Why do you live where you do?

B

Bill Marsh

Joined
Mar 26, 2002
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1,861
My father was a "Connecticut Yankee." Grew up in West Hartford. But he hated snow. So in 1929 the Great Depression he bought a semi and moved south accompanied by his mother and his younger brother. He bought the semi very cheap and drove south (Shouldn't "South" be capitalized? Ok) to the University of Georgia. Then in a gesture like Cortez burning his own ships, he sold the semi for twice what he paid for it.

They were planted in Athens Georgia.

I asked him what brought him South. He mentioned that he hated snow. He said that he tied a snowplow to the grill of the semi and drove South until someone said, "What the HELL (Hay-Yell) is THAT?"

He knew he'd found home. So let me submit this and ask --- Why do you live where you do?

I'll be back in a bit and tell about myself.
 
I wanted to be able to walk from my house to a place in the woods where I was not judged by men. But now my wife misses shopping.


munk
 
wife's parents live right around the corner...literally. wanted my kids to have grandparents for a few years at least...
 
I need to be somewhere where the seasons change. I would get bored with the same weather all year round. I enjoy skiing in the winter, swimming in the summer and hiking and camping year round. Like lots of snow, but semi-warm weather is nice too for a month or two.
 
I like the four seasons. Michigan is nearly surrounded by the Great Lakes, and the Upper Peninsula is absolutely spectacular. Nothing prettier than the U.P in hr autumn finest.
 
I was born in Miami moved to Fort Lauderdale about 30 years ago to a great house on the water with ocean access. The boat docked in the back yard take off after work for a couple of hours of fishing or even fish right off the dock. Then my wife wanted a bigger house after our son went to college (does that make sense?) now I live on golf course and I don't play golf!

I have been a lot of places and liked most but still Fort laud has what I want weather sports water nightlife ....oh yes and I work for a local government so I have to stay to finish my 25 years.
 
Born and raised here in Indiana, so it's "home."

Lived in California (SF Bay Area) for four years and still can't believe I survived that hellish nightmare.

I'm staying here because:

1. It's home
2. It's where most of my family and friends are
3. Some of the best gun laws (least restrictive) in the world
4. The people, in general, are less judgemental, exhibit better character, more integrity, more personality, and greater practical intelligence than, say, where I lived in California. I'm sure other places are similar.

I don't like the heat in the summer. Cold does not bother me, and even if it did, the coldest its ever been (in my memory) was -29F, which is shirtsleeve weather to our friends in Montana and Minnesota!

You can afford to live here.
 
Simple. I was born here. My whole life revolved around this God-awful muggy dip in the country. With IL within hollering distance to my left and KY a stone's throw to the south, I grew up in the area. For 4 years I lived in KY getting edumacated. Beautiful country, that Kentucky. However, it wasn't home. Moved home to take my place in the family business as the silver-tongued in-store sales person. Summers that are so hot and muggy it makes relocated "suthun" boys squirm. Just the way I like it. I work in the swimming pool business. Oppressive heat is good for business;) However, we get just enough cool to make the falls beautiful. Reds and golds and browns. When I take the scoot the long way to work I can weave in and out around the long country roads and take in all of God's work. I get to the office kissed by Mother Nature herself, and I am at peace. Winters are great. Not a lot of snow or ice or really bad weather, but I can only remember 2 or 3 Christmas' where it wasn't "white". Just enough days that are bad enough where I say, "To hell with it. I'm not opening the store up today;)" and the wife (who works for the school system and gets a snow day or two) and I get to spend the day curled up with the animals just enjoying a little vacation day. Springs are great. My God how I love dogwoods in the spring. My part of the state is just painted with white and pink in March and April.

In short, I live where I do because I love it. All of my family is here as is my work. I could see myself in Louisville one day. My wife's folks live there, and I could be just as happy there. However, I can honestly say that I really couldn't ever see myself taking my last draw of breath more than 150 miles from where I took my first.


Jake
 
The underwater caves
The climate
The country and farmland
The liberal gun laws
The lower cost of living than in NJ
Nicer people with better attitudes than in NJ
Riding my Harley
Two coasts
Beautiful rivers
No freaking snow
Red Neck women (OK I made that one up)
 
Simple, here is the closest to a permanent home I've ever had. From the time until I was born until I was 13 my family was in 24 states and we lived in a great many of them. Strangely enough none of my family still live in Turley, on the north side of Tulsa, where they grew up and where home was when my family made it back to Oklahoma and the Tulsa area.
But we all do live a short distance from one another and we're often in contact.
I'm the last one of my little family of four and it's kind of strange as well as lonely even though I do have the rest of my kin. I've lived in the same house for 26 years now and if nothing untoward happens I'll walk west from here and all will be well as the circle will continue to go on.:thumbup: :cool: :D
 
munk said:
I wanted to be able to walk from my house to a place in the woods where I was not judged by men. But now my wife misses shopping.


munk
Click to expand...

