JFF: Do You Love Where You Live?

I love Portland, Oregon. I love Oregon-- nearly every kind of environment you can think of: maritime, alpine, desert, canyons, rainforests, the ocean... If you are willing to do some driving, you can go through an amazingly diverse state.

I've been in Portland for the past 26 years and have seen it change a lot. I have lived in a lot of places and have grown to love the personality of the east side of the city. We live in a neat neighborhood and are fortunate to have a lot of things available within walking distance. I love the diversity of peoples, the focus many have on the environment, the focus on livability and sustainability. And the gardens here--- so many people enjoy gardening in my neck of the woods and it's fun to see what people are planting/their ideas. Overall, a really beautiful, fun place to live. (Just don't ask me in the winter when it's been raining and cold for three weeks straight!)

No, we would love to move to either UT, SD, ND, or MN--only problem is that my husband cannot find a job in his field in any of those states. We hope someday to get out of Michigan.

Yes I love where I live... My physical address is Allen and we are in the Plano school district which is superb.

I have a great network of professionals and friends. I LOVE being within an hour from 2 airports DFW and Love Field and I can be on either coast within 3 hours, we have great events going on as far as sporting events, concerts, etc. There is never a shortage of something fun to do and you can be as active as you want.

I love my neighborhood... it is unique because we live on a heavily wooded lot backing up to a park. There are even some basement homes along the park where we are which is unheard of in TX due to our heat and foundation inssues. We have loads of privacy, large lot and I have lots of wildlife which include but not limited to... bobcats (all the time), coyotes, beautiful owls, and more. This is unique since we are in the city per say. The bike trails are great as well.

My daughter's high school was voted in the top 1% of high schools in America, most all of the schools in this area are great.

I love my area.

@ Divine Desginer.... Congratulations!!! McKinney is a nice town and we enjoy going to the square to visit some great restaurants! I think Allen got #13 on that list. Way to go McKinney!!

Since it's summer, yes, I love living in Bend Oregon. Summers here are a little bit of heaven. The sun is out, the weather is dry and even on the hottest days, the temps go back down into the 40's-50's at night so you can throw open all your windows and cool off the house.

People drive fairly slowly here and wave to let you merge in. I almost always see someone I know when shopping at Costco. In a town of just 80,000 people, we have a hospital, a community college and..... a Trader Joes!

Best thing about summer is the Deschutes River which runs through the middle of town. You can float down river, bring your inner tube, air mattress or pool toy, and take a lovely walk back up. It's like a giant community party on hot days. On weekends the city provides buses that will pick you up and take you and your floatie back to the starting point. Paradise!

Yes, I really do. And McKinney was just voted the 2nd best place to live by Money Magazine. It's theme is "Unique by Nature."

I like to travel and see other places, it helps you grow intellectually and spiritually.
Staying in the same place your entire life just seems sort of "boring" to me. Even if you only move within your state, it's good to move around.
God likes us to maneuver. And I honestly believe it's physically and emotionally healthy to get around.

*I like where I live right now, but I feel the tug to move on.

Two part answer:

1. I despise the weather (overcast and rainy most, most, most of the time) but I would not be happier in a colder place, even if it meant warmer summers. I do very well in tropical climates. Hot and humid, with me close to a body of water. That's the way I like it.

2. Apart from that one very huge factor, I love where I live. We are 25 minutes from town in a very small (few hundred people) community at the end of a peninsula. It is quiet here, the street holed and worn, and houses tucked into the forest. I know my neighbors and enjoy them, though they are not close friends. We trade fish for shellfish, yard work for fence work, money for car repair, and favors. Our street dead ends a few hundred yards past our yard so there are only a handful of cars that pass each day, thus our young children and dog are outside much of the day, and without worry.

It is a mile from the Sound, which is a most wondrous and unique ecosystem. The water is cold but unpolluted and we are able to catch crabs and starfish, to pet sea urchins, to watch the harbor seals nurse their young year after year. At night I'll park by the docks and sit on the bulkhead, listening to the boats rock in the water, their gear singing quietly. Because it's rainy and grey, our forests are glorious, carpeted in ferns and moss, sparkling green. It's quite magical, I think.

Too, the school system is great and town (a small city characterized by it's state capitol status and the liberal arts college) is not too far off. Likewise, Seattle is close enough to drive to for a day trip, as is the airport and museums. Tacoma is even closer and Portland within close distance. Most importantly, my community is here. My mother lives in town, and my girlfriends who are my chosen family are also within close distance, as are their children who are close with my own children.

So, no, I wouldn't choose to live somewhere else. BUT if I could transport my town to a tropical island? You bet I would do it :-)

i live in heaven. a small farm (it's a courtesy to call it that, really, it's in a development) with a few acres, my horses at home, a little orchard, and some woods. it's small enough for the dh and i to manage, but big enough to give us at least the illusion of privacy most of the time. it's beautiful, and quiet, and so very loved.
i love our little civil war town of sharpsburg too.
however, i could be happy in a lot of places. bermuda, which is 'home', will always be in my heart. my family is from utah, and i visit the southern part of the state every year. to wake up with zion in my back yard would be bliss. i think colorado is the most beautiful place in the country. i've never been to greece but i'm reasonably sure there are places there i could live in perfect contentment.
i finally got to england last year and ADORED it, but don't think i could live anywhere that cold year round.
:) khairete
S.

