What do you like/love about where you live?

[skipro33]

We built a log home in the Sierra mountains of California, about halfway between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, 5 acres on a ridge that has views of the snowcapped range to the East and the coastal mountains to the West. Disregarding politics, there's nothing I do not like about it. I'm far from crime, yet a day's drive from the ocean, mountains, national parks, etc. The weather is perfect at our elevation and for me, that means being able to BBQ every day. Ha! Actually, it means able to be outdoors every day. There's hunting, fishing, hiking, skiing, kayaking, biking, camping, well all the outdoorsy stuff I enjoy. My kids and grandkids are all within a couple hours' drive and we visit at least a couple times a month. We don't like to travel much other than via our RV, but do enjoy Maui and the airfare is very cheap out of Sacramento and even cheaper out of Oakland. I spend more on fuel to drive my RV to Arizona round trip during the winter than to fly round trip to Hawaii.

Some think it's expensive, but for us, I found it very easy to make more money in this state than it cost, so when I realized that I could afford to retire here without financial compromise when I was 55, we did.

As far as politics, I take a lesson from this forum and pretty much consider the topic off limits with anyone other than with my wife. I have no idea how my kids or friends view the topic and if anyone does bring it up, like the forum gods here, they get a 'time-out'. Ha!

 

[bamboogrrrl]

We live in New York's Hudson Valley. Both DH and I were born here. My father worked for IBM until it went bust in the early 90s. I stayed despite the economic depression that followed, and family that moved away. Fast forward to now and it's become a VERY desirable place to live, and we have many NYC second home owner neighbors. It's changed a ton: lots of traffic, high taxes, surly peeps, but somehow, the landscape is inside me at this point. We take long car camping trips to avoid the hot summers and cold winters (to far west TX last year for a month, and to the Maritimes in CA this past summer). We're making it work, but 50% of me would like to move to the desert... DH is a car guy extraordinaire, and we have the perfect barn space here for the "fleet." I am a visual artist and have great (albeit smallish) studio space here. It would take a perfect situation space-wise to pry us out of here at this point.

 

[boont]

I live near San Francisco and my house looks out at the Golden Gate Bridge. I also live part of the year at my ranch in the wine country, which is about two hours north of the City. I love the contrast between a big city and a small country town of about 300 people. I once made a video of driving up my almost mile of dirt road and layered in a sound track of a bay area traffic report. "There is a crash on the Dumbarton Bridge and traffic is stopped cold leaving San Francisco", while my goat herd wandered roadside amongst the grass and oak trees. I am happy to pay a little more to live here as I tell people you have to pay a paradise tax to live in paradise. My property tax is fixed at the rate I bought them 30 years ago. Small 2% raises yearly are capped at that. Never had a bad wildfire yet and only one significant earthquake. I would take an earthquake or a wildfire any day over a hurricane.

 

[Cerys]

Husband and I moved to California in 1984. Bought a house in 87. In the second worst ZIP Code in Oakland. My dream was always to come back to Pittsburgh where I grew up.

Husband said he never wanted to come back here again. So we talked about other places one of which was Los Angeles, another one Oregon. Fact of the matter was he didn’t wanna leave where he was. Then he got a brain tumor and died. I stayed for three more years in Oakland. When the homeless started moving into my neighborhood I knew it was time to scram.

I’m back in Pittsburgh. I am so freaking happy. I bought a house that desperately needed an update, it’s done, it’s great. Contractor said that I absolutely made this house look like something out of California, so I brought a little home with me. I already had friends here. I run around with them. I have family here and we’re very well integrated and we do things together. The people in my neighborhood are wonderful.

The only thing I can complain about is Pittsburgh is filled with complainers. If it’s not the weather, it’s the potholes, if it’s not the potholes, it’s the traffic, and coming from the fourth worst traffic in the country — these people need to shut up. This isn’t traffic, this is a Tuesday afternoon. Pittsburgh is a town that people tend to not leave, and because of that they think we have the worst of everything here. We have the highest gas tax in the country. No, we don’t. We have the highest property taxes in the country — no, we don’t. If they had lived in other places they would understand the Nirvana that Pittsburgh is.

And they don’t complain about Giant Eagle — a very mediocre grocery store that charges extremely high prices, and is basically a monopoly here. In the three years I’ve been here, I now shopped for food at Target, Costco, Trader Joe’s, and buy very little at Giant Eagle. My niece takes the road trip to Walmart.

