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Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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We all have our own interests and preferences. When we bought in our town (now a city) it was for the lack of city amenities, just one small strip mall, no big box stores, no theater or other entertainment venues, just quiet peaceful homes and woods.
The importance of neighboring cities was being within a reasonable distance of things we need and want. We selected this place because it's almost exactly equal distance between to cities that do have everything, including the freeways, noise and crime that goes with it.
I obviously don't care that much.
I used to think it meant more, being in a Baton Rouge and often visiting New Orleans, but most people are staying in their neighborhood much less metro area on a day-to-day basis.
I couldn't care less about having a smorgasbord of cities nearby. Denver has all the amenities I need plus the outdoor recreation I crave. We've got an airport that can get me anywhere else in the lower 48, should I absolutely need to go there, typically in 4 hours or less.
Same here! Houston is the 4th largest city and 5th largest metro in the U.S. Everything that I need or want is available here.
Nothing to see in the rest of Texas, that's what the flights to Puerto Vallarta are for! Bush IAH gets me to any major city in North America and has a cadre of international carriers to far-flung foreign cities.
I think I care less than I did a year ago, just because I'm more focused on advancing my career these days and that's made travel less appealing (and, relatedly, the friends I hang out with these days also don't have as much time or interest in trips).
This notwithstanding, I really enjoy having a lot of cities to explore within a few hours' drive. Flights are a bit pricey and rental cars were insane last I checked, and I enjoy the journey of a road trip anyway.
I think the thing about having other places nearby is that they can be done on a whim. Meaning, if there is something going on in a nearby city or you just want a change of scenery, you can do it within minutes to a couple of hours. That is one of the things I like about where I am, as you can get to other cities, towns, lakes, mountains, canyons, islands, even another country, etc. within that timeframe or so.
When living in Miami, I missed having other big cities close by. Yes, you could drive to Ft. Lauderdale or Palm Beach, but they were just part of the sprawl. Didn't seem like you had left Miami at all.
Yes, Baltimore's presence nearby was a factor in convincing me to move from Chicago ("never a city so real") to much-less-"real" DC.
Baltimore's not that easy a place to like as a visitor: there's nothing flashy, things are weirdly spread out, everything's too salty (it's the Old Bay). But it's really grown on me as a terrific complement to DC: e.g., this winter I went to visit the Martin Aviation Museum, where you get driven out to the tarmac by a guy who invites you to touch the WW2-era planes and ask anything; inside, you can see the cafeteria plates and memos about dress codes for the women who made the planes, and all around you are houses built for the factory workers. (And there are a bunch of museums like this around! Industry, B&O, Streetcar, Cryptography, multiple weird computer museums...) There's a much more hands-on understanding than the abstract, detached overview you get at DC museums. They're both great learning experiences, but so different and so close.
Yes, Baltimore's presence nearby was a factor in convincing me to move from Chicago ("never a city so real") to much-less-"real" DC.
Baltimore's not that easy a place to like as a visitor: there's nothing flashy, things are weirdly spread out, everything's too salty (it's the Old Bay). But it's really grown on me as a terrific complement to DC: e.g., this winter I went to visit the Martin Aviation Museum, where you get driven out to the tarmac by a guy who invites you to touch the WW2-era planes and ask anything; inside, you can see the cafeteria plates and memos about dress codes for the women who made the planes, and all around you are houses built for the factory workers. (And there are a bunch of museums like this around! Industry, B&O, Streetcar, Cryptography, multiple weird computer museums...) There's a much more hands-on understanding than the abstract, detached overview you get at DC museums. They're both great learning experiences, but so different and so close.
As a person who grew up inbetween the two cities it's one of the best things about the region.
You have to major cities in extreme proximity that couldn't be anymore different (for good and for bad). DC offers a lot in terms of big in-your-face touristy things, and has a very upsacle culture but it can and often does come off as very superficial/shallow at times. Baltimore is on the complete other end of the spectrem. Not that it doesn't have it's upscale areas but as a who it's vastly more low-key by sticking to it's roots and being authentic almost to a fault.
They are the ying to each others yang, and I recommend anyone who goes to the area to visit them both.
At the bottom of the list for me. The only benefit to me is an airport and e-commerce distribution centers.
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