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1. Honolulu--need I say more? But, too expensive.
2. New Orleans--Yes, there's a lot of crime and dirty areas. But the people were so friendly, there's so much culture. The great food, mom n pop shops, history, charm, architecture, parks, even the shopping, museums, and zoo were good. Many hidden gems that were just beautiful, like the Fly. The weather, besides the cold snaps or some brutally hot days, was good overall; I like the subtropical feel. It's also easy to get around by foot or public transportation (bus or streetcar--which is charming in itself).
3. San Diego--OK, I'm not a fan of the drought or the sprawl, which requires a car. It's also expensive. However, the weather is very pleasant, for the most part. And I loved how much nature was around, whether you wanted to be on the beautiful beaches or go hiking the mountains and hills. The Mediterranean vibe from all the cacti and palm trees, and the Spanish/Mexican feel was nice. There was a lot to do in terms of city amenities, but while there, I usually preferred to just chill in nature. The people were usually nice, very laid-back.
4. Washington DC--Too expensive and I hated the bugs in the summer and the winter cold/snow. But the fall and spring were just beautiful, and summer temperatures were usually not bad. The city is full of culture and great food. It's pretty easy to get around, although now there's getting to be more sprawl, and it started when I was there. The people were generally friendlier than I expected, and very worldly.
5. Philly--I'm not a fan of the winters, the ghetto dirty areas or the rude people that come with them, or the fact that it doesn't seem as world as DC. But I'm impressed with how nice the people are outside of the bad neighborhoods, the architecture and history, Center City, charming Chestnut Hill, my neighborhood (Elkins Park), and the summer and fall months are really pretty. I can't speak for spring yet because I haven't lived through one. There's a lotta good food and a lot to keep yourself busy.
6. San Antonio--it's cheap with good food and barbecue and decent weather. But there's not much else to do. The people are nice, though.
7. Portsmouth, Virginia--A ****hole. The people there are either ratchet Black people or White hillbillies.
Trying to be objective here.....doubt it will work.
1. Denver, CO/metro (I reside here now)
-So much to do, traffic TBH could be many times worse, love the variety of the weather, a very thriving city/area. The people could use some work (socially), and the place could use a little more soul, but other than that there isn't much to complain about.
2. Spokane, WA
-Nice sized city, no real traffic to speak of, beautiful setting. Weather is seasonal. Big problem here is that the city is economically depressed (which didn't bother me much), and only marginally cheap. People were more than great, most of the time they were so nice I thought they were joking (they weren't).
3. Seattle, WA metro
-Cosmopolitan city, HORRIBLE traffic, but probably the most beautiful city of size in the nation. Summer weather is perfect, the rest of the year you won't break a sweat. Very upwardly mobile, with all the good/bad that goes with that. Expensive. Many people have problems with the people there, but I never did.
4. Inland Empire, CA (I'm native to here)
-Does not get nearly the national recognition it deserves based on the amount of people that live there. Traffic is beyond HORRIBLE, it is expensive, it has multiple hubs/centers, many of which do NOT support the local economy as well as they could (many people still commute to LA/Orange counties for work, which needs to change). Too much nouveau sprawl. Too much of the identity the place has is wrapped up in LA/OC. Smog. It is too hot most of the year, and not quite cold enough for a proper winter. People are below average (not nice, too status focused IMO).
However, it is a very beautiful area (under the surface), with gorgeous established (city and rural) neighborhoods hidden in there. An excellent jumping off point for recreation in LA, OC, SD, mountains, beaches, deserts, Las Vegas, etc. I think the IE is far too taken for granted, even by its residents.
5. Ridgecrest, CA
-Small city of 25K in the NW Mojave Desert. Most of the creature comforts. No Wendy's. Nothing outside of defense or service jobs. Cheap, by CA standards. 6 months of god awful heat, 6 months of almost perfect. People are awesome, but you would need to "adjust" to them (kinda hillbilly/countrified). Too conservative for my liking. Not near anything but more desert/mountains. Outdoor recreation is plentiful. Drug/alcohol problems. Very easy place to live, but not so much bang for your buck (did I mention it's not near anything?)
"Old Town" Fort Collins was the model for Disneyland's Main Street, USA.
One of two models, actually. The other was his early childhood home of Marceline, MO. In fact, that's where he developed his affinity for trains, because the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway passed through town.
1) Chicago - Really the only downside for me is the winter weather. Basically everything else is a positive.
2) Washington DC - COL drags this down a bit because it's hard to spend on everything you want to improve the QOL, and also it sometimes feels a bit sterile. But certainly fun and fast-paced with culture and history.
3) Jacksonville - I see the flaws and short-comings, but love it warts and all. Looking forward to the continued progress and improvement, no matter how slow and incremental.
4) Gainesville - Lots to love as a college town and plenty of great memories. But nothing more than an awesome college town.
1. Phoenix metro- I prefer warm weather, cheap cost of living, lots to do, plus I'm not a fan of the cramped urban areas so I like the clean spread out spacious metro lay out
2. Oahu, HI- beautiful, fun, but the extreme high cost of living brings down the quality of life a bit
3. Albuquerque, NM- a little colder than I like, run down, high crime, boring, deadend city
1. New York City, NY - I don't care if it IS crowded and dirty. I grew up there in the 70's, grew into my own there in the 80's and it still remains the most vibrant, cultural, never sleeping melting pot i've ever had the pleasure of spending time in.
2. Olongapo City, Zambales, Philippines (Subic Bay Naval Station) I was there for 2 years and lived out in town. Omg, beautiful landscape, wonderful, friendly people and great food. Olongapo was a party city, but outside the city, the different provinces offered food and hospitality beyond compare.
3. San Diego, CA - yeah it's expensive as hell but the weather is always perfect, always made me want to get out and go do stuff. The beaches, the food, mmm, so laid back and cool
4. Orlando FL -- A small suburban sprawl city that has morphed into a "major metro area" through a continual string of strip malls and cookie cutter residential areas. "Culture" is largely limited to chain restaurants/retail and amusement park touristy endeavors sprinkled with small town attempts at theater and whatnot that are great for smaller towns, but not from a "major city' perspective. The vastly under-educated/non-progressive metro area population of over 2 million (75% of whom don't have college degrees) loves it just like it is.
As someone who may potentially move to Orlando, I can't tell if this is worrying or not. I'm a intellectual and education is always a good thing, however, living in a city where everyone is as educated or more so can make it difficult to find a job. I'd think in Orlando, any job requiring a degree would give those like myself (two degrees) a leg up.
I'd be curious to see how someone compares places on the east coast with desert southwest and "Mormon Country" of Utah, Nevada, Southern Idaho and New Mexico.
I've got no interest in living someplace flat or with a few million people. Orlando would be tough for this reason, but at least it would be warm.
Last edited by TrailMapper; 12-19-2014 at 07:28 AM..
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