Why are you where you are?

[knightfan26917]

As I've traveled, I've often wondered why people decide to live and work in the towns/cities in which they live/work.

Mostly, I think about this in terms of the small "mom and pop" type stores or shops or service centers that cater to only a small geographical region. Of course, with the internet, in most cases, those same businesses can reach farther than ever before. Yet, I wonder what brought them to set up a brick'n'mortar business and home in the location they have chosen.

Was the decision made because of the location of family? The location of friends?

Or, was it the cost of living? The cost of doing business?

Or, was it due to a particular opportunity?

And, given how much I love to travel, I've wondered if people ever think/dream about moving around from town to town every so often.

For those that HAVE moved around a lot ... or travel a lot ... I've wondered if they've ever thought about "settling down" somewhere in particular.

*shrugs*

Or, perhaps I'm odd enough to wonder about these things ... he he.

Heh ... I'm not even sure I can answer any of those questions for myself ... but, what about you ... why do you live and work where you do?

Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker

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[balthazar]

Born & raised here, family & friends are still here, but without a doubt the taxes will drive me over the border within 10 years. Traveled some over the years, but this section of the U.S. just fits me: I could live in PA or NYS vs. what I've seen elsewhere (MD, DE, MI, FL, VT).

[trinacriabob]

Oh well, don't get me started!

I always thought I would end up in a suburban business center of LA, where I grew up (specifically Woodland Hills or Calabasas). Well, what happened to prices between 1999 and 2005 was not foreseen. I have also always fancied Walnut Creek (East Bay 'burb of SF, connected to the city by BART). Same story. When I moved back down South from Seattle, this had already occurred and, strangely, the firms that interviewed me in northern CA/inland were more professional than some mega-firms in either LA or SF ....so what's going through my head is: Flaky firm + big mortgage or rent does not add. So, that's it.

I am done with an evening masters in about 6 weeks. I am thinking about going back to ATL or to Florida ... or remaining in North Central CA. Not sure yet.

Bottom line: I should have moved to O.C. or the East Bay in the mid-1990s.

[CARBIZ]

Born in Toronto, moved to Vancouver when I was 6 (my mother was dodging my father), moved back to just north of Toronto when I was 10. I went to 13 schools and highschool - yes, I did count them one day. Kinda makes me wonder if I'd be CEO of a company if my family had had it more together.

Ran my own video stores north of Toronto for 11 years. Anybody remember National Video? They had 1,000 locations when Wayne Huizenga was still hauling garbage (he founded Blockbuster), but most of the stores didn't make it during the transition to "super stores" in the late '80s. I did very well, but I hated small town politics and an evil twist of fate screwed me out of my own company, then I ended back in Toronto and eventually in the car business.

My partner is Brazilian and I would love to move to Brazil. Maybe we could retire there. The Canadian $ is nearly double, so a pension would go far. Great weather (well, ANYWHERE has better weather than Southern Ontario), great people and a country that is going places, I think.

I definitely won't be staying in Toronto for very much longer. This city is falling apart. It will get ugly here in another 5-10 years, mark my words.

[ehaase]

My parents moved to Mississippi when I was 19. We had lived in Virginia and North Carolina previously. When I graduated from college at age 22, I got a job with the federal government in Daytona Beach, Florida. I requested a hardship transfer to Mississippi when I was 29 because of my father's declining health, although I hated to leave Daytona. Since then, both parents have died. Although Mississippi is not my cup of tea by a long shot, I stayed here because my career with the government has done well here and because the cost of living and the traffic in the areas I prefer (either the east or west coasts) are much worse.

[Robert Hall]

Born in Eastern Ohio, about a 1 1/2 hrs from Pittsburgh. Grew up between there and the Florida Keys. Went to college in NE Ohio, grad school in Ann Arbor, Michigan, moved to Chicago after grad school then from there to Colorado Springs, Co and from there to Denver, Co with some time in Phoenix, Arizona.

