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I've traveled across the entire country, and while there are lots of wonderful places, you probably can't pick a better place to live then the great lakes region. You never have to worry about running out of water. The scenery can be quite diverse with towering forests, rolling hills and steep bluffs along the river valleys. There's plenty of open space, but cities are just a few hours apart, always keeping you within easy reach of civilization. There are few extreme weather events, mostly tornadoes in some areas. Huge tornado outbreaks, though, are far less common then in the Great Plains or parts of the south. No hurricanes of course, and the New Madrid fault at the very edge of the region is the only serious earthquake risk. The blizzards and ice storms that plague the east coast are rare. People are friendly, but generally reserved. Life is a nice, moderate balance all around here.
Location: Cleveland bound with MPLS in the rear-view
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It's where I prefer to live, so I like it. I must say though that if I was extremely wealthy and could afford two homes, I'd have to consider a winter option (at least from Jan through Mar) somewhere milder than most Great Lakes cities.....but that's only when I'm older and feel pain with every drop in temperature. But between moving somewhere milder or just dealing with the colder winters (which I actually like most of the time), I'd definitely stay here in the Great Lakes!
I also happen to love every aspect of the region that the OP covered quite well. Proximity to other US cities is fantastic; and I really do love my balance of seasons also. Factor in the cities here (including Chicago) have an EXTREMELY affordable cost of living when compared to other large coastal cities, it's a deal breaker for me. It's absolutely beautiful here as far as nature goes; and urban areas that were formerly engulfed with industry are working harder than ever to incorporate their lakefronts as beautiful parks and beautiful residential areas.
I love the Great Lakes. And I have a feeling that in the future; the region is only going to improve.
Growing up on the east coast, I was so used to the ocean that I always thought what could be as good or better. We started taking family vacations every year for a few weeks, one year to Maine, one to northern Michigan, Florida, Georgia, Texas all in the summer and the two places that made the biggest impact on me were Maine and Michigan. How could anyone not want to live there is beyond me, but I digress some are like me and would rather sweat than shiver. I imagine though the cold weather in the winter is really what makes those areas so beautiful all year. As someone who works outside all year, I couldn't handle those winters and I have great respect for those that can.
Noooo i'm the same. plus our cold winters scare people so we don't have to worry about a rapid population boom like you see in the South west.
Plus, we got awesome cities
and you can easily escape the city and enjoy some beautiful and peaceful country side
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