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1. and Only. Charlotte, NC. - As this my hometown, born and bred. I personally can't stand the city. Now my opinion might be biased....because its home and I have never lived anywhere else. Charlotte "reeks". There is nothing to do, the city lacks culture, and its very bland and boring. Yes you may say my opinion does not count because I havent lived anywhere else...but working on trying to relocate out of here...Looking at Phoenix. HOme is on the market and just waiting to sell....
1. and Only. Charlotte, NC. - As this my hometown, born and bred. I personally can't stand the city. Now my opinion might be biased....because its home and I have never lived anywhere else. Charlotte "reeks". There is nothing to do, the city lacks culture, and its very bland and boring. Yes you may say my opinion does not count because I havent lived anywhere else...but working on trying to relocate out of here...Looking at Phoenix. HOme is on the market and just waiting to sell....
How old are you?
What do u like to do for fun?
Do you work?
Ethnicity?
The reason i ask us because you are always complaining about Charlotte but u say that you have never been anywhere else. Maybe u SHOULD move to Phoenix for awhile. I guaratee you will appreciate Charlotte once you get out for a while.
1. Cincinnati (two separate stints, the first for five years, and now a year and counting): My favorite city. I adore the eclectic weirdness, the architecture, the neighborhoods, the hills, the river, spring and fall, downtown and many great friends. And its proximity (an half day's drive or less) to other great cities/places like Cleveland, Chicago, DC, the Smokeys, the Great Lakes doesn't hurt either.
2. Fort Myers, Fla. (1 year): The weather, the beach and the islands - enough said.
3. Denver (6 months): An amazingly cool city and easy access to the mountains.
4. Dayton, Ohio (20 years): Grew up here ... this is a very underrated city with one of America's best museums (Air Force), has very nice, historic suburbs and is home to my favorite team of all time - the Dayton Flyers.
5. Bowling Green, Ohio (4 years): Spent college years here ... great bar scene in a fun small town in the middle of the northwest Ohio flatland. Wouldn't trade it for anything.
6. Cheyenne, Wyo. (5 years): Not the easiest city to live in - it's surprisingly blighted and void of much to do, especially in the winter. It's a very transient city, with many people moving in for a few years and bolting, thanks mainly to its military base. The winter winds are unforgiving and there isn't much to do from about October to May. The summers are beautiful though. Cheyenne Frontier Days is one of those things to see once but that's about it. Met many great friends, but most were from elsewhere and have since left Cheyenne also.
7. Lexington, Ky. (1 year): This wasn't a great period for me, so I don't have many fond memories of the city because of that. Had fun going to UK basketball games in those days.
The reason i ask us because you are always complaining about Charlotte but u say that you have never been anywhere else. Maybe u SHOULD move to Phoenix for awhile. I guaratee you will appreciate Charlotte once you get out for a while.
LOL... I was thinking the same thing. If he hates Charlotte, Phoenix may not be the best place to move to.
What about Miami though? It seems to be a popular punching bag on this site and, while it's not without problems, it is incredibly cosmopolitan, offers plenty of options for a truly urban lifestyle, plenty of entertainment, nice weather, some beautiful architecture, and of course the beach... And the best thing it all comes with a pretty reasonable cost of living (especially compared to other popular destinations like California and NY).
The reason i ask us because you are always complaining about Charlotte but u say that you have never been anywhere else. Maybe u SHOULD move to Phoenix for awhile. I guaratee you will appreciate Charlotte once you get out for a while.
What makes you think Charlotte is better than Phoenix. Have you been to Phoenix or traveled there...Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.Been there on several occasions regarding business and pleasure. Phoenix is singles friendly/affordable/scenic/driving distance to other major cities and is known for just having plain more to do. I like Phoenix. You like Charlotte. Period.