I came to Colorado for the climate, the outdoors, and the job market (which was very strong in the late '90s, less so today). I like it here it quite a bit, lots of friends here. I like a big city/suburban environment--I couldn't live in a small town or rural area (my folks loved rural, which is how I lived as a kid)...I want my Target, Starbucks, Borders, etc within a 10-15 min drive. A mild climate, a major airport within a 1/2 hr drive (I prefer direct flights) are important to me. I enjoyed living in Chicago quite a bit, have many friends there...but the brutal winters and sticky summers (worse that Michigan) were a turn-off.

I've almost moved to the south SF Bay Area (San Jose/Sunnyvale) a couple of times---I worked there and traveled back and forth for a while, and while there are still plenty of job opportunities in my field there even after the tech bubble burst, the insane cost of living is a turn off. I also like LA, OC, and San Diego quite a bit..I try and take at least one vacation a year to So Cal. I have thought about Miami or the Ft. Lauderdale area...I like the east coast of S. Florida, though I'm not enthusiastic about hurricanes and humidity. I have thought about moving to Arizona since I have family there and don't mind the heat (I love the winters there and can tolerate the summers). But the job market isn't as solid overall there compared to Denver/Boulder, as far as I can tell..

At some point in my life, I'd like to live close to a beach again...living on the ocean in the Fl Keys for 6 years as a teenager was pretty special.

Edited April 1, 2007 by moltar

[zhawk]

My family lived in this area before I joined the Air Force.

Although they moved out of here while I was on active duty and I moved to the area that they lived in after leaving the service, I moved back here after getting my Air Force Civil Service job.

My wife and I chose this area because we both went to school here and thought it would be a good place to raise our children. So far we were right.

It may rain a bunch in Washington but we've never let that stop us. We have lots of outdoor activities to go do, 2 mountain ranges, the Puget Sound, the Pacific Ocean, Seattle, Canada (or at least BC ). We have 2 1/4 mile drag strips very close by and 7 within 200 miles. The countryside here in Yelm is beautiful. OK, I am prejudiced. I love it here.

Although, if I had my choice and could find a job I could count on as much as my current one, I would love to move back up into the Skagit Valley, just south of Canada, north of Sedro Woolley would be perfect. Tammy, being from Alaska, talks every once in a while about returning to Fairbanks but a quick look at the weather report kills that idea.

[the_yellow_dart]

Born and raised in Southern Ontario. I love it here, and would only leave if there were no jobs for me here.

As for where I live in Southern Ontario, Toronto is the choice because mostly, commuting into Toronto is insane. I'd rather live here. Plus, I've bought rather than renting, so the surging housing prices here can only help me.

The surging housing prices also seem to be very good for my community. The rising prices mean gentrification of previously untouched areas is now possible. The taxes are bringing in more money than ever, and we're FINALLY starting to see some transit funding (hopefully with more to come). I really don't understand CARBIZ's comment about Toronto falling apart - I think it's looking more promising than ever. They've even got enough money to rebuild (and are rebuilding) Regent Park. Regent Park is Canada's biggest project. When the reconstruction is done they should be better connected to the community, to reduce the 'us vs them' mentality which is brought about by the current segregated nature of the Regent Park community.

Do I want to stay in Toronto all my life? Definitely not. I want a house some day, and there's no way I can afford one here. There's also no way I'm living in suburban hell, where everything revolves around the car. I don't want the car crisis that will come in 20 years to be my nightmare. When the oil runs out, I wish Mississauga, Oshawa, Brampton, etc all good luck, they're going to need it. Cities that stand on their own will fare much better. Toronto itself is the best example, but there are others around Southern Ontario, such as Ottawa, Kingston, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, and Windsor. I'd like to live in one of those cities some day. They seem about the right size for me.

[american_revolution_2005]

I have lived here in Orangeville all of my life. Parents moved down from North Bay to live in a small town that was quiet. However, it has grown a lot. Population close to 30,000 people and every restaurant and store possible has come here almost. Now we have a Best Western and everything. However, like Yellow_dart said, this town will fall apart. Probably about 50% of the community commutes to Toronto. Once a gas crisis happens, most people will lose their jobs unless they work here. However, the jobs aren't as big here.

