What do you like best about where you live.
 

I was think about where I would move to when I am ready to semi retire and it dawned on me that the area would have to offer the amenities I have where I presently live.

So I was wondering, what is it you like best about where you are now?

For me it is the "local flavor".
Their are several wineries nearby (one little more than a walk away) that offers live music from local artists every weekend. We have a nationally know dairy when kids from all over intern. Great cheeses and breads.
Right at the end of my street is a nationally know sausage makers who only carries the best meats available and who makes all his own sandwich meats in addition to the sausages.
Add to that all the orchards and the fresh produce from what is said to be the richest soil in the US.
Lot's of bed and breakfast places in the area, some of whom have little specialty stores with things like home made chocolate. We have a great performing arts center up the road as well.
Most important I can keep an eye on mom whose back door opens onto my front lawn.

What I don't have, city convenience and all the great specialty foods most Northeast cities offer.

So what makes your little slice of heaven, heaven?

The countryside here is much like the area of Quebec where I grew up. We are sitting on 4.5 acres so neighbours are distant enough that I don't hear them and they don't here me. Typical of a car oriented country the only place within walking distance is our mailbox.

Do I like it? Yes, after all the work we put into the place I really do not want to sell out and move to a less expensive area, but Congress could convince me otherwise.

Noone, your post could almost have been mine.

I live in "wine country" too. The area is still pretty rural with a lot of open space and even some more or less wild lands still to enjoy. Like your area, we have a lot of the same gourmet foods produced locally and the wineries are great patrons of the arts.

The little town of Healdsburg has a world class (but not world reknowned) jazz festival every year that lasts a couple of weeks. The impetus behind it is several winery families in the area. Other wineries hold concerts throughout the year.

We have Marin County to act as a buffer between us and San Francisco. That protects us from urban sprawl but we're still close enough to get there for the symphony or museums, etc. Best of both worlds.

This is some of the prettiest country on the planet. There are hills and mountains, some bare save for a scattering of black or live oak, some cloaked in coastal redwoods. The ocean is never farther than an hour away.

The weather is pretty fantastic. Never gets really hot and never really cold. From April to October we get no rain at all, just six solid months of perfect days. For the second six months we get enough rain for things to grow.

John

Believe it or not, the weather is a good point here. I live in Denver, CO- not the "weather destination" of your dreams. But the sun shines here all the time. Much better than the gray mid-west winters I grew up with.

Second, the cost of living. Again, not the lowest in the world, but that's because a lot of people want to live here. But I moved here from Northern California and after that it seems pretty good.

Lots of stuff to do here. The mountains are great.

Healthy lifestyle. I joke that if you don't record enough miles in your running log they kick you out of my neighborhood. Not the worst thing to have around. It motivates you to go do what you need to do when there's a non stop string of runners going by your front yard. Shoot, I have three miles to do today. We have decent food in the stores too. Whole Foods is everywhere, but some more affordable alternatives too. Even the Safeway has to carry decent stuff to be competitive. It's a bit of a health nut haven even more so than Nor-Cal.

Economy has held up very well through this last mess. Not that it got Gov. Ritter anywhere. Oh well.

And here in Denver, it's a pretty liberal place, but not over the top like Berkeley was. I understand Boulder is kind of like Berkeley and a nice place from what I hear, but I like Denver. Reasonable liberals who haven't lost touch with the blue collar roots our party once had. Ken Salazar is a great example of a real, smart, main stream Colorado Democrat.

Like the San Francisco area, you're constantly running into beauty. It's everywhere. You can't leave your house without seeing something amazing. Just the mountains are breathtaking. But there is so much more. The streams and rivers, meadows, parks in the city- they plant huge flower gardens every spring in the big parks. It's pretty amazing.

This where my job is.

It's very close to the Atlantic Ocean.

I have a Sister who lives here, and I promised my parents, years ago, that I would stay here and "Keep an eye on her.". Seems kind of silly, but..............

As I've lived in the same house for twenty years, the payments are much lower than they would be if I moved and bought a new place.

I also actually like the diversity. I don't know why, really. But when I go to Ohio and visit relatives in Newton Falls, which is about as un-diverse as it gets, it just feels kind of creepy----everyone is the same. Boring as Hell.

There's LOTS to do here. Concerts, car shows, air shows, thrift stores and flea markets brimming with bin after bin of vinyl, festivals of all sorts and we still actually have some "Brick and Mortar" Audio shops believe it or not.

So, I thnk I'll stay.

Or, I could go back to Newton Falls, apply for foodstamps, rent a trailer, subsidize my welfare check by selling dope, and sit in the "Chit Chat Lounge" slowly drinking myself to death. At least it's 98.9% white and wouldn't have to look at a bunch of..................uh, naw think I'll stay here.

