Getting outside and up close and personal with an area is the key to finding something worthwhile. Something that, even when one has moved away with a sigh of relief, can be remembered with a degree of fondness.

Edited January 2, 2009 by Colleen

[jonesloonybin]

Moline, Kansas

El Paso, TX - dirty, dusty, blah

Compton - in Los Angeles - if you see a sign that says "Compton" you'd better make a U-turn and get out of there! Also, LA in general.

Washington DC - crime rates

Any really big city, any place that has tornadoes, roaches, or hurricanes. I'll take my -40 degree weather over all of those, contrary to what most prefer I'm sure. :)

:iagree:

 

El Paso was THE WORST! I would never live there even if you paid me $$. I agree with the 2nd part too. I would love to live in the Great North.

[jonesloonybin]

My 2 places are Barstow, CA and Hell Paso, TX. Scary for so many reason!

 

:lol: We call it El Pisso.

[lynn]

...and I have had allergy shots for the last five years to "cope" with the allergies. I agree with Caroline4kids (I'm waving at you, can you see me? :seeya:) that the Native Americans didn't settle here for long. My allergist told me he has heard they called it many variations: The Valley of Sickness, The Valley of Death, The Valley of Lung Sickness, etc. It's all the same thing to us sufferers!

 

Allergies aside, however, it's a GREAT place to live, as it's so close to other cities...4 hours to Atlanta, 6 hours to the beach, 2 hours to either Nashville or Birmingham, 3 1/2 to Gatlinburg, Tn, 11 to Disney. Sigh. We're in SUCH a good location, it's made us want to stay despite the horrible allergies. I've been here over 23 years now, and I can't think of anywhere else I'd want to live. Everywhere else seems so far away from other places!

 

Where do I *not* want to live? Farther south (the heat here is PLENTY for me!), in Tornado Alley (we get plenty of those already), Alaska, or too close to any large city. I'll take Huntsville(Madison County) with it's 500,000 residents any day over a mil+!! I don't like too many people or too many cars! :tongue_smilie:

 

(the other) Heather in Al

 

There is hope. I about died with allergies when I first moved here 19 years ago now I am okay and do not have allergies as there are less cotton fields around thus the spraying is way down. Just my deals with seasonal allergies. Zyrtec seems to work well for him.

 

ETA I just reread your post and see you have been here longer than I. I am not sure why I finally stopped having allergies the only thing I can think of that really helped was purchasing and using a HEPA filter to have cleaner air in the house.

Edited January 2, 2009 by lynn

[PrairieAir]

When I was a little girl, we lived in both Roswell and Albuquerque. I remember very vividly the poverty I saw every day. My mom would agree that it was a very depressed area. When I traveled back through New Mexico in 2003, I noticed the same thing. I also saw it in Arizona, though we went through more Indian reservations and no large cities in that state. We lived in Meridian, Mississippi for three years and there was a lot of poverty there as well. Even so, I can't say I would never want to live in either of these places. They are both beautiful in their own way. I'd much rather be poor in a place like that than in a large city, particularly one where it gets very cold in winter.

 

When I was very, very small, we lived in New York City. I was only three or four when we moved to New Jersey, but I have vivid memories from that time as well, and we went back to visit several times as I got older. I would not live in NYC unless God spoke to me directly and told me to go live there.

 

We moved around a lot when I was growing up. I have lived in Texas, New Mexico, Mississippi, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, and Ohio. I do not like large cities. A rare visit is enough for me. Kansas City is not so bad, but the Missouri side is horrible to figure out and navigate. Wichita is even too big for me. I like my home in the country with a small but decent sized city nearby for when I need it. That said, we visited friends in Los Gatos, CA this year, and I would consider moving there. It is heavily populated and the traffic is a little much for me, but the weather is perfect and I would move there just to be close to these people.

[Colleen]

I I spent about 4 months living in LA, and *no one* I met there (at my job, at school, on the bus, etc.) was happy living there. They all wanted to move somewhere else, but didn't think they could sell their house, find another job, etc., and actually get out. The only people who were happy to be in LA were the tourists I met.

 

Yeah, I think the overwhelming dissatisfaction and negativity would make some areas difficult to enjoy. I've been to places (not lived in any) where seemingly every single resident was itching to go somewhere ~ anywhere! ~ else.

