What do you like/love about where you live?

[steady saver]

I always enjoy reading posts about where people are moving to (or from) and why, probably b/c we're open to considering moving at some point. We each live where we live for different reasons - for some of us it is because of family nearby, or not wanting to go through the hassle of moving or because we love where we live.
I'd be curious to know - what do you love about where you live? I'll start...

We've finally decided to commit to selling our home in Houston and moving to our farm in Central Texas, at least for the brief foreseeable future while we do some exploring (thus, the question...).

Houston - I love the diversity of people, the theaters/museums, the Mexican food (Houston is known for its wide variety top notch restaurants...I'm just not a big restaurant goer but I do LOVE our Mexican food). I love having accessibility to great grocery stores, medical facilities, and two airports. Love the relative affordability of housing.

Central Texas (near Brenham) - love the land, the gorgeous sky and stars I can actually see at night, the history, the ease of parking (!), the safety, the friendliness of people, the relative low cost of living, the slower pace. Also appreciate being squarely between Houston and Austin (and their airports, etc) both roughly an hour and a half away.

What about you? What do you love about where you live? Is that what keeps you there?

 

[skyking1]

The new place on the Olympic Peninsula:
Weather: It is in the rain shadow cast by the Olympic Mountains, with an average rainfall of 16" a year and plenty of sunny days.
It is cooler in the summer due to the moderating influence of the ocean and straits nearby. We are not into the heat, dry heat or otherwise.
We are similarly located as far as travel, about an hour and a half from Seattle International. It is on the doorstep of the national park and beaches out west. It's a 25 minute drive to catch a ferry to Victoria BC and Vancouver Island.
The house is a mile from the store and a mile and a half from everything else, but it is a park-like setting.
We have great views from the house and nearby. Tonight's Olympic Mt sunset, for example.

I'll try and get a North Cascades/ Mt Baker sunrise photo in the morning if the weather is good for it.

 

[steady saver]

That sounds absolutely magical. What a great photo. Thanks for taking the time to share it. would love to see a sunrise photo!

 

[skyking1]

That sounds absolutely magical. What a great photo. Thanks for taking the time to share it. would love to see a sunrise photo!

Will do! I was driving to the store and looked over my shoulder and saw that and stopped in the street to capture it this evening.

 

[Koolau]

Where to start?

Weather? Winter is average 5 degrees cooler than summer. No snow (unless I fly to Maui or Big Island). Most days, we never close the windows and we sleep under one sheet.

People? Everyone is a minority!

Scenery? I grew up amid corn and soy bean fields. Now I'm surrounded by mountains and ocean.

Culture? Every one has a culture to share in festivals, parades, food and language.

Aloha? It's real. Nothing is perfect, but in our "big city" you can use your turn signal on the freeway and someone will let you in rather than close up the space. Everyone smiles at each other. Honking your horn is considerer to be rude.

Activities? Hiking, water sports, fishing, beach, exploring, touristy stuff, restaurant crawling, luaus, drive-in volcanoes, etc.

I'll probably add more later.


ETA: Rainbows

 

[Luvtoride]

New Jersey. Born and raised in Bergen County (northern NJ, close suburb of NYC) where we still live. Family (daughters and grandchildren) and friends all still here except for those with 2nd / winter homes in Florida, who we go to visit when they are there (leaving Saturday for a short trip to Florida).

Don’t particularly like much about the area as Traffic sucks, weather is extreme (almost zero now) it’s overcrowded, people are rude and much of the infrastructure is old and in need of repairs/upgrades which are constantly going on and making life more inconvenient. But, We have all the services we need and proximity to NYC and the Jersey shore (where we own a 2nd home, an hour away).

Would I move now being retired? No Way! It is home and where our family is!

 

[427Vette]

We live in beautiful northern Minnesota, in the woods north of a town of 350 people. We live here because of the low population, dead end dirt road privacy and the state forest that surrounds us. The weather is cold and the mosquitoes are plentiful but it beats traffic,crime and people… mostly the people. There are lakes all over the place, snowmobile/ATV/hiking/ski trails. Lots of touristy attractions if you are into that. People from all over the country come here to vacation. I like the simplicity of life here. We can take our snowmobile or ATV to the bank, post office, grocery store. It’s a great place to live. I love my land, my space and my house. It’s home and I am never leaving.

Don’t come here you won’t like it!

 

[Dtail]

Live in Tampa, Florida. Retired here 7+ years ago. Love the weather overall, even the 6+ months of summer. Nice people, not too crowded for us compared to Northern NJ where we came from.
Lots to explore in Florida.
Overall, it is a nice lifestyle and very comfortable day to day.

 

[old medic]

My family moved to this small thermal belt WNC community in 1979 from the remote Catskills of NY. I stayed but did come to visit. In August of 85 I drug along my future DW and moved here. I can only say its about as close to Mayberry as you can get. My retirement made the front page of the local paper...
We rebuilt this house to serve us the rest of our lives, and if family averages apply, it will be another 30 years.