Dave

Very nice, Rob! Howard County has some beautiful spots. My cousin Dave lives quite near to you I think.

John

I am very fortunate to be surround by some pretty good friends. Unfortunately were all in Michigan. Not much else "good" I can say about it.

We are just off RR97 (Georgia Ave) three miles north of Sunshine.:D

Where I live the only thing protecting Democrats are the game laws, flaming hotbed of Republicans. Florence was a widow when we met, her late husband had convinced everyone he got her to switch parties and become a Republican (She has voted Democrat all her life and was registered as one, still is). Stupid RNC has her on their mailing list and three letters have not changed that, always knew Republicans can't read.

Yeah, Detroit is my birth city. I was born there at the height of its industrial and social power, right at the end of WWII. It makes me so sad to think of it now.

John

Sorry to say but now its one of the worse cesspools I have ever had the displeasure of being in.

I avoid it like the plague !

Weathers not the reason to move here. Hot for 9 months of the year. In town you get a lot of humidity from the artificially induced landscape.

If you like Cactii its not bad though.

Northern AZ is quite nice in the White Mountains area and reminds me a lot of the area of Colorado where I grew up.

As to the OP's question what do I like best. I've made a pretty good living here and the golf isn't half bad.

Yup! All of HoCo was like that until Jim Rouse got ahold of it. ;)

That's the way they roll, baby!

John

I live in West Georgia, same house since 1990, same area since the mid sixties
Not really any breathtaking scenery around here but if you hike into the
wilderness, one can find beauty. Added on in 2001 and did much of the work
myself. I went from an 880 sq foot cabin to a 2010 sq foot monster with a
huge two car garage, attic space, dedicated listening room, huge kitchen,
sunroom, large master suite with two walk in closets with his and her baths,
sunroom, large back deck on 5.6 acres. It would be hard to walk away.
The weather, well it's very unpredictable. Some winters like this one are cold
and miserable and others are mild. The summers are always hot and steamy.
It may rain for 6 months and not rain for 2 years, you just never know.
It's 6 miles into town and the nearest store. No fancy eating places unless
you like bbq. Hotlanta is less than an hours drive and one can find about
anything there. I usually harvest 2-3 deer a year and the processor is 5
minutes from the hunting land. If I want fish, I have a small pond in the back
I built a few years ago. I have 6 hens and 2 roosters that free range during
the day. Been getting about 4 brown organic eggs a day. There are no
wineries around but I just started making my own beer. If I want some good
sausage I can make it myself. I raise tomatoes and other vegetables and we
put up gallons of tomatoes and about 30 quarts of pickles and peppers last
summer. A lot of folks around here are somewhat self sufficient and it's hard
to find anyone that claims to be a democrat, maybe there is something to
that? 30 years ago it was the other way around.

It's been a really tough run for a while up there. Depressing to see some of the pictures of what parts of Detroit have turned into. I'm afraid it's going to be a long time before things get any better.

I know I am different than most but I have always liked tough industrial smoke stack areas.
The old mills and grit around them have always suited me just fine.
A few blocks from the palatially restored row houses of the urban areas has always made me feel at home.

I lived in a couple cities where I went to the "borderline" (at best) area to live.
Restored the property and had had all the amenities of a gentrified area well within walking distance.

Can't afford to live in some of the places I used to live inspire of making a much better living.

I had always though highly of the Rouse Company projects of the 80's.

It does not show in the picture but behind the house is the kitchen garden where we grow tomatoes, bell peppers, zuchinni and cukes.There are two freezers in the basement full of tomato sauce, cut up peppers. Cukes and zuchinni don't freeze all that well so we end up giving away the surplus. Farm territory but you can't keep farm animals in this small section. That was how we got the land, she thought she was going to be able to keep horses. Still working on snap beans from two years back, guess I will have to put some in this year. Got bunches of jalopenas in there too since the Tabasco Kid likes her food hot.

We sort of have a tie to Georgia as the calcite (rock) in our acid neutralizer comes from Georgia.

Sounds like a nice life.
Reminders me of visiting my grandparents during the summer.

I live about 20 minutes from Rob, but in Montgomery County, not Howard County. We jokingly refer to Damascus as the West Virginia of Montgomery County. One of the nicest aspects of living here is the rural lifestyle, combined with easy access (on weekends, anyway) to DC, Baltimore and Frederick as well as 3 airports. I have enough land and woods around me that I bowhunt right behind my house and grow lots of good veggies. As much as many here dislike some (or all) aspects of DC, it has a lot going on (much of which is free) and is culturally diverse - lots of good ethnic restaurants of all types. Luckily, I don't have to suffer through DC traffic much as I work 10 minutes away from where I live without the need to drive on the Interstate.

