OT: Do you love where you live?

[disneyholic family]

I know this thread is really for people in the US but what the heck!

We moved to France from England three years ago and love it here. There's near zero crime, no traffic, everybody speaks to each other and helping your neighbour is a national pastime.

Next month we're visiting Orlando again and can't wait although the crowds, traffic and noise will take a while to get used to.

so since you did, i'll throw in my two cents..
we moved to Israel 18 years ago and love it here...

 

[kapoof]

i live in the chicago area suburbs and do like it here. it is totally middle america. i can hop on the train and be in loop where there is tons to see and do in the city. the food here is probably the best anywhere in the world (best pizza and hot dogs!)because it is such a melting pot. where i live we have great schools and a very safe and friendly nieghborhood. the weather can be iffy...we are artic cold in the winter and africa hot in the summer. which is why we come down to wdw in the winter to warm up.

 

[durango kid]

I live were you come for vacation, so this place must be pretty good.

 

[Sandy Fisher]

You are young enough to make an adjustment, so you should really do some research before you make the jump! However, you are also young enough to relocate if the new place turns out to be less than you hoped for.
We lived all our lives in south central PA and except for the nasty winters (and not all of them were) we loved the area.
Last year we moved to central Florida. We had always loved vacations and business trips that took us to Florida -- but we were in resort areas on those trips. We didn't really see the day-to-day life. Once you move, you have to deal with the shopping, weather, traffic, etc. every day of every week, all year long.
You have different concerns than we had because our children are grown and on their own. We didn't have to consider schools, etc.
So do your homework. Florida has a lot going for it, and being close to Disney is a real plus. However........we should have done more actual looking around in the town we chose. Things are not always what they seem. Good luck.

 

[Abharmagic]

No, unless you grew up in Pittsburgh I don't think Pittsburgh is all that great and I have lived many places in my life- not crazy about it here at all- it rains A LOT and is continually grey and dreary...... depressing...

 

[NJ2Boardwalk]

Can't help you except to tell you where NOT to live. New Jersey. Although we probably have access to some of the best schools, healthcare, culture, sports and such - it is overcrowded, overpriced, overpolluted, - you get the idea. Good Luck and I am envious of your ability to pick a new home. After my girls are out of high school in 5 years - we are outta here!!

 

[agame2323]

Umm heck no lol...I'm from New Jersey and hopr to move to the orlando area in the future...everytime we come back from Fl and get off the plane you smell the filthy Philly air..gross.

Ok, dems fightin words Lynn5700.

I happen to live in Philadelphia and while I admit its not the best of places to live, YOU have very little room to talk coming from Jersey.

What does Jersey have to offer other than the Turnpike and a bunch of Industrial Plants THAT ARE LOCATED DIRECTLY OVER THE BEN FRANKLIN? THAT'S what you smell when you get off the plane. (okay...maybe a mix of that and the oil fields, but nevertheless.)

Secondly, I have no idea what part of Jersey your from but I take it your just outside of Philly if your landing at OUR airport. Chances are when you want a night out on the town what do you do...go to Philly. Why? Because Jersey offers NOTHING. You guys come over the bridge, destroy our lovely Old City district, leave, and then complain how bad OUR city is.

Third, Jersey can't hold a candle to the Historical aspect of Philadelphia. Do you guys even have a museum? South Jersey roots for all our teams because you have none. Your beaches are the best thing about the state and even they are becoming crappy.

People understand one thing. Philly has A LOT of pride. Its almost sickening but I love it. No one in the country wears there emotions on their sleeve like we do. You talk bad about Philadelphia, expect a harsh and quick response from one of us.

That being said, I love my New Jersey neighbors and welcome them with open arms to the City of Brotherly Love (even you Lynn) . Just don't go talking bad about the place we call home.

Have a Magical Day!

 

[minnierocks]

I love where I live...in Northeast Ohio...