[Firefly]

I do see many of these old mill towns beginning to turn around now. At one point I lived in an old mill town in NH, which had a worse reputation than it deserved, IMO. It has cleaned up a lot since we left, and its residents are beginning to show some pride in their city.

 

That is good to hear! I do remember recently we passed through Putnam and a lot of the old mills were being renovated (but keeping with the original architecture) into shops and offices. I hope it is a trend that continues!

[Colleen]

For me, somewhere treeless and brown, far from the ocean or mountains but with lots of fast food restaurants and strip malls would be the worst.

 

Like I said in a reply below, I do think every area has something good to offer, but there's no question that finding beauty in a place like you described would be VERY hard for me.

[umarider]

...at the time the racism and bigotry and general lack of both sense of humor and intellectualism drove me to tears on a regular basis...

I think the thing that made me madder than anything was the assumption that I was on board. I suppose I mostly look like your typical WASP, which I mostly am. However, it drove me insane with fury that people therefore felt it was "safe" to say things to me that I know they would never say directly to the people about whom they were speaking. I used to say that I needed a t-shirt that said, "I am not a member of your club."

 

QUOTE]

 

Wow! You put words to my feelings w/ regards to some of the places we've lived. DH is due to retire from the military soon and we were just having a conversation w/ friends in a similar position last night about where we want to live after our DHs get out. So many areas that I like, but fear the locals would drive me crazy for the above reasons.

[coffeefreak]

Jackson Mississippi. Anywhere Mississippi.

[coffeefreak]

Ha. That is my worst area in America, with the exception of the large cities and university towns.

 

When we got married, I told my husband I'd follow him anywhere so long as it was NORTH of the Mason Dixon line and West of the Mississippi river. We hate the cold, so New Mexico is definitely "The Land of Enchantment" for us :)

[coffeefreak]

On the other hand, other people in this thread have mentioned hating Los Angeles (where I lived for a decade and grew to love it!) and Albuquerque (where I wouldn't choose to live, largely because of the allergies, but I think there are lovely things about it too)...

 

Isn't it funny how allergies work? My allergies are still bad, but they're NOTHING compared to when I lived in MN or MS!

 

I love NM. It is so nice here in the winter, my youngest is confused as to what "Winter" means. Yesterday, she asked, "So, is today the first day of spring?" We laughed and told her Winter only started a week ago! She's very confused:lol:

[Colleen]

For sheer weather related issues: Seattle, Washington (too much rain)

 

There are a couple of reasons people mistakenly assume Seattle (and the Western Pacific NW in general) are super rainy: Reason First) We tend to have more "drizzle" than heavy rainfall, which translates into more gray days than in some other areas; and Reason Second) Washingtonians enjoy perpetuating the myth in an effort to keep other people away.;) In reality, Seattle receives less annual rainfall than many other major cities.

[Caroline4kids]

Where would I least like to live? Southern Minnesota, where I do live.

 

Oh my goodness, I live about an hour south of New Ulm. No offense, but I find this neck of Minnesota anything but pleasant. The winters are absolutely miserable, cold and nasty ice storms and the summers the air is so thick and wet and hot, plus you can't enjoy the outdoors because of the mosquitoes.

 

Since moving from Rapid City, South Dakota to Minnesota I have developed horrible SAD. The winters darned near do me in every year. Gray days are abundant here.

 

I have also noticed that people are not very friendly here. Yes, there are very nice and friendly people, but compared to the west where I'm from: Wyoming, Colorado and South Dakota, I notice a huge difference. Back home (west) people would smile at you and say hello at the grocery store or while you're out and about. Here? Nope. It's very cold in that regard.

 

Whenever we go "home" I always tell my son to pay attention to people, and he has noticed it--they're just friendlier and quick with a smile.

 

Even our neighbors are not friendly. I never see neighbors out talking like I have everywhere else I've lived.

 

Now, there are some positives: Housing costs are very low, and it's a very safe place. My husband loves his job, so moving isn't an option.

 

New Ulm is a pretty place, and we enjoy going there, but whenever we want to do something, we have to get in the car and drive, drive, drive.

