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1. St. Louis
2. Denver
3. South Bend/Ft. Wayne area
4. Corvallis, OR
5. Miami
The only place I really liked among those was St. Louis. I grew up and spent most of my life in Denver, which is a nice town but really overrated. Miami is, arguably, the worst place on earrh.
When we move back to the US we will probably end up in Chicago, although we are strongly considering New York and LA as well.
Good lord! Kind of impressive to even remember all of those. Are the ones you said are the highlights in your list, are those your faves? or just the ones you were at the longest? and the Italian areas you lived, they obviously stand out , so what's the best and worst things compared to the US cities in general? Intersting list of areas overall, that's quite an experience.
You would be really impressed if I listed all the places I traveled to while I was in the US Navy. I went to around 45 different countries when I served. Even little island nations in the Pacific, where half the island showed up when our plane landed.
I lived in Italy from 1983 to 1988 then for a several months during 2003 through 2004 and the last period of a few months in 2014. It helped that I learned the language when I first got there. My first stint there was like going back in time to the 1960s. Sicily was very poor then. They had high unemployment. But the countryside was spectacular. The food was fantastic. The locals had a habit of dumping trash on any undeveloped lot in town. When the trash pile got too high, someone lit it on fire. Then the cycle started all over again. 1 town near us had a well preserved castle built in the 1100s. That structure was over twice as old as America. I got to ski on an active volcano. Driving over there is chaotic. Cars drift between lanes. They run stop signs and take curves on 2 wheels. Many of the roads were there before cars were invented. So you have to squeeze down them. Cars park every which way. 3 cars will occupy the space where 5 cars could fit if everyone parked correctly. Trains over there are a great way to travel.
My list of places I've lived only lists each place once. I bounced around and moved back to a place I left several times. I didn't see the need to relist a place I already mentioned.
As far as RV travel, I left a bunch of places off the list. Those are the stops from anywhere between a single night to 5 nights. Listing those stops would easily double my list.
I've also taken 7 Caribbean cruises. So that probably added another 15 or so countries to my places I have visited list.
I doubt that I will ever tire of traveling and seeing new places.
Nice thread idea. My list from best to worst, including childhood locations
1. Mt. Holly, New Jersey - I lived here 1999-2002 and again in 2008-2010. This is my favorite because the location is seriously amazing - less than an hour from Philadelphia, maybe 90 minutes to New York, very close to the shore, mountains, Atlantic City. The weather was perfect, snowy and cold but not frigid and then warm summers. The surrounding towns of Mt. Holly were entertaining enough to keep me happy when I was driving/in high school/with a girlfriend. Bowling alleys, movie theaters, malls, skate parks, diners and shenanigans, etc. I miss central New Jersey every day!
2. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina - Good mix of new and old, big and small. Lots of tree cover and gently rolling hills. It's safe and comfortable and clean. Very very livable mid-sized metro with a ton of potential. This region gave me my adult life and for that I will always love it here!
3. Los Angeles, California - Lived here in 2002-2005, so I went to middle school here. San Pedro specifically, and it had its ups and downs for sure. Living in Southern California as a kid was pretty sweet most of the time. Though school could be tough as a scrawny, spoiled little white boy coming from some comfortable insular air force base neighborhood in New Jersey. Lots of anti-white racism and I paid the price for that alright. I was told numerous times that the only reason I was about to get my arse beat was because I was white. That being said, I did make some good friends and had some good times. Wouldn't move back here as an adult due to anti-white racism and high COL.
4. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - I would never live here again that's for sure. I was only here for 6 months but that was more than enough. It's ugly, tacky touristy, dirty, has some stupidly dangerous neighborhoods, and overall its just not a good place to live. Maybe visit? Maybe. But I gotta say even living in Raleigh-Durham since 2014 we have not been back to Myrtle and probably won't. We aren't big beach people so if we ARE going to take a beach outing it honestly probably will be Wilmington NC or Charleston SC. We go to Puerto Rico more often than Myrtle haha.
5. Cabot, Arkansas - It's Arkansas, need I say more? I lived here 2005-2008 and again 2010-2011. I went to high school here (though did my senior year in NJ and graduated there). I got into a good amount of trouble here because there was nothing to do at all so I found sht to do with the stoners. It was really boring to live here. Not very pretty/scenic either. Weather was terribly hot and I've never been a fan of that. I saw/heard a lot of anti-black and anti-latino racism and white country folks would regularly use the 'n' word to describe the very few black classmates we had. I would never consider living anywhere in Arkansas ever again, not even for a second.
