Pros and Cons of Maryland (Baltimore, Frederick: homes, salaries, living)

[reiflame]

Originally Posted by e30is

This is pretty normal in areas where there is a liberal stronghold in my experience.

Except for most of the west coast.

[reiflame]

Originally Posted by DaveinMtAiry

I am getting REALLY tired of people taking a small part of Maryland, in your case the burbs, and making a general statement about an entire state.

I have traveled pretty extensively in Maryland and have found very little to like. It's not a pretty state, it's not a polite state and it's not a very livable state.

Oh, Assateague is amazing. I'll give you that. I camp on the dunes there every year.

[e30is]

Originally Posted by reiflame

Except for most of the west coast.

Your first 2 points and second to last one are what I've experienced in the West Coast when I lived there.

[DaveinMtAiry]

Originally Posted by reiflame

I have traveled pretty extensively in Maryland and have found very little to like. It's not a pretty state, it's not a polite state and it's not a very livable state.

Oh, Assateague is amazing. I'll give you that. I camp on the dunes there every year.

That's fine then, I'm obviously not going to convince you. I just felt the need to address your issues point by point because they simply are not true for most of us. Again "what do you do" may come up in your circles, not mine. I guess it's not a pretty state, unless of course you like water or Appalachia. It may not have lakes but there's plenty of water. And to claim there is no green space is simply wrong. It may not be the case in Wheaton, and of course with 2 major cities 40 miles apart there will obviously be dense areas, but there is a ton of open space from Frederick west, north of Baltimore, southern MD and basically the entire eastern shore.

And if you don't think people are friendly throughout the state dare I say maybe it's you. I"m telling you people hold the door, talk to strangers in elevators (with me anyway) or at least smile and say hi all the time. And not just in Mt Airy, this happens in my office in Bethesda.

[OrangeCrush6317]

Originally Posted by reiflame

I have traveled pretty extensively in Maryland and have found very little to like. It's not a pretty state, it's not a polite state and it's not a very livable state.

Oh, Assateague is amazing. I'll give you that. I camp on the dunes there every year.

You don't think Maryland is a pretty state? I think it is one of the most scenic states around, very green with a good mix of tree types and some mountains, some heavilty forested areas and then some open farmland.

What state do you think is pretty?

It isn't very livable, just way too expensive even to live in fairly rural areas like Frederick. then there are all the liberal control freaks. LOL

[OrangeCrush6317]

Originally Posted by reiflame

Ok, fine - in addition to being stupidly liberal (and I'm pretty liberal myself) Maryland is:

Too crowded - try going anywhere on the weekend; everything within a 3 hour radius is packed. Oh also, the 3 hour radius quickly becomes 6 if you try to leave on a Friday afternoon.

Too obnoxious - "What do you do?" is the only question people ask around here. Huge egos with nothing to back them up. This is the most self-absorbed place I've ever lived.

Visually uninteresting - What little green space is left is generally either flat (the shore) or tiny bumps that we try to call mountains (western panhandle). Fun fact; Maryland is also the only state without any natural lakes!

Too expensive - The jobs are in the DC suburbs, which are horrendously expensive. Move into the country and you face unemployment or hours-long commutes to work. Don't get me started on taxes.
We were the first state in the country to legalize gay marriage via popular vote, so that's something (even though marriage is a right, which shouldn't be subject to a vote in the first place).

The mountains in the western part of MD are hardly little bumps. LOL Compared to most states outside of Colorado and other rocky mountain states, those are big mountains.

Some of the best lakes in the country are man-made for nuclear power plants. Lake Keowee and Lake Jocasee in South Carolina are two of the most pristine lakes in the country and they were made for the nuke plant. They have been called the Lake Tahoes of the south due to the clear blue water.

I wish people in this country cared as much about taxes and all this excessive government spending and debt than they do a relatively insigificant issue as gay marriage.

[OrangeCrush6317]

Originally Posted by reiflame

Concur. That flag is bitchin'. The rest of the state....meh.

i always thought that flag was pretty ugly. The best state flag is South Carolina's palmetto tree flag.

[BigCityDreamer]

I call Maryland a "Life on demand" state.

This is because just about anything significant in life that you could want you can find in this state in a one-stop shop kind of way. :-)

[Cruzincat]

Originally Posted by OrangeCrush6317

i always thought that flag was pretty ugly. The best state flag is South Carolina's palmetto tree flag.

Their flag makes their state appear to be an Islamic state at first glance.

[wrestlingterp]

Sixth generation Marylander and lived there all my life but for my time in the military. I couldn't be happier now that I've moved to North Carolina. Just the 8% saving by not having my retirement taxed is but one reason.