Heck no!

I've lived here since '92. The longest I've ever lived in one place and the only reason I've stayed for so long was for my children. I got divorced in '94 and told my kids that for as long as I was able I would stay here for them, to keep them in the same school district with the kids they'd started with. And I've done whatever I can to accomplish this, since it was something I never had.

It's hot and humid in the summer, not nearly cold and snowy enough in the winter. And I'm very tired of knowing everyone and everything *about* everyone in this town.

But now that my kids are all graduated and moved out and moved on to successful careers and lives ... man, do I EVER want to get out!

I'm in the process of applying for a job managing in a grocery store chain back east. High end stores very close to the beaches. Not my first choice, actually (more up your neck of the woods would be perfect!) but I'm so very ready for a change of venue. Hope it works out!

:)

I love our community. Lots of parks, biking paths, etc.

We work only 5 miles away so no freeway commute. I also love our house and yard.

But I don't love our house's location. Very busy street, no sidewalks, no other kids nearby.

We will be moving soon to another house with a wooded yard, kids my son's age right next door, and a much quieter street with sidewalks. And it is even closer to our job!

To answer your question, NO.
NEVER have been happy living here and yet somehow, after coming and going, I'm right back where I've wanted to leave.

First, let me say that where you live seems awesome.
Where I live, it's very picturesque. I live in a city of 3,000. That's right....three thousand. It's very rural. I have to commute for work, which I hate, but I have never considered moving closer to my job.

The reason I am not happy where I live is solely based on the weather.
We have 4 seasons:
Cold
Foggy and rainy
Colder
Foggier and rainier.

It's pretty sad when you have to drive with your windshield wipers on to work in the morning in June, July and August. You have to layer because it's cold.

That's what our summers are like. It's hard watching TV commercials about bathing suits and flip flops because it's SUMMER! Here I am, watching what summer is supposed to be like while I'm sitting on the couch with a blanket and the heater on.

I was born and raised where we got lovely summers and seasons and I got sick everytime my parents brought me here as a kid to visit my aunt.

It's too damp here for me. Too dreary and depressing.
My son has one more year of high school and when he graduates, we can't wait to move. He loves the heat and summers and seasons like I do.

We'd love to live where it's hot all the time, to be honest.

Anyway, I'm glad you are happy where you are. That definitely makes life easier.

Best wishes.

I love where I live! Mild seasons, mountain ranges on both sides, trees aplenty, water everywhere. Big city close, but nature just minutes away. I grew up in a suburb of Seattle and live in another now. I love San Diego, San Francisco, Hawaii, charleston SC, coeur d'alene, Portland, new York, and Washington dc but none of them offer everything we have here! I personally love that it's never too hot here, because it's never too cold either. When the entire country is baking, we're in the 70s. When they're snowed it we aren't usually. And we don have tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. just the occasional earthquake, and it's been a long time (knock on wood!). We moved north of the city for the schools and cheaper cost of living.

Nope!!! :)

I've lived all over the world and would NEVER choose to live in this particular location on the globe (Seattle WA in particular, but also the PacNW in general) on purpose. Although the Canadian side is mo'betta, I'd still prefer Ontario over BC.

ROFL... This isn't a 'newbie NW' thing. I've been here off and on now for 16 years. Yeesh. Half my life.

I could rattle off my gripe list... but it really doesn't matter.

Because the people I love best are here.

_______

If I could choose to live somewhere else it would be hot and dry in the summer, with a swimming pool in my back yard... and snow in the winter. IDEALLY, ocean for surfing in the summer and mountains for snowboarding in the winter.

A village, in a string of villages, all strung together by a train a few hours train ride from a big city.

New Zealand & New Jersey both meet the 'ideal'. LOTS of places meet swimming pool & snow. Ditto for EITHER surfing or snowboarding, but not both.

Eh. I haven't really found "home" yet. I've found a lot of places I love, but even though I hate the place, I'm happy to be with the people I love.

____

Teheheeee... I periodically think about where Witness Protection would stick me. The ONLY place in the whole country I don't like is where I already live. Ummm.... Pick a spot. Any spot. Yeah. She might be there. I'd probably be the only person relocated 6 blocks west. Nah. She'd NEVER stay HERE.

I prefer the pace of our small town, but hate having to rely on the internet or heading into St Louis to make purchases. Zip, zero, zilch available in our small town (for the most part, what's available is over-priced, even groceries). Next big town has Kohls & Penneys (small size), Sears appliances, & Kmart/Walmart. There are local stores which are nice, but ......

The + side of our small town would be education & location. We are blessed with a small school district which pretty much guarantees participation for all sports/clubs. When I hear that there are 100 students trying out for any given activity in my niece's school....I just cringe. :)

& location is fantastic: we're 90 minutes from St Louis, Lake of the Ozarks, Jefferson City/Columbia, & Springfield. This centralized location means we have a multitude of opportunites for both shopping & exploring.

