View Full Version : What's So Special About Your Town/City? Why Do You Live There?
Mighty Frugal
1-24-12, 10:11pm
So, I grew up in initially rural 'suburbs' that morphed into suburb suburbs. Since moving in with dh in 2002 we have lived in the city.
My suburban friends/family tell me to leave the crowded, stinky, crime-riddled city and move back to the 'burbs where I belong.
I tell them I live in a city but really, I live in a small town. A small town set back 50 years. This is why I love where I live:
1. My immediate community-my street and adjoining one-is filled with young families. There are more than a dozen kids my kids' age. All the parents get along smashingly-my dh has a weekly meet up with the dads for beer and darts and I go to a craft night once a month. We have a small park that we meet to play and to host events-Victoria Day, Halloween party, Easter Egg Hunt, etc. Just the BEST group of families you could find!
2. Our little 'town' is very walker friendly. We have a main street that has banks, restaurants, fruit stores, butchers, hair salon, bakeries, indie clothing shops, tons of book stores, doggie shops, and of course, a few delightful candy stores. All walking distance
3. At my kids' school, 90% of the kids walk there. And most of the time we run into neighbours walking their kids so we chat while walking. Reminds me of my school days
4. It kind of leans toward a 'hippie' town. Although many people live in million dollar homes you'd never know it looking at them. Most have their undies flapping on the clothes line out back, drive an old Volvo, and have full sleeve tatts.:~)
5. My commute to work is a breeze-I drive but it only takes about 16 minutes
6. It has all the comforts of a village in the 50s yet it still is the city. So we have subways and streetcars close by. We have some shady characters up the street. We have the homeless asking for your 'spare change', the drunkards hanging around the beer store, the crafty woman digging through our recycling bin for empties, and we have a semi-covert 'massage' parlor.....I think this just adds a bit of spice to our part of the city
It's just such a cozy, charming little hamlet within a big city and I would never leave it;)
How about you? What's so special about where you live?:)
We live right downtown in a city of 1 million. Our little spot is quiet with a narrow street so lacks a lot of traffic, a blend of housing stock from million dollar condos to small single family homes, and less than a quick 1 mile walk to everything in the middle of the city. We have a local popular grocery, bakery, two YMCAs, and a sidewalk walk to all facilities. New 130 million dollar (excessive) library, hardware store, new apartments going in all over so more population density to bring even more facilities to our downtown. I can walk the four blocks to all our parades and the Superbowl is just a short walk although we plan on staying away.
I would only leave for a similiar walkable spot we found on the north side and only to get a one level home when we cannot do the stairs anymore.
When I worked, it was a 5 block walk and hubby could round trip to and from in 10 minutes (if he forgot something.)
Since we nicely petitioned the local liquor store to get rid of the low end stuff, we now have only a very few customers that walk and deposit the empties along the alley. In the 80s before the activists started cleaning up the neighborhood, it was on a very dangerous downward slide. It is now a very nice and desireable neighborhood.
Negative: zero kids of any age in this particular neighborhood area.
I grew up in 'rural suburbs' as well. Since then I've lived in 9 different homes and apartments, in different areas of different states. For the past 7 years we've lived in the suburbs, which was a big change from our last home, which was about 3 miles from downtown, and in the middle of a large city.
Pros:
+ It's quiet. Oh, I love the quiet. In the city, there was constant background noise, and I frequently heard the sirens of police cars, ambulances, etc.
+ We have more space for a garden, and since the houses are newer, there is no lead paint in the soil.
+ The schools are better.
+ We have two parks within walking distance. This would have been likely in the city as well.
+ There are few people around who don't actually live here. This was a problem in our last neighborhood - theft was not uncommon and there were lots of vagrant people in the park every morning and in the neighborhood in general.
+ We are about 12 miles from the downtowns of either of the Twin Cities. It takes less than 30 minutes to go to great museums and any of the arts.
+ Traffic is nonexistent unless we go to the cities at rush hour, which we avoid.
