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1. Great schools
2. Picture perfect old New England-y town center, complete with a white steepled church, old old grave yard, and war memorial
3. Quiet roads with little traffic
4. Big big yards for the kids
5. Trees everywhere, and amazing fall colors
6. Halloweeen party for resident families in the elementary school gym, and trick or treaters who weren't afraid to eat the cookis and apples I put out.
7. Parades through the town center
8. Close enough to Boston, but far enough away too
9. Everyone knows one another, but welcomed us as newcommers
10.No crime to speak of
11.Well educated and tolerant residents
12.Town sponsered playgroup for moms and preschoolers
13.It's just so darn pretty here
Last edited by 2KidsforMe; 11-01-2006 at 02:50 PM..
Reason: spelling
Southern California-
1. I have the beach 40 minutes away or the snow 20 minutes away (an hour for the beach with traffic which is always)
2. Never have not found somehing to do.
3. Sorry that's it!
1.) We're the setting for the hit NBC comedy "The Office."
2.) Our downtown is advancing forward with seemingly a new business opening weekly; we now even have a soup cafe that parodies the "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld!
3.) We're just two hours or so from NYC and Philly without all of the "BS."
4.) We have great cultural offerings: NEPA Philharmonic, FM Kirby Center, Scranton Cultural Center, Everhart Museum, Scranton Jazz Festival, etc.
5.) We get PLENTY of snow (and snow days) every winter!
6.) We'll soon have a new commuter rail line connecting Scranton to Manhattan, making daily commutes to the city feasible for our recent college graduates, allowing them to establish roots and work towards the continued gentrification of Scranton.
7.) We're home to great sporting opportunities: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons (Yankees AAA-affilliate), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (Penguins AAA-affilliate), Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers (Arena 2 Football League), etc.
8.) The scenery (that hasn't been ravaged by urban sprawl) is breathtaking!
9.) We're truly a "big city where everyone knows your name!" I've even formed lasting relationships with some of our customers at my big-box employer!
10.) Democrats outnumber Republicans 1,000,000:1!
11.) Low cost-of-living (Luxury McMansions still only cost about $250,000)!
12.) Hey, at least we're not Binghamton!
13.) Every chain retailer you could think of, from Starbucks, to Best Buy, to Wegman's, to Banana Republic, to Abercrombie & Fitch, and everyone in between!
14.) Congested yet smooth-sailing rush-hours on the freeways.
15.) Universities (and their cultural offerings) abound.
16.) No sunshine = Low risk of skin cancer!
17.) We're economically "in bed" with NY/NJ, yet the locals won't admit to it!
18.) Low crime rates.
19.) Near to major skiing areas in the Poconos.
20.) Oddly-high concentration of luxury sedans and SUVs.
1) Small town, genuinely friendly and close knit community. My bikes have been outside for a week and they are still there!
2) Wide open spaces with hills, trees, gorgeous scenery. I can see the stars again because I'm not standing amongst a concrete jungle full of tall buildings! Also, Travel America Magazine named the Traverse City area one of the best vacation destinations in the world!
3) The Great Lakes! We are surrounded by the largest freshwater supply in the world! 5 minutes... and I'm at the beach, people!
4) Recreational opportunities that take full advantage of the water, woods, and snow... skiing/boarding, snowshoeing, hiking, off-roading, jetskiing, and more and more...
5) The vineyards. We are the largest producers of tart cherries in the world! We produce great wines here, and nothing is more fun than spending a day wine tasting among the beautiful rolling hills and cherry orchards of Traverse City.
6) 4 beautiful seasons with a particularly gorgeous autumn
7) No traffic
8) Lots of independent stores rather than chains. Great food, great shopping.
9) A nice little underground music & art scene.
10) Environmentalism is big here. We have many businesses that tailor to the environmentally aware consumer, especially for such a small town. I can get fresh produce at the farmer's market, shop at an organic grocery store, participate in the Great Lakes Bioneers Conference, and become involved in one of many community environmental groups.
11) Traverse City Film Festival started by Michael Moore.
12) ThirdEye Magazine. A great little indie mag about art, music, and environmental awareness that has become a catalyst for lefties (such as me) to get together and make a difference in our community.
13) Everyone hates George Bush. I am going to participate in the weekly protest maches.
14) NMC- the community college I went to. It has the best professors... a far better education than I got at the expensive private school I transferred to.
15) Dennos Museum. They have great concerts and lectures there, showcasing an array of cultures. From Japanese drummers to bluegrass pickers, this is a favorite intimate concert venue for me.
16) Rusty cars, old jeans, and real people without materialistic ideals.
No crime to speak of
It's just so darn pretty here
Nice City Libraries
Great Schools
Lots of Restaurants To Choose From
Nice Neighborhoods
Low crime rates.
We'll soon have a new commuter rail line
Small town, genuinely friendly and close knit community. My bikes have been outside for a week and they are still there!
No traffic
Lots of independent stores rather than chains. Great food, great shopping.
Everyone hates George Bush. I am going to participate in the weekly protest maches.
NMC- the community college I went to. It has the best professors... a far better education than I got at the expensive private school I transferred to.
Rusty cars, old jeans, and real people without materialistic ideals.
Wow! put all these in an area with warm weather and a beach and that would be the perfect place to me!
Love your enthusiasm, guys! Enjoyed all the posts.
