Do you love it where you live?

[Blazer]

Born in Birmingham

Born in Birmingham

I was born in Birmingham, Alabama (.9 mil ppl) on the wrong side of the tracks. I grew up on the East-side of town in the not-so-rich suburb. We lived on a busy road where I could see a movie theater, two gas stations and an Arby's from my front porch. I would never live in such a congested area and raise my children. <P>

Today, I have re-located to Nashville, Tenn. I live on a lake 14 min. from downtown. I believe this is ideal. My lake has an ordance that one cannot build 300 yards from the water and the area must be natural. The land is actually owned by the Marines. My home is 330 (area + backyard) from the water and the waterfront area serves me and my dog as our own national state park. We walk to the water at least once a week and hang out, throw balls, chase ducks..... <P>
To answer your question about planned developement. I would position my ideal subdivision just like mine. Close to the action of the city (14min) yet far away to see the stars clearly. When we were looking at homes this was important. Oddly enough schools were not a concern. I am not a believer in public schooling and I will put my children in private schools. <P>
Nashville (1.4mil ppl) is wonderful. There is so much to do. Titans, Predators, tons of events and music (of all kinds) everywhere. The climate is nice and there are distinct seasons where you get nice summers of 80 and winters with mild snow. Also, we do not have a State income tax so we get more money per paycheck.<P>

If I had capital, I believe there is a market for investment in downtown. There is a growing cosmopolitan community in Nashville. This is made up of people in the biz (music) and businesspeople who do not want the residentual life. Crime is not even an issue here and there are many downtown buildings for sale that would be excellent loft sites.<P>

Good Luck I hope this helps.

 

[Mickey's Picks]

Thanks very much to those of you who responded, I very much appreciate your input and time (each and every one of you). Wish though that more of those who read the post would take the time to reply as it would really help. A couple of you didn't mention where you lived though in your reply (djv).

Funny about some of the Cincy comments. I lived in Youngstown, Ohio and spent a spell in Akron and if Cincy is worse than those places I'd hate to have to experience it. Also I use to rendevous in Toledo with a young filly on the weekends as it was half-way between Youngstown where she lived and Chicago where I moved. Don't know much about the town but the hotels were nice.

I worked for the Edward DeBartolo Corporation in Youngstown during their heyday when they were world champs in football and hockey with the Pittsburgh Penquins which they also owned. One year after they won the superbowl they brought the studs around to tour the Corporate offices. Montana, Rice, Craig and all were there and instead of letting us common folk mingle with them and get autographs we were all told to "not bother" these important gents and we were forbidden to even say hi to them. Needless to say I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them get thrashed yesterday.

 

[Eddie Haskell]

Mickey:

You worked for Eddie D? I didnt know you were in the mob.

Eddie H.

 

[AR182]

Skeeter1,

What part of town do you live ?

 

[hellah10]

Don't know much about the town but the hotels were nice.

:hail :jump: :Yep: dance1 :slomo

 

[freelancc]

Ventura is a great place... i loved surfing there.!! and still eyeing a potential move there... Certainly very low-key for a calif. coastal town... (only downside.. very close to Oxnard the Heroin capital of California..)

 

[twofingers]

Live in Upstate NY, 20 minutes south of Rochester. Small community (2000), heart of the Finger Lakes. Been within 50 miles my whole life. Never really considered living anywhere else.

The Good:

Excellent recreation opportunities. If you like fishing, hunting, skiing, golfing, camping, hiking, etc then this is paradise. Golf here is exceptional. We have to have the most golf courses in a fifty mile radius of anywhere. Because of competition, green fees are very low ( $20 for 18 and a cart on a nice course on weekdays), no problem ever getting a tee time, and high quality courses.

Great Sports area - While Rochester is not a major league city, it does have excellent minor league sports. Baseball ( Red Wings), Hockey ( Amerks), Pro lacrosse ( Nighthawks ), Pro Soccer (Rhinos) and arena football. Reasonably priced. Sport opportunites for kids are great.

