Anybody NOT like where they currently live? (2 Viewers)

[-fish-]

I'm hoping to move out of the pacific northwest and go back to socal or further south to baja as soon as roverkid finishes high school.  can't take the 9 months of grey and rain and washington drivers are the absolute worst.   

 

[DA RAIDERS]

I'm hoping to move out of the pacific northwest and go back to socal or further south to baja as soon as roverkid finishes high school.  can't take the 9 months of grey and rain and washington drivers are the absolute worst.   

lets swap

 

[-fish-]

lets swap

You should visit during the summer while I have boats in the water.    October - May are all pretty much the same.

 

[Keerock]

It sucks.  Mid/Northern Michigan is great though.  The only thing I miss about SE Michigan is family and a decent coney.

SO much better here since you left.  We do miss Mrs Foos though.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Northern Virginia area has a lot to offer but it is just a place to make some money before retiring somewhere else.  It won't be hard to move when the time is right.

This, except not NoVa

 

[Bob Sacamano]

This, except not NoVa

Though I always thought CA would be the somewhere else, and now that's a virtual impossibility.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

The target is probably somewhere in Arizona. We're not east coasters at all. Florida is too humid. Texas is too Texas.

Sure. You won't be too liberal for the conservatives out here. 

 

[rockaction]

I live in Riverside County, CA. It's all cement and parking lots. The weather is often stifling. There's nothing but schoolkids and storefronts and fat women. There's tons of meth instead of cocaine and bad tattoos as far as the eye can see. Did I mention that every male here keeps his nuts in his woman's purse but has sex with the neighbor's wife? On meth, no less?

God has sent me here to get sober or see my future hell.

That is all.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Northern Virginia area has a lot to offer but it is just a place to make some money before retiring somewhere else.  It won't be hard to move when the time is right.

Compound?

 

[rockaction]

CT at least had small town charm to it. 

 

[Don Quixote]

Northern Virginia area has a lot to offer but it is just a place to make some money before retiring somewhere else.  It won't be hard to move when the time is right.

That's about right. I do love the easy access to history/museums.  But looking forward to when I can retire some place with a cheaper cost of living.

 

[Nathan R. Jessep]

I've lived in this area my whole life, and while I do like it, I don't particularly feel like where this is where I belong. And I think as soon as my kids are done with school, I will be exploring other options. 

 

[glvsav37]

I live in Long Island and I’d be off here in a second if it wasn’t for my wife.  She’s a NYS teacher and has amazing benefits.  She’s tenured and can’t retire for another 13 or so years.  

Between the high taxes, govt corruption, insane traffic and crappy weather I am sick of this place. I’m watching my friends move out of state to much better quality of life elsewhere.  

 

[CletiusMaximus]

The thing I've realized about the harsh winters in the upper Midwest is that they get harder to deal with the older you get.  I know that's a cliche, but I never put much thought into it until the past couple years, after I hit 50.  In my 20's/30's and deep into the 40's, I still loved winters and aggressively pursued outdoor activities all winter long.  I don't complain about it and am not considering moving, still love the dramatic change of seasons that doesn't exist in more moderate climates, but the harsh cold and hard work dealing with it is more of a burden than being something I look forward to as I once did.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Sure. You won't be too liberal for the conservatives out here. 

I'm prepared to always be a man without a country.

But at least I'll be warm.

 

[Man In The Box]

I’ve lived in Northern NJ my entire life (42 years) and would probably stay here if the cost of living wasn’t so high. My friends and most of my family is here, there’s tons of things to do, we’re 15 minutes from NYC. Winter does suck though.

I have family in the Myrtle Beach area and have visited there at least once a year since I was 8 years old. We’ll most likely move there when I retire in about 15 years. We may look into going sooner once my youngest graduates high school (8 years). 

 

[Terminalxylem]

Bit of an offshoot on this thread, where I found myself boasting like a peacock about my current state, Oregon.  Funny thing is, 20 year old me would have boasted just as much about my home state of Texas.  

Very much enjoyed the back and forth in that thread and cool to see people that are proud of where they live (or, in some cases, cool to see guys discuss where they'd prefer to live vs where they live now).

But I'm curious, how many of you DO NOT like your current home state/city?  What do you not like about it and where would you prefer to live?  Do you plan on changing this in the future or are you resigned to the fact that you might be stuck where you live (perhaps it's family or a job that is keeping your rooted in place).