Yes, there is snow...but some years more than others! I love having four seasons and weather that's not extreme! No hurricanes, no wildfires...Everything is green and where I live it's pretty rural...so I love the slow pace...
Big perks for me is that we are close to many great hospitals, specialists, shopping...and we love our school system. It's not big, but the schools are wonderful. As you can tell, I am not a city girl...but I am close enough to major cities, that I can go and visit if I want!

Oh...and affordable housing...I can buy more house for a LOT less money than in other places...

Make sure that you are using the state's education website to research school districts and don't be afraid to ask around...There are lots of places that I love to visit, but I would NOT want to live there!

 

[Desnik]

OP, I just sent you a PM with some links that can help with your research.

I am a NY'er but I live close enough to NJ and have been to many different places in NJ to give my opinion. NJ has some really beautiful places. Cape May is one of my favorite destinations! Bergen County, while expensive is absolutely beautiful, with lovely homes, great schools, safe place to live and has awesome shopping.

 

[I'mwithGrumpy]

Another Middle Tennessean here. We live surrounded by beautiful woods, not too far from a few lakes. Our schools are small but what makes them great is the parent participation. We love the small hometown feel. I do have to drive a distance for work, but feel where we live is worth it.

 

[GothTink]

One vote for Utah!

It's true, that up North, there is snow in the winter, but it's not unbearable and it's definitely not like the midwest or new england. We have four seasons here and it's dry, not humid.

Down South (Utah's Dixie) it's actually quite hot and *rarely* snows, but then is melted in a few hours.

We have very low crime and great schools. Salt Lake has an international airport. Salt Lake City is very diverse... and if you're looking for Mormon territory, you can go to Utah Co (where I live). Even though I'm not Mormon myself, they are some of the best people you could find... so don't let that scare you off.

Actually, I'm partial to most places out here in the west. DH is from San Fransisco area, and I was born in Nor. Cal.

Good luck with your plans!

Meredith in Utah

Make that two votes! We've lived all over the U.S., but SLC has been our favorite - we hope to move back in a few years to stay! It really is a hidden jem...

 

[bennythepug]

If your looking to stay away away from snow- New England might not be a good choice either. I grew up in Connecticut and have lived in New Hampshire the past 5 years. Tons of snow but, we also have beautiful fall foliage and here in the lakes region theres so much to do if you love the outdoors.

 

[kelmac284]

Northern CA here. I was born and raised near Sacramento and although I personally am not a huge fan MANY people like it here. They don't necessarily like IT but like the location. We are 1 hour in any direction to the mountains or the ocean. It is 1 hour to Tahoe and 1 hour to San Francisco. There are lots of job opportunities and we are the state capitol. We have a sports team here and there is plenty to do.

The weather is mild and the housing has come down quite a bit so now is a good time to buy again.

I used to live in the northwest and personally I prefer the area up there for the beauty and such because that is MY kind of area. I love the outdoors and like to hike and mountain bike and such so I can also attest to the Oregon/Washington area if you like THAT type of area. I don't know about the schools and such as I did not have children when I lived there but the cultural opportunities and job market was good when I was there.

The schools and jobs here are good as well.

I would love to move back to the northwest but I can say that a lot of people DO like it here and for OTHERS I would recommend this place. It is just for me personally I miss the beauty of the north.

California is a little to blah for me. At least Sacramento. Now there ARE beautiful places here like Tahoe and Monterey I just can't afford to live There.

CA DOES have beautiful areas though and it is VERY diverse. There are some of the most beautiful parks and beaches. We have Disneyland after all and some of the most famous landmarks. It is a great state but it does tend to be expensive.

