Places to Live: Good, Bad, and Ugly

[chitownchica]

"Springs are beautiful?"    Shoot, it isn't even the first friggin day of spring and it was 87 friggin degrees in my car when I left work.  My plants are all shriveled up.  I am not amused.  No rain in sight, but I wouldn't be surprised to see rain and 40's in a week or so.  Oh yeah!  Dallas is cool!   

I should've stressed that they used to be. At least that's the story I  remember and I'm stickin' to it

Glow bull warming has had quite the effect I see.

[Gina]

Lived in the same place my whole life, Memphis TN  SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS DONKEYDICK.  So much racism from both sides here.

[NHSparky]

Actually, I hear the "N" word a hell of a lot more often around here than I ever did in Cali.  That I find very disturbing.

I mean, ****--you people live in a state that's 98 percent WHITE (just plain white!)  It's not as if you've ever ENCOUNTERED more than one or two at a time in your entire life, people!  WTF did they ever do to you?

[BlueStateSaint]

Lessee . . .

Good:  Toss-up between two places, both in Saratoga County in NY.  Yes, NY.  Saratoga Springs is absolutely electric when Saratoga Race Course is open.  Last year, it went from a 36-day meet to a 40-day meet.  Opening Day went from a Wednesday to a Friday.  It poured.  But, stroll down either Broadway or Caroline Street on a hoit August night and it's a madhouse.  The other place is where we live now--Clifton Park.  Definitely a red enclave, but a few moonbats do exist.  Close to a lot of things.  A younger crowd than us, which is nice.

Bad:  El Paso TX.  It wasn't until I got there that I realized that the VW theft rate is through the roof, due to (at the time--I don't know if it's still there) a VW parts plant being in Juarez.  I had just bought a VW Jetta.  Someone did attempt to steal it.  Damn near succeeded, too.  I never really found the best parts of El Paso until two months before I left the place.

Ugly:  Does my dorm room in college count?

[Thor]

Lived in the same place my whole life, Memphis TN  SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS DONKEYDICK.  So much racism from both sides here.

Yep, Memphis is "teh Sux"....... Ask any OLDER  Navy Airedale!!

[Karin]

I once got a job offer to go to Memphis, and I've been kicking myself ever since for turning it down.  Great job, huge company.  I had a prejudice against Memphis.  Actually, it was husband #1 with the adamant prejudice, and Oh Christ, never mind.  Maybe it was for the best, I don't know. 

NHSparky, you reminded me of my first experience in Maine.  Stopping the car at a small convenience store (Mom&Pop), we went in to get some sodas.  A child's handwritten sign was posted on the bulletin board.  "Please help me find my kitten.  He is all white.  His name is n****r."    Was shocked and dismayed, to say the least. 

[catsmtrods]

Lived here in the Catskill mtns of NY most my life. Left a few times for SoCal and Tenn for a few years. Always come back home. If you live in the right town taxes are not to bad. The Manhattanites (weekenders) Bring $$ and opportunity. The views and wilds are unequaled in the US as far as I'm concerned. Fly fishing was born here and the hunting is great.

[Gina]

I once got a job offer to go to Memphis, and I've been kicking myself ever since for turning it down.  Great job, huge company.  I had a prejudice against Memphis.  Actually, it was husband #1 with the adamant prejudice, and Oh Christ, never mind.  Maybe it was for the best, I don't know. 

NHSparky, you reminded me of my first experience in Maine.  Stopping the car at a small convenience store (Mom&Pop), we went in to get some sodas.  A child's handwritten sign was posted on the bulletin board.  "Please help me find my kitten.  He is all white.  His name is n****r."    Was shocked and dismayed, to say the least. 

What was the company?

[Karin]

Gina, it was International Paper.  I'd worked for years for a company they acquired, and they wanted to fold me into the bigger shark. 

[NHSparky]

Yep, Memphis is "teh Sux"....... Ask any OLDER  Navy Airedale!!

Tell me about it--I almost got sent to Millington before I got picked up for ROTC.  Thankfully when I went back (damn grades!) NFAS/NPS were both in Orlando.  Less than a week between the two schools for me.  Very unusual.