 

[aja8888]

Husband and I moved to California in 1984. Bought a house in 87. In the second worst ZIP Code in Oakland. My dream was always to come back to Pittsburgh where I grew up.

Husband said he never wanted to come back here again. So we talked about other places one of which was Los Angeles, another one Oregon. Fact of the matter was he didn’t wanna leave where he was. Then he got a brain tumor and died. I stayed for three more years in Oakland. When the homeless started moving into my neighborhood I knew it was time to scram.

I’m back in Pittsburgh. I am so freaking happy. I bought a house that desperately needed an update, it’s done, it’s great. Contractor said that I absolutely made this house look like something out of California, so I brought a little home with me. I already had friends here. I run around with them. I have family here and we’re very well integrated and we do things together. The people in my neighborhood are wonderful.

The only thing I can complain about is Pittsburgh is filled with complainers. If it’s not the weather, it’s the potholes, if it’s not the potholes, it’s the traffic, and coming from the fourth worst traffic in the country — these people need to shut up. This isn’t traffic, this is a Tuesday afternoon. Pittsburgh is a town that people tend to not leave, and because of that they think we have the worst of everything here. We have the highest gas tax in the country. No, we don’t. We have the highest property taxes in the country — no, we don’t. If they had lived in other places they would understand the Nirvana that Pittsburgh is.

And they don’t complain about Giant Eagle — a very mediocre grocery store that charges extremely high prices, and is basically a monopoly here. In the three years I’ve been here, I now shopped for food at Target, Costco, Trader Joe’s, and buy very little at Giant Eagle. My niece takes the road trip to Walmart.

Great that you are happy there. That's the important thing. And there are complainers everywhere, even here in The Great State of Texas!

 

[Koolau]

Husband and I moved to California in 1984. Bought a house in 87. In the second worst ZIP Code in Oakland. My dream was always to come back to Pittsburgh where I grew up.

Husband said he never wanted to come back here again. So we talked about other places one of which was Los Angeles, another one Oregon. Fact of the matter was he didn’t wanna leave where he was. Then he got a brain tumor and died. I stayed for three more years in Oakland. When the homeless started moving into my neighborhood I knew it was time to scram.

I’m back in Pittsburgh. I am so freaking happy. I bought a house that desperately needed an update, it’s done, it’s great. Contractor said that I absolutely made this house look like something out of California, so I brought a little home with me. I already had friends here. I run around with them. I have family here and we’re very well integrated and we do things together. The people in my neighborhood are wonderful.

The only thing I can complain about is Pittsburgh is filled with complainers. If it’s not the weather, it’s the potholes, if it’s not the potholes, it’s the traffic, and coming from the fourth worst traffic in the country — these people need to shut up. This isn’t traffic, this is a Tuesday afternoon. Pittsburgh is a town that people tend to not leave, and because of that they think we have the worst of everything here. We have the highest gas tax in the country. No, we don’t. We have the highest property taxes in the country — no, we don’t. If they had lived in other places they would understand the Nirvana that Pittsburgh is.

And they don’t complain about Giant Eagle — a very mediocre grocery store that charges extremely high prices, and is basically a monopoly here. In the three years I’ve been here, I now shopped for food at Target, Costco, Trader Joe’s, and buy very little at Giant Eagle. My niece takes the road trip to Walmart.

Were you in Pittsburg in 1969? I was looking for a j*b. The pollution was incredible. If anyone wanted to complain back then - pollution would have been #1 IMHO. Last time I was in Pittsburg, thankfully they had cleaned most of that up.

So happy for you that you are where you love to be.

 

[aja8888]

Were you in Pittsburg in 1969? I was looking for a j*b. The pollution was incredible. If anyone wanted to complain back then - pollution would have been #1 IMHO. Last time I was in Pittsburg, thankfully they had cleaned most of that up.

So happy for you that you are where you love to be.

They cleaned it up by shutting down all the steel mills (my father-in-law lost his job there) and giving the steel business to the Japanese and Chinese at that time. Same said for Ohio, Indiana and Michigan.

 

[yakers]

DW & Ilive in what was paradise or at least paradise adjacent: Altadena CA. Willn't say more, house still standing, attic insulation being replaced as I type this, hope to be back in an a week. Many friends much lsee 'lucky'.