[the_yellow_dart]

I have lived here in Orangeville all of my life. Parents moved down from North Bay to live in a small town that was quiet. However, it has grown a lot. Population close to 30,000 people and every restaurant and store possible has come here almost. Now we have a Best Western and everything. However, like Yellow_dart said, this town will fall apart. Probably about 50% of the community commutes to Toronto. Once a gas crisis happens, most people will lose their jobs unless they work here. However, the jobs aren't as big here.

I see what you mean, but I wasn't really referring to places as small as Orangeville when I said that. You can likely walk to the convenience or grocery store, right? Good luck doing that in some parts of Mississauga. The whole community was built with the assumption that absolutely EVERYONE must own a car.

[trinacriabob]

even after the tech bubble burst, the insane cost of living is a turn off. I also like LA, OC, and San Diego quite a bit..I try and take at least one vacation a year to So Cal. I have thought about Miami or the Ft. Lauderdale area...I like the east coast of S. Florida, though I'm not enthusiastic about hurricanes and humidity. I have thought about moving to Arizona since I have family there and don't mind the heat (I love the winters there and can tolerate the summers).

I don't know. I know people complain about humidity but 87 and very humid still feels a LITTLE milder than 110, no matter how dry. I know that North Central CA gets pretty hot during the day, but the "Delta Breeze" from Stockton / SF comes in and cools things down. Evenings can be wonderful. However, up north toward Chico or Redding, the evenings stay hotter due to less access to this breeze.

The other thing is that, in So. Fl., houses are built of concrete block in hurricane prone areas...I am wondering how much consolation that is...

[frogger]

I see what you mean, but I wasn't really referring to places as small as Orangeville when I said that. You can likely walk to the convenience or grocery store, right? Good luck doing that in some parts of Mississauga. The whole community was built with the assumption that absolutely EVERYONE must own a car.

Hmmm I walk to my main grocery store. Though its a T&T and not everyone could find what they want there. There are enough plazas around that the distance to one in Mississauga wouldn't be much different that distances you'll have to walk in residential areas of Toronto like North York, Etobicoke, Scarborough etc.

Transit in the GTA has gone nowhere in the last 15 years. Its all built on the assumption people commute to downtown Toronto. However job growth in downtown Toronto has been zero over the last 15 years, and its ballooned everywhere else.

I was born in Toronto and grew up in various parts of the Greater Toronto Area. I too love southern Ontario and the fact that my friends and family are almost all here is a huge plus. The ethnic diversity and amount of things to do here are huge pluses to me. My boss wants me to re-locate to the Raleigh, NC area where I spend about four weeks a year but I've managed to keep my job without having to do so thus far. Of the places I've visited or lived briefly I could see myself moving to some coastal cities like San Fran, San Diego, Boston or NYC if an excellent opportunity comes along. There are a few cities in Europe I would definitely consider relocating to for the same reason.

I don't think Toronto is about to go bad, though its certainly not the city it had the chance to become since it sold out its waterfront to condo development. I lived/worked there for 5 years but I find I prefer driving, living and working out in "the burbs" if you can still call Mississauga that at 700,000 people and a net importer of workers now.

[trinacriabob]

Kinda makes me wonder if I'd be CEO of a company if my family had had it more together.

Wow! Amazing that I have thought the same thing! My family is intact as a traditional immigrant nuclear Italian Catholic family. It doesn't mean they have it together and their penchant for high theatrics and drama certainly has brought about some inefficiencies in my life. Since 1996, I have been going back to Italy nearly every year as I finally decided as an adult "Hey, just go." Let me tell you, it has been a discovery trip(s). I am able to see all my first-cousins on BOTH sides, see how they were raised and see the family dynamics that I was previously unaware of. It's been like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. A lot of it is NOT good. As a result, each successive trip has been LESS family and MORE vacationing in new places in Portugal, Spain and Italy to spend less time with them. It's my Goddamn vacation that I wait 1 year for, after all!

[regfootball]

THINGS SURE ARE ROSIE HERE IN MN. OOPS DON'T DELETE THIS THREAD TOO.

[AAS]

Born in Mexico City (dad grew up there, mom grew up in LA). The family moved to LA when I was 3, so my sister and I could grow up in an Armenian community.

Aside from living in San Diego while I get my Ph.D., I've lived in LA county since 1983.

