RQOTD: What do you like most about the city/state you live in?

craftytam

craftytam

Executive Chef, *Master in the kitchen!*, *Scrapp
I live in So Cal and we have great weather (most of the time).
But, I have always wanted to move! LOL :D It's expensive to live here and crowded....

So, what do you like about where you live? Would you encourage someone to move there??
 
I live in Florida and happy I do. Plenty to do around here. Traffic can be busy, depending on where you are. Temp are hit in the summer but great the rest of the year.
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I love the city where we live, and I'm sad that we are posted this Fall. It's the perfect size: not too large, not too small. Lots of green space with running trails and biking trails. Beautiful summers, not too cold or snowy in the winter. We are about an hour and a half away from a big city, so when we want all the things a big city has to offer (cultural events, museums), it's not hard to get there.

As a registered dietitian, I love that it's a huge "foodie" city with lots of emphasis on local food, many farmers' markets, community-supported agriculture, etc. Many wonderful microbreweries too!

Of course, as an army wife, I'm used to being posted every few years. I've been able to find something to enjoy in pretty much every city we've been posted. Of course, for Edmonton, that was the glorious summers and running the paths along the river valley. The week of -50C temperatures every January though, was not enjoyable. At least there wasn't much snow. I do love the much milder winters where we currently are, however. Not many days below -10C in the winter, so perfect for outdoor activities.
 
I can't imagine living any where but good old California! I love it. Living near Sacramento like we do, we are in the hub of everything. 2 hours from the mountains, snow, skiing, and casinos. 2 hours from the beach, ocean, Boardwalk. 2 hours from San Francisco, shops, shows, and culture. 3 hours from the grandeur of Yosemite, hiking, rafting and nature. 6 hours from my favorite Mouse ;)
Plus many others - national forests, parks, famours sites, and more.
Our weather here is awesome. We have sunny weather, mild winters, and Delta breezes.
 
I live in the Boise Idaho area. This is the second time we have lived here and why we will nEVER leave:

-the weather! Because of the low elevation and our proximity to Oregon, we get very mild winters (45 degrees average). I hardly ever wear a coat and we get one snowstorm a year. The mountains are minutes away and have skiing so snow is very close if you want it.

-the Boise river...google it....so so so fun to float down in the summer!

-Religious community. Very healthy Christian community, not just one religion but SO many! I love living in a place for religion is important and so many people share my common values but that there are such a broad variety of people and congregations to help diversify us.

-Schools. Everything is literally walking distance for my kids. Schools are close and accessible.

-Affordability- Guaranteed our cost of living is a LOT lower than so cal. $400K will buy you a VERY nice home here. We have 3200 square feet with a 5+ car garage on .33 acre lot. Most neighborhoods have pools and playgrounds. Cost of living is really great. Gas is a bit high compared to a lot of the country but doable. Milk is $1.80/gallon. Car registrations are about $$75/year/vehicle.

Proximity- lots of resort areas so close by. Google McCall, Tamarack, Sun Valley, etc. We love the beautiful lakes everywhere.

Time zone- Not everyone loves this but we sit on the MST and PST time zone border (we are in MST). The sun sets at 10:30 in the summers which I LOVE!!!! This is also nicer when the time changes in the fall because it doesn't get dark at 4:30, it's more like 6:30.

We have lived all over the west, Boulder, Colorado, San Jose CA, here and Utah. We are NEVER leaving Boise! Portland is 5 hours away so gorgeous coast trips are not that far away.
 
It's so fun reading about why you all love where you live!

Michi, have you always lived in FL?

Caylynn, I really hope you enjoy the next place you're posted!

Meagan, sounds like you're in an amazing location! The Mouse is a big part of my life...could I leave him?

Jen, funny that you were so detailed...I have actually been Googling the Boise area for the last 2 days! :)
 
I think you just convinced me that we need to live by you in Idaho next!
jencrook said:
I live in the Boise Idaho area. This is the second time we have lived here and why we will nEVER leave:

-the weather! Because of the low elevation and our proximity to Oregon, we get very mild winters (45 degrees average). I hardly ever wear a coat and we get one snowstorm a year. The mountains are minutes away and have skiing so snow is very close if you want it.

-the Boise river...google it....so so so fun to float down in the summer!

-Religious community. Very healthy Christian community, not just one religion but SO many! I love living in a place for religion is important and so many people share my common values but that there are such a broad variety of people and congregations to help diversify us.

-Schools. Everything is literally walking distance for my kids. Schools are close and accessible.