 

We live in the middle of nowhere, with no bookstore. Oh, the horror. :tongue_smilie:

 

You have no idea how well I understand. Our farm is in Westbrook, MN and it takes an hour to get to the Wal Mart in Worthington, longer if the weather is bad. The internet was my salvation from insanity when I had three baby boys and a husband that was always gone for the military!

[coffeefreak]

This is a fun thread!

 

I wouldn't want to live in Albuquerque. We lived there for 6 weeks while my dh had some work training and it left a bad taste in my mouth. The people weren't very friendly and they ran red lights like they didn't exist. To add to my distaste some friends & I drove there to visit another friend a few months ago and they shut down the interstate near our hotel because of a road rage shooting. Suzanne in ABQ is very nice, though, as is my friend and her family. I'm sure there must be others.

 

Sounds like you were on the wrong side of town. I guess every city has it, but ABQ definitely has a WRONG side of town. When we first moved here we lived close to it, and I HATED it. Then, we moved to the "Westside" and our quality of living improved 100%. I think people have said that about other cities like Detroit and Huston for example. ABQ is like 3 or 4 different cities depending on where you live. Next time you visit your friend, try staying in a different part of town:D

[Peek a Boo]

Like Colleen, I can find great aspects of places too.

 

I hate the cold --anything under 80 has me putting on a sweater. But the few things i regretted leaving after 4.5 years in NY was our church, the lack of roaches, and a couple of great friends.

 

Even the DFW area is chilly for me --I'd move back to San Antonio if i could: huge sprawling city where I can pick a 'good' section and be comfortable. As long as i have a ton of Combat Gold large Roach bait traps, lol! :)

 

i do prefer dry sunny weather: gray and wet just ain't my cuppa.

 

however, I don't know of any place in the US where I wouldn't move for ANY amount of money --i can think of plenty of things to spend money on to counter-act the things i don't like.... :D

[Caroline4kids]

...and I have had allergy shots for the last five years to "cope" with the allergies. I agree with Caroline4kids (I'm waving at you, can you see me? :seeya:) that the Native Americans didn't settle here for long. My allergist told me he has heard they called it many variations: The Valley of Sickness, The Valley of Death, The Valley of Lung Sickness, etc. It's all the same thing to us sufferers!

 

Allergies aside, however, it's a GREAT place to live, as it's so close to other cities...4 hours to Atlanta, 6 hours to the beach, 2 hours to either Nashville or Birmingham, 3 1/2 to Gatlinburg, Tn, 11 to Disney. Sigh. We're in SUCH a good location, it's made us want to stay despite the horrible allergies. I've been here over 23 years now, and I can't think of anywhere else I'd want to live. Everywhere else seems so far away from other places!

 

Where do I *not* want to live? Farther south (the heat here is PLENTY for me!), in Tornado Alley (we get plenty of those already), Alaska, or too close to any large city. I'll take Huntsville(Madison County) with it's 500,000 residents any day over a mil+!! I don't like too many people or too many cars! :tongue_smilie:

 

(the other) Heather in Al

 

:seeya: Waving back :001_smile: This is a great place, so what if Claritin D makes life bearable.

[Caroline4kids]

Even the places I don't care for have something to offer. (Dare I say, even Lubbock and Odessa aren't all bad? Granted, I really wouldn't want to live there but they do offer wide open spaces. While Beaumont, TX, which is actually far worse, at least has access to the coast and to cultural events in big cities.) Even the least appealing big cities have at least a handful of decent museums, music clubs, and/or restaurants. Stir crazy small towns in the middle of nowhere are often in close proximity to some worthwhile natural outings. Getting outside and up close and personal with an area is the key to finding something worthwhile. Something that, even when one has moved away with a sigh of relief, can be remembered with a degree of fondness.

 

I love your optimism! And TX has great homeschooling laws. I'd like to have a house there to claim as my state. :)

[Dawn E]

I'm with Colleen and Peek on this one...

 

We currently live in the Mississippi Delta...flat, flat lands, no shopping areas besides Wal-Mart, allergies, few trees, even fewer opportunities for fun...I could go on. The blues were birthed here for a reason, and the legacy of that lives on. However, we love our church and church family, and it would be hard to say good-bye to them. We'd love to return to the West...but I think you can find bright spots in almost any place.

[PrairieAir]

I thought of a few places while reading through the rest of this thread. All are due to smell. I'm very sensitive to smells.