[AxelTheRed]

I lived the first four or five years of my life in Flint, but we moved out to Swartz Creek when our neighborhood started getting bad.

[ToniCipriani]

Waterloo, because the University of Waterloo is here.

[NOS2006]

I lived the first four or five years of my life in Flint, but we moved out to Swartz Creek when our neighborhood started getting bad.

Good call, although this post reminds me of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song...

I live in Chesterfield, MI half the year because that's where my parents have chosen to live. My mom grew up in Clinton Township, MI and my dad grew up in Lenox, MI; we currently live pretty damn close to directly between the two towns. We live there because, one, it's close to my dad's work and, two, it's centrally located where we have everything (store-wise) right in our grasp. We like our house and everything, but our little town has some downfalls. As it becomes more populated, homeless people and danger levels are rising, though we are one of the nicer towns in the area, being close to, and probably the bridge between Metro Detroit and rural farmland areas.

However, although we like where we're living, my parents would definitely love to move to the Carolinas. I'm hoping that once I graduate college I'll be able to move to or near Duncan, SC since the co-op company I'm working for has another facility down there. Everybody I speak to that has had to go down to that location for business says it's a great building and environment, and I'm sure that somewhere in South Carolina has to be better economically and in terms of weather/climate than Michigan. I'm sure that if I'm able to move down there, my parents will probably want to move down there too, and maybe that will set my sister up to start college in SC or something since she graduates high school just before I graduate college (June of 2010 for her and hopefully December of 2010 for me).

Anyway, I'm currently in Flint, MI where danger levels are still on the rise in this depressed town. However, I'm here for my studies, so hopefully I don't ever have a reason to venture into unsafe perimeters of the area. However, this city's tale is a sad one. Rumor has it that they'd like to turn this into a college town, but I'm sure that's just a rumor. With Flint being the #3 most dangerous city in the US, I'm sure there are bigger things to work on than turning it into a college town, though if done right I believe both goals could be attained in one swing. But, what are the real chances of that happening? Slim to none is my bet.

[american_revolution_2005]

The_Yellow_Dart, Orangeville is not that small. Most people do drive to the convenience store or grocery store more because of laziness though. You can walk to places but it may take a while. My school was an hour walk from my house and it was on the same side of town. I see what you are saying though. People have to drive to Square One, etc. to shop or elsewhere to work.

[scharmer05]

Born and raised just outside of Fargo, ND. My family owns a farm to the west of Fargo. I grew up working on the farm, and now own a share of it. Because farming on a relatively small scale doesn't have a certain future, I am going to school as well. Since the farm is so close to Fargo, it is easy for me to live and work here in town, and still be involved in the farm. I'll likely live here for quite a while. My mom and dad are already almost 60 and I will taking over more and more of the farm and will likely run it after my dad is done. Fargo is continually growing to the south and west so hopefully one day either my parents or my sisters and I will be able to sell all the farm land to businesses and developments and I'll be free to move wherever I want, but until then I'm happy with what I'm doing. Even if I were to move somewhere else, I probably wouldn't move any farther than Minnesota. I love the snow and I love people in the midwest. I couldn't imagine going too far.

[knightfan26917]

Good call, although this post reminds me of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song...

*chuckles*

Would you believe I heard that theme song the other night? Hadn't heard it in ages.....he he.

Very cool stories ... thanks for sharing. Just has always fascinated me how people settle down, etc. Besides, this helps us learn more about each other, too .

Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker

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[CSpec]

I live in Rochester cuz that's where I go to school. It obviously used to be very nice at one time, but that ship sailed about 40 years ago. There are some nice pockets here and there, and it's kinda cool having an oddly large number of huge companies based here (Xerox, Kodak, Bausch and Lomb, etc), but I would never live here as a real person. Professors always joke with us about where we're going to go after we graduate, which doesn't say much about the city.

[Camino LS6]

Born and raised here, and there aren't many of us left. Most who live here are from somewhere else. I loved living here as a kid, but rampant development and an ever-increasing population density are conspiring to drive me out. I hate cities, and the sprawl taking over every square inch of southeastern PA is beginning to suffocate me.