 

I think there is a "love the one you're with" phenomenon. Even if objectively crappy, every place has some redeeming features - affordability is a big giveaway that a place isn't too desirable.

On a related note, the same applies to many interpersonal relationships: almost everyone seems to think they have a good realtor, doctor, etc. 

 

[Terminalxylem]

As to the OP, I love where I live (Honolulu), but would move if my wife's family wasn't rooted here. I don't care for the beach/ocean, and would leave for a mountain destination like Whistler/Squamish British Columbia, Salt Lake or Park City, Jackson WY, or one of the Colorado mountain towns (not Denver or Boulder). 

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I'm prepared to always be a man without a country.

But at least I'll be warm.

To be clear, your description is pretty much exactly how I feel 90% of the time here.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I'm prepared to always be a man without a country.

But at least I'll be warm.

This,  if I had unlimited time and money and few hometown commitments.  As the Beatles once said,  just follow the sun.

 

[General Malaise]

I live in Riverside County, CA. It's all cement and parking lots. The weather is often stifling. There's nothing but schoolkids and storefronts and fat women. There's tons of meth instead of cocaine and bad tattoos as far as the eye can see. Did I mention that every male here keeps his nuts in his woman's purse but has sex with the neighbor's wife? On meth, no less?

God has sent me here to get sober or see my future hell.

That is all.

You need a vacation, Roc.

 

[waiver wire]

I love Vancouver and wouldn't want to live anywhere else in Canada as I don't want to deal with snow anymore. 

The 3 issues here are : cost , traffic and 3-4 months of grey and rain . 

 

[rockaction]

You need a vacation, Roc.

Wherever I go, that's where I am. There has been a tension.

Listening to Mogwai's Young Team right now. It is not-so-young, but welcome. The best vacation one can imagine. 

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I love Vancouver and wouldn't want to live anywhere else in Canada as I don't want to deal with snow anymore. 

The 3 issues here are : cost , traffic and 3-4 months of grey and rain . 

But at least you guys got weed.

 

[waiver wire]

But at least you guys got weed.

that's true , there has been great weed here for decades and has been tolerated for many years before it became legal 

 

[El Floppo]

Anybody not...like...where they currently live.

Other thread makes me read it like that, like.

 

[Da Guru]

I don’t think I’ll ever leave Michigan, but I wouldn’t mind a bigger house in a nicer neighborhood 

I have lived in Florida, Texas, and CA,  I am sure there are better places but I still like Michigan the best.

 

[Eephus]

Anybody not...like...where they currently live.

Other thread makes me read it like that, like.

y'know

 

[ragincajun]

Louisiana has some great culture.  It’s just to damn hot.

 

[Eephus]

Louisiana has some great culture.  It’s just to damn hot.

ragin does that

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I can't think of much Cleveland does not have that I would get elsewhere. Mountains are really it.  Probably why my ideal 2nd home sometime decades from now is out west.  Just about anything else you would want outdoors is within an hour of wherever you decide to live.  Cost of living is dirt cheap. Food's great, wide variety too.  If anything the craft beer industry has flooded.  Professional sports are a way of life. Like many MW cities, people are great.  Downtown is night and day what it was 10-20 years ago.  Traffic is mostly avoidable and what of it there is pales in comparison to most cities. What else do people hate about where they live?

Only real con is obvious - winter.  And I'd rather deal with January and February here when I don't have much free time anyway then get more out of May-August when I have more free time. Like most MW cities, Fall is outstanding here and unlike most MW cities it isn't often that Summer gets unbearable. 

Swenson's burgers

 

[ConnSKINS26]

Saw an article recently with statistics showing some huge percentage of Americans never live anywhere outside their hometown. I wanna say it was 40% or something. Which explains a lot, but that's another topic.

Now FBG's are generally more upwardly mobile than an average sampling of the population I'd guess. 

But the reality is that even if some people feel this way, many will never do anything about it. Many of them probably feel like they can't, or actually can't. But still. Kinda sad.

