Why do you live where you do? Would you live anywhere else? What are some of the things about your area that make you happy to be alive? Experiences? Photos?
I thought about it and simply found that it should....be all those things about my area. So I don't diversify.
I really like having the city, beach, desert and mountains within a drive. What I dislike is the cost of living. It was once very affordable, but now retirement here seems impossible.
I'm a few hours drive to the sea, a few hours drive to the mountains, it rarely snows here but when it does it isn't to much but just enough to make everything turn a beautiful white. We have 3 lakes around me which their are boat rentals, I'm only an hour away from a major airport so when I want to travel I'm very close, the taxes are low, the streets are nice without to many potholes, there are plenty of places to eat, my doctors are all within a half hour drive and the hospital is about the same distance. My neighborhood is quiet and very laid back with mostly blue collar workers. It is a nice place to hang my hat. I'm alive and that's about as good as it gets for the other way I wouldn't be able to enjoy all of the beauty I see around me. How about you, why not post answers about yourself?
I live in Portland Oregon--60 miles to the coast and 60 miles to the mountains. I like that it is on a river. I like the culture here. Very environmentally conscious. Very progressive. Great public transportation. The live music scene is very eclectic and cutting edge. They show artsy and independent films at many arthouse cinemas that serve beer and wine and pizza. The food scene is exemplary. Food carts are the big thing here, which I like since I don't like sitting in restaurants. We have lots of rain in winter, but it only makes the sunshine that more special. Not much snow, which is good for driving. Portland prides itself in its weirdness and free spirits. Tolerance for quirkiness and diversity is at the max. Festivals galore and concerts and lectures. I love my town! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I like the 4 seasons and the 'real' winters. I like the hills and the large amount of wildlife in the area. I particularly like that there are no UFOs here, they can be such a bother.
I live on the coast in Sydney with a beautiful surfing beach at my door step, yet still within an hour and a half's drive to the stunning Royal National Park and about the same distance to the Stunning Blue Mountains. Live anywhere else? I also have a home in Fiji and could consider living there once the better half retires. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Dude! We're neighbors! I haven't been anywhere much lately (not even in town). Yet Oregon does have a character all its own. What's your take on the "Art Tax"?
Heh - so do I. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! ON is just 20 minutes West of me. I gotta guess the 'river' is the Thames. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! When I was a puppy I dated Sarnia girls, had friends at U of W, sold art in Ontario...still do. My mom taught at U of Western Ontario in London. My third 1 man show was in Gadatsy gallery on Yonge St in Yorkville (TO). For the last 25 years I have been painting a series of oils on canvas based on Superior shore landscapes around Wawa (N shore Lake Superior between Sioux Ste Marie and Thunder Bay) I enjoy ready access to the Great Lakes and the surrounding natural areas. Upstate NY is an easy 2 day drive (I don't go very fast any more) as is the N shore of Lake Superior. London is a couple of hours away and Toronto is a bit further. So is the Bruce Peninsula and the greater Bancroft area - "the Rock Hounds Paradise". I have a variety of back country trails nearby and the local nature preserve is less than 1/4 mile from my back door.
Low taxes..warm weather,gets cold in winter but not as bad like Alberta where I was living,besides I like four seasons and some snow too.. Bought a house for 75g few years back now you cant find anything in good location for less then 120..dam specualtors buy everything and drive prices up.. Im in Windsor Ontario.. Was thinking about building small new house some day but damn city or goverment charges builders development fee even before one aplies for building permit,which could add up to 10 grand cost on top of permits.. Whats even worse is realtors trying to sell building lots want the Buyer to search and pay to find out what services ie water hydro etc are available near the lots they are trying to sell,,how fng idiotic is that!? If they want to sell a lot they should make sure its approved to build on,,dam cheap bastids.. Other then that everythings kewl..lol
<----- lives in Iowa, on the Iowa river North of Iowa City( where my beloved spouse is the only full professor in her department), on land first settled by Alonzo Denison in 1838. Off my back yard are thousands of wooded acres of government land(your land if you are a us citizen), and the river (where I set trotlines for catfish). We can canoe, or kayak down along some 30 ft high devonian and silurian cliffs just down river. The land above those cliffs has never been farmed, but was timbered out a century ago. Nice hiking through the tall trees there. The deer come right up into the backyard so I can shoot them from the deck of my 2nd floor studio.(darned convenient). In the average year, I can get 150-200 lbs. of venison for the cost of 3 bullets. Mostly, I like it here because this is where my family lives.
I regularly travel to Philippines, Dubai and US. When I'm in the Philippines I enjoy going to the local market because the food is really cheap. When I'm in Dubai, I love to shop for stuff that I don't find in the Philippines and most of the time they're having huge sale. What I love about Chicago is the weather especially when it's summer in Ph and UAE...I swear you wouldn't like it.
My wife and I live on a two-acre lot about half a mile from the Baltimore city line. It's a lovely place with lots of trees, and since it came with the former owner's gigantic mower, it's not a lot of work to take care of. One of the things we like a lot is the large bird population. She has feeders everywhere and has to refill them rather often. Being from the West Coast, I don't know the names of most of the myriad bird species who live here, but I do recognize cardinals and several other common species. One of the most wonderful things that we happened to see one day was two eagles in the yard. Obviously they had found a dead animal of some kind and were keeping the place clean and sanitary for us. There are lots of eagles nesting along the Potomac River, several miles south of here, but they range far and wide and most people appreciate them for keeping the place clean. But don't take your lunch to a park. They're waiting for you and will joyfully fly off with your hamburger. Don't try to argue with them: that beak will give you a week-long headache.