 

Chillicothe, Ohio - The Mead paper plant is there, and something about the way that stuff is made makes the entire town stink. You wouldn't think paper could smell that bad.

 

Bovina and Hereford, Texas - The names say it all.

 

Dodge City, Kansas - At least I wouldn't want to live anywhere near those massive feed lots there. Just driving past is enough.

 

Now, keep in mind that I live a little less than a mile north of a feed lot. I can smell the cows on most days, but it is nothing compared to the processing plants in Bovina and Hereford or the HUGE feed lots clumped together in Dodge City.

[umarider]

Chillicothe, Ohio - The Mead paper plant is there, and something about the way that stuff is made makes the entire town stink. You wouldn't think paper could smell that bad.

 

.

 

:lol: my dad used to work developing paper pulp... as a kid we hated drives down south because Dad would suddenly stick his nose in air saying "I think I smell a pulp mill!" and we occasionally had to take a detour to determine precisely whose pulp mill it was! Those things stink in a major way! But hey, my sisters and I can all pick out the odor of a pulp mill from miles away now! ( And steer clear!):D

[Kay in Cal]

I like living in LA! I think that any attitude has changed a lot over the almost 20 years we've lived here... there was a great interview last year with Garrison Keillor about how the last few times he's come to L.A. people have been so happy to be here.

 

Housing is expensive... we are not wealthy and we rent... but I love that we can walk to the bank/grocery store/drug store, etc. I love that when we go into our local chain store they have every kind of obscure Indian/Mexican/Persian/Russian/Armenian food you've ever wanted, plus the "regular" stuff. I love that my kids go to Sunday School with African, Tongan, African-American and Caucasian kids. I love that we have access to a great library system, excellent YMCA, the beach, museums galore (oh, the Getty Villa is so awesome), science museums, theatre, universities, etc. etc. I like that our homeschooling group is open and inclusive of all faiths, which according to these boards is hard to find. And I love drinking fresh orange juice from the oranges we pick off the trees this time of year--I'm not a fan of shovelling snow, though I grew up in the snow belt for many years.

 

We live in the Valley, but I know lots of people who live around the beaches who love it as well... hey Abbey, where are ya, sister, you loved living in L.A., right? High prices, too hot in summer--I think those are the drawbacks. But if you find me a cheap place to live with all the same amenities, I would certainly move!

 

My vote for worst place to live based only on visiting is Flint, Michigan where my dad grew up. Worst place I've lived -- Almaty, Kazakhstan. Life is hard there.

[hsmom]

I had to live in Casper, Wyoming for a year and a half. If I never go back, it will be too soon.

 

First of all, it was boring, boring, boring. There was no where to go. At least I didn't have to worry about going out shopping and spending too much.

 

Second, the wind. The wind! Oh, the wind. Casper has the worst wind. When we first moved there, we were warned about how windy it was, and how the wind played a big factor in suicides there. "Normal" wind there would be gusts anywhere else, and the gusts there were scary. I would lay awake in bed at night, not being able to sleep because of the wind rattling the windows, and when it was gusty, I would wonder if the windows were going to break, or if the house would stay standing. Seriously.

 

Third, while it was called a "city" it was a small one, the downtown area was laughable...and any of the nearby towns were much smaller. To get to another city of similar size, we had to drive 3 hours. To get to a larger city, we had to drive 5 hours. I don't like small towns, or small cities... I like the options that a larger place brings.

 

WIND in Wyoming, you got to be crazy. :lol: I do hate the wind, but I love it here.

 

I would have to say the worst place I have lived and never, never will go back is Fresno, Ca!!

[Desert Rat]

Rachel, Nevada. Known better as the town near the Alien Highway to Area 51. Spooky! We went during the day and I was totally creeped out. I've driven through desert plenty of times. I live in Las Vegas. To go anywhere you have to drive through miles of deserted land. But this stretch of highway was just beyond eerie. We took our pictures and skeedaddled!

[Snickerdoodle]

 

I would have to say the worst place I have lived and never, never will go back is Fresno, Ca!!

 

 

I would rather live in Fresno, CA than in NYC.

[Tarheel Heather]

Where I currently am!

[Snickerdoodle]

 

Where I currently am!

:lol: Me too.