-Affordability- Guaranteed our cost of living is a LOT lower than so cal. $400K will buy you a VERY nice home here. We have 3200 square feet with a 5+ car garage on .33 acre lot. Most neighborhoods have pools and playgrounds. Cost of living is really great. Gas is a bit high compared to a lot of the country but doable. Milk is $1.80/gallon. Car registrations are about $$75/year/vehicle.

Proximity- lots of resort areas so close by. Google McCall, Tamarack, Sun Valley, etc. We love the beautiful lakes everywhere.

Time zone- Not everyone loves this but we sit on the MST and PST time zone border (we are in MST). The sun sets at 10:30 in the summers which I LOVE!!!! This is also nicer when the time changes in the fall because it doesn't get dark at 4:30, it's more like 6:30.

We have lived all over the west, Boulder, Colorado, San Jose CA, here and Utah. We are NEVER leaving Boise! Portland is 5 hours away so gorgeous coast trips are not that far away.
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I'm not going to lie...we love it here. We came here in 2001 on a fluke, we could live anywhere because hubby telecommuted. We chose Boise because it is 3.5 hours to each family on different freeways. That felt close enough but not too close for us. So we packed up our family and moved here. We left in 2006 for Utah to be closer to my family but totally hated it for 8 years. I know we were meant to be there for that time but we came back here in 2014 and we are NEVER leaving. EVER. I have built the home I hope to die in. We don't have family nearby but my kids have sworn they will only marry someone that wants to stay here in the valley so at least my grandkids will be close someday. My kids have thrived here the people are just amazing. I honestly don't have any complaints. Boise is very isolated from other big metro areas, Salt Lake City is about 5.5 hours south and Portland is 5 hours west. However, we have everything we could ever need right here. No shortage of restaurants and shopping all very close. Traffic is bad but only by farming Idaho standards, not California standards. I think traffic is no big deal at all but I have lived in the Bay area so I know. Everyone move here!
 
craftytam said:
It's so fun reading about why you all love where you live!

Michi, have you always lived in FL?

Caylynn, I really hope you enjoy the next place you're posted!

Meagan, sounds like you're in an amazing location! The Mouse is a big part of my life...could I leave him?

Jen, funny that you were so detailed...I have actually been Googling the Boise area for the last 2 days! :)
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i was born in New Jersey. Moved to Tampa in 1960. It was much as all area compared to now. My parents said we moved because of my brothers asthma. It was florida or Arizona . Happy they picked Fl, as we are at present in Az....and it is HOT,
110-111 is hot!
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msbrad said:
i was born in New Jersey. Moved to Tampa in 1960. It was much as all area compared to now. My parents said we moved because of my brothers asthma. It was florida or Arizona . Happy they picked Fl, as we are at present in Az....and it is HOT,
110-111 is hot!
m
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LOL! Yes, AZ is VERY hot! I haven't been to Florida. Georgia is as far south as I've been....Hoping to get to WDW some day.
Enjoy your trip :)
 
Jen, what are the schools like in Boise? I've been homeschooling my boys for 5 years now because our schools here are not good. They're in 10th & 11th grades this year.
 
I am back in Maine, which is where I grew up but left for college at 17 years old. I never moved back until I was 41 years old and I came back to be closer to my parents and sister and her family as well as my husband's family (big family there - lots of uncles/aunts/cousins for my kids to get to know as well as their nana).

I always complain about winter but it's really not that bad and can be hit or miss - this past winter was super easy and the winter before that not so easy - LOL - and the other 3 seasons make up for it (been in the high 80s the past week).

I love the lakes and the ocean (I can't imagine not living near an ocean!). I love the mountains and all the gorgeous empty spaces! (1/3 of Maine is still covered in forests!). We don't have any poisonous snakes, spiders or others. Crime is relatively low except for in the few large cities, and then it's nothing compared to the large metropolitan areas around the US. I live in a smallish city (~30K population) that has excellent schools and a wonderful community. 250K can buy you a higher end home easily (my son and daughter-in-law just bought a home here for 175K and it's beautiful). For the most part people here are not overly into "things" - we don't need huge gorgeous homes and expensive cars - we are aware of our carbon footprints and wasteful living. There's a huge small organic farm movement here too and cottage industry businesses - I love being able to shop for so many homemade quality products.
 
