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Location: San Ramon, Seattle, Anchorage, Reykjavik
2,254 posts, read 2,745,472 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Book Lover 21
First of all, lumping an entire state together is ridiculous.
Bakersfield, CA has nothing in common with San Francisco, CA.
And East St. Louis, IL is completely different than Rockford, IL.
Also, not everyone cares about education. If you don't have kids, or yours are grown, this is completely useless. In fact, the better education states probably have higher taxes as a result!
Yeah, because some people seek out opportunities to live near poorly educated, ignorant people and the low economic opportunities resulting from that.
[quote=artillery77;51183104]Because this here Quality of Life....I dunno...it fell of the back of a truck. That's what you saw, right? Get smart kid...the correct answer is you didn't see a thing. Now just fughetaboutit already.
Lots of wise guys...you know?[/QUOTE
HA! I was kind of hoping that someone would DEFEND the QOL in Jersey, as presented by the list. I've only visited South Jersey for any stretch of time, with a quick trip to Princeton. I did know that the teachers are among the highest paid in the country.
Yeah, because some people seek out opportunities to live near poorly educated, ignorant people and the low economic opportunities resulting from that.
Actually, some of us do - because it's all we can afford, regardless of our education. And some live among the people whom they serve (I know folks in social services, nursing and counseling who have done so). Risky? Sure. But to some home really is where the heart is.
US News has outdone all the rest of the Pretenders to the Title and published their 2018 Best States List. The link to the List of States is cleverly concealed within the article. I'll save you the trouble of reading thru their dreck by posting the link to the actual List here.....
Using factors like Health Care, Education, Economy and Opportunity -- they sum the numerical rankings to arrive at their conclusion. In my opinion, any list that ranks my former state of New Jersey in the Top 20, is rubbish. And South Carolina at 42 consigns this list to the trash bin.
Oh, and their last category is the nebulous Quality of Life. Here they rank North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota at the Top of Category.
They must love Winter.
All these lists are confusing. They are frequently opposed with each other.
As for winter, most lists usually rate hot summers high on the list for some reason. As for me, I LIKE a winter and four seasons. A winter such as N Dakota experiences? Probably not. But a winter is a plus.
A subtropical climate with hot humid summers and the potential for hurricanes will NEVER be on MY list as desirable, yet that's what most people seem to want.
Because this here Quality of Life....I dunno...it fell of the back of a truck. That's what you saw, right? Get smart kid...the correct answer is you didn't see a thing. Now just fughetaboutit already.
Lots of wise guys...you know?[/QUOTE
HA! I was kind of hoping that someone would DEFEND the QOL in Jersey, as presented by the list. I've only visited South Jersey for any stretch of time, with a quick trip to Princeton. I did know that the teachers are among the highest paid in the country.
Actually I have no complaints. My visits have been fairly uneventful, though I was stuck in Newark's industrial areas, and nobody's industrial areas leave one wondering if Disneyland expanded. The candor and pitch could be unsettling at times, and I've certainly had friendlier engagements, but at the end of the day everyone I worked with did their jobs proficiently. Given that's my lens to many areas, I'd imagine it being a hard working, I get my job done right, but we aren't friends so don't expect me to stand here and tell you about it type place. Very succinct. Not bad at all, but not open. I think it would be a tough place to retire to and make new connections...but that's limited to the Newark area.
A friend of mine with plenty of means chose NJ to be married in and has a vacation home there. I ended up unable to attend but other friends told me it was a wonderful setting.
Sadly though, the first engagement that rings loudly in my head was decades ago when we did some specialized auditing for banks and companies. There was an open and lucrative engagement with a large department store chain that kept having inventory problems in Newark. The store wanted answers. My boss loved having his ego stoked, but eventually determined that there were others in NJ that could do the same job, and we didn't want to be the only ones stupid enough to take it from Chicago.
I am sure North Dakota is really nice but I have been to many states and the idea that ND has the #1 quality of life in the entire country is laughable. I'll have to tell the grandparents, "forget Hawaii, next year you guys should go to ND!"
No offense to North Dakotans. My state doesn't deserve that ranking either, not by a long shot.
It might be difficult to find some intellectual stimulation. As conservative as I am, I'm really not into hanging out at the bowling alley with Billy Jo Green-teeth.
You'd think by this time someone would have designed a database that allows one to select parameters like Cost-of-Living, taxes, culture, sports and activities, then give you a list of counties that match your interests.
Affluent, suburban, red counties outside of major metropolitan areas are probably the key. I've lived in two such counties, and while they are red, they are still less conservative than where I am in small town Tennessee, and the conservatism is more Mitt Romney than Franklin Graham.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Teak
Yup, the Upper Midwest is pure hell. Please stay put.
I've noticed that the vast majority people outside of the Midwest (and even many IN the Midwest) really have no clue about the beauty that exists in some parts of MI/WI. When I lived in Indianapolis, I used to spend maybe a third to half of my summer weekends on the Lake Michigan coast around Holland. I've been to the UP once.
When I talk to people around here about taking a week off to go to Michigan in the summer, they look at me like I'm utterly stupid.
Nope. I worked with a guy who read Mark Twain and applied the author's quote about the Missouri River to his home state's little creek.
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