 

[Mister CIA]

I live in Central MS and pretty much hate, but all three kids are here.  The youngest is 20.  I think I'm about two years away from breaking out of this joint.  About this time of the year, Alaska seems like a great destination.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Minnesota. Twin Cities. Love the state, the people are generally great too. My neighborhood is awesome. Pool parties, BBQs, schools are great, tons of parks, lakes, bike paths. Great golf courses. Lots of friends and family here too.

Phenomenal job market, lots of different places to live (city, burbs, farmland 25 miles from downtown)  

May-Oct is awesome. 

Winters are BRUTAL. But if they weren’t the area would be twice as big and would loose a lot of what I love about it. 

If it weren’t for family I’d be happy living in any mid-sized metro in the Midwest/Southeast. 

pool parties ...6 weeks of the year.

 

[skycriesmary]

I love the SF Bay Area and in terms of geography and weather I feel its the best in the nation, but the realization that my wife and I will likely never be able to own a home here is having us looking at moving.  We absolutely love Portland and if my current job ever had an opening there we would probably move in a heartbeat.  Rain doesn't bother us at all and we're used to homeless people, being from SF.  But there's also the fact that a lot of people in Portland hate California transplants.  

This is a truism, for sure. But you know what? #### 'em. I've just come to accept, it is what it is. My girlfriend is from the bay area, and reminds me she misses it on a regular basis (friends, family, metropolitan culture, etc). I've let her know there's no way I'm ever moving down there. 

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Saw an article recently with statistics showing some huge percentage of Americans never live anywhere outside their hometown. I wanna say it was 40% or something. Which explains a lot, but that's another topic.

Now FBG's are generally more upwardly mobile than an average sampling of the population I'd guess. 

But the reality is that even if some people feel this way, many will never do anything about it. Many of them probably feel like they can't, or actually can't. But still. Kinda sad.

grew up in Ohio and lived several places there ...mostly around Dayton.  Beautiful rolling hills farmland.  Winters are great compared to northern OH - but still way too cold for me.  I eventually got south and don't ever want to leave.  Little Rock has a nice change of seasons and relatively short winters.  A little too many tornadoes, but what are ya gonna do.  

Real pool weather?  Usually mid-April through late September/early October.  Humidity ...sure, but so is Ohio.  

 

[OrtonToOlsen]

lolz

 

[msommer]

I like where I live now, but never really got to like living in Lima (where I lived '15 to '17)

 

[Terminalxylem]

grew up in Ohio and lived several place there ...mostly around Dayton.  Beautiful rolling hills farmland.  Winters are great compared to northern OH - but still way too cold for me.  I eventually got south and don't ever want to leave.  Little Rock has a nice change of seasons and relatively short winters.  A little too many tornadoes, but what are ya gonna do.  

Real pool weather?  Usually mid-April through late September/early October.  Humidity ...sure, but so is Ohio.  

You really should check out somewhere further west. All the states in the Rockies and West Coast are light years nicer than the Midwest/Plains/South.

 

[skol asylum]

That is going to be a big climate jump from Minnesota! The idea of never shoveling snow again doesn't sound bad at all. 

I went from NW Minnesota / Grand Forks ND / Fargo ND to Phoenix in 2001. It's quite the climate change. I like it here and yet I wouldn't mind leaving at some point. Believe it or not there is such a thing as too much sun, even if it is a dry heat. Not sure where I would go though. Im curious about the Pacific NW but I've never really been there.

 

[mr roboto]

lolz

Serious question - given how much different your personal all views are from the culture of your area have you ever considered moving?

 

[Apple Jack]

Northern Virginia area has a lot to offer but it is just a place to make some money before retiring somewhere else.  It won't be hard to move when the time is right.

Really depends on where you are. Arlington/Alexandria are worlds different that anything outside the beltway. You couldn't pay me to enough to live in the DC suburbs.

 

[wikkidpissah]

I live in Riverside County, CA. It's all cement and parking lots. The weather is often stifling. There's nothing but schoolkids and storefronts and fat women. There's tons of meth instead of cocaine and bad tattoos as far as the eye can see. Did I mention that every male here keeps his nuts in his woman's purse but has sex with the neighbor's wife? On meth, no less?

God has sent me here to get sober or see my future hell.

That is all.

wait til the Santa Anas come. that (and RC's biker legacy) is what's behind the meth use. prepare to know whether or not you're the strangling type by end of fall.

