Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I grew up with all of that and love it dearly, but I have come to appreciate another beauty in the desert. They're both so amazing. One is the love of my childhood, the other the serenity of my adulthood. Nostalgia for one when I am in the other.
I've lived all over the U.S. and have real appreciation for all of it.
SoCal's sagebrush hills, with snow-capped mountains 2 hrs. away; the beach 30 minutes.
MN's wonderful lakes, forests and winter sports. I loved X-country skiing through the woods, ice-boating, walking through beautiful grand old neighborhoods in the fall with red-gold leaves underfoot.
VT's quaint historic towns and spectacular autumnal splendor.
MT's isolation, Western-themed towns and verdant snowy mountains, spring wild-flowers.
WY's vast, rolling plains with cattle drives and rock buttes. Thermal pools of the Powder River.
OR's fern-covered old-growth forests and racing rivers, gorgeous coastlines.
Not too happy with the Denver bedroom communities, though we had a great view of the Front Range.
Disliked the coastal bend of TX, despite the ocean proximity.
I sometimes miss UT's endless canyon vistas of red-rock formations; an unobstructed 100-mile view that settles the soul into peaceful contemplation. Gliding on the CO river....
Almost each was wonderful in its own way, and I miss parts of them. But I'm done with snow and ice and heavy traffic these days.
As a child I was envious of people in flat places. When you are too young to drive you have to ride your bike or walk.
So I can totally see how people can fall in love with towns that are flat with no hills. They are so much easier to get around in.
I do not understand how anyone can fall in love with towns that are flat with no hills, mountains, streams or snowfall and are happy if the town has good restaurants and pretty homes.
Those towns are reasonably affordable and you don't have to sell your kidneys to live there. Sure I enjoy the mountains, oceans, beaches but it's not worth getting screwed by ridiculous housing and insane taxes. Unless you have deep pockets.
Cool thread! I lived in the desert southwest almost my whole life. I hated it. Every summer the heat and non stop sunshine every single day would make me depressed but I didn't even realize it. I was just grumpy when summer came around. There was Vast sandy landscapes from every angle. Last year we moved to give our kiddos better medical and education. Surprisingly, I am so much happier and at peace. We are still in an arid area, but we now live in a hilly ponderosa forest. Temps in summer do not get above 90. We get rain, snow, hail. I have never been so happy. Even digging out the driveway in the winter.
To each their own. I hope everyone finds their paradise. Life is too short not too. I spent 43 years in a place that was the wrong fit. So glad we moved.
Yes, I prefer the Northwoods, and I would like to live there, but few jobs in my career field exist in those particular areas. I plan to go next weekend to get my fill of snow and lakes that cannot be found further south at all.
Yes, Northwoods is great. Teleworking would be great if I could make it work. Updating this from the prior post, the weekend I did go I certainly ran into deer, one went right in front of my car.
I did not grow up seeing mountains or streams but they feed my soul now. I do not understand how anyone can fall in love with towns that are flat with no hills, mountains, streams or snowfall and are happy if the town has good restaurants and pretty homes. I need a roaring fire; not these silly gas logs. I need to be on the second floor of a house and look out the window to see a deer with a mountain backdrop. And if you don't go too far north you don't have to freeze to death for months to have these things.
Does anyone else need these dramatic signs of Nature to feel whole and content?
I like hilly terrain but it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that this matters not at all to some. I like watercourses but I don't see why I should find the fact that others couldn't care less about them to be incomprehensible. Wildlife? Yes. Snow? I could happily live without it (in part because it tends to cover up or otherwise inhibit the nature that I love seeing - most plants go dormant, mammals are less active, some birds fly south and are gone, reptiles and insects disappear, fish are tucked away under a thick layer of ice, etc.).
For a variety of reasons, I am particularly enamored of the desert. But again, I do not expect others to share this view and so am not mystified when someone doesn't.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
