Weddingbee boards

I live in Alexandria, VA about 8 miles outside of Washington DC.  The job market is really good and there's lot of free stuff to do (museums, etc), but you have to deal with a lot of tourists (especially summer) and the housing market is pretty expensive.  I wouldn't say I love living here or hate living here, it's okay.   

Where do you live, do you love it, and why?  AND, why do you live there?  We live in Scottsdale, AZ near Phoenix and we HATE IT. HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT!!!! We had to move here so FI could get temporary work. 

What makes you like or dislike a place? It is always hot and crummy, it is ALWAYS super busy, everyone drives like a maniac, nobody goes the speed limit, every time we go out we almost get into an accident due to people pulling into the middle of the intersection. There is a lot of crime, you have to go like 2 hours out of the city before you get to a decent non-city-setting for outdoor activity where you wont be sharing your space with 1million of your closest pals. IT IS SO EXPENSIVE. We pay 1000 dollars a month to rent a 750sq ft 1 bedroom  apt. There are SCORPIONS EVERYWHERE, as a matter of fact, we averaged 1 every 2 weeks from moving in July until December. People have been so rude everywhere we go.

NOW. For the logical explanation of my absolute seething hatred of this place - I have never lived in the city. I have never, ever wanted to live in the city. I grew up in Southern Ohio among beautiful forests and hills, cornfield mazes in the fall, amish apple butter up the road. I am not cut out for this lifestyle. FI is from Bozeman, Montana, and we lived there until we had to move, and I would move back in a heartbeat to MT. It is the most beautiful and friendly place I have ever lived, the perfect size, perfect weather, perfect scenery, close to Yellowstone National Park, and a beautiful downtown. Population size is perfect. Hopefully we can move back some day. I had never been happier. If we dont move back to MT, we will move back to Ohio, either way we will be happy to get out of this place.

My fiance and I live in Richmond, VA and we HATE it.  I grew up 20 miles south of Richmond and my Fiance grew up in a rural area about an hour from Richmond and both of us are counting the days until I graduate and we can leave! I think we've just both been here too long and are bored with it.  The art museum is world class and Maymont park is historic and beautiful.... but we've been so many times that it isn't as exciting, lol.  We aren't really into the artistic scene or the local bands, but many people enjoy those.  I love King's Dominion and Busch Gardens so much.  I will miss those amusement parks when I leave....  KD was my first job and I worked there for 5 years. <3 

Pros:  Lots of art galleries and art events.  VA Museum of Fine Arts gets wonderful exhibits from Egypt, Russia, France... etc.  Two big amusements parks nearby (King's Dominion and Busch Gardens).  Many shopping options (3 large malls and many many stores everywhere). Four seasons of weather.  Affordable housing (but I think most of the houses in the suburbs here are ugly, lol)

Cons:  CRIME.  I live in a good area West of the city, so it doesn't directly affect me.  There were a couple incidences where we had to call the police on people who were pounding on our door being sketchy, though.  We are hunters and well armed, so we weren't too scared.  Watching the news about the rest of the city is downright depressing, though.  Over the past week or so: 3 year old twins had thier throats slashed by their father in a murder/suicide.  Woman killed by boyfriend.  Body found floating down canal.  Body found laying in road.  Body found in apartment complex.  Store robbed at knifepoint and shop owner shoots robber who is later found nearby with a gunshot wound.  Woman goes on trial for killing pregnant woman.  You get the idea.  I HATE watching the News!!!!   I've traveled to many areas and I've never seen evening news that's so violent.  I usually stay away from those areas, but I had a short rotation in one of these violent neigborhoods a few weeks ago and I was terrified.  Needless to say, I didn't go the speed limit when getting out of there in the evening.   

More Cons:  is that the area doesn't know how to handle winter weather.  We haven't had any this year, but typically when it snows, Richmond shuts down for days while they slowly clear roads.  All the schools close even if three snowflakes fall, lol.  That was awesome when I was a kid, but not so much now that I have to get to work and college.  The summers are always 100% humidity and a heat index over 100 degrees.  I'm pretty used to it from working outside at the theme parks for so many years, but I know it bothers many people.  Most people who move here from out of state have awful trouble with allergies.  I used to have snowball fights with the pollen tumbleweeds when I was a kid, so I think I'm immune, lol.  It's sad to watch my classmates suffer though.  During pollen seasons you will see PILES of it laying around and your car will be yellow no matter what color it is painted.  

Anyway,  enough of my rambling/venting.  Once May 2013 rolls around, we will be heading to the West Coast!!!  I told my employer that my top choices would be Santa Barbara, CA and San Diego, CA 

**I want to preface this by saying that I am not a negative person by nature! :)

I live in LA. I hate it here. It's filthy. I tell people who don't live here all about it and they don't believe me. They say "But it looks so pretty in the movies!" This is because those movies aren't shot here. It's never ever dark. There are always lights on. And people are EVERYWHERE. I hate LA.

I moved here because FI works in film. So we have to be close to Hollywood/Burbank/Santa Monica. Housing prices are insane because people keep coming. It never fails to surprise me that there are so many people who are so eager to breathe this nasty air. Air is supposed to be clear. Ours isn't.

The weather is really nice, though. And it's nice to live near the beach.

I told FI that we can stay here for 2 more years and then we're hightailing it back to Orange County. That's where I grew up. So laid back. There's nothing but taco stands and surf shops as far as the eye can see. Here is what I always tell people who are thinking of moving to LA: Don't. Move to the OC and take the commute. Your life will thank you.

We live in Manhattan.  For the most part I love it, and have been living here for 8 years.  But there are definitely times when I get annoyed with things like traffic, MTA issues, small apartments, terrible grocery stores, etc.  Then I think about the great things the city has to offer; amazing restaurants, great culture, fabulous shopping, etc and I know why we're still here.  Also, DH and I both grew up in the burbs, and have jobs that make NYC the ideal place for us to live.  So net, net, defintely don't see us moving anytime soon.

@hismm:  I lived in Whitefish, MT for 3 years and LOVED it. I would have stayed if it weren't so far away from my family in NH. I moved back to the east coast, met my DH,  and now live in MA- just north of Boston. I do love our home and neighborhood but I miss the mountains and the slower pace of life. I've been back a few times since and hope to continue visiting as often as I can. Someday, DH and I plan move back to NH, probably somewhere on the seacoast. I'm definitely not a city girl so I'd love to have more land and less traffic :) 

@cbee:  Ohh...isn't it the most beautiful place? I try to explain it to my friends out here and they just can't understand why I loved it so much. Until you see the mountains and experience the wildlife and outdoor activities, you really can't appreciate just how amazing it is. I went to Banff, BC when I was out there and that is the only place I've ever been to that rivaled MT in beauty.