craftytam said:
Jen, what are the schools like in Boise? I've been homeschooling my boys for 5 years now because our schools here are not good. They're in 10th & 11th grades this year.
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Tammy-
I think schools are a hard thing to decide because every child is so different and only you know you kid. My son (just graduated) did not thrive in Utah at all. He struggled, I home-schooled him part time and he still tried to end his own life. After his stint of 9 months in long term residential treatment we moved back here to Boise. He totally took off and did so well. Part of that was addressing his mental illness but also part was a new environment. He had some really wonderful teachers here. We've been really lucky. LIke I mentioned earlier, this is a very religious Christian-based community with a variety of religions to choose from. I think this common value-base makes it great for kids. I know that the HS is full of bad language just like everywhere else in the world but my son really did wonderful here. I have no idea how successful test scores are and all that nonsense because I don't feel like a test score is an accurate measure of a child. My child did great here. My oldest daughter thrived in Utah whereas my middle two did not. We have been very pleased with the middle school for our #3 and soon to be #4. Teachers are paid almost the worst in the nation here which is so sad because education funding is so low here but I have to give a big shout out to teachers because they are there because they love educating kids. We have Boise State University right here along with a few junior colleges and most kids I know are continuing their education after HS. Idaho is interesting because so much of the state is rural. Our little metropolis of Boise/Meridian, and Eagle is the largest city area in the whole state so our amenities are rich and full. I feel so lucky to live here and call this place home. All 4 of my children plan to make this their permanent residence as well because it just feels good. It's truly a great place to raise a family. Email me sometime if you ever want more information. [email protected] I can definitely answer a lot more questions that others may not want me clogging up here in the forum.
 
Thanks, Jen! I really appreciate your perspective. I will definitely keep your email and will probably send you other questions :)
 
Jen, I've got to admit that you've got me wanting to move to Idaho LOL.... although I love living in Maine for all of the reasons Marie said, plus more. I live in Southern Maine, which has a higher population, but it's not much of a drive to get into the country, where there is a lot more open space. Love the lakes and beaches, and the fact that we don't get much in the way of major natural disasters, other than ice storms and blizzards (which for true Mainahs are nothing LOL). No earthquakes or tornadoes or hurricanes to speak of, which I am very happy about.
 
lorigaud said:
Jen, I've got to admit that you've got me wanting to move to Idaho LOL.... although I love living in Maine for all of the reasons Marie said, plus more. I live in Southern Maine, which has a higher population, but it's not much of a drive to get into the country, where there is a lot more open space. Love the lakes and beaches, and the fact that we don't get much in the way of major natural disasters, other than ice storms and blizzards (which for true Mainahs are nothing LOL). No earthquakes or tornadoes or hurricanes to speak of, which I am very happy about.
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Amen to no natural disasters! I figure when the big earthquake that hits the San Andreas fault hits, we will end up living on the coast! LOL, sorry to all of Oregon, Washington and California. We don't have any faults where we are now and flooding isn't a problem where I am exactly although down in the lower valleys it is an issue worth considering (downtown Boise, and Eagle). No tornadoes, hurricanes either. If Yellowstone blows we might have some ash or something over here but wind blows from west to east so probably not. Mt. St. Helens erupting would probably mean some ash. These are all not very likely natural disasters though LOL. We get one snowstorm a year which is unheard of for the rest of Idaho...it is DANG cold on the other side of the state. No humidity here either. After traveling through much of the US this summer, I can say that I am darn grateful for no humidity. And I really love our mountains. Those of you who have never seen the Rocky Mountains just have no idea how BIG they really are. If nothing else, you all should come visit! I would totally host anyone who wants to come check out our beautiful area. I can kick hubby and kids out the door for a few days if anyone ever wants to come! And I am totally serious too...don't hesitate to ask if you want to consider it!
 
msbrad said:
i was born in New Jersey. Moved to Tampa in 1960. It was much as all area compared to now. My parents said we moved because of my brothers asthma. It was florida or Arizona . Happy they picked Fl, as we are at present in Az....and it is HOT,
110-111 is hot!
m
Click to expand...

Living in FL has done wonders for my asthma! I've only had 2 or 3 episodes in the 10 years I've lived here. I really don't consider myself asthmatic anymore *knock on wood*
 
I've lived in South FL for a little over 10 years. I hated it when I first moved here. It took a few years, but I've really grown to like it here.

Pro's-

Very diverse population. This is one of my favorite parts of living here. Different races, religions, sexualities. Which leads to my other favorite thing...

Very diverse (and healthy) food! Gardening all year round leads to an abundance of fresh fruits and veggies. I kind of take that for granted until I travel, then it's like What? No fresh mangoes?

So close to so many cool things. Parks, the Everglades, the Keys, big cities, farms. Great entertainment and festivals all year long.

Cons-

Far from our families. Since we're so far south, it takes almost all day just to leave the state. It's a 15 hour drive to our closest relative.