+ Everything we need and use daily, aside from DH's work, is within about a 3-mile radius of our home. If I compare this to the house we almost bought in the city, I think the grocery store & library are actually closer to our suburban home.
+ The roads are really well-plowed in the winter because there is no parking on the streets at night. Some of the lovely city neighborhoods have roads that approach being impassable in the winter because the plows can't really do a thorough job.
+ Because of the great schools, lots of kids DD's age.
+ We are in an area with a lot of lakes and wetlands, so there is more green space than almost anywhere I've ever lived (simply because it can't be built upon). This feeds my soul.
Cons:
- DH's commute is close to our maximum tolerance, nearly 30 minutes door to door.
- We don't have many sidewalks in the neighborhood, but there are great bike paths all over our area.
I do love to visit walkable cities, both in our area and when we travel. But I am always glad to come home to our quiet place. Many people in MN have cabins in the northern part of the state, but I think of our little house as our "cabin." It's a calm escape from the world and a lot closer for our friends.
I will have to +1 Rosemary's pros. We both live in the Twin Cities suburbs. The metro area itself is clean, has tons of green space, lots of arts and cultural events, great restaurants, lots of educational opportunities, lots of interesting places to go and things to do and a relatively polite and friendly population. My neck of the woods is known for its arts community.
The suburb I live in is on the border of the city of Minneapolis. It's defintely got a small town/neighborhood feel to it. I almost never go out without running into someone I know. We have a strong sense of community too. We are always having get-togethers and helping each other out with this or that. People really care about each other here. I love that.
My neighborhood is relatively walkable. I can easily walk to quite a few businesses including a grocery store, restaurants, banks, coffee shops and parks.
The school district here (which we don't use) is a good one and it's very small. 1700 kids from K-12. It's well funded too. When my kids attended the school sent out e-mails asking people if anyone wanted extra tutoring because they had extra funds that year. I've been led to understand that sort of thing is not the norm in public schools.
I also like the way the people here are generally pretty SL oriented. My neighbors are frugal, adventurous people.
I also like that in the summer my particular neighborhood is like living in a resort. We've got swimming pools, tennis courts, a basketball court, a volleyball court, a horseshoe pit, well manicured gardens, walking/biking paths, a playground, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, art classes, yoga classes, concerts, an organic coffee shop, an art gallery, a picnic areas, a gourmet cooking group, book clubs and outdoor art installations all within a leisurely stroll from my front door.
IMO, there's no life quite like small-town/community living. Laid-back, relaxing, as stress-free as it gets, safe, comfortable (not too crowded), everything within walking distance if one so chooses, all things recreational and business no more than a quick ten minute drive away (twenty- thirty minutes if one seeks world class adventures) no pollution, and relatively affordable.
Living where we do is a lifestyle choice/decision, and having been born and raised small-town, there's just no giving it up! Once you get a taste for it there is no other option... Heaven, with a capital H!
I live in a small town in Illinois. But it's very unique.
Population only 3,600
80% of our buildings are in a Nation Register Historic District
President Ulysses S. Grant lived here when the Civil War began.
He was one of 9 Civil War generals who came from here.
When I look out my living room window the scene is virtually the same as it was in the 1850s minus the asphalt and sidewalks.
Despite our small size we have over 30 restaurants and about 10 bars.
Our historic Main Street is thriving.
Although most of Illinois is very flat, we have wonderful hills and bluffs.
The Mississippi River is only 3 miles away.
Our area is know as the B&B capital of Illinois.
We have a huge community garden.
There are two theater groups, two artists guilds and over 40 community organizations.
A river runs through it.
We have floodgates at the entrance to downtown, and we occasionally have to close them.
It's surprisingly affordable.
Everyone goes to the high school football games.
The bank tellers and check out people know your name.
I can walk to work in 12 minutes.
folkypoet
1-25-12, 10:54am
Currently living in Flagstaff, but I still consider myself an Austin girl, so I'll speak to that. Austin is a pretty amazing little place for someone like me.