Another good thing is that there's a really good audio tech down the road a bit who's pretty handy with a soldering iron.:D

Gee, who might that be?? :confused:;)

John

There was a time when you might have liked Detroit a great deal but that time is no more.

John

I am less than an hour from Bethel Woods (site of the Woodstock concert) and the town of Woodstock (artists community) where Levon Helm plays in his home/auditorium most weeks.

Still, for retirement I might just find me a small city to settle in.
I kinda like Albany very affordable in the city proper and all the conveyances of both the suburbs and city.

Super nice spread Merrylander. I see lots of potential garden spots. Is that a
greenhouse out back or solar panels on a shed? I would love to have my place
manicured like that but two kids keep me inside when I'm not at work.

Being born and raised in the heart of a big city, I love city life, other then the people :)

I always end up either in a downtown area or the sticks. I love things about both but the 'burbs don't do a thing for me.

John

Same here.

I never liked the burbs. I just don't get their allure.

I live in Ohio on 2 acres out in the country where its peace and quiet, great neighbors and no crime or drama. It can be a little slow from time to time but its very relaxing and I am one hour away from Pitts and Cleve so fun is not far away. I grew up in Cleve burbs and dont think I could go back full time but love to vist, go to concerts and events.
I made it to see Cleve Orchestra a few times this year, a couple Operas and some Jazz also. My next big event is Govt Mule Feb 2 at House of Blues and I am friends with Devon Allman (Gregs son and leader of band HoneyTribe) and looks like I am gonna get to meet Warren and the gang from Mule. Thats gonna be a great show!
Lake Erie is great for fishing and boating, other than winter its a great area to be in.

A few pics from back in the spring, this is how the poor folks live.
http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/s...g/DSC02347.jpg
http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/s...g/DSC02349.jpg
http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/DSC02265.jpg
http://i568.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/DSC02266.jpg

Jim Rouse was a visionary. He did some really good and ambitious stuff. In you're neck of the woods he did South Street Seaport and he also did Fanueil Hall in Boston and Harbor Place in Baltimore. All really good projects.

Before any of that, around 1970 I think, he undertook the building of an entire city from the ground up. It's Columbia, located in Rob's Howard County, Maryland.

Rouse bought up something like 15 - 20% of the whole county, using straw buyers picking up a parcel here and a parcel there so as not to drive the price up. Then he set about building his city, complete with housing at all levels of affordability, businesses of all kinds and even an industrial base. (GE's appliance division and Head Ski & Sportswear are examples.)

It worked and it didn't. Columbia, last I heard, was a good place to live but funny stuff happens when you add people into the mix. Rouse's idea of having a city where people both lived and worked fell victim to reality. People living in Columbia tended to work in DC or Baltimore and the factories and businesses tended to draw their workers from outside.

John

We keep the garden close to the house because of the white tailed lawn rats, an 18HP tractor with a 60" deck keeps the grass under control and yes that is a greenhouse, sort of styled like a New England salt box. We also have a Dutch barn down behind that grove of trees behind the house. There is something in the grove that looks like Ayers Rock in Australia so they never farmed that bit. Biggest darned rock I have ever seen. Got the barn from the Amish and keep garden tools and other stuff in it along with the golf cart. That sounds funny but with a drop of 50 feet front to back hiking around here can get to you.

Jack those pics look great!

Looks great, Jack!

John

We lived in Columbia when I first came down, the street names there will make you chuckle.

Yeah, Rouse hired "The Name Lady" to name all those streets. One person was responsible for all that.

One of my faves is Pale Orchis Court. Orchis can mean either "orchid" or "testicle". ;)

Columbia was the first place I moved to after I got out of the Army. It was still quite young at the time and it was interesting to watch it grow.

John

Jack, that does look like a peaceful place. It kind of reminds me of a place my brother has in southern Missouri (Which provides the venue for the vast majority of adult beverages I have consumed in the last few years.) But I can be sure that poor folks cant afford all of the lumber that you have incorporated into your porch and landscaping. I'm sure it has a lot of sweat equity in it too. I expect that you would agree that as long as a man has skills like that, he might occasionally be broke, but he is not poor.

Regards,


D-Ray

Good stuff, not so different from myself.
How is this for a city kid and his daughter?

The pond shot is the view from my front porch, the field is my side yard.

Pretty darned nice, Noone. Around 1830?

John

I dunno, but if he lived closer to me, I could certainly keep him busy.
I've got this HK Citation Seventeen.....................................

Dave

An hour from Cleve and Pitt? Sounds like my old stomping grounds.

Dave

Holy Cow, you guys have some nice spreads!
Makes me too embarrassed to post any pics.

Dave

1930 depression era farmhouse

The extension is only a few years old.