 

[pjigar]

Dallas, TX

Weather: We are warm blooded animals and I hate cold weather. I tried the cold weather of try-state area two decades ago (and now I hear it's worst). You can be outdoors on most days outside a month of extreme heat and a month of extreme cold. I do spend a lot of time outdoors.
Peace and quiet: We live on an acreage so our little piece of Texas offers us privacy. We can still see stars from our lake peninsula.
Access to major airport.
All facilities typically available in a big metro (healthcare, restaurants, art, museums, shows, etc.)
Diversity of people.
Social scene: We have so many friends and almost every weekend has some planned activity.
Access to lakes, parks, hiking trails, etc: But we don't use those facilities as much as we can for now. I have enough to do on our land for now!

We don't like the traffic but we generally get around traffic problem by not venturing out during peak hours. Traffic is always a bonus of living anywhere near a major population center.

 

[levindb]

We live at the end of a street, on a tidal creek, and wake up each morning to a beautiful sunrise...we have birds, dolphins and a few alligators visit us throughout the day. This is our forever home.

 

[Ronstar]

We live in northern Illinois, 60 miles southwest of Chicago, where remote suburbs meet farm country. Airports, major healthcare, restaurants, shopping all within an hour. Yet we live outside of a quaint small town in a sparsely populated, rural subdivision of 5 acre wooded lots with a lake in our backyard. Very quiet and peaceful - some days I see more deer than people. Nearest traffic and congestion is more than a half hour away.

Good state parks and county forest preserves for hiking within an hour. Good biking and running routes in our neighborhood. I can take my Polaris ranger side by side out of my garage and ride around the neighborhood. I can make as much noise as I want in my workshop without neighbors complaining.

Weather - Definitely 4 distinct seasons. Temps from -20 to 100. But I can go outside to play in almost anything that Mother Nature throws at us.

We've lived our entire lives within a 20 mile radius. We are always looking for a better place to live, but haven't found a place that is better than ours year round.

 

[Trailwalker]

We live a short distance from a small town but in total privacy in the woods. Most people in our small town have never heard of our small dead end street. If they did, they had no idea that our house existed, as it's back in the woods with no visible driveway from main road. It was my dream property 15 years ago, not the house, but the land/woods. I cut my own wood for supplemental heat, and I have toys to take care of the long driveway and large lawn. As we have aged, our dream has changed. At 64, I'm ready again for the city amenities of my younger years and for warmer, more sunny winters. We will sell our house in the spring. No regrets but looking forward to the next adventure.

 

[Surewhitey]

Dallas, TX

Weather: We are warm blooded animals and I hate cold weather. I tried the cold weather of try-state area two decades ago (and now I hear it's worst). You can be outdoors on most days outside a month of extreme heat and a month of extreme cold. I do spend a lot of time outdoors.
Peace and quiet: We live on an acreage so our little piece of Texas offers us privacy. We can still see stars from our lake peninsula.
Access to major airport.
All facilities typically available in a big metro (healthcare, restaurants, art, museums, shows, etc.)
Diversity of people.
Social scene: We have so many friends and almost every weekend has some planned activity.
Access to lakes, parks, hiking trails, etc: But we don't use those facilities as much as we can for now. I have enough to do on our land for now!

We don't like the traffic but we generally get around traffic problem by not venturing out during peak hours. Traffic is always a bonus of living anywhere near a major population center.

Which lake? We're North side of White Rock Lake & really like the neighborhood. Lots of retired folk and the ones leaving us are replaced by the young families with kids. DD lives 1 street over with the 2 Grands, so there's that.

Travel is easy with 2 airports. Winters are mild, summers not so much.

Live very close to the Arboretum of Dallas. Nice place to chill & maybe a summer outdoor concert.

Close enough to get away to AR for a camping trip. Lakes are nice there too.

 

[pjigar]

Which lake?

Lake Lavon

 

[Teacher Terry]

I have lived in 5 states. Almost 30 years ago after finishing graduate school I interviewed with 10 states by phone and was offered every job. Having never been to most of the states it was a big decision and we still had kids at home and my husband had to be able to find a job in his field.

We went to Kansas and it was a big mistake. The weather sucked and the people were too conservative. 4 years later I was again offered a state job in Reno and took it. It was a great decision. It’s beautiful, the weather is great and the people are nice. I’ll never leave here.

