culture shock, america's heartland and why you prefer to live, north or south (interstate, salary) - City-Data Forum

dreamofmonterey · 10-08-2009, 01:08 PM

Okay this is just a debate on who likes what area, and why; I made the BIG mistake of relocating to a place sight unseen, assuming it was relatively normal.

I don't want this to be just Yankee vs. Confederate which is why I entitled it, wherever you live. Please describe why you like or dislike certain places, thanks.

M3 Mitch · 10-08-2009, 01:37 PM

Me, first off I want a dry climate, I just prefer it, and it makes life simpler for a guy like me that has a lot of "iron" - firearms and motor vehicles. Any place that uses a lot of road salt, like the Northeast and Midwest, is out, I am an old car guy and don't want to have to fight the rust. So, for climate reasons, I'm left with the Intermountain west, the Southwest, and, lagging behind due to humidity, Dixie.

Being politically libertarian I want low taxes and few restrictions on my liberties, obviously for a gun enthusiast the People's Republics of the Northeast and Midwest strike out again, really double-strikouts as they fail my criteria for taxes and gun laws. (Realizing here that VT, NH, and ME have few restrictions on guns, and NH, DE have OK tax climates...but they have the cold snowy winter and high humidity that I don't want...) (Sorry, Free State guys...

) Understand that I don't hate snow, I hate salt. Colorado was OK!

So, as long as I can find a decent job anywhere in "Cascadia", maybe parts of the Southwest, parts of Texas, you will find me here.

Failing that, somewhere in old Dixie would work, although I doubt I will have to leave Cascadia.

Realistically from Eastern WA, the only moves I would seriously consider would be to western MT, most of ID, most of WY, maybe parts of NV...

dreamofmonterey · 10-08-2009, 02:38 PM

Everyone seems to have such different criteria;I don't really worry about the weather,like a good neighborhood that's near a city, culture, museums and the like.

Also the people in the area are a factor, I'm learning the next place I move has to be a city,people where I am now are limited, education-wise and too conservative.

ChrisC · 10-08-2009, 03:25 PM

Climate is my main concern. I like cloudy, cool summers and cold, snowy winters. I like having four seasons.

I also want a small town or rural community where folks mind their own affairs. I don’t care about having the ‘things to do’ of the city. I’m good at finding my own things to do (actually I typically don’t have time to do all of the things I come up with to do).

As for regions of the US, I haven’t been able to find the perfect climate, but close. I have narrowed it down to these areas:

* UP Michigan/Upper LP Michigan. (it looks as if this is as close to perfect a climate as it gets for me)

* Extreme northern Minnesota. (similar to above, but colder)

* northern North Dakota -- Bottineau or Minot area (summers can be hot briefly, but the average climate could work for me)

* Montana -- Lewistown or Helena area

* Northern Maine

* extreme northeast Washington -- Colville or Kettle Falls (perhaps not as cold in winter as I would like and a bit hot in the summer, but they do have good snowfall and I’m told four distinct seasons)

* West Virginia (in the mountains)

* parts of Wyoming/Utah/Idaho

I have lately been researching the state tax burdens and more economic aspects of each area. So far UP Michigan is #1 on my list, especially with the property values in the area tanked so low. I’ve seen decent fixer-uppers advertised for $15,000 in the western UP area. Around my area, you couldn’t buy an outhouse for that price. And yes, jobs are scarce in the UP, but if the house payment were $90 a month (or paid off), earning a McDonalds or Walmart salary could be livable.

eevee · 10-08-2009, 08:39 PM

well for me, most of the Southeast is off limits. I can't bear high humidity for long lengths of time and don't want to deal w/ the near-constant threat of hurricanes in the summer. maybe the mid-Atlantic, like the Carolinas or Virginia?

the Midwest is boring me a bit, geography wise. no offense meant, but I miss the ocean and mountains and it's fairly flat around here. so I would have to be in a coastal area, though Colorado sounds nice (not sure how well I'd do in high altitudes given my horrific asthma).

the Southwest is too hot and dry (don't want to live in a irrigated desert), so for me, that leaves the East Coast (New England and some parts south of it like PA, NY, and MD) and the Northwest area. Seattle is a possibility, maybe SF if I could afford it, but chances are I'll likely go back to New England and possibly Massachusetts

dreamofmonterey · 10-09-2009, 01:30 AM

There are many coastal cities I wld prolly love, SF or Santa Monica, or Seattle, but expense is an issue.(If only! Sigh)

I don't like intense heat either which rules out SW and desert,I need an ocean.

I have seen most of the southeast;other than the gulf coast of Florida which is beautiful, it is a disappointment and time warp to me.People in their 50's working at menial jobs and retail.I'm not quite sure why Tenn.,parts of Kentucky,etc. Are like this but I've been here five years too long

Looks like its back to ny or possibly North Virginia, I can't stand living in a place so far behind the times.

achickenchaser · 10-09-2009, 04:17 AM

The perfect place for me would be somewhere cool and dry, which is the exact opposite of where I live now. I'd also prefer a place that has a live and let live attitude and that isn't pretentious. A small town would be fine, although I wouldn't want to be WAY out in the middle of nowhere.

I was thinking somewhere in Northern Californian might work. Either that or somewhere else in the northwest.

BlueWillowPlate · 10-09-2009, 06:31 AM

I'm in the South, which is to say north Florida. We began on the northwest side, then switched over to the northeast.

I am in a small coastal town and it has been an interesting adjustment.
This is not to say that everyone I know is a "Maw go git the shotgun" type, far from it. Things are changing in my neck of the woods.

As a kid, I spent time on both coasts, then moved to Colorado, and always missed the ocean.
I do enjoy urbanity; to get a fix of that, I have to travel/drive a bit every now and then.
I really love the beach, and I really don't want to ever shovel snow again.

I tend to be adaptable and there are other places I could live, but I have been in this particular spot for 2 years and hope I do not have to leave any time soon.

Omaha Rocks · 10-09-2009, 06:48 AM

Obviously I live in what is pretty much the center of the country. We love it here - in an extended metro area with a population of close to a million people.

We don't mind the climate at all. In fact, we rather enjoy all the seasons because each one has it's own unique beauty.

Interstate Highways in each direction make automobile travel very convenient and fast. In addition, we have an excellent airport that, for some reason, has some of the cheapest airfares in the country (much cheaper than for our sons who live in Minneapolis).

Mostly though, it's home. We absolutely love our house, our neighborhood and neighbors. We are surrounded by good friends and lots of positive things, as well as endless opportunities for things to do.

GregW · 10-09-2009, 09:12 AM

I plan on retiring to the best of both worlds. I would like to spend summer and fall in southern New Hampshire and winter and spring in Central New Mexico. As I get closer to elderly the cold gets into my bones and the spring rains actually hurt. I consider cold and snow to be four letter curses and salted roads to be too costly.