6. Fayetteville, North Carolina - I wanted to die when I lived here from 2012-2014. I was very close to offing myself. I could not find a job for the life of me, shootings and crime followed me everywhere I went, and my ex-gf was a nightmare. Absolutely hideous city. Seriously, seriously awful place. I'm not rich but you could not pay me enough to live here again. Offer me a $250k a year job and a free house with security and a safe room and I would laugh that offer out of existence.
Future out-of-the-current-metro moves there are only a few options, in order from most likely to least likely:
Boston, Massachusetts
Hamburg, Germany
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Diego, California
New York, New York
Here is my list, the top three are pretty close, with a couple of variables. Unfortunately no chasing Italian women to Italy involved here like a prior poster did:
1. Chicago The area I now call home. First lived in Lakeview in Chicago proper, lots to do, so much fun. Moved out to start a family in the west suburbs. The town I live in now is a mix between Mayberry and Beverly Hills, tree lined streets. kids biking, soccer games, great schools, older homes from the 1880's, new mega mansions that are teardowns taking some of the older homes with them, Ferrari dealership with some of its sales roaming the town. Since I am more down to earth, the extreme affluence of the area at times feels uncomfortable. Chicago as a whole is a great city, is so diverse in things offered, and has so much opportunity for those looking for it. Generally down to earth people in Chicagoland.
2. Orange County, Ca. North OC (Fullerton) and Newport Beach. Where I grew up from elementary school and still call my roots. Mixed feelings about it; people in OC are somewhat in a bubble; many know nothing about the Midwest or the East Coast even though they have roots going back there, and move to other western areas when pushed. Beautiful place to live and grow up in, amusement parks to grow up with ( Disney and Knotts ) conservative Reagan values which conflict with my own, the California Angels and LA Dodgers. I found during my class reunions that some were plastic and flaky, something I never noticed in high school.
2.5 Boston and Brookline MA College and Law School in Boston. My Mom's side from Boston, very familiar with Boston and its environs, from neighborhoods to cemeteries where relatives are found. Loved my time there in school and my first job and real estate, so much history, loved the thought of the colonial era right there-Lexington, Concord the Freedom Trail. The Cape, the islands, Manchester by the Sea, Maine, were all great. Boston as a whole though is hard to live in; expensive, compact, not user friendly.
4' South Bend Indiana. Lived there as a kid, Notre Dame obsessed, a town now on the mend economically with some aspects of the town that are good, and some not.
5. Pittsfield MA Too young to have remembered moving. Been back since however, it is a dying town that is picturesque in the Berkshires.
1.Chicago-best American City in the Nation, for every reason.
2.San Diego-great weather, close beaches, family friendly
3. DC Metro/Nova-ugly but everything you want or need is available here
4. Providence-385 years old, residential architecture amazing, many unis means many smart people to meet
5. Wichita - quiet, peaceful, relaxing, stay at home town
6.. Manhattan KS - college town
Honorable mention: I lived in Philly for a year and HATED it
Want to move to the South to retire (NC/SC/TX/Hampton Roads VA)
Chicago's great but it gets big demerits for violent crime and lack of elevation. I lived in D.C. and found the city's architecture appealing. Why did you find it "ugly"?
Oh boy, done this a lot and my list changes. Again, I have been happy everywhere but due to life changes I may actually have to move back east. Anyways, subject to change:
1. DC -previously this was #2 or 3 on my list. But to me, it's the most balanced place I've lived in. 4 seasons, suburbs are moderatish. Most historical, best location as it is next to a lot of great cities. And I loved the museum and monument scene.
2. Irvine- clean, beautiful, great weather, but I do prefer seasons. Food isn't quite as good as I thought, that's more LA's thing. Great beaches, but way too cold to swim.
3. Seattle - love cloudy weather, love the tight core, the intellectual crowd. Being Asian doesn't make you stand out here. Great food too, believe it or not. Could easily put Seattle at 2, but I think Irvine wins with location as it's in Caliornia, close to Vegas.