There are thrift shops everywhere (my love in life)
Vegetarian/vegan food on practically every corner
Natural food stores all over (including Whole Foods' giant flagship store)
Half Price Books - several of them
Many wonderful coffeehouses
Both live theaters and ultra-cool movie theaters (some spaces doing double-duty)
Pretty good bus system
Lots of simple livers
Good growing season (which I didn't really appreciate until moving to Flagstaff)
Many non-religious homeschoolers (even a few unschoolers) and events
Tons of political causes to get involved with
Lots of volunteer opportunities
Live music galore
Parks, parks, parks
It's a lovely little island of blue in a sea of red
The claim to fame of my town is that it's the home of U-Haul. And its high school mascot made Letterman's Top Ten list of funky weird mascots.
Also, Lewis & Clark spent some time here during their expedition down the Columbia and back. Their diaries complain about the cacophany (sp) of the geese in the area. It is now a national wildlife refuge. Several years ago the town and local agencies pulled together to build a replica Chinookan plankhouse on the site of the local tribe at that time who befriended the expedition.
catherine
1-25-12, 12:23pm
Currently living in Flagstaff, but I still consider myself an Austin girl, so I'll speak to that. Austin is a pretty amazing little place for someone like me.
There are thrift shops everywhere (my love in life)
Vegetarian/vegan food on practically every corner
Natural food stores all over (including Whole Foods' giant flagship store)
Half Price Books - several of them
Many wonderful coffeehouses
Both live theaters and ultra-cool movie theaters (some spaces doing double-duty)
Pretty good bus system
Lots of simple livers
Good growing season (which I didn't really appreciate until moving to Flagstaff)
Many non-religious homeschoolers (even a few unschoolers) and events
Tons of political causes to get involved with
Lots of volunteer opportunities
Live music galore
Parks, parks, parks
It's a lovely little island of blue in a sea of red
OMG, my DD26 mentioned that she and her boyfriend might move to Austin next year, and reading your list, it will fit her like a GLOVE!!
I'd send her your list, but I don't want to encourage her to move away from the NE!! (once she decides to move for sure, I MIGHT share it with her ;)
Another Austinite here. A particularly groovy city I imagine if you are under 30, foot-loose and fancy-free. We enjoy it because we have lived in the same close-in neighborhood for many years with a wide variety of grocery alternatives, libraries, thrift stores, parks, etc. close by. That being said, the current onslaught of newcomers is changing the city's character in profound ways so it is hard to say what the tipping point is for remaining a high caliber yet mostly affordable place to be. All that aside, we will be leaving in a few years for a slightly less rambunctious place that isn't 100 degrees plus for days on end. Flagstaff, maybe?
Track Town USA!
Lots of bike paths
Lots of hippies
Nike Phil Knight's favorite tax write-off
Mild climate (though it does rain)
Grass seed capital of the world -- also known as the pollen capital of the world!
You can go snow skiing in the Cascades and surfing in the Pacific the same day in our county
Home of Ken Kesey - of One flew of the Cuckoo's Nest - fame (see also # 3)
Two rivers run through us
2012 Rose Bowl Champions - Oregon Ducks
Home of the late Streve "Pre" Prefontane - the runner
Recycling to the extreme is in our blood.
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Was a fairly rural suburb when we moved here
Near Princeton, which is a beautiful destination walking town--in the town and also along the Delware & Raritan canal towpath
Right inbetween NYC and Philadelpha
I can take the bus to NYC right from my corner and get there in an hour
According to Today Mom website, NJ is the TOP RANKED place to raise a child (although my child-rearing days are over)
Diversity is prolific. My town has churches, synagogues, Hindu temples, Muslim mosques, and the biggest Buddha statue in the US* (And we all get along, too!)
It's not really a "walkable" community but I CAN walk to supermarket (albeit Asian supermarket), post office, convenience store, Radio Shack (for any emergency technological needs) and any number of fast food places.
There's a lovely church right at the bottom of my street. I walk there for morning Mass on occasion
Ocean Grove is nearby (as are a lot of nice NJ beaches)
I live on a park, with a creek, so even though it's a standard subdivision, my particular home is open to trees and nature and grass, and I don't even have to mow it.