Affordable housing - 100,000 can get 2000 sq feet with some land. Lots of open space

Traffic - There is none. Even going into Rochester is usually a breeze. Easy access to Buffalo and Syracuse ( one hour each way).

Schools - Public education outside of the cities is excellent. Lots of Div III schools in Rochester, SUNY system is great.

Crime - I live 20 minutes south of Rochester and I never worry about my doors being locked, my keys left in the car, golf clubs left in back of truck in plain view. Very quiet community.


Not So Good:

Taxes are high. We get good services but we pay for them. If we made NYC the 51st state we would be sitting pretty tax wise.

Jobs - Area has taken a turn for the worse lately. Kodak and Xerox have both had significant cuts in jobs and state taxes keep many new businesses away.

Weather - You get to see all the seasons in their spledour. Winters can be cold and nasty and long. Golf season usually runs May to October 15. Last winter it was mild and I played March to December but that is the exception. Summers are short but beautiful. Avg 78 degrees, little humidty, in the 90's a week or two. Fall is amazing and some of the prettiest golf around. Most courses are pretty wooded so make for nice scenery. Only problem is that it can be British Open conditions alot that time of the year.

No Division I schools - Syracuse is the closest. St Bonaventure is 2 hours away, Buffalo is an hour away.

Casinos - Closest casinos are 2 hours away which is not a bad thing IMHO.

State Politics - They suck. Upsate is strong republican, downsate democrat. lots of fighing in the Legislatore and little gets done. We have not passed a state budget on time in 20+ years, Pataki is a career politician and does nothing. High tax rate kills business. Many moving to other states. State tax is highest in county I bet.

Nightlife - There is none outside of Rochester and Rochester ain't so hot.

 

[Valuist]

I have to travel to Cincinnati several times a year and it does seem very right wing. The infrastructure seems outdated and there also seem to be a very high % of overweight women. I used to think Milwaukee had a lot of fat people. Not compared to Cincinnati. I see Houston and Chicago were 1-2 in terms of "fattest cities". Whoever did that survey has never been to Cincinnati.

 

[beckster311]

bjfinste

bjfinste

If you hate it so bad here in SD why don't you move???
Some of us do love it here in South Dakota...Wide open spaces...hunting....fishing....clean air....safe....cheap....don't have to see anyone if you don't want to...

 

[JT]

Oxnard is such a wonderful town, lol. No speaka espanol.

 

[Mickey's Picks]

A couple of questions/comments for those of you that responded:

freelanncc - I'm also considering land in Oregon. Heard a lot of nice things about the Bend area. Any other areas to recommend?

yyz - I can understand where you're coming from regarding the "laziness". When I moved to Youngstown one of my only consolations was that I could take the turnpike and get to Pittsburgh in less than a hour. Heck the first weekend I moved to Youngstown I went to Pittsburgh. Now just about everyone I met in Youngstown was born and raised (and will die) there which is what it is but many that I knew there had never even once been to Pittsburgh!! I just cannot understand that mentality. Question for you is what do you think could motivate a person like you to make a move?

dawgball - Anything you can add about your number two place Henderson, KY? Have considered Kentucky because of its location but don't know much about the state or the towns.

marine - Your moving history sounds a lot like mine. Thanks for the personal preference info. I spent a lot of time traveling through a lot of towns in Pennsylvania while I was in Youngstown (I was born in PA but don't remember much about it). The trouble though with a lot of these nice areas is that the land values start to creep. I'm looking for substantial acreage (several hundred acres). Any feel for availablity and cost in State College or surrounding areas?

AR182 - Any knowledge of large undevloped land tracts? Is there a residential building boom ongoing or is the area still an unknown treasure? Makes a huge difference in land values.

SKEETER1 - Any other insight you could provide regarding Scottsdale?

Blazer - Thanks for the valuable input. I have focused on Tennessee as a possible site due to location and tax free status. Any feel for availability and cost of large undeveloped parcels? Is residential development hot and heavy? Where is the residential building migration (north south east west) heading? Any master planned communities in the area?

