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Out of curiosity, what makes a good quality of life in a location? For me there are four things that are essential:
1) The city has to have a population size between 25k or 100k (give or take). I don't like big cities but also not the nosiness and gossipy behavior from people in small towns.
2) The salary has to keep up with the cost of living. If you can barely afford food, clothing and shelter or if that's all you can afford, that's a miserable lifestyle.
3) The work environment has to be good. You spend plenty of time at work, it needs to be at least tolerable.
4) The people need to be good people. If you don't agree with the majority of the political or religious beliefs or if there are other unsavory characteristics of the people there it's pretty miserable to live there.
So what do you all think? No right or wrong answers.
It depends on your situation, of course, but when I had kids in school, it was important to have good, safe schools, and sports programs.
Now that I'm older, I appreciate the ease of good services, such as trash pick up, and water and sewer. I like a safe quiet neighborhood. I can go to the city for activities, but I don't want to be right in it.
Moderate climate. Low levels of risk for natural disasters. Ease of access to cultural and recreational opportunities. For older folks, there's also the competency and proximity of the local medical community.
Weather is a consideration as well. For example, I don't like heat but I was tempted on two different occaisions to live in the Southwest based on at least the first two characteristics. The second two have to be figured out in time. I am glad that I didn't end up down there now that I'm in a place with a cold climate.
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Originally Posted by gentlearts
It depends on your situation, of course, but when I had kids in school, it was important to have good, safe schools, and sports programs.
Now that I'm older, I appreciate the ease of good services, such as trash pick up, and water and sewer. I like a safe quiet neighborhood. I can go to the city for activities, but I don't want to be right in it.
Its funny you mention that first paragraph. I had someone with kids practically crucify me when I said cost of living and salary are the most important to me when choosing a place to live.
Weather is a consideration as well. For example, I don't like heat but I was tempted on two different occaisions to live in the Southwest based on at least the first two characteristics. The second two have to be figured out in time. I am glad that I didn't end up down there now that I'm in a place with a cold climate.
Its funny you mention that first paragraph. I had someone with kids practically crucify me when I said cost of living and salary are the most important to me when choosing a place to live.
Sadly, cost of living and salary usually go hand in hand with good schools anyway.
4) The people need to be good people. If you don't agree with the majority of the political or religious beliefs or if there are other unsavory characteristics of the people there it's pretty miserable to live there.
I'm glad you mentioned this, because someone on my thread called me an "elitist liberal" for saying Arizona was too conservative for my taste. Isn't political "climate" a huge part of what makes a place tolerable for ANYONE? As I said in response to them, would a hardcore conservative be happy in Santa Cruz? That's the beauty of this country - we have sooo many different places with different types of people, and CAN be picky about where we'd like to live! More power to you if Arizona or Texas is your ideal place, but my desire to live somewhere more "liberal" in nature doesn't make me a bad (or unusual) person. Right??
Also, I think actual climate is a huge factor. That's why the Bay Area (where I live) has always been so popular, even before the dot-com and tech booms... when my father was offered a transfer from D.C. in 1983, he picked San Francisco (out of maybe 5 choices) mostly because of the fantastic weather. After living in the northeast his whole life, he was done with those cold winters and humid summers!
Sadly, cost of living and salary usually go hand in hand with good schools anyway.
I agree, but this person liked to argue just to argue so I didn't mention it.
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Originally Posted by gizmo980
I'm glad you mentioned this, because someone on my thread called me an "elitist liberal" for saying Arizona was too conservative for my taste. Isn't political "climate" a huge part of what makes a place tolerable for ANYONE? As I said in response to them, would a hardcore conservative be happy in Santa Cruz? That's the beauty of this country - we have sooo many different places with different types of people, and CAN be picky about where we'd like to live! More power to you if Arizona or Texas is your ideal place, but my desire to live somewhere more "liberal" in nature doesn't make me a bad (or unusual) person. Right??
Also, I think actual climate is a huge factor. That's why the Bay Area (where I live) has always been so popular, even before the dot-com and tech booms... when my father was offered a transfer from D.C. in 1983, he picked San Francisco (out of maybe 5 choices) mostly because of the fantastic weather. After living in the northeast his whole life, he was done with those cold winters and humid summers!
I'm mostly apolitical but I can't deal with extremists. I grew up in Montana and lived in Wyoming for several years and I got so sick of the constant whining from crackpot conservatives about their way of life being ruined by liberals and never being able to go more than about three sentences without bringing it up. I also got sick of beliefs from the 1800s. North Dakota is conservative but not in your face about it so I'm fine with it. I'd have the same problem with extreme liberal places, just never lived in one.
I haven't lived in an unsavory climate so not sure how much that would affect me, although win my hatred for heat I do wonder if that would have driven me out of the Southwest when I briefly considered relocating there.
I'm mostly apolitical but I can't deal with extremists. I grew up in Montana and lived in Wyoming for several years and I got so sick of the constant whining from crackpot conservatives about their way of life being ruined by liberals and never being able to go more than about three sentences without bringing it up. I also got sick of beliefs from the 1800s. North Dakota is conservative but not in your face about it so I'm fine with it. I'd have the same problem with extreme liberal places, just never lived in one.
Exactly - and I think these days, Arizona (most of it, at least) qualifies as "extremist." I'm actually a political independent, but socially very liberal, so I just wouldn't last long in an extremely conservative area. You can hold whatever beliefs you choose, but I'm never afraid to speak my mind, and would probably get myself in trouble there. Plus the laws tend to not work in my favor, since I enjoy things like legal cannabis and anti-discrimination. But even I have my limits on liberalism, and occasionally got annoyed by all the "nanny laws" when I lived in San Francisco. So yeah, moderately liberal is ideal to me.
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I haven't lived in an unsavory climate so not sure how much that would affect me, although win my hatred for heat I do wonder if that would have driven me out of the Southwest when I briefly considered relocating there.
Isn't ND pretty extreme in its weather? Or is it just really cold? Maryland, where I'm originally from, didn't have the worst winters - but it got super humid and hot in the summers, and snowed just enough in winter to make things difficult. It's almost boringly perfect here in the Bay Area.
Exactly - and I think these days, Arizona (most of it, at least) qualifies as "extremist." I'm actually a political independent, but socially very liberal, so I just wouldn't last long in an extremely conservative area. You can hold whatever beliefs you choose, but I'm never afraid to speak my mind, and would probably get myself in trouble there. Plus the laws tend to not work in my favor, since I enjoy things like legal cannabis and anti-discrimination. But even I have my limits on liberalism, and occasionally got annoyed by all the "nanny laws" when I lived in San Francisco. So yeah, moderately liberal is ideal to me.
Isn't ND pretty extreme in its weather? Or is it just really cold? Maryland, where I'm originally from, didn't have the worst winters - but it got super humid and hot in the summers, and snowed just enough in winter to make things difficult. It's almost boringly perfect here in the Bay Area.
North Dakota can get hot a and humid, but yes, the cold is extreme. It can get well below zero for days on end and plenty of snow to go with it. I prefer cold weather over heat any day. It's politically conservative but people didn't whine constantly about Obama like in Montana and Wyoming. From what I understand Arizone is extremist. I think a lot of the west is that way. And pretty backwards.
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