[Gina]

Gina, it was International Paper.  I'd worked for years for a company they acquired, and they wanted to fold me into the bigger shark. 

Yeh, that is a good company to work for.  I worked for MLGW for awhile and plan on going back.  Can't believe the pay and benefits there.  Insurance alone was cadillac insurance and for family was $262 a month and that was 100% coverage.  That is why I am going back....... 

[IassaFTots]

Tell me about it--I almost got sent to Millington before I got picked up for ROTC.  Thankfully when I went back (damn grades!) NFAS/NPS were both in Orlando.  Less than a week between the two schools for me.  Very unusual.

My Step-Mom retired as soon as she moved her operation to Millington. Well, actually, she waited a year or so after that, she was asked to after 9/11.   She HATED Millington.  But, she is from Maine.   

[Gina]

My Step-Mom retired as soon as she moved her operation to Millington. Well, actually, she waited a year or so after that, she was asked to after 9/11.   She HATED Millington.  But, she is from Maine.   

Millington was just fine til Clinton shut it down.  Now it's home to BUPERS and is a ghost town.  Very sad to drive through there on way to mil's and see all the businesses shut down.

[IassaFTots]

Millington was just fine til Clinton shut it down.  Now it's home to BUPERS and is a ghost town.  Very sad to drive through there on way to mil's and see all the businesses shut down.

Yup.  BUPERS.  That's what she helped moved down from the Annex. 

[SaintLouieWoman]

The worst place that I lived (for a year) was Poplar Bluff Missouri, in the bootheel (or armpit) of Missouri. I couldn't wait to leave. It was soooo boring.

The 2nd worst was Decatur, Il, the home of Millikin University. I took all kinds of correspondence courses while taking my regular courses at the university to get the heck out of there quickly. I couldn't stand smelling those soybeans from the local plant.

I consider St Louis my home. I've always loved the history of the place, the concept of the French trappers and the mighty Mississippi. My family is there and I greatly miss them. I loved the seasons, the reasonable cost of living, the Zoo, the Mo Botanical Garden. There always was something to do there. The shopping was good.

Sarasota is nice in the winter. I'l concede that the weather in winter here is nicer than in St Louis. But I hate the way they do things here. I can't stand all the con artists who mask as tradesmen. I'm afraid to trust anyone here and dislike having in laws here who aren't very nice to me. I miss my little 7 month old granddaughter and my 2 1/2 year old grandson. They mean more to me than palm trees. I don't like the medical system here, but I do love my neighbors. They are the nicest that I've ever had, even in my beloved St Louis. 


San Antonio Texas is probably my favorite city. I lived there for 7 years and loved everything about it---the weather, the people, the culture.

[Gina]

I love St Louis just for their zoo

[SaintLouieWoman]

I love St Louis just for their zoo

Thanks. I was a docent there for 20 years, did animal handling in the children's zoo and for special event, was a chimp sitter for an abandoned by its mom, elephant research and was a "midwife" for all the baby elephants there. The midwife gig was going around 11pm to the zoo, having a ranger take me to the elephant house (only other person on the zoo's grounds) and watching both tapes from the time the keepers left til when I got there and then watching the elies in real time. They were so cute. They'd see me peeking through the window in the keepers room and would extend their trunks in greeting. The idea was the unpaid volunteers would help take some of the stress of staff having to be there all the time til the date of birth was closer. If we saw any signs of labor, we had to call the curator of elies and she'd get the vet there asap. I only had to call once in the watch for 4 babies and that was a false alarm. But it was such a cool experience.

[debk]

I love St Louis just for their zoo

Me too! Good zoos and aquariums are among my favorite things to visit!

[Rebel]

The CSRA (Evans, Augusta, North Augusta, Aiken). 2.5 hours to the beach, 2.5 hours to the mountains, 2 hours to saltwater, 2 hours to Atlanta, Charlotte, Greenville, Savannah, and one hour to Columbia. Low cost of living and good weather. If I want a zoo, I head to the woods. If I really want a zoo, they have one in Columbia. We have the 2nd largest man-made lake this side of the Mississippi 15 miles up the Savannah. If that's not enough, we have two more damned up lakes (Hartwell, Russell) right up above that.