I like where I am as I specifically chose it out of all the places in America over a two year period! I knew what I wanted basically, then went about trying to find the best fit for myself. I kept landing on Springfield, Missouri. I came here in August 04 for a quick lightning visit, was charmed to the point of surety, then when I was able, sold in Vegas, quit my job, and moved here.
-The most beautiful countryside you can imagine, luxuriant green but with a mix of Oak and Hickory woods and open slat-fenced meadows and fields full of those huge rolls of hay dotting the landscape with cows and horses inbetween.
-Incredibly kind and friendly people who wave hello to you even if they don't know you and are willing to lend you a helping hand if you need one.
-Good moral standards. Sure people are intrinsically no different here than anywhere else, but they strive to maintain a high moral standard and don't tolerate bad behavior and rudeness in public. I like that.
-Homes are incredibly inexpensive, but well-built and people take care of them.
-Four strongly delineated seasons. Summer is hot and humid with vicious thunderstorms. Fall is 46F one day and 65F the next and the color-change on the trees is incredibly beautiful. Winter is bitter cold and everything freezes over ever other week, but huge snowstorms are rare and it usually hovers in the high thirties during the day, so bearable. Spring comes so fast that it can change from snow to humid warmth in two weeks when the change comes. Spring here is like watching the land wake up. It's very nice.
-Within driving distance to Kansas City and St. Louis for big city shopping, with St. Louis being a bit farther, but usually the destination of choice as it has all the exotic stuff you can't buy here like specialty cheeses, sausages, etc.
-Forty miles north of Branson. So although it's a tacky wooden pseudo western town you think Matt Dillon should be sheriff of with big hotels and theaters, you can go there in the evening and see a great show by celebrities you knew the name of when you were a kid.
-Low taxes. Property taxes here are next to nil yet the county roads are all newly blacktopped and in great shape. Greene County and most of the surrounding counties take excellent care of their roads making driving outside of Springfield quite a pleasure.
Downside:
-October was ten degrees too cold and I wasn't ready
-Traffic in Springfield itself is horrendous because there are few right-turn lanes and anyone making a right blocks all the cars behind them, which has led to a culture of everyone driving in the left lanes, usually behind the 89 year old lady driving a 1965 Cadillac in perfect condition who notices no one around her.
I do love it here My original home and where I grew up was the San Joaquin Valley of Central California. We're definitely not in Kansas anymore Toto!
Why I like Grand Rapids, MN (and northern Minnesota in general):
-countless lakes and forests/outdoor opportunities/natural beauty
-small town that has a lot to offer for shopping/dining/services (considering its size) and Duluth isn't far. Twin Cities also not too terribly far for "urban" events like sports, concerts, etc.
-very safe, very low crime
-good schools
-very nice community college
-brand new hospital
-almost everyone here actually speaks English!
-people are down to earth, hardworking and friendly (people actually still say THANK YOU, even teenaged employees at McDonalds!) This is the kind of place where people actually take 45 seconds to return their shopping carts to the cart corrals.
-real estate (at least non-waterfront) is still affordable
-no big city traffic
-no big city pollution
-some of the best fishing in the country!
-Grand Rapids was on the "best small towns in America" list not too long ago
Downsides:
-while I actually LIKE having a winter (yes, even the subzero cold and snow...it's a challenge I actually enjoy), I do wish it was a bit shorter. I also wish fall was longer. Autumn is such a beautiful season.
-Economy/jobs. I hear things are looking up for the future, but there are a lot of people who have to sacrifice in order to live here.
This is the kind of place where people actually take 45 seconds to return their shopping carts to the cart corrals.
As the dorky-looking kid at the Wilkes-Barre, PA Lowe's store who has to push in row after row of carts for nine hours at a time, I'd just like to say that Grand Rapids sounds like paradise to me! I can't tell you how many times I've watched helplessly while assisting a customer as a sudden gust of wind had blown cart after cart into fenders and car doors! The tragic part of it all is that I'll often see physically-handicapped people hobbling to the nearest corral to return their shopping carts while I see ignorant middle-aged people in perfect health just leaving their carts in the DRIVING AISLE, seemingly not caring that a sudden gust of wind could turn that cart into a missile!
Well, uh, you all KNOW this, but...THE WEATHER!!! How many of you can claim 75 degrees at 4AM in Nov.?!
Great diversity! Our neighbors are mostly older Haitians and they are SO nice!
But yet, like all of Miami - they don't go out of their way to be. You could talk, or you could not. It doesn't matter either way & that suits everyone just fine!
We have so many birds & bugs & so much land around it's like we're in the country! Yet we could get anything & be anywhere within a few minues & to The Beach in 20!
Lots of hotel jobs - good for me!
Alot of stuff is 24/7 - I believe EVERYTHING should be 24/7, but we have some stuff.
Man if I was exactly where we are but on maybe 5-10 acres - whatever would be enough to block out all neighbor noise, (not that we have much AT ALL!!! but I like SILENCE except for NATURE!! ) & enough to have a walking trail of a few miles (4 would be enough) - I'D NEVER EVEN DREAM OF LEAVING!!!
In fact it's really only the desire for land that makes me think we might ever live anywhere else in the future! (retirement - OUR jobs are HERE!)
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(broken link)
The Electric City!
The tragic part of it all is that I'll often see physically-handicapped people hobbling to the nearest corral to return their shopping carts while I see ignorant middle-aged people in perfect health just leaving their carts in the DRIVING AISLE, seemingly not caring that a sudden gust of wind could turn that cart into a missile! 