1a. Washington DC. Urban and vibrant city. Very walkable IMO. If it's a nice day, you could spend the day just walking throughout great neighborhoods from Eastern Market to Foggy Bottom (yes, I've done that walk). Has some of the best suburbs in the nation. Love that mostly everything is within a train ride away. In fact, the metro system whether bus or train is very easy to navigate. I like the diversity that it offers as well. I love Fall, Winter, and Spring. Hated the Summer. DC can get hot and humid. I do wish it snowed more though. Cost of living is high. Best thing about DC also is location. 3 hours from the beaches and hours away from 4 great cities to it's Northeast. Not the friendliest place in the world. But not over the top rudeness.
1b. Chicago. I like this city slightly better than DC actually. But outside of Oak Park and Elmhurst and a couple more inner ring suburbs, I don't really much care for the other suburbs. But like DC, mostly everything is within a train ride away. Lots of stuff to do. You cannot be bored with the place. They have a little problem with crime that needs to be cleaned up. But otherwise, great city. I also LOVE Winter in Chicago. Perfect Summer weather too. Sometimes you get the 90 degree days but it's followed up by highs in the 70s with a breeze for the next week. It's also very affordable, unlike DC. People are nicer than DC though.
3. Miami. Cool city. Think it's a little overhyped but it's livable. Public transit system leaves a little to be desired. I love the access to the beaches and the nightlife is one of the best in the nation. I don't care for the weather. Sorry. When it's December, I need cold snaps. I like four seasons anyway and to see trees in October and November that doesn't change color is weird to me now. Love how multicultural it is. DC and Chicago can't match that. Miami reminds me of a denser Houston in many spots.
4. Killeen, Texas- Sucks. Nothing really positive to say about this place. Small city so of course I hate it.
What makes you think Charlotte is better than Phoenix. Have you been to Phoenix or traveled there...Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.Been there on several occasions regarding business and pleasure. Phoenix is singles friendly/affordable/scenic/driving distance to other major cities and is known for just having plain more to do. I like Phoenix. You like Charlotte. Period.
Been there on several occasions myself and i find it the complete opposite of what you just described except maybe scenery. To each his own
1) Atlanta, Georgia (17 yrs)- this is my home and my favorite city.
2) Charleston, South Carolina (1 1/2 yrs)- wonderful beaches and incredibly walkable with great shops and restaurants.
3)New London, Connecticut (2 yrs)- love proximity to both Boston and New York
4) Spartanburg, South Carolina (1 yrs)- wonderful people
5) Seattle, Washington (3 yrs)- the most depressing, gray, cold, wet place I have ever been and hate it beyond words
1. Globe, Arizona (from age 7 until 18) ... small mining town with absolutely nothing to offer but dust and high temperatures over a 100 during the summer. Poor schools that were better I believe back in the 70s/80s when I attended but awful in recent years; full of teachers lacking common sense and skill. The area did offer some very good mexican food.
2. Longview, Washington ... (4 years) Pretty and green. Odd smell from the lumber mills quite often that was sometimes intolerable. Not much in the way of shopping or restaurants but there were a few decent places. Overrun with drugs even in the early 90's so imagine it's much worse now. Very diverse population in the 90's when I was there. Haven't been back in recent years but probably still the same. Didn't have any children at that time so can't speak for the school system.
3. Portland, Oregon ... (1 year 92-93) Awesome city IMO. Tons to do and see. Never had any issues with gangs or crime while I was there. Went without a car for that whole year just using the the MAX and bus transits systems though I myself, found them to be a bit confusing. Rained quite a bit but I never found it to be intrusive on my day. Definitely one of my favorite places I've lived. No children in school so I can't really say as to how good/bad they are.
4. Kalispell, Montana ... (Lived here 3 separate times, 93-95, 96-99, 04-07) Beautiful. Seriously beautiful. Clean air, breathtaking scenery. Glacier Park is a must visit for anyone going to that area. People were standoffish if you were a tourist and not a local. Not a lot in the way of shopping other than the local Walmart/Kmart/Target stores. No decent malls to speak of but business was booming when I left and there could be quite a bit more there as of 2007 when I did my last stint. Wonderful place to fish/hike/hunt. Plenty of outdoor activities for young and old alike. Great ski area if you're into that sort of thing. My only con is how cold it gets in the winter. It's the reason why I moved away the last time. The day I left it was -20 degrees and I swear my bones were freezing. lol The roads get very slick and travel can be treacherous. But summer is wonderful so if you can stomach the long cold winters it's perfect lol Schools were decent. I wasn't a fan of their "kids are sent outside in any weather" motto so the teachers could have a break. But teachers seemed knowledgeable.