Oh, and we have a little golf tournament here.

[Rebel]

Worst place? Anywhere in my home state. MS sucks. Sorry Mississippians. Even the beaches suck. You can walk forever in Gulfport and still be in ankle-deep water, primarily due to the islands not allowing the tides to come in.

[IassaFTots]

Worst place? Anywhere in my home state. MS sucks. Sorry Mississippians. Even the beaches suck. You can walk forever in Gulfport and still be in ankle-deep water, primarily due to the islands not allowing the tides to come in.

Aw dude.....you break my heart.  I grew up there!  Swimming in the brown water, avoiding undertows.  How the hell can you diss the home of the Deep Sea Fisherman's Rodeo??????

 

[Eupher]

SE Michigan - a sucking chest wound. There is NOTHING there that is worthy of much, except to seal off the wound and start CPR if you're stuck there longer than 20 minutes.

Chicagoland - too expensive, too busy, too much traffic, and WAAAAAAAY too many freakin' toll roads. Jesus Christ, people, you think you're in New Yawk or someplace? But the music scene is incredible and the CSO is awe-inspiring.

Jackson, TN - didn't know how good it was there till I left. Low cost of living, no state income tax, and they come right up to your doorstep to take away your trash. What's not to love? Mrs E and I are heading back there for final retirement.

Salt Lake City, Utah - incredible, gorgeous, beautiful place. But it was the most foreign country I've ever lived in, and I've lived in or been in just about every country on the continent of Europe and a few in northern Africa.

Mentor, OH (east of Cleveland on Lake Drearie) - WTF did I do to deserve 7 FEET of snow per year? Huh? Tell me!!!

north-central Missouri - I'm the guy in town that doesn't drive a pickup. Want a salad around here that isn't wilted and consists of something besides iceberg lettuce, a couple of gratings of unpeeled carrot, and a cherry tomato with sprouting seeds? Fuggedaboudit. Make your own.

[Rebel]

Aw dude.....you break my heart.  I grew up there!  Swimming in the brown water, avoiding undertows.  How the hell can you diss the home of the Deep Sea Fisherman's Rodeo??????

 

Ya'll have some nice beaches.



....on the other side of Ship Island. 

[IassaFTots]

Ya'll have some nice beaches.



....on the other side of Ship Island. 

That's no lie.   

[DumbAss Tanker]

With the internet, shopping isn't important and I like country living, where I can go shoot guns in the back yard if I feel like it, and the hand of government lies very lightly upon the people and their wallets.  I've been married for almost 30 years and my wife has some mobility issues these days, so clubs and such aren't any kind of a factor.  Rural MO Ozark life therefore suits me fine.

I grew up in southern IN, near a big college town; also nice, more densely populated than where I live now and full of annoying Liberals in that particular area thanks to the college; other places I've stayed for enough time to get a feel:

Northern IN - flat and depressing as Hell in Winter.

Western KY/TN - nice, for my tastes.  KY has kind of high income taxes, TN doesn't have income tax but does have a pretty bodacious sales tax.

Quad cities area (IA side) - lived up the river a bit from Bettendorf IA; not bad, really, but the wife hated it.  Plenty of opportunity to fish in the big river.  Cold as a sonofabitch in winter.

Charlottexville VA - Unusually large number of silver-spoon college kids driving expensive cars bought by Mummy or Daddykins, and the kind of town climate that goes with that.  Basically what Deb said, but my overall experience was better.  Became a rather expensive place to live during the real estate boom, and it's also pretty damn congested.

Southern, NJ - not nearly as bad as everyone thinks.  Oppressive gun laws, densely settled (Too much so for my taste), and very burdensome property taxes (But cheap compared to NE Jersey).  Not my cup of tea.

Baltimore, MD - Nice place to visit, wouldn't want to live there.

Hinesville/Savannah, GA - Good place for those who like to be able to get out in the country, but within close range of urban amenities too, and coastal life.  Hot as a sonofabitch in Summer.

I've been a lot of other places and have impressions of them, those are just the ones where I actually maintained a household over a long period of time.