That one gets me chuckling.

I live up a hollow with only 1 other house even in sight on 85 acres which is surrounded mostly by acres of other land I can hike in, all woods. Only 5 or 6 ac yard and hayfield, but yet we both work in the largest city and one block from the Mall. Maybe you should consider coming back here Munk:D You wife is a psychologist right? We just hired a new bunch where I work at. Not as ruggedly beautiful as your place though.

Oh yeah work, what I do? Goat Farmer, sh*t shoveler, chicken lover, jackass tolerator, duck feeder, and Disability Evaluation Specialist for Soc. Sec. Ms HD is Director of Environmental Health;)
 
This is pretty much where I jumped ship after the navy and I parted ways. They would've moved me someplace else, but where would I go?

Nowadays I work in Shelton. Living further away would be too far. Living closer would be too close. ;)

My mind isn't made up. Once I've lightened my load a bit more I may move. Dunno where. My line of employment seems to be a growth industry, unfortunately, but it does give me a certain freedom in choosing a location.
 
It was a lot nicer when I was growing up. Less graffitti, less traffic, more open spaces. It's so crowded and expensive now as to be just rediculous. But my wife hasn't worked in a while because of a slew of health problems so we're living with my Mom, who's coming up on retirement. The house looks like hell but is payed off. The Mrs. and I have talked about moving out of state but as my Mom gets older she's going to need more of our help with the house and the dogs. If it wasn't for her the Wife and I would be living in the back of a car somewhere. She's the only person (in both our families) that we absolutely refuse to farm off to an old folks home, she's pulled our fat out of fire so many times. So it looks like we're staying put for a while. I figure my Mom will live in that house till she dies. Who knows, we might too.

Frank
 
I was born and raised in Honolulu, HI and now live in Seattle, WA. Why?

1. Cold, rainy, gray, gloomy weather (really).
2. Beautiful trees/lakes/mountains/overall scenery.
3. CCW.
4. Ferrets -- back home they are forbidden for some reason.
5. Software jobs -- I like being able to afford good beer.
6. Good beer.
7. Good live music scene.
8. Good coffee.
9. Geeks.
10. No roaches!!!

My whole family still lives in Hawaii so I'll probably move back someday, but for now I wouldn't be anywhere but here. :D
 
Josh Feltman said:
California is in my blood.
Click to expand...
And the sound of Mother Pacific, even now, is in my ears.
Living in a county physically the size of the San Francisco Bay Area. With less than the population of Oakland. 4 hours from there , 3 hours from Hell A. 300 yards from shoreside, down a dirt road. Egrets, Coyotes, & seals.
72 degrees. Good wine. Good Beer. Sunsets & surfer girls. Born Urban East Bay, 15 years here. Califas is a heart breakingly beautiful woman afflicted by the cancer of sprawl and bad government, racism and greed. But here, I can still see the Milky Way while I perform my sinalwalis on the beach, a couple of bonfires burning nearby, only a dozen or so people sharing this cliff sheltered cove. 20 miles from the nearest Big Box, maybe in five years, only 10 miles...
30 years ago Silicon Valley was some of the finest farm land in this nation.
Now look at it.
Here now, for just a little while longer, remains Classic California. Living here, now, a Califonian born, is one of the great blessings of my life.
 
I moved to Fort Worth (after living in a couple other places in Texas, one after the other) to get my second degree at TCU. But having lived there a year, I could definitely see myself living here with or without the university (although to most have us, TCU and FW share the same soul).

It's a fun metropolitan area with essentially no crime downtown or the suburb I live in.
It's got virtually no traffic, even at 5:00, downtown.
I love the unique architecture. The city has a central theme which is followed from the skyscrapers downtown all the way to the edges of the suburbs.
It bleeds culture.
Fun and not dangerous clubs (ala Billybob's, anyone?)
The cops ride horses or drive Z28s. Come on, that's pretty l33t.
It's super friendly.

Ultimately, virtually all the advantages of a large city with none of the disadvantages.

I mean, I could go on and on. I've had very little travelling experience in my life but I really live and breathe fort worth. I've never really connected to a city before moving here.

Fort%20Worth%20Skyline.jpg
 
I was born and raised in Vermont. My whole family lives here. When I got out of law school I wanted to go "the city" (Boston or NY) but job offers weren't exactly flying in. I took a job in Vermont. I now have a decent job, a great wife ans son and nice house. I just can't imagine living somewhere else, but you never know.

So, basically the pros are:

this is where my family is
not a lot of people
not a lot of traffic
safe place to raise a family
weather generally sucks, but it won't kill you (cold and snow, but no tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.)
 
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