I really want to live in the center of 50 acres without a view of any neighbors. Additionally, the price of home ownership here is entirely absurd with modest suburban homes that are nudging a one million-dolllar price tag. Turns my stomach.

With the influx of all these high -end developments, what I used to love about living here has all but disappeared. And yet, the notion of being driven from my hometown by these well-monied louts gets my stubborn streak going. I almost want to stay just to spite the bastards.

[CARBIZ]

I want to elaborate on comments that Yellow Dart made about Toronto. I know Orangeville very well. I did extensive market studies there in 1995 when I was looking to open a second video store. (Very glad that I chose Orillia instead.) Great little town, but harkens back to the Old Ontario, certainly not what is happening south of Steeles Ave. I have travelled extensively, to many American cities like New York, Atlanta, Chicago (many trips), lived in Vancouver, driven across this continent 3 times, visited Buffalo, Rochester, Montreal many times, driven through Detroit (and been to the Auto Show there), and spent a great deal of time in Brazil, which has the 3rd largest city in the world. I can say categorically that the worst city I have seen in all these travels is Toronto. Sao Paulo works better!

I am 46 and was born here. This city has changed in the past 15 years and it is shocking. Regent Park is a shining example of what is wrong. Why is the city paying nearly a billion dollars (with some federal and provincial help) for public housing? When poor Russian, Polish and Ukranian immigrants lived there 50 years ago, it worked fine. What has changed? The buildings are the same. I lived in Crombie Park (mixed use housing) when it first opened in 1980. I was robbed, had my laundry stolen twice and was terrorized by kids running through the halls (there was a school on the ground floor.) This is what Mayor Miller and his cronies want to do to Regent Park. Welfare people and professionals, living side by side. Look it up under notgonnahappen.com.

The city admits is has $300 million in back road repairs it can't do. Remember the bridge that fell in Quebec last year? Tip of the ice berg. Taxes are going up 3.8% again this year, yet the city is nearly $2 billion in hock. Queen's Park and Ottawa get into huge snits every time the city goes to them, hat in hand. It is a mess.

Crime. Well, that is everywhere in big cities now. Toronto is getting bad, but not as bad as some cities, to be sure. There are about 20 buildings 40 floors or higher being built downtown. An 80 storey building has been approved for the corner of Yonge/Bloor. I live two blocks from there. The density is insane now. The subway is 50 years old. Major streets are 4 lanes wide, choked with taxis and delivery vans. St. Jamestown has the highest population density in Canada. The fire trucks, police cars up and down the streets in that area are like a war zone.

There are neighborhoods in the suburbs (Rexdale where my parents grew up) and Malvern in Scarborough where the police won't even go at night. Shootings in the schools?

I could go on, but I will repeat something I wrote to the National Post and copied my local councillor recently when I discovered the 80 storey building was being built and financed by a Russian mogul. I said, if Russian (and Chinese) money is building condos, using imported labor from eastern Europe (because we are told there is a shortage of skilled Canadian labor) to handle the influx of immigrants to this city - what is in it for us long term residents? The constant noise, dust, jackhammers at 7 a.m., the taxes going up, services going down, roads are falling apart, all the lane restrictions while condo after condo is built. Who is buying these condos when the jobs are leaving the city? The city has no handle on what it is doing (unlike Vancouver, which has lots of controls). When all these people move into their shiny new condos, they will wonder what hit them.

Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Barrie, London - these are the places to move to. They can feed off the carcass of Toronto when it implodes.

[ShadowDog]

Born & raised in the mountain valleys of the south-west Kootenays in British Columbia, I lived there until I was 26. I worked exclusively in one business right out of highschool (food & farm retail) while in pursuit of higher education. During studies, after a couple years work experience in the accounting field had passed, I found myself wanting more than just an office job. I'd enjoyed doing hands-on work in my father's contracting and construction company, and liked being around people in the retail industry, so I took the advice of the general manager and enrolled in a management training program. After the study element was completed, the next step meant moving 1300 kms east to Saskatchewan in order to develop my experience further in a flow-through program.

