Post # 1
Member
133 posts
Blushing bee
If you feel comfortable sharing, I was wondering where you live and what you like/don’t like about it?
We will probably be moving out of our current city (St. Louis) when I am done with school. Basically just because we want to. We spend a lot of time talking about where we would like to move so I’d love some of your opinions about the places you live or have lived, since I know there are probably people from all over the place on here.
In case your curious, we definitely would want to live in or near a big city (my dream would be NYC but I don’t think Fiance loves that idea). We have a daughter and will probably have one more child, my degree will be in PR and he will be going back to school (he’s not entirely sure for what yet, he used to be an education major but isn’t so sure about that anymore).
Post # 3
Member
1773 posts
Buzzing bee
I live in sonoma county. It’s amazingly gorgeous. It’s from hour from SF and it has the most amazing food and wine. the have the coast. Fairly liberal. Lots of volunteer work done.
I love my home.
Post # 4
Member
3182 posts
Sugar bee
So I know you said you like big cities, but I’ve been really happy in Louisville! It has a certain quirky/independent charm to it and housing prices are very reasonable.
Post # 5
Member
361 posts
Helper bee
We live in a suburb of Minneapoils, and at this point, is a forever home! We are only 25 minuts from the “city” with all the nightlife, shows, etc that we want/need (we both used to live in the city and LOVED it!). We have 2 beautiful acres on a river which is completely awesome.
The only thing that sucks, is the cold…. 🙁 seriously sucks! We spent a few days in St. Louis and LOVED it too… Right now, we have family, friends, and our career here, but are seriously contemplating moving south in 20-25 years. 🙂
Post # 6
Member
133 posts
Blushing bee
@redness82: We like St. Louis too, but he has lived in Missouri his whole life and I have most of mine, we just want a change. We have considered that we might not want to be too far from all of our family, Chicago is definitely on our list for that reason!
Post # 7
Member
113 posts
Blushing bee
We live in MI.
Pros: Our family is here and we have stable jobs. We live only 20 mins from Detroit so lots of fun bars/casinos downtown.
Cons: I hate every season except summer. Winter/snow is TERRIBLE.
Post # 8
Member
4044 posts
Honey bee
We live in a suburb of Cleveland.
Pro’s: Good K-12 schools, good roads (they take plowing/salting seriously in the winter), excellent library system, reasonable cost of living, decent job market, natural gas heating, some entertainment (theatre) options downtown, nothing is every really crowded, little traffic compared to the east coast, good and upcoming restaurant scene, lots of options for biking/hiking/camping if youre outdoorsy
Con’s: Hard to make friends (not the kind of place people migrate to, so if you’re new you will feel like an outsider for many years, as everyone already has established friend groups.)
People do not take education seriously, few colleges (compared to the east coast), closemindedness/anti-semitism despite our sizeable jewish population,
NO IKEA
Also, people here are SO negative about everything. It’s quite draining to hear about people whining about winter, summer, heat, sunshine!!, sports, minorities, etc, all the time!
Post # 9
Member
3092 posts
Sugar bee
We live in the Suburbs of Seattle, WA.
It’s ideal for us to be so close to SO MUCH but have the quiet, spacious, yard and privacy that we’re used to being from CA. Seriously in Seattle there’s a festival going on every weekend, usually several. In October there’s dozens of haunted houses. We get big concerts and nature is just a hop skip and a jump away no matter what your scene is.
CONS–The rain is fine. The neverending grey skies can bring you down. We had to get a light therapy box. You don’t even realize it’s getting to you until there’s a day of sunshine and you just suddenly FEEL BETTER. Traffic is also horrible. I can’t imagine that it’s because of pop density but just poor city planning. No parking or really expensive parking anywhere you go in Seattle. Umm..oh the hills + weather. Seattle gets the rain and sometimes a bit of snow and the roads can get slick which is manageable but this city is very hilly and sometimes it’s kind of scary.
Post # 10
Member
2253 posts
Buzzing bee
DH and I live in Houston. It’s the largest city in Texas, and there are tons to do. I love that it’s culturally diverse. There are tons of restaurants, cafes, museums, galleries, and free events! We’re never bored on the weekends. Some drawback is that in the summer it is hot and humid. Winters and cool weather periods are short. Traffic is a b*tch!
Post # 11
Member
750 posts
Busy bee
We live in Gloucester VA and I’m really enjoying! I spent my entire life in Chesapeake, about an hour from here, and we wanted a slight change. We found a house up here and we’re on a couple acres of land but we’re only an hour away from family and an hour the other way we’re in Richmond. It’s a nice quiet town with a Main Street that has the old fashioned stores, very mom and pop. We have the old drugstore turned into a diner. I really love it. It’s kind of the best of both worlds, it’s not a horrible drive to the city, family or the beach and we still get the quiet country living that I never thought I would love so much. 🙂
Post # 12
Member
10355 posts
Sugar Beekeeper
We live just ourside San Francisco in the East Bay. We LOVE love it here because we have amazing hiking in the hills 10 minutes away, yet live in a walkable urban neighborhood filled with awesome restaurants, shops, parks, and beachfront trails. I can use public transit to get to work, and walk to the grocery store. We are a 30 min drive from hiking trails through giant redwoods, 15 minutes from downtown San Fran, and 3 hours from Yosemite and Lake Tahoe.
It’s such a ridiculously awesome location, with tons and tons of jobs for both of us. We love it here!
Post # 13
Member
661 posts
Busy bee
I live in NYC…specifically Manhattan’s upper east side. But honestly, I am sick of it. I am from NYC and I want to leave and go elsewhere…anywhere else. So your Fiance may have the right idea.
The main cons for me are the tiny spaces in which we live, the lack of peace and quiet which can drive you insane at times. Also the men never hit on you. i like Texas for that reason.
To attempt to balance this out a little though, I will say the good things are I have always managed to get well-paying jobs here, the fast pace keeps you smart and on your toes, and you never need a car, so I don’t have one. I don’t even know how to drive.
Post # 14
Member
28 posts
Newbee
I am from USA but have lived in Australia for 5 years.
The beaches are awesome and the city is really clean, Adelaide. It is small but full of gardens and parklands. I do miss the US though too.
Post # 15
Member
258 posts
Helper bee
I live in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand! It’s a beautiful place, covered in a million different shades of green, gold and blue. We live right next to Thornton beach, 20 minutes away from Lake Rotoma, and 20 minutes in the other direction is the Tarawera river and waterfall. The scenery is to die for.. We moved over here from the UK when I was younger, and I could never imagine going back. I’m so lucky to live in such a beautiful country 🙂
Post # 16
Member
288 posts
Helper bee
I live in Grand Rapids, MI
pros: all of our family is here, met Fiance here, lots of colleges, great community and good schools.
cons: IT’S SO COLD!!! I hate the weather here, except for summer which lasts only 3-4 months.
im ready to move somewhere warmerstylist still trying to convince Fiance. I want to wake up to palm trees every day.