How many people on here actually like living in the city/state theyre in??

[navaphoon]

Appleton, WI

Pros

1. Great location/accessibility to just about everything in general. Especially for outdoor enthusiasts.
a. 1.5 hours to the WI/MI (UP) border
b. 2 hours to Milwaukee
c. 3 hours to Chicago
d. 1 hour straight east to Lake Michigan
e. 1.5-2 hours from Door County
f. 1.5 hours to Wausau
g. 30 minutes from Green Bay

2. Very close to Lake Winnebago (biggest lake in Wisconsin); while not Lake Michigan, it is a pretty good lake in its own right with many people doing numerous activities out there
3. Pretty good public school system and good university (Lawrence)
4. Overall clean city
5. Lots of choices to choose from if you don't want to life IN Appleton. Neenah, Menasha, Little Chute, Kaukauna, Kimberly, and Grand Chute just to name some. All are part of the Fox Cities/Heart of the Valley area in Northeast Wisconsin. All are within 30 minutes of driving to Appleton just about. Oshkosh is not really part of the Fox Cities but also within 30 minutes to Appleton.
6. Get to experience all 4 seasons (pro for me though)
7. People are in general quite polite but reserved
8. Good downtown for a city of about 75,000
9. Decent bus system
10. Crime is fairly low

Cons


1. Pretty brutal winters and construction is very annoying during the summer
2. Severely lacks diversity. About 90% of the city is Caucasian. Conservatism is the dominant viewpoint here.
3. Fox River Mall. It really killed the downtown area. Downtown just does not feel as vibrant as it once was before the mall was built
4. Expensive to live in
5. Urban sprawl is rampant. Appleton is the biggest city in the Fox Cities, but everything just feels so spread out in the Fox Cities. Kind of reminds me of the Twin Cities which is the main city but you have lots of people living outside the TC suburbs like White Bear Lake, Lakeville, Cottage Grove, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Apple Valley, Eden Prairie, etc.
6. Feels rural for a mid-sized city. Even Oshkosh feels more urban than Appleton.
7. Not a very bike-friendly city
8. High taxes especially for water
9. Lots of areas with bad roads once you really get outside downtown
10. Doesn't really have that "defining" event or reason that makes people from outside the state/area want to come and visit. For instance, Oshkosh has the EAA and Country/Rock USA, Milwaukee has Summerfest, Green Bay has Lambeau Field, and Door County has Wine Fest. You COULD consider "Mile of Music" their "defining" event, but it only started in 2013.

[Tom Lennox 70]

I like living here in Louisiana, which is also where I was born.

I loved living in West Virginia.

I hated living in Maryland. Completely hated it, and that place has gotten worse with its overtaxation, liberal politics, and illegal immigration since I've left!

[York40]

I hate living here in the Houston area. Been here all my life, just ready for finances to line up so I can leave.

- Way too hot literally year round. I want seasons, I want variety. I want a white Christmas, or at the very least not 100 degrees on Christmas Day consistently. It's insane that I can step out of my house and be drenched in sweat a few minutes later because it's scorching outside.

- Houston is pretty ugly in and of itself. It's flat. There's no nature, no scenery, no outdoorsy stuff, it's all oil and gas.

- Galveston is a pretty crappy, brown beach.

- Humidity/bugs. It's literally the armpit of Texas

- Sometimes the people. Very close minded in many areas of Houston. Every time I see anyone talk badly about Houston, or really Texas in general, residents blindly just repeat "don't like it then LEAVE" or some other super defensive comment as if the thought of some random person on the internet not liking their precious city or state greatly offends them for whatever reason. It's a little insufferable. Also too many rednecks in the area of Houston I live in.

- Texas is just too red for my tastes.

- This one is more personal and not representative of everyone's experience at all but I just haven't had good luck with real, decent friends for awhile. I've met more crappy people than anything. But I also have met a ton of friendly people who already have their established friend groups so walls are up and ultimately others just are not let in. I still had a blast in college but it would be nice to have a solid group of friends again. This could happen anywhere but unfortunately it's happening here so just another reason to dip out.

These are my personal opinions

[Marie Joseph]

I moved up here to the Erie area a couple of years ago and have been very happy.

I enjoy the 4 seasons weather, being near the lake, and having a decent sized city without the rudeness that comes with a very large city.