 

[Koolau]

DW & Ilive in what was paradise or at least paradise adjacent: Altadena CA. Willn't say more, house still standing, attic insulation being replaced as I type this, hope to be back in an a week. Many friends much lsee 'lucky'.

Sounds like you dodged a bullet. Glad to hear it. I'm sure it will take a while before the area is restored. Blessings to you and especially to the neighbors not so lucky.

 

[Alan]

We live in a small market town on the edge of the North York Moors. Our son, daughter, her partner and my sister all live within 3/4 of mile of one another. In fact our daughter’s house is within the boundary of the North York Moors National Park. The town has been a parish center for over a thousand years and is also only 5 miles from the coast with fabulous beaches, sea cliffs and quaint seaside villages.

We lived here for 6 years in the 70’s and 80’s and is where our 2 children were born. My 8 greats grandfather was married here in the early 18 century in the same church our children were baptized.

Plenty of access to doctors, hospitals, buses and such as we get older and need those services more. We have a very active social life in the town as well as easy access to fabulous scenery.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

We live in a small market town on the edge of the North York Moors. Our son, daughter, her partner and my sister all live within 3/4 of mile of one another. In fact our daughter’s house is within the boundary of the North York Moors National Park. The town has been a parish center for over a thousand years and is also only 5 miles from the coast with fabulous beaches, sea cliffs and quaint seaside villages.

We lived here for 6 years in the 70’s and 80’s and is where our 2 children were born. My 8 greats grandfather was married here in the early 18 century in the same church our children were baptized.

Plenty of access to doctors, hospitals, buses and such as we get older and need those services more. We have a very active social life in the town as well as easy access to fabulous scenery.

I watch a lot of “Escape to the Country” and always think of your family’s relocations when the house hunters are going around Yorkshire.

You’re all so lucky to be able to live there. It looks pretty amazing.

 

[skyking1]

Much to love about all that, @Alan
We visited York and stayed a few days in Settle. Lovely places and family very nearby

 

[Montecfo]

Enjoying all the great stories.

In the rolling hills of Northern Virginia we have found there is a lot to like. It is a very diverse area in every way. Highly educated people which is a plus. Many active churches all denominations. You can have a beach day or head to the mountains, whatever you want. Lots of history, national parks, and many unique music venues within the metro area. Many broadway style shows and community theatre (inluding summer musicals) appear also which we enjoy. There are historic villages which hold festivals in the summer which are fun to attend. In our particular area there is especially great access to grocery and other retail which is very convenient. Three major international airports, also subway and train access. You can easily reach Philly, NY or Boston by rail or grab the car train to Florida.

We enjoy a very moderate four season climate as we are close to the ocean. We get some snow every year and we enjoy that. It is seldom enough to close things down for long. There is a lengthy rails-to-trails park which stretches from the distant exurbs all the way through Washinton DC and on south to Mount Vernon. There are also trails through the many stream valleys in the area. Most are heavily wooded, feel secluded and cover many miles. For a metro area, there are a lot of places to hike or bike and of course the Appalachian Trail is not far away.

Having lived in Scottsdale, Denver, Chicago and various parts of Texas, we assumed we would move back to Texas where we grew up, attended college and where most of our family lives. But the weather and overall lifestyle just seems better here. Severe weather events are rare. Taxes are moderate. Housing more expensive than average but not prohibitive compared to other areas and downright cheap compared to some.

We have just said we will live here until we find a better place to live. There are several very nice ideas in this thread but whether we will remains to be seen.

 

[skyking1]

It sounds delightful. It would take a lot to overcome that inertia

 

[Scuba]

How have you fared with insurance? I understand that because of recent hurricanes the insurance rates have (pardon the expression) gone through the roof.

Our insurance has gone up dramatically due to the Maui Wildfires and high-rise fire threat.

Our insurance went up 33% in 2024. I can only imagine how high it will be for the 2025 renewal given the 3 hurricanes this year. I did competitively bid it last year and couldn’t find a better rate without changing coverage. Our home was built in 2018 and is compliant with the most recently updated hurricane building codes. We are 12-15 miles from the nearest beaches, and are not near any major rivers, creeks, etc. We have done all we can to mitigate the risk and the cost of insurance, apart from leaving the area.