 

[Benducci]

We live in NJ & I love it! We have mountains, beaches, farms, cities, suburbs, rural, shopping, you name it - we have it-

 

[tomerin]

well i was born and raised in New York City and slowly migrated out east to where i live now, mastic beach long island. for many years this area was a great place to live. taxes were relatively low for long island and while property values were still low for long island they were slowly rising.

when the economy started slipping years ago the property values started slipping and with that our taxes soared and the real estate speculators were suddenly stuck with a depreciating parcel of land. what our long island government did was to saturate our nice little town with sober houses and section 8 housing. also at one a week we receive letter stating that certain level sex offenders are now living in our area. while the sober houses and a certain amount of section 8 housing can be seemingly added to any area and arent necessarily bad things in themselves but when you inundate an area with this type of housing the whole area gets the tag and that causes the entire area's property values to plummet. we recently have been in the press with many stories that have put a series of black eyes on our community.

we have been trying to take our neighborhood back from it rapid slide from being the valuable property it should be. through extensive work with our neighborhood's civic groups, we have managed to stem the tide but are still far from where we should be.

our area's proximity to the waterfront should make our town's property values much higher then it is. almost any of long island's other coastal communities have property values much much higher then ours currently has. there is something very wrong here.

i have been here for over 10 years and watched my taxes go up over 100 percent. while this tax level may be a bargain to some on long island as far as taxes go but honestly this is the straw that has broken this camel's back

sorry for the rant

guess you can tell i am looking to get off of long island a place i used to love

 

[Halloweenqueen]

We have recently moved to eastern Washington State. Wow...we are lovin it! The state is gorgeous, there is lots to see and do here. We have lived in Ohio, New York, Virginia, Florida, and most recently in NC.

The housing market is very reasonable here. We were able to sell our house in NC and buy a comparable house here for half the price! Our kids are in a terrific school and I've never seen them so happy! The people are very friendly and laid back.

Washington has no state income tax, so more money in our pocket.

It's just a terrific place to live and raise a family.

 

[KatMark]

I live in Chicago on the Northside. The school systems around here (especially in the Glenview) are awesome. Chicago is such a cultural mecca. Everything you could want, you have: Museums, a sports team for every occasion, the beautiful lake shore, a restaurant for every taste. Its awesome.

I would have recommended Chicago as well but for two reasons: OP said she DOES NOT want to live where there is snow and the other reason being we can't wait to leave Chicago and move to Florida. Don't get me wrong...we love Chicago...but 50 years is enough for us and we want to go where you don't have to shovel six months of the year.

 

[glitterkittyy]

I lived in Ohio for 37 years...all my life until I relocated to Tampa last year. I really really really love it, and I don't miss the snow at all. We're about an hour from Disney (45 minutes if I speed lol), we're only 3 miles to the ocean and we have so many things to do outside all year round that I don't think I'll ever be able to do them all. I don't regret moving here at all...not one tiny little bit.

 

[danny1649]

Is a better fit here on our Community Board Thanks Danny

 

[StitchandPooh'sMom]

Another vote for NC! I SO much love where we live! The weather is great (hot and humid in the summer, but there is always an ocean breeze). It doesn't snow in Wilmington, but we can drive an hour or so and see snow if the kids are really missing it. (I don't ever miss snow - too many years in upstate NY for that!) I can't say enough good about the schools here - my kids are so happy, the schools are highly ranked, and our elementary school is small and like a big family - everyone knows and helps everyone. Test scores are great, and kids, parents and teachers are all happy to be there.

We would be have to be dragged kicking and screaming out of Wilmington, but there are other NC/SC places I wouldn't mind living - Winston-Salem, Raleigh/Cary, Charlotte suburbs, Greenville, SC (DH and I lived there before kids - it was wonderful), Rock Hill - so many nice towns and cities in NC and SC. We have beaches, mountains, snow if you want, big cities if you like that (not huge like NYC or LA, but still big with all the amenities), rolling hills if that is more your thing. You do have to research the schools - some are not good at all, and some are wonderful. Housing prices are good even in areas with great schools. Cost of living is reasonable unless you want to live right on the beach or within the beltway in Raleigh, for example.

Good luck! How fun (and intimidating) to pick where you want to live!