Enter Swift Current, with a population of about 16,000 people, it's more urban than the rural sprawl of the valley in B.C. that had just as many people in a massive radius of communities and towns. I'm no stranger to the flat-lands, but living among the people in this area is a culture shock as compared to the hippies and loggers co-mingling in the valley. Out here, you're a farmer, or you're a farmer. There is a certain lack of sophistication among the masses. The only people I associate with as little as possible are the business owners in the city; they tend to have this certain holier-than-thou attitude about them. Originally, there was a sense of comradery among us; however, since I play no part in their small-town political games of sniffing out dirt on other people, I don't converse with them nearly as often as I did when they only seemed to want to get to know me for my contacts in British Columbia. Relationships rapidly dissolved once I shared stories with them about my father's or brother's companies, and how they'd been burned by the tactics of so-called "friends" in business.

My wife and I have been here since '03, and will likely remain for a couple more years; this, mostly due to the fact that there appears to be a lack of qualified individuals in the industry. The three western provinces are in a crunch for skilled labor in all industries as too many people are focussed on the money of the Alberta oil-patches. Many companies are setting high school graduation as a minimum requirement because kids were dropping out just to get into a high-paying job. A recent job posting for a larger retail had an applicant from Ontario with 30 years! experience. It seems companies are picking from the old crop of retirees to fill recruitment slots. I was basically handed the position, which offers me more time to pick and choose what might be available closer to our families in B.C. and Alta.

Anyway, Calgary came calling, but I chose not to get into the trap of a 50 year mortgage just to be able to say that I live there. I know more people moving away from Alberta than I do moving in. Certainly, the real-estate market in my home town has gone up a great deal as people profit from the sale of their homes in Alberta to buy a larger property and home elsewhere in the clear. This makes little towns like Swift Current attractive to others; however, the majority of the houses are tiny, war-time style, with a balancing act of chosing whether to buy a place to live in, or tear it down and build new. The city already offers three-years tax-free just to build new...that's how pathetic the average homes are here. To shop for a place means going into a time warp to the 50's and 60's when you enter the buildings. Nobody put any money into updating anything, so there's little to choose from. The slogan for the city was recently changed to: "Where life makes sense." - which is also the running joke among the masses because there is little in this town that makes any sense at all.

If I had my job back in my home-region of B.C., or an area of Albera no larger than Olds or Red Deer, life would be far better.

Edited April 2, 2007 by ShadowDog

[rosserman]

I was born and raised in North Alabama. Both of my parents are from there as well as all of my grandparents. Most of my family lives there. I ended up moving to the orlando area just because i had to make a living. Auto Zone was not cutting it after i finished college. I hope to be able to move back to bama at some point.

[knightfan26917]

I really want to live in the center of 50 acres without a view of any neighbors. Additionally, the price of home ownership here is entirely absurd with modest suburban homes that are nudging a one million-dolllar price tag. Turns my stomach.

*nods*

Same here.

And, that 50 acres sounds darn good to me, too. That would be nice ... definitely a change from city life ... he he.

Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker

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[Robert Hall]

*nods*

Same here.

And, that 50 acres sounds darn good to me, too. That would be nice ... definitely a change from city life ... he he.

my radio show:CD SHOWCASE.7p-11p central.Friday/April 6 = www.wrmn1410.com

My family's place in eastern Ohio is like that ...150 acres up in a heavily wooded valley, two 10 acre ponds, can't see the neighbors, 5 miles from the nearest town (250 people), 20 miles from the nearest Wal-Mart, 50 miles from the nearest Starbucks, about 2 hrs from the nearest big city (about equal distance to Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh). I enjoyed living there as a kid, but it's way too isolated for my tastes...fun to go spend a few weekends a year there, though. Very quiet...the deer will come right up to the back deck, in the summer, you can sit out on the back deck or front porch and listen to the crickets, birds, etc.

[trinacriabob]

Born and raised here, and there aren't many of us left. Most who live here are from somewhere else. I loved living here as a kid, but rampant development and an ever-increasing population density are conspiring to drive me out. I hate cities, and the sprawl taking over every square inch of southeastern PA is beginning to suffocate me.

I really want to live in the center of 50 acres without a view of any neighbors. Additionally, the price of home ownership here is entirely absurd with modest suburban homes that are nudging a one million-dolllar price tag. Turns my stomach.