We are surrounded by vineyards & winerys. In the fall, you can drive the backroads & actually smell the grapes ripening! It's wonderful. We are close to state parks, lakes, rivers, & natural wonders. For me, this is the reason to stay....& as I age, I know that I'll be moving back in closer to St Louis for medical needs.

The only thing I don't like....at all....3 tornados in < 15 years. Too much. & historically, was not a part of this area until that 15 year mark. Climate changes are really affecting this part of the Heartland.

I actually HATE where I live. As soon as we can leave, we're going to.

That said, I LOVE where I grew up. When my husband decides to get out of the army, we will go back. We're both from Oklahoma City originally, and we both want to go back. Can't wait till we can! :)

Not today - there is a hurricane moving into the Gulf and the National Weather service has it coming into my backyard on Wednesday morning. LOL

But, yes I love the area that I live in. While I grew up in New Orleans and loved the exposure and diversity that I grew up with, when I got pregnant with my son I decided to stay here - it is smaller and quieter, but very diverse with a rich cultural history. The neighborhood I bought into a few years ago is established with a mixture of seniors and young families, safe and quiet - While minutes from everything we need, I can still hear the frogs at night and the birds chirping in the morning.

If I could pick another place to live, I think it would be even more rural - a large piece of land but near a small town. The kinda' town with a town square and where everyone knows you. I think that would be nifty. Or, Europe. LOL Maybe I will just stay where I am.

i love where i live (northeast kansas) because i grew up here and it's familiar AND most of all because my family lives here. i love having four distinct and very different seasons. it does not seem like christmas to me if it is 70 degrees and humid outside :) i have no complaints (except the specific town i chose to live in - about 30 minutes away from my family- IS full of a TON of "seemingly" very self absorbed snooty types). we are planning to move closer to family when we build our house in a couple years.

but i would relocate all of us if i could, to pensacola florida. my ABSOLUTE favorite town :) i love the beach and that town has a ton of personal history for me. but in the end it's just geography. we can always visit. my family is what's important to me. and i don't regret living here for a minute.

I like where I live. It's the 2nd-fastest growing city(over 100,000) in the US. Nice schools and parks. Winters are not bad, practically no snow. Summers are hot, but there's lots of air conditioning. It's not too big of a city, but it has grown over the last ten years (For example, I don't see horses and cows in my neighborhood any more). If I do want the big city experience, we're right next to Austin, and not too bad of a drive to San Antonio, Dallas, or Houston. The traffic in any of those cities makes me appreciate not living there.
The things I don't have here that I miss from my hometown are my family, church, and long leaf pine trees.

I love where I live right now...but would love to live somewhere else later in life. I live in a small town(about 3,000) and its a great place to raise a family! We can walk anywhere we want to in town...I walk my daughter to school every morning. It's very safe, we know everyone & we love it.

When the kids are out on their own though, hubby and I would love to live someplace else...not because we don't love it here, we just want something else. We would love to live on a lake somewhere in Minnesota.

But...while raising our children, we wouldn't change where we live for anything! We love it & so do our girls!

No I do not at all love where I live. (Western WA) I cannot stand all of the rain we get though right now we've been without measurable rain for a month. YAY! I'm not a fan of the school district we are in either. I can honestly say that I don't see all the buzz about what makes people love this place but then again I'm a not a native citizen either. If I had the chance I would move to someplace warmer such as AZ, NV or CA.

Oh, yes. I love it here. I live in Utah. I grew up here and as I got older, I thought maybe I wanted to get out and find a more liberal area to live in, but my husband has a wonderful job here and I think we will probably stay here or nearby forever.

Pros- 4 seasons, absolutely gorgeous weather (sunny, blue sky almost every day of spring, summer and fall), fun snow. The view is heaven. The mountains are everywhere. It is a short drive (maybe 30 min) to find your way into any canyon or campsite. Tons of lakes and reservoirs, rock climbing, biking, skiiing, etc. Very family oriented, so there are lots and lots of free programs for kids, well-maintained parks, bike trails, splash pads, etc that are always within walking distance. Downtown is 12 min drive, all the freeways and highways are 5 min drive away, yet we live in a very quiet, suburban neighborhood with tons of kids. Most families in our area are young and we have a lot in common with them. I have not traveled much but I hear that Utah is one of the cleanest places.

Cons- very conservative here, it is easy to feel out of place if you are not LDS, even though it is getting more diverse. I hate that the liquor laws are so strict, I rarely even drink but it is really a pain to even buy a bottle of wine since you cannot get it at a grocery store, you have to go to state-run liquor stores. It also gets really smoggy in the winter at times, the mountains hold all the yuck in and it gets quite nasty until a storm blows through.

I like the City we live in. Unfortunately, our neighborhoods is alot of older couples. So, this means there are not a lot of children for our 4 year old daughter to play with. Honestly, if the market was better we would sell our home and buy one in a more family friendly neighborhood.