Eddie H - I'm Italian. Of course I'm in the mob. We all are.

twofingers - Thanks for the thorough and informative post.

Thanks again to all that responded.

 

[freelancc]

funny you mention BEND.. i have a friend there who loves the places.. he goes snow skiing regularly..in the winter and canoeing the rapids in the summer...

It is just starting to be developed.. I hope to stop up and see him in March...and see what land is available..

The Portland area.. is nice. and Medford too.

But i think BEND is the diamond in the rough. but it is a very small town.

 

[no pepper]

My job is constant travel coast to coast. Usually visit companies in rural towns. Places where there?s still a town square and you park diagonally. You can eat the breakfast of kings for under five bucks and the menu doesn?t bother with pictures of the food. Places with the old clicker bowling machines in the tavern. Real dartboards and some old hosequeen sitting at the end of the bar smoking 120s and laughing like a crow.

These towns are everywhere in between and most of them will bore you to pieces. Sure there?s beauty with the wraparound porches and Fourth of July festivities. Everyone follows the 2A girls basketball team at State. You can find a kind of innocence there, good place to raise kids and shield them from some of the urban horror for awhile. But once they turn 15-16 you?re screwed.

You walk into Caseys again and that smell alone reminds you of the absence of choice. The library is the size of a photo lab and the neighbors are always watching everything. Maybe you find favorable environs at the next tier population-wise; here are some of my favorites:

Yelm/Ellensburg, Washington ? People are the finest, especially Ellensburg. Hunting and fishing mecca. Close enough to Seattle, ski slopes. Little casinos are available, no annoying billboards. Ellensburg has a college and a world-renowned rodeo. Plan on getting hooked on weird, expensive coffee-type drinks or you won?t fit in.

Corvalis, Oregon ? Kind of an earthy population with OSU there. Lots of piercings and such. Plus you?ve got a constant wave of former-Californians migrating north until they run out of cash somewhere near Corvalis. But it?s real nice there. You can drive through Philomath and out to the ocean where blackjack goes on in the sports bars. Anyone off the street can walk in and be the dealer. But you can?t pump your own gas there. No self service and if you hop out and try to get it started they will yell at you.

Portland, Maine ? So clean you can eat off the shoulder of I-70. Downtown is interesting since it?s basically a cobblestone place for the fishermen to drink all afternoon, yet all these trendy bars and restaurants cater to the tourists. Bangor is even cleaner. But once you get there you have gone too far.

Brooksville, FL ? Rural affluence. Florida ranch country. Classic cars, Allman Brothers. Japanese owned golf course is a floral wonder.

Port St. Joe, FL ? If it wasn?t for the paper mill this place would really rock. Good town for a walk. Hit the newsstand and read the sports at the downtown diner. Gorgeous waitresses and free dessert.

Columbia, Missouri ? low crime, low unemployment, nice real estate value, beautiful coeds everywhere. Besides Mizzou there are two other colleges. Good public schools and efficient cost of living. Greek guys at the pizza shops will set you up. Also, new casino on the Missouri river just 15 minutes away. Just past the wineries.

Green Bay, Wisconsin ? People groan about the cold. When you worry and bitch about the cold and snow it?s time to move or die. GB is worth the shiver. People are genuine. Titletown, man, what else do you need? Oh yeah, they have little TV screens built into the gas pumps by the airport.

LaCrosse, Wisconsin ? Much like GB but instead of the Fox River you have the Mississippi at its best. The bluffs are breathtaking (nice drive down to Prairie Du Chien where there is a tiny gambling boat.) I think the Saints hold their camp in LaCrosse. The best asset is bars per capita. They are in the Guiness book for number of taverns. Its unbelievable. No wonder everybody is so nice.

BIGGER:
Cleveland ? Yes, Cleveland. The people are such sports freaks I couldn?t believe it. The neighborhood bars make life feel kind of cinematic or something. Not sure what it is. They have Indians flags flying everywhere year-round. Guys there would help you out if you needed it. Never made it to the R&R Hall of Fame or The Flats but my time in Lorain was well spent.