The main downfalls of this area are a stagnant housing market and a lack of jobs here.

I'm not sure why the area is not more popular; the surrounding area is gorgeous and there is plenty to do in Erie and it's convenient to other larger cities.

Other places I've been that I loved: Newport, VT; Syracuse, NY; Plattsburgh, NY; Brunswick, ME; Detroit, MI.

Places I've been that I was fine with: Bowling Green, KY; Louisville, KY; Dallas, TX; New Orleans, LA; Nashville, TN; Charlotte, NC

Places that I couldn't get out of fast enough: Philadelphia, PA; Jackson, TN; Phoenix, AZ

Please note that these are just my personal opinions and should be taken with a grain of salt

[Dandelion Garden]

I live in a smallish town (20k pop) southwest of Harrisburg, PA. Untrendy as central PA may be, I really like it here.

Pros:
My town is extremely walkable. Downtown is dense and the big stores and newer restaurants are on the edges of town connected to the sidewalks instead of miles away in a separate commercial district like most places. I spent years living where driving your own car was the ONLY way to get anywhere (walking was impossible and there wasn't even a taxi service, unless you wanted to pay over $100 and wait 2+ hours for one to come down from the city). Here I can go to bars without worrying about driving intoxicated and have peace of mind knowing I won't miss business deadlines because I can't get to the post office due to car problems or weather.

My town is full of beautiful historical architecture and mature trees with clean streets. The surrounding countryside is lovely, with rolling hills and the Blue Ridge Mountains. We have awesome outdoor activities, from pristine waterways to the Appalachian Trail. Our fall and winter weather is perfect, with long, crisp, colorful falls and winters that bring enough snow and cold to qualify as "winter" without being super-brutal.

My town has a prestigious college which brings cultural activities you wouldn't normally have in a smaller town and a more liberal atmosphere. We have big fairgrounds and an expo center too, so there's some event literally every weekend, especially in summer.

The college and military facilities around mean we have tons of transplants, which keeps the community diverse and welcoming to outsiders. In fact, I'm one of only two native Pennsylvanians on my entire block. We have none of the closed social structure of most small towns.

Last but not least, we have the critical combination of a strong job market and fairly low COL, so my family can live comfortably here.

Cons:
While the roads in my town are good, surrounding areas and especially our highway system have horrific traffic. The drive to Harrisburg is literally one of the most dangerous in the country, so I miss out on all the things I'd like to do there (I will only go via the safe back route, which is 1-1.5 hours depending on traffic, as the 25-30 minute highway route is just terrifying) and worry about family and friends who commute there.

The summers here are way too long and hot for me, but I have extreme heat sensitivity and reverse SAD, so would practically have to live in the Arctic Circle not to have summers I hated.

As for native vs. transplant, I've always lived in central PA, though have moved between half a dozen small towns in the area. I consider myself a native, but moving between towns has given me real appreciation for how superior this one is. I bought a house here, so obviously I intend to stay.

[RunD1987]

Live in Connecticut
Pros:
1.) Eastern side of the State is mainly rural and quiet. Lots of places to hike and escape the hustle of life. Same for the Northwestern side of the State.
2.) I believe excellent education at all levels.
3.) Late Spring, Sumner, and Fall are the greatest season's. Fall is so beautiful. Amazing colors, lots of outdoor activities, and Halloween.
4.) Family lives here.

Cons:
1.) Areas of employment and living are congested in certain area's.
2.) Traffic.
3.) Winter
4.) Taxes and high COL.
5.) Outside of parks and scattered walkways no extensive trail system. Would be nice to be able to run and walk around where I live off the street.
6.) Very little public transportation. Weather can greatly affect any public transportation that is available.

For me wouldn't mind high COL or high taxes if it's sunshine 24/7. Though like to see some snow but nothing more than 20 inches. Also wouldn't want to be in a State prone to freezing rain either.

Don't really care on a State's political viewpoints. Would like a State that is big into protecting the Environment though.

Walkability is key. Like a State where urban areas have great public transportation or at least easy access to public transportation. Also has greenways and areas to walk away from Streets. Lots of open space to hike and play at.

Area where can grow veggies outdoors almost year round.

Wouldn't mind a winter of 40s, but nothing colder. Wouldn't mind a grey wet winter.