 

[lem1955]

North Central Vermont
No traffic
Quiet
Low light pollution
Great views
Big garden
Best craft beer, cheese, spirits, local meat and poultry, apples, blueberries
Delivered fish and seafood from Boston shore
Great skiing and snowboarding
Cycling is safe - roads, dirt roads and trails
Lakes, ponds, rivers - swimming, fishing, boating
Mountains - hiking
Great relations with neighbors despite different opinions
Competent service people - electricians, plumbers, builders
Adequate health care resources locally + world class hospital UVM and Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Within a 4 hour visit by car to Boston, Montreal
Choice of airports within 1.5 hours drive

 

[finnski1]

North Central Vermont
No traffic
Quiet
Low light pollution
Great views
Big garden
Best craft beer, cheese, spirits, local meat and poultry, apples, blueberries
Delivered fish and seafood from Boston shore
Great skiing and snowboarding
Cycling is safe - roads, dirt roads and trails
Lakes, ponds, rivers - swimming, fishing, boating
Mountains - hiking
Great relations with neighbors despite different opinions
Competent service people - electricians, plumbers, builders
Adequate health care resources locally + world class hospital UVM and Dartmouth-Hitchcock
Within a 4 hour visit by car to Boston, Montreal
Choice of airports within 1.5 hours drive

Very similar to me in southwest NH. We love it here. 2 hours from Boston,The White mountains and all the other items you listed.

 

[Fotodog]

I live in San Francisco, which is a mixed bag. We have great restaurants, including lots of small relatively inexpensive ones, with a great variety of cuisines. The Mediterranean climate is the biggest draw, almost never too hot or too cold. I have been playing golf in January.

Unfortunately the people who have been running things are among the biggest fools on the planet, and the city has declined with open drug use, crime, and filth. We live in the outer Sunset which is almost like the suburbs and not bad, but we almost never go downtown anymore. If it were up to me I would move to Marin or Sonoma county, but we’re in the house that my wife’s dad helped her buy years ago, and she has a beautiful garden after many hours of work. She has a sentimental attachment so we’ll probably stay here.

 

[Diogenes]

The urban dynamism, the generally good weather, the proximity to beaches and mountains, the car-culture (though admittedly that's waning everywhere), and the fact that so many locals are transplants from elsewhere. Did I mention urban dynamism? But there are negatives, and those negatives preclude allowing oneself to truly regard this as a place to settle-down. The eventual move, means a transient and temporary sense of living... perhaps not ideal, as one ages.

 

[Qs Laptop]

Minneapolis suburb.

Pros
Less than 20 minutes to the airport (this is true for most of the metro area). All four major sports teams. Great variety of restaurants. Great music and arts scene. Fishing and hunting is easily accessible by driving one to three hours away. ("I'm goin' up North!") Great health care quality and access. Education system is top rated. Voter participation leads the nation. Average cost of living for most things.

Basically, there are plenty of things to do here.

Cons
The weather. The weather. The weather. There are about 3 months, from mid-June to mid-September that I consider nice weather. Otherwise, it's cold or snowy or rainy. You can get snow as early as October and as late as April. There are stretches in the winter where you won't see the sun for a week or more. Or you might go a week with the high temps never getting above 0F. If you like winter sports, you will love it here. April and May are typically a high of 45 to 60 with rain. October and November typically have highs in the 50's and 40's. What I call open window weather is less than 30 days per year, scattered throughout May through September. Otherwise it's HVAC running every day. In December, you are treated to waking up in the dark and eating dinner in the dark. Sunrise is about 7:30am and sunset around 4:45pm. DW drives to work in the dark and comes home in the dark.

State income taxes are high. In fact, most taxes are high. Because extreme weather is bad for pavement there is always, always road construction.

If I could wave a magic wand and have the weather become a bit more moderate, with less snow and rain, this would be a fantastic place to live.

 

[Music Lover]

The weather where we live is miserable half of the year but all our friends and family are here and that's the most important. Technology certainly helps to make it bearable.

We currently snowbird 3 months a year to get away from the worst of the cold. So far it's a decent workaround.

 

[aja8888]

I have lived in the following states:

1. Pennsylvania (Scranton area - Pittston) - only as a very young boy. It was so poor there after the coal mines closed, my Dad moved us to Connecticut to another poor area where at least he could find work.

2. Connecticut - Two terms, one as a young man, second as a taxpayer living in Southbury. My only living sister is still there (Waterbury). Left in 1981 to follow my dream (LOL).

3. California - Thousand Oaks - Worked for Big Oil and after 10 years, we moved to Texas for a new job.

4. Texas - North of Houston for 30 years now and not moving. I like it here and my daughter does too. The weather is hot in the summer, but the other 9 months are pretty nice. Lots to like here and no state income tax. Retirement friendly state.

 

[OldShooter]

"What do you love about where you live?"

DW lives here and will not move.

-2 deg F this morning.

 

[target2019]

We're in South Jersey since the 1980's.
1. Wages were relatively high, with close proximity to metro Philly area (ancestral home, relatives, in-laws).
2. Wooded suburbs, allowing for long walks through the outer edge of Pine Barrens.
3. Close to three, top university health systems.

I guess the tldr would be, "Our roots are here."