What lot size are you on right now? From the multi-car photo you posted, it looks like you have a good spread of land. When I owned in ATL, I had .48 acre at my house which is unheard of in LA where lots are about 6000 to 8000 sf on the typical cookie-cutter home. And, in ATL, I had an ATL zip code, so I was in town but the yardwork consumed WAY too much time (I know that's not an issue for you). The next time I move, I want the house to be on a small lot since I want to be less married to a property. In ATL, they call these "cluster homes." Funny, because a "cluster home" lot is an absolutely normal sized residential lot in Southern California. Edited April 3, 2007 by trinacriabob

[knightfan26917]

My family's place in eastern Ohio is like that ...150 acres up in a heavily wooded valley, two 10 acre ponds, can't see the neighbors, 5 miles from the nearest town (250 people), 20 miles from the nearest Wal-Mart, 50 miles from the nearest Starbucks, about 2 hrs from the nearest big city (about equal distance to Cleveland, Columbus, Pittsburgh). I enjoyed living there as a kid, but it's way too isolated for my tastes...fun to go spend a few weekends a year there, though. Very quiet...the deer will come right up to the back deck, in the summer, you can sit out on the back deck or front porch and listen to the crickets, birds, etc.

Sounds like an awesome place, moltar!

I know I can't live too far out in the country ... have to be somewhat close to a hospital, given my health issues. But, I know of a few areas where you can be just a few minutes from town ... and feel like you are in the country ... so, we'll see....

Cort:33swm."Mr Monte Carlo.Mr Road Trip".pig valve.pacemaker

PICS:lego.HO.model.MCinfo.RT.CHD = http://www.chevyasylum.com/cort

my radio show:CD SHOWCASE.7p-11p central.Friday/April 6 = www.wrmn1410.com

[Camino LS6]

What lot size are you on right now? From the multi-car photo you posted, it looks like you have a good spread of land. When I owned in ATL, I had .48 acre at my house which is unheard of in LA where lots are about 6000 to 8000 sf on the typical cookie-cutter home. And, in ATL, I had an ATL zip code, so I was in town but the yardwork consumed WAY too much time (I know that's not an issue for you). The next time I move, I want the house to be on a small lot since I want to be less married to a property. In ATL, they call these "cluster homes." Funny, because a "cluster home" lot is an absolutely normal sized residential lot in Southern California.

I live on and maintain one of the larger private pieces of land left around here, and it is adjacent to several other large properties which are deed-restricted against any more subdivision. But, I don't own the place and that feeling of being transitory unsettles me. Also, living on a nice piece of property doesn't change the feeling of always having someone in your face at every store or other public place you go. Just too many people here now for my comfort level, and road rage is tiring me out.

[Oracle of Delphi]

I'm am here because my parents had sex, which the end result was me. So blame them!

Edited April 5, 2007 by Pontiac Custom-S

[trinacriabob]

I'm am here because my parents had sex, which the end result was me. So blame them!

How many other "mistakes" are there in your family?

[AM6_Cutlass]

Born and raised here. I've always wanted to get out of here and move somewhere warmer, but as I get older it gets harder to do. My friends and family are here, my job is here and now my house is here. I tried so hard just to get out of the county when I was looking to buy my house. During the hunting process, my grandma passed away and I sort of fell into her house where I wasn't looking. If I had family somewhere else, I could use my second job as a crutch and transfer to a different location, and then look for a primary job to replace it. I think it would be difficult to move to a new place without knowing anyone there, as I've never been that great at meeting new people to begin with. In addition to a job and house, I'd have to find a new mechanic, dentist, barber, etc. Ideally, I would like to relocate to the mountians of North or South Carolina. Close enough to drive to the beach for the weekend, but far enough away that hurricanes aren't a problem. Perhaps in retirement...

Edited April 5, 2007 by AM6_Cutlass

[trinacriabob]

I think it would be difficult to move to a new place without knowing anyone there, as I've never been that great at meeting new people to begin with.

You might surprise yourself. I picked up and moved to ATL from the cushy comfort of my parents' home in LA a few years after college and made a go of it. I then returned out West (to Portland) to be near them and wound up leaving again, this time to Northern Cal. Could this have some meaning?