[tman7117]

Long Island, New York here.

Pros:

1) Access to the megacity of New York
2) Great place to be in the summer. Lots of fun beach towns, good weather, awesome beaches/seafood.
3) THE FOOD. Italian food specifically is amazing here. Great bakeries too.
4) Great public transportation.
5) Highly rated Public Schools
6) Pretty moderate politically unlike the city
7) Ralphs. Italian. Ices.

Cons:

1) Extremely high taxes/home prices. COL is absolutely downright insane.
2) Snobby, cliquey, pretentious people
3) Horrendous traffic
4) Crappy drivers
5) Predisposed to some terrible natural disasters. Some parts of the island are still rebuilding after Sandy in 2012.
6) Gang violence in parts of the island has gotten bad.
7) The LIRR is a disaster 9 times out of 10.

[theurbanfiles]

Bradenton, FL

Pros

1. Proximity to highly esteemed Gulf Beaches (Including Siesta Key and fishing/boating)
2. Less than 2 hours to Disney/Universal
3. 30 minutes to Saint Petersburg, 45 minutes to Tampa (and all of their cultural/sporting/etc. amenities)
4. 3 hours to Miami (major alpha city), Saint Augustine (historic center) and Lake City (best stretch Florida Trail)
5. The weather from November to March, not dealing with snow, earthquakes, etc.
6. PROXIMITY TO IMMEDIATE FAMILY (Biggest one)
7. Not as expensive as some places, somewhat of a relaxed, easygoing vibe.
8. Newer infrastructure (statewide), Low Taxes, Growing Regional Population (popular place to relocate)*
9. Somewhat diverse for a city of it's size
10. My s/o and I are both gainfully employed there (as of now)
11. Is located in the US (which has it's problems, as all places do, but is generally a pretty fantastic place to be compared to most)


Cons

1. Brutal Summers (Starting in early-mid April, it is uncomfortably humid/hot almost always (even at night), and it lasts sometimes into mid November
2. Isolated from rest of US (4 hour drive to leave the state, 8+ hours to mountains, 12+ hour drive to leave the region)
3. It is somewhat transient (many people not from there, and so there's a lack of passion about many local issues, politics, sports, culture, etc. compared to many places, at least IMO. Lack of that degree of community investment)
4. Apart from Minor League Baseball, no sporting events in immediate city (have to drive 45 minutes to even get to a D1)
5. Lack of topography, to any degree, forest is outnumbered by swamps, minimal geologic variation, generally extremely hot and buggy outside also. Distant to deciduous forest, topography, also.
6. Not a great COL/Earnings ratio. Very expensive for first time home buyers compared to many places, and even renters. Limited career options compared to some other metros.
7. High traffic, and generally fast pace for a metro of it's size. Easier in many cases to get out into countryside in many much larger metros.
8. While it has some cool stretches of urbanity, architecture, culture, history, etc. it isn't great in that regard compared to many metropolitan areas. Has a significant portion of cookie cutter areas compared to a number of places, and disregard for history involved in some planning.


I really don't mind the area, I just don't know if it would be highest among my preferences. I like places that are not flat, that have a significant number of cool urban/historic spaces, are affordable to live within, and honestly, I'm a cool weather person (upper 40s/50s even I would call ideal, and I don't even mind 20s. However, when heat index gets above 85 (a lot) it's too hot for me). So, based on that, somewhere new would make sense. Family though, can have quite a strong magnetic pull. For now though, my approach has been keeping a positive attitude, exploring and doing every possible thing I can during the area the rest of the year, and then taking summer (due to our current professions), to get out of the heat and explore all the other places around the country I enjoy. We may not be here forever, but here we are for now.

[lepoisson]

Chicago, IL. I've been here since February.

Pros
1) Awesome food
2) Public transit
3) Low cost of living for a huge city
4) Beautiful summer weather
5) Tons of amenities and cultural activities

Cons
1) Horribly run city and state
2) High taxes
3) Brutal winters
4) Housing is expensive

I'm happy with where I'm at for now, but I'm unsure if I'll stay here long term. I miss living in a city like St Louis or Kansas City. They are big enough to have good restaurants and plenty to do, but with a lower cost of living.

[jdoll88]

I have lived in idaho for 20 years and love it here would gladly stay the rest of my life but open to moving as well