5. Houston, Texas ... (1 year 99-00) Wouldn't go back if you paid me. Traffic was deplorable. The people were rude. Gang violence and drugs everywhere. On the bright side there was plenty of shopping and restaurants. The humidity and heat were awful. Unbearable really. IMO worse place I've ever lived. School system was dreadful. The only good point I have was how safe they were in releasing the children to parents only.
6. Boise, Idaho ... (2 years 01-03) Not too cold, not too hot. The City of Trees didn't really seem to have all that many trees imo lol. I wouldn't call it ugly but I have certainly seen better. There were decent malls and shopping opportunities. A variety of restaurants. A few museums. Schools were ..ok. I wouldn't say they were great but adequate. Other than that my memory of the place is kind of blah so it really wasn't that memorable.
7. Globe, Arizona ... (2 years 08-09.. see number 1) Yeah..don't ask..idk why I did it either lol. Trying to relive the past I guess.
8. Kansas City, Missouri ... ( 09 - present) At first I really enjoyed this city but gradually the glitter wore off and I came to dislike it more and more. The personal property tax at the end of the year on a car I already own PLUS having to pay the same rate I would have in other places to tag it, is just ludicrous. It amounts to double what I would pay in any other state with it being under the guise of the money going to improve the roads/highways.. a fact I have yet to actually SEE the fruit of that labor. I've seen and heard of more gangs and violence and crimes committed here than in other states I've lived in. Twice it affected our family personally. (2 people murdered that my kids knew). Drivers suck and can be dangerous. You either get the too slow or too fast ones that can really mess with traffic and cause accidents. On the good side there is a lot to do here. Theme parks, the zoo, concerts etc. Summers get very hot and humid though. Winters are mostly mild and not too cold. Something that personally gets to me here is the amount of bugs I have never seen before! My house is always full of them. Ugly little buggers too, like the camel crickets. And these big tree bugs that fall and stick all over everything. Walls..car tires etc. I thought they were cicadas but I don't think those stick to things like a snail or slug would. Schools here are awful for the most part, though I lucked out and I am in what's considered to be the best school area here. (NKC) I wouldn't consider this one of the worse places I have lived but I am looking to move within the next few months and the kids and I can't wait to get out of here.
DISCLAIMER: All thoughts above are my opinion only of each place and not meant in any way to insult others who enjoy any of the mentioned cities/states.
1) alexandria/arlington, va - alexandria's my hometown, and will always have a special place in my heart, especially old town. all walks of life, lots of culture, lots of beauty both natural and man made. too much traffic, outrageous cost of living, and way too many transients clogging up the roads though, which kind of ruins it. fun to visit, but i'm quickly reminded of why i left. i do miss having dc at my doorstep, though. it's impossible to run out of things to do downtown.
2) tampa - i loved it at first but several months later the allure wore off, mostly because of the people. the city itself, though, isn't that bad. i hate on tampa a lot but i feel like i can breathe here, so to speak. cost of living is way less, natural beauty everywhere, and i don't freeze to death in the winter. it has its fair share of problems, though.
50) (because 3rd place is too high for these) springfield/manassas/woodbridge/stafford, va - soulless suburbs which thanks to the aforementioned cost of living closer in to dc are now themselves losing their one redeeming quality (affordability) and are becoming too crowded as well. basically, picture hell, then slop on a buttload of traffic and scuzzy people and you have these towns.
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Schools here are awful for the most part, though I lucked out and I am in what's considered to be the best school area here. (NKC) I wouldn't consider this one of the worse places I have lived but I am looking to move within the next few months and the kids and I can't wait to get out of here.