Cost of living. Absolutely ridiculous, and it does not equate with a larger salary (at least not for me) Our rent is over 1500 for a 2 bedroom apartment. I get mad just thinking about it, LOL

People are rude. This is just my own personal experience. And not everyone, obviously. We have some really wonderful kind friends here. But people definitely speak their minds here. There is no veneer of "southern charm" like I was used to living in Nashville. People will talk trash right to your face instead of behind your back like polite people do :P That was a huge culture shock for me.

I miss having seasons. I will not be sad when I'm swimming in December, but man I miss fall leaves!

Would I recommend living here? Sure. Do I want to live here forever? Nope, but I can see why people retire here.
 
Jennifer, Florida sounds a lot like CA, but I definitely couldn't handle the humidity in FL!
 
I live in Northwest Georgia close to the Blue Ridge Mountains -- Rocky Face / Dalton, GA (Carpet Capital of the World). If you have carpet in your home, more than likely it came from my city.

In the summers, it is hot, hot, hot with sweltering humidity. Today was atrocious. I love the Falls, being close enough to the Smoky & Blue Ridge mountains to see the wonderful leaves changing! Winters can be hit or miss. We sometimes gets snow and really cold days but overall winters are not that bad here. We are close enough to several beaches in GA and FL and about 8-10 hours away from WDW (though I have never been)! I think overall it is a great place to raise a family, the housing market could stand to improve a lot and cost of living is pretty reasonable. Also, we are pretty close to Nashville & Knoxville to find things to do as well. We have Six Flags and Six Flags White Water not far away. I am about 1 hour away from Atlanta and great shopping places during Christmas.
 
I love my province and my city. Ontario is the waterfall capital of the world and our city has 90% of them! Natural falls that are gorgeous to walk around. We have 10 within about a 10 minute drive from our house. The Bruce Trail is full of them.

My part of the city is quiet and family oriented. The main part has some petty crime and spots that are not desirable, but I think you get that anywhere.

I love that in 2 hours, we can be in a remote area with camping or lakes and cottages. I love that in 35 minutes, I can be at Niagara Falls. I love that we are close to the border and can go shopping in the US within a few hours. (when the dollar is good that is! LOL)

Cons for me are the winters. While getting milder, they are still very brutal. We have 4 seasons here and they used to be four distinctive seasons, but as the years go by, they are melded into Winter and Summer. Fall is getting colder quicker and Spring seems to stay cold until June nowadays.

The biggest downside to my province is the woman who is running it. Kathleen Wynne has put our once profitable province into massive debt and she is bleeding us dry with taxes and hidden costs etc. They raised the price of hydro (electricity) because people weren't using enough, after we've been told to save, save, save. They have now introduced a carbon tax to our bills and just today, the media found out that she is planning on charging a tax ON TOP of the carbon tax (which is a bogus tax to begin with to cover the cost of her selling part of our hydro to the US) so she is DOUBLE TAXING people!!! It's bad. Some normally middle class families are struggling to pay their bills and have to choose between hydro or food.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. I just am fed up. She makes Trump look like a choir boy.
 
Jenn, I've been to Atlanta and Duluth in Georgia. It's a beautiful state with friendly people, but I don't know how you handle that humidity!!! It feels like hitting a wall when you go outside :D
 
Trace, it sounds like you live in a beautiful place! It's too bad that people who have no idea how to run things get elected :( How awful to have to choose between power & food. Nobody should have to do that!
 
We live in Thousand Oaks, which is about an hour (drive) north-west of L.A. I've lived here since I was 2, so I've watched our little town grow up and get crowded, it's gone from a bedroom-community to the home of some large bio-med business. We have a lot of open space and hiking trails, but we also have all the stores and restaurants you need without going to "the valley". It's only 30 minutes to the beach and even though I rarely go, it's nice because we get that coastal influence, breeze and occasional fog that helps keep the temps down. Our school are great, some of the highest rated in California, and working for them I know how much the staff cares about the students. It's also a very safe community, always at the top of the list for safest city in America (with populations of 100,000+). Today it's hot, 95+, but it's a dry heat, after spending 10 days on the east coast I have learned to appreciate that even more - I can't handle humidity!!!

My parents are only a few blocks away and unless my son moves far-far away (and we follow him), we will probably live here forever. I'd love a house in Mammoth but I don't know if I could live there year round but I'd like to try. ... Lisa runs off to buy some lottery tickets.
 
Thousand Oaks is a beautiful place to live, Lisa! Unfortunately, we're priced out of that market hehe
 
Uggh, here in Maine our electricity comes from Canada! LOL - at least in my part of Maine, probably not the southern area though. I've been reading about your Ms. Wynne and she sounds like a piece of work :(
 
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