[nukeswife]

We're military and have lived in Bremerton WA, Newport RI (twice), Jacksonville FL (twice) and the Hampton Roads are of VA (think Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake) of all of those I loved Jacksonville the first time, but the second was a nightmare, it literally doubled in size while we were gone, but the worst was definitely Newport RI. Sure there is some history there but what a pain in the behind come Memorial day-labor day. Just trying to get to the darn grocery store was a fight because of all the tourist traffic. Oh and the fact that it's on an island with only a couple roads leading off of it doesn't help. Dh will have to go back soon but it's only for about 2 months so the Navy won't make the kids and I go, thank goodness.

[abbeyej]

...I spent about 4 months living in LA, and *no one* I met there (at my job, at school, on the bus, etc.) was happy living there. They all wanted to move somewhere else, but didn't think they could sell their house, find another job, etc., and actually get out.

 

The only people who were happy to be in LA were the tourists I met. ;)

 

Oh, maaaan! :) Well, as Kay pointed out, I loved living in LA. I *still* miss it, though I'm happy where we are as well, and I don't have a painful urge to go back (like I did for the first couple of years after we came here). And I had a lot of friends who loved living there too.

 

The high cost of housing did drive a lot of people out.

 

But I loved the weather, the friendliness of the vast majority of the people, the diversity, the food, the tremendous range of cultural opportunities... I lived on campus at USC, in a family-oriented Latino neighborhood near there, in a high rise downtown, and then for the longest time right along Miracle Mile next to the LaBrea Tar Pits and the LA County Museum of Art. I could walk to five museums from our home, three parks, a three-story Barnes and Noble, a Whole Foods, the historic Third Street Farmer's Market, a host of small, interesting restaurants... I had good friends who were stay-at-home moms and home schoolers...

 

Truly, the cost of living was the thing that drove us away. But I was very, very happy there.

[abbeyej]

Isn't it funny how allergies work? My allergies are still bad, but they're NOTHING compared to when I lived in MN or MS!

 

Yeah, actually, I don't suffer as much in NM as I do here in Atlanta. But dh (who grew up in Abq) gets very sick almost every time we go back there. Actually, it's better now -- he knows how to take care of himself and be proactive every time we got -- but when he was younger, we could almost count on a full-fledged infection every single time we went there for more than 48 hours.

[NancyNellen]

My husband would agree with this. His dad lived in Yuma for a bunch of years when he was in high school. He hated it!

[Renthead Mommy]

[quote name='Originally Posted by pqr

Remember... God's Country is South of the Mason-Dixon and East of California (well maybe East of Las Vegas) :-)

 

 

 

Demal;716330]Ha. That is my worst area in America' date=' with the exception of the large cities and university towns.[/quote']

 

 

:iagree:

 

But then I guess one's person's god's country could another person's hell!

[Jumping In Puddles]

First off, I am shocked at the hatred for florida! I would love to be in florida right now where it is sunny and warm.

 

Well, in that case: For me, the worst place I ever lived was Missouri. It was a little better once I moved to Columbia (near the university), but I was just miserable there.

 

I should say this was 20 years ago, but at the time the racism and bigotry and general lack of both sense of humor and intellectualism drove me to tears on a regular basis. It was during that stage of my life that I started carrying a book everywhere and reading in any spare moments, largely because it protected me from having to engage in conversation with strangers.

 

 

 

Missouri is on my list of places I think I might like but grrrr... that sounds awful!

 

Someone told me stories about South Carolina that are similar to what you are saying. Turned me off S.C. Except I heard the Charleston area is nice, especially for northerners.

 

...and I have had allergy shots for the last five years to "cope" with the allergies. I agree with Caroline4kids (I'm waving at you, can you see me? :seeya:) that the Native Americans didn't settle here for long. My allergist told me he has heard they called it many variations: The Valley of Sickness, The Valley of Death, The Valley of Lung Sickness, etc. It's all the same thing to us sufferers!

 

 

I never would have known that Alabama has such an allergy problem! I'll scratch that state right off my list because allergies are m i s e r a b l e!

 

I lived in Elizabeth NJ for almost 3 years and I LOVED THE NY/NJ STATE OF MIND!! I miss it!!! I still have friends around that part of the world (LI, Roselle, Elizabeth, southern CT - yes, I count that in the NYC area, etc.).