St. Louis ? Hey this place is the best and that?s why I?m here.

I could go on and on?Your perfect town doesn?t need the Macaroni Grill or Chuckie Cheese. Maybe the family-owned places are better, Stephaninos, Alices, El Maguay. You go to the Dairy Kween, and there?s a 10-stall lighted car wash where all the coin operated machinery works. There might be a gentlemens club on the edge of town (near the semi-private country club, where green fees are thrifty and there?s always a card game in the back room.) Most importantly, a place where you?re safe, where you can crawl between the sheets and watch your TV with all the lights out. Your friends and family are nearby. A place where those mean guys back in New York will never think to look.

Like John Updike once wrote, ?Wherever you go, you?re still you.?

 

[bjfinste]

Beckster- If you like it here, then more power to you. But its just not me, and I'm only here because of work. Trust me, its a temporary thing. Look at the things you listed as positives (which I have no doubt mean a lot to you):
Wide open spaces- a major negative to me
hunting- don't care
fishing- don't care
clean air- overrated in my opinion
safe/cheap- Now you're talking. I had a buddy from Chicago out here last weekend and he couldn't believe I didn't lock the door when I went to the store. My rent is about half, if not less, of what it would've been in Wisconsin. But one thing I must say is that the "no state income tax" is overrated, because the sales tax is higher with there generally being a city tax, and I think over the long haul it makes no difference.

I am just a fan of the city, and there aren't any here. I'm 24 and I'm used to what I'm used to. I've gone from hoping the Packers make the Super Bowl and wondering if the Badgers can win the Big 10 in football and hoops to wondering if the Mitchell girls' team can beat Roosevelt or O'Gorman. And while it would be cool if that happens, its simply not the same.

 

[beckster311]

Sorry about that there bjfinste....Girls basketball in SD, not sure if there is a more depressing statement that could be made. Guess I just have the ol' country boy attitude. Anyway, hope you make the best of it while you're here.

 

[Chanman]

Sorry to intrude, but had to respond to 'NO PEPPER.' XLNT post, especially your choice of words. About LaCrosse, I grew up in IA and still remember the sojourns to LaCrosse and the bars downtown- good times for a teenager back then. Let us not forget about their Mardi Gras of the north- OctoberFest!
Old Style=

 

[marine]

Mickey,
I couldnt tell you prices on lots out here, but there are plenty of areas to build. Just driving around the other day i saw two new residential areas being built. Maybe on the size of like 100 homes in the area.
Also a new condo-plex being built.
There is plenty of open land up here to build on and in good distance to the downtown area (if you could call it that) of state college.
I would think it would be worth a real good look at it, but i have no idea where to look into the prices and things.
Talking with some people around here, I can gather that the rrrrreally nice 3 bedroom 2000 sq ft homes are selling at about 170k

 

[Stewy]

St. Louis

St. Louis

St. Louis is nothing special, the people there drive like idiots. I damn near got killed driving through I-70 during rush hour. They have what is possibly the worst ghetto in the country or one of the top. Just ask Brian Cox, highschool football field up in weeds with dead bodies in it. Hell, I was at the Greyhound station for 45 minutes and felt like I was gonna get mugged. I was once in East St. Louis and saw people pissing out on the streets. Sure St. Louis has it's finer points like every other city but it's nothing special.

 

[no pepper]

You know, you are right. St. Louis does suck! I work in an area they call a "smart community". There isn't even a Taco Bell or a gas station anywhere near here. The people do drive like idiots. The bus station is rank and there are too many murders on the east side, south side and north side. I am lucky to be alive, typing this. Guess it's putting up with the bad when there's enough good to offset it. I might just haul my wanderin' ass over to Troost or Minnesota Av and set up there.

 

[hellah10]

East St Lou SUCKS

dont stick up for East St Lou....cuz you know as well I do, da E Lou is trash