Finally, I like being the underdog, living in a state that gets an undeserved bad rap. We don't all fit the Snookie/Situation profile. As stated on a T-shirt I saw in Urban Outfitter: New Jersey: Only the Strong Survive!
*actually, the Western Hemisphere: http://www.trentonian.com/articles/2011/07/14/opinion/doc4e1f2879dcc64428083775.txt
I'm currently sitting in the Common House at Berkeley Cohousing, waiting to jump into a conference call with my Board exec team. It's a sweet, restored 1910 craftsman building that has the shared dining, kitchen, laundry, living room & guest room facilities that all cohousing communities have. And, it's spring in Berkeley! Gorgeous outside...
One of the lovely benes of my job is that I get to travel & stay in cohousing comunities. <sigh> I have serious wanderlust, 'cause I fall in love with each of these places... Last fall, it was the Wild Sage community in Boulder that won me. Then, I was at Daybreak in Portland. Today, I could live here... I feel like such a community hussy! I love 'em all...
dado potato
1-26-12, 1:14am
Two traffic lights... the only stop-and-go lights in the entire county are in this town. I have fishin buddies and "woodland community supported radio" WOJB.
On a clear night one can see a million stars and occasionally hear a wolf howl. There are several groomed cross country ski trails within a 20 minute drive.
I live in a small town in Illinois. But it's very unique.
Population only 3,600
80% of our buildings are in a Nation Register Historic District
President Ulysses S. Grant lived here when the Civil War began.
He was one of 9 Civil War generals who came from here.
When I look out my living room window the scene is virtually the same as it was in the 1850s minus the asphalt and sidewalks.
Despite our small size we have over 30 restaurants and about 10 bars.
Our historic Main Street is thriving.
Although most of Illinois is very flat, we have wonderful hills and bluffs.
The Mississippi River is only 3 miles away.
Our area is know as the B&B capital of Illinois.
We have a huge community garden.
There are two theater groups, two artists guilds and over 40 community organizations.
A river runs through it.
We have floodgates at the entrance to downtown, and we occasionally have to close them.
It's surprisingly affordable.
Everyone goes to the high school football games.
The bank tellers and check out people know your name.
I can walk to work in 12 minutes.
I got it, Galena! That's great, I want to vacation soon in Galena!
bae, it's pretty. But you can have all of that ocean and trees.
I. Must. Have. Architecture.
I would like some goats, though.
Yep Iris Lilly, it is Galena. It's awesome. We hope you visit soon! If you need advice about stuff here just let me know.
IshbelRobertson
1-26-12, 10:38am
http://www.edinburgh.org/
Says it all!
Quit bragging bae. lol!
You have paradise there. But you know that already.
Well, love is right in the name for starters.
< 45min from Rocky Mountain National Park
Get to see Long's Peak every day, except when it's snowing in which case I get to see it pink and snow-covered at dawn the next day.
Even the old folks go hiking (and biking and climbing and skiing and...)
There's an REI for every 100,000 people and a brewery for every 10,000.
3 public swimming pools for a population less than 100,000. 4 if you count the seasonal outdoor one.
Did I mention the breweries?
World class rock climbing
World class mountaineering
At least 3 major bike tours, plus countless single day rides, triathlons and of course various run lengths
Every type of weather you can enjoy, sometimes in the same day! Last week it was 8F and snowy to begin, then 60F and breezy to end.
I've seen someone on a bicycle every single day since moving back.
I've seen someone out for a run every single day since moving back.
(Polite, on-leash) dogs in Home Depot!
I haven't even figured out how many coffeehouses on my way to work, much less visited them all
I don't even know how many miles of bike paths
Prairie dogs, Canada geese, foxes, coyotes, raccoons, deer, skunks, black bear all seen inside city limits with some regularity
Art sculptures everywhere, some sponsored by the city
Did I mention the mountains?
I could go on but it's time for bed.
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