 

EDIT: ha ha, now I just finished reading the thread and I see that others have referred to areas just outside NYC as the armpit of the east coast - I remember Elizabeth being called that when I lived there. Someone else referred to the Oranges, Bayonne, Jersey City, too. We drove through all this area a couple of years ago, and......I guess I'd have to say, I'd never want to live in that area again. But I still miss the state of mind. We stayed with old friends in Roselle, and I don't think I've laughed that hard in years!!!!!!!! And I love NYC.

 

You may not want to live in that area but there are so many nice places in NJ. Just avoid the problem spots of NJ and it's hard to go wrong. I really love it here. :)

 

For me, I wouldn't want to live in NYC. I like living *near* NYC, but I couldn't live there. Too noisy, too much traffic, too many people.

Edited January 3, 2009 by Jumping In Puddles

[musicmommy]

Well...I'm just going to do a blanket statement here. I'm a mountains and ocean kind of girl so pretty much anyplace that doesn't have both of those within a 2 hour drive. I lived in the Chicago area for 5 years and it felt like I could breathe again when I got back out here to the Pacific Northwest. I'm fine with small towns (we currently live in a town of 3000) and big cities, it's the mountains and ocean that my heart longs for.

[Sharon H in IL]

Memphis, Tennessee. It's got Missouri beat to heck for racism and anti-intellectualism. Crime, poverty, and weather like a blast furnace in the summer. The pretty azaleas in the spring didn't make up for any of it. Winter was just ugly gray and brown, no snow to cover it up.

 

The two and half years I lived there were torture from the mean kids in junior high. The teachers were almost as bad.

[neesek]

Chillicothe, Ohio - The Mead paper plant is there, and something about the way that stuff is made makes the entire town stink. You wouldn't think paper could smell that bad.

 

 

I have driven through Chillicothe several times, and I know exactly what you mean. As kids we traveled through there on the way to our grandparents' house. We never had to ask where we were. We could tell by the smell!

[abbeyej]

The two and half years I lived there were torture from the mean kids in junior high. The teachers were almost as bad.

 

You know, I bet moving almost anywhere in junior high could be pretty rough. :o(

 

(I grew up in Memphis and have a certain fondness for it, though it wouldn't be top on my list of places to move to... I don't mind visiting at all, though my last two visits were for funerals, which does tend to make a place a little less pleasant!)

[Melinda in VT]

We're military and have lived in Bremerton WA, Newport RI (twice), Jacksonville FL (twice) and the Hampton Roads are of VA (think Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake) of all of those I loved Jacksonville the first time, but the second was a nightmare, it literally doubled in size while we were gone, but the worst was definitely Newport RI. Sure there is some history there but what a pain in the behind come Memorial day-labor day. Just trying to get to the darn grocery store was a fight because of all the tourist traffic. Oh and the fact that it's on an island with only a couple roads leading off of it doesn't help. Dh will have to go back soon but it's only for about 2 months so the Navy won't make the kids and I go, thank goodness.

 

Really???

 

Wow.

 

I am stunned. :001_huh:

 

We lived in Newport for almost four years (mid-2000 to end-2003) and loved it. The only real downside was the school system.

 

True, there are some days/times you just can't drive anywhere, but I think in general the tourist traffic is a small price to pay for the history and the beauty (both natural and man-made). The Cliff Walk. The Ocean Drive. Breton Point. The "cottages." A quaint and compact town center great for walking. I worked off the island, and the view coming over the bridge, with Trinity Church shining in the sunset is beautiful. I would love to be in a position to go back for two months.

 

Yet another reminder that the rest of the world doesn't always think like I do. :lol:

[Blue Hen]

Leicester, Massachusetts. I lived there for 16 very long years. When I visited my hairdresser of 16yrs for the last time Rose asked me how it was living there as a FOREIGNER! Yes, those were her exact words, and really that also summed it up. Since my great-great-great-...grandparents were not born in the town I would always be considered a foreigner. The people were colder then the weather. I loved the snow, the winters, but the people,....colder then cold. I would return to Flint, MI or Pittsburgh, PA, or Columbus, Ohio, but never will I agree to move back to that town, or area, or state, or region. Cold, cold people.