4. Denver - best snow, most outdoorsy, nicest people. Too landlocked
5. Austin - diverse, way too hot, people are too cool for school at times.
6. Corpus Christi - Beaches are warm, extremely inexpensive.
7. Tyler - eh.
8. Clemson - far too southern. Life revolves around the university.
Boston - It's the right scale, great professional opportunities and atmosphere, has everything I want/need in terms of entertainment, is close to the ocean for the warm months and the best skiing east of the Rockies for the cold months. The airport isn't ORD or ATL, but it's a great jumping off point for Europe (some of which is a shorter flight than the West Coast) and, increasingly, Asia. Bonus points for a lot of family/friends nearby. It's not without flaws - still fairly segregated, extremely expensive, transit could be better, still overly regulated on some fronts.
Washington, D.C. - Most of what I feel about Boston applies here. I just find DC to be a bit more sterile, a bit further from the ocean and the mountains (the best skiing and hiking, anyway), and the summers are uncomfortable for me. I'd definitely live here again though.
Providence - It's an awesome town for food/drink, ideally situated in the Northeast Corridor (easy access to Boston/NYC), it's largely walkable, affordable, has great neighborhoods, and is close to some of my favorite stretches of coastline. It's also a little small, and feels smaller given how parochial it is. Rhode Islanders are great, but the state is poorly run and it's a bit cynical. I'd consider it again though.
Portland, ME - Absolutely charming, great little downtown area, punches above its weight in terms of dining, good beer scene. It's very safe, close to the mountains (you can see Mt. Washington in the distance from parts of the city), and located along some pretty stretches of close. But it's also very small which was suffocating at times, activity fluctuates a good deal with the seasons, and it's neither very diverse nor very transient. It's a hard city to adjust to for an outsider. Of the 4 I've lived in, it's the only one I absolutely would not consider living in again.
As far as WOULD move, we've given serious consideration to London (I have family there and it's a city we frequent many times per year outside of the pandemic) now that we have added work flexibility. That's probably the first choice. Chicago is the domestic option (fiancee has an office there), and Toronto is a place that's on our radar as well. But nothing is imminent.
Oh boy, done this a lot and my list changes. Again, I have been happy everywhere but due to life changes I may actually have to move back east. Anyways, subject to change:
1. DC -previously this was #2 or 3 on my list. But to me, it's the most balanced place I've lived in. 4 seasons, suburbs are moderatish. Most historical, best location as it is next to a lot of great cities. And I loved the museum and monument scene.
2. Irvine- clean, beautiful, great weather, but I do prefer seasons. Food isn't quite as good as I thought, that's more LA's thing. Great beaches, but way too cold to swim.
3. Seattle - love cloudy weather, love the tight core, the intellectual crowd. Being Asian doesn't make you stand out here. Great food too, believe it or not. Could easily put Seattle at 2, but I think Irvine wins with location as it's in Caliornia, close to Vegas.
4. Denver - best snow, most outdoorsy, nicest people. Too landlocked
5. Austin - diverse, way too hot, people are too cool for school at times.
6. Corpus Christi - Beaches are warm, extremely inexpensive.
7. Tyler - eh.
8. Clemson - far too southern. Life revolves around the university.
Ha, just noticed I answered before in this very thread.....and my answers were different.
`1. Philly - but that was 40 years ago. Great history. Great downtown (Locally called Center City), great local food scene of course - when you create food that becomes known worldwide, then you it is great. Great sports town with wicked fandom who pay hard earned money and expect top effort. An underrated college town with the Big 5 schools, excellent public transit, though when I lived there, strikes were the norm. Somewhat scenic town with a great river, some large hills and the biggest city park, Fairmont, I believe in the country and only about 75 miles to the oceanfront/casinos. Affordable housing, especially when compared to the D.C. Philly and Boston. Negatives...crime, public school system is mediocre at best, and that the city has a well earned reputation for a general lack of cleanliness. In 40 years, the city went from 2 million residents to 1.5 million by 2010. The hemorrhaging has stopped and since 2010, the city has gained some population. Its diverse but not as balanced as say Houston, D.C. or Dallas/FW where else I've lived. Philly - B-
2. Houston - hometown though move away to Philly returning for college due to Dad's job. its a big place, 600 plus square miles, (same size as London) 2.4 million in the city over 6.5 million metro area. When we moved back in the last 1970s, the city had 1.5 million but growth has not always been positive. From 1984 for about 8 years, it was rough on the economy. But the cost of living has always been good and the Port of Houston, NASA, Trade with Mexico and the TX Medical Center helped keep a floor on job losses. Compaq Computers began in the 1980s, fastest company at the time to $1bln in annual sales. The economy is more cyclical than most due to its Energy industry focus, that can be scary because Oil and Gas pay lots of taxes and have high paying jobs, blue or white collar.