 

[MAC_32]

I feel like you can cut and paste this for most Rust Belt cities and have a similar writeup.  Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo have always felt like brother/sister cities of varying sizes.  Can probably throw in Rochester, NY and some other Rust Belt OH/MI cities that I've never been to (Akron? Toledo? etc) as well.

Winter/Summer extremes here are better than Detroit/Toledo.  Thank you, Lake Erie.  Helps minimize the number of sweltering hot days and while we get a lot more snow that's optimal with the right infrastructure to the wind and ice that frequent the other side of the lake.

You can speak better to Buffalo winter's than I, but there's a huge difference between an eastern suburb of Cleveland and...well, anything east of here.  I know you get more snow than us and the highway that connects our two cities shuts down with frequency.  That strikes me as problematic, but I also don't care to find out.

Akron is to Cleveland what Toledo is to Detroit.  They're both arm pits.  What Akron has going for it vs. Toledo is its proximity to Cleveland.  A north Akron suburb is basically a south/east Cleveland suburb.  Same isn't the case for Toledo.  I grew up around there.  I lived in a great community, but we all couldn't get away from there fast enough - for good reason.

Recreational, I have zero perspective on Buffalo and any opinion on Detroit is very dated.  Cleveland now is better than Detroit then and from what I've read Detroit now is better than Detroit then, but compared to Cleveland now?     I just know that I love it here and we can't experience all that we want to experience..and while I have good experiences when i visit elsewhere I never come away thinking I may want to live there instead.  

 

[MTskibum]

I would like to move away from Houston. Neither me nor my wife have any family within driving distance.

I have lived all over the country and would love to move to a small town in the Rockies, however my wife wants a larger city.

We may look into salt lake, it would be ideal except we are worried about discrimination from the Mormons. 

 

[Bull Dozier]

The thing I've realized about the harsh winters in the upper Midwest is that they get harder to deal with the older you get.  I know that's a cliche, but I never put much thought into it until the past couple years, after I hit 50.  In my 20's/30's and deep into the 40's, I still loved winters and aggressively pursued outdoor activities all winter long.  I don't complain about it and am not considering moving, still love the dramatic change of seasons that doesn't exist in more moderate climates, but the harsh cold and hard work dealing with it is more of a burden than being something I look forward to as I once did.

I'm a few years from 50 still.  I'm not sure if the fact that I never embraced winter will help me continue to deal with it as I get older or not.  This will be the first winter I have a decent snow blower, so we'll see if that helps.

With the kids getting older, our moving south for retirement will 100% depend on if our kids settle down and have families here, or if they scatter.

 

[MAC_32]

I have lived all over the country and would love to move to a small town in the Rockies, however my wife wants a larger city.

Small towns just outside of larger cities are all over the eastern Rockies.

 

[Birdie048]

Saw an article recently with statistics showing some huge percentage of Americans never live anywhere outside their hometown. I wanna say it was 40% or something. Which explains a lot, but that's another topic.

Now FBG's are generally more upwardly mobile than an average sampling of the population I'd guess. 

But the reality is that even if some people feel this way, many will never do anything about it. Many of them probably feel like they can't, or actually can't. But still. Kinda sad.

40% Never outside their hometown area?  WOW!  Almost like early western lifestyle... 

I grew up South Philly (until 12), moved to Wilmington, DE (18), then down to Columbia, SC (college + some), back to Delaware (new job), then to North Raleigh, NC (another new job) but to be honest, I have lived in my current house 23 years (Southwest of Raleigh - Cary/Apex area).  

I would move.... but the wifey won't come with me.....  

 

[AAABatteries]

Pretty burned out on Atlanta. Too much traffic, too many people. Once my kid is off to college in a year or so, we'll be hitting the road to travel, and then buy a place on the beach.

I like Atlanta and probably won't ever move but the traffic can be soul-sucking during commutes.  If I could telecommute more then I'd be perfectly happy.  I still find the positives outweigh the negatives - I like having changing seasons weather-wise, love the access to lakes and mountains, close to beaches, airport where I can get anywhere, pro/college teams, lots of job opportunities, good colleges, culturally diverse city. 

 

[MTskibum]

Small towns just outside of larger cities are all over the eastern Rockies.

They also need to have jobs in my industry and have the amenities I am looking for: mainly skiing, fishing, hunting, kayaking, and golfing.