Shopping is excellent and one is only 50 to 60 miles from the beach. Great diversity of people (Most diverse per US Census) and cuisine if that appeals to you. For a big city, the school system is actually pretty good, especially for magnet programs. Public transit is mediocre at best. Good flying connectivity with two airports. Terrain has never inspired anyone because its flat and can suffer massive flooding but you are only 50-60 miles from the beach and to the north about 60 big Lake Livingston. Not really a college town but has Houston, Texas Southern and Prairie View in the area.
Overall - give Houston an overall B/B-
3. D.C. - Worked and lived in suburban VA and worked also in D.C. Culture score is gonna be high for obvious reasons. Good dining, nice but not great scenery. Night life was good for the times (early 1990s) and public transit was very good BUT traffic was HELLACIOUS and remember I said that coming from Houston! EVERYTHING was more expensive than Houston EXCEPT car insurance but a LOT. And what you got for similar money was not only smaller than what I had in Houston but OLDER. It was ok time for me there but I wasn't fond of the winters. I was looking to get out after a few years. Give D.C. for me a B- at best.
4. On to Atlanta. moved there a few years before the 1996 Summer Olympics. It was a great time! It was truly "HOTlanta" then. the build-up to the games give it cache few towns had. It was AFFORDABLE living. Its a metro area with some big hills built in a forest. Stone Mountain Park is a gem of a place nearby. My apt balcony had a postcard view of downtown/Buckhead. Great nightlife in Buckhead. tons of new dining spots were opening. Sports scene was up (though ATL really is a fair-weather sports town). ATL had a great music scene with its southern hip hop (LaFace records - TLC, Ludacris, OutKast), and country music (Travis Tritt is a native). This is also an area of historic significance due to the Civil War and later MLK -led fight for civil rights. Its a pretty diverse place too but as mentioned earlier Civil stuff is more like contentious stuff with the Confederate Carving on Stone Mountain. Another consideration is, like D.C., traffic is HELLACIOUS, maybe worse because at least D.C. has good public transit to most area.
It will be interesting to see if Atlanta stays at the top in the southeast of if Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh (more so than Florida cities) siphon off growth because they are half the size. Give ATL a B+ for scenery and decent weather but traffic and failure to build a second airport on the northside 20 years ago (proposed in 1990) was a BAD no-go. Few big metros in this world get by with a single passenger airport.
Dallas/Fort Worth - where I am now and I consider the OVERALL best of the places listed here. :
1. major corporate hub - #3 in the U.S. in Fortune 500 companies
2. best road system by far of any metros I've lived.
3. surprisingly watery with like 8 lakes of size within 60 miles
4. good but not great tree cover, modest elevation but real scenic when you think of west coast cities, Denver, but not pool table flat like Chicago Houston or Miami.
5. Unique in having two anchor towns (one over 1million residents, the other will be in 5 years). We kind of have two of everything. Biggest zoo in Texas in Dallas, Best zoo in Texas in Fort Worth. Two museum districts with different focus but again variety is good. Largest light rail line in the U.S and biggest rail system in the southern US.
6. great sports town in general though not Philly, Boston like but not lukewarm like Denver or Miami or Atl.
7. Given its central locale, its an easy day trip to Houston/Austin/ San Antonio or Oklahoma ,Arkansas
8. Air connectivity is second to none with both American and Southwest Airlines base here and being in the Central Time zone allows for nice flights of decent length to most anywhere in the continental U.S. at decent prices.
9. Very diverse, ranking in top 6 in country in recent news article. It not as Latin as Houston or as Euro as NYC but has a nice blend of people. I think DFW is top 3 for H1B visas and Toyota moved its North American HQs here 5 years ago.
10. Great shopping dining and better college area than Houston or D.C. with TCU, SMU, UNT, TWU and UT-Arlington in the area. Lots of SWAC, Big 12 and SEC alumni (Louisiana/Ark/Mizzou) call the area home too. Drawing those from west of the Rockies big time. We still get rain here.
11. Love the State Fair of Texas
12. Local education is mixed but there are no abysmal school districts. voters here seem want to fund learning initiatives.
Negatives - sprawl is obvious, 90 days of mid-year weather is usually a beat down, sometimes we luck out and its more like 60 days. Also, I feel government at the STATE level OVERREACHES interfering with what should be local management! Also, property taxes are the bane of those in D/fW and the state.
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