Do you like where you live?

In reply to cyow5 :

I'm all too familiar with Mooresville and honestly, it's where I want to move back to. My parents are in Troutman and I really like the area.  Lived there from '97-2008 so I have seen the rapid growth. Went to middle/high school and college and then started moving for work. Wound up in Pittsburgh and met my wife here. I just don't love it here and probably never will. The schools here are amazing and my kids are really happy - so that's why I'm not forcing a move back south right now. 

One of my biggest complaints is we moved back here (we were in Raleigh, NC for a bit) to be closer to my wife's family - which is mostly her parents. Now, they have bought a condo in Florida and her mom is committed to living there 7-8 months out of the year. 

In the 90s when I lived in Weatherford I lived in the neighborhood behind the Petro, off of Santa Fe.  I drove a black LX 5.0 coupe with silver stripes and pony wheels.  I lived in Weatherford from 1991-2005 then 2014-2020. I was a young dude then and had more energy than money. I built a bunch of cars in that little two car garage. Now I'm old and tired and my back hurts. Nothing so heroic from me anymore.

I won't derail this thread anymore. 

They used to do autocrosses at the Weatherford Airport. The Porsche Club even did a few time trials there. I ran there many times. Then a company that builds military drones bought that whole corner of the airport and we lost another autocross site in the area. I remember talking to a guy who said that they used that same site during the Vietnam War to train Huey pilots. There were helicopters all over the place back then.

Are they really going to rebuild the Baker Hotel in Weatherford? They used to have hot springs there and it was actually a destination for tourists many years ago.

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) said:

They used to do autocrosses at the Weatherford Airport. The Porsche Club even did a few time trials there. I ran there many times. Then a company that builds military drones bought that whole corner of the airport and we lost another autocross site in the area. I remember talking to a guy who said that they used that same site during the Vietnam War to train Huey pilots. There were helicopters all over the place back then.

Are they really going to rebuild the Baker Hotel in Weatherford? They used to have hot springs there and it was actually a destination for tourists many years ago.

You're describing Mineral Wells. 20 miles past Weatherford. And yes, they are heaving money at the old hotel to rebuild it. Mineral Wells is red hot right now. Just explosive growth. I rode my bicycle out there and back yesterday. New construction everywhere. 

93EXCivic said:

mainlandboy said:

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

Come to PA.  I bought my 2bd/1ba detached house with a garage for $87k.

How much do you have to make to afford a $1.8M house?  I'm guessing it's about 15 times what I make.

Wow, I can't imagine house prices that low! A very high income is needed to buy a house in the Vancouver area:

Most of the people who live in detached homes here bought the house many years ago before things went nuts, or they were able to borrow significant funds from family in addition to a large mortgage.

I can't imagine paying that large a percentage of my pay check towards housing cost...

I was thinking the same thing. The townhouse example, I guess you work from home, eat ramen every day and never have any other activies? 

Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) said:

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) said:

They used to do autocrosses at the Weatherford Airport. The Porsche Club even did a few time trials there. I ran there many times. Then a company that builds military drones bought that whole corner of the airport and we lost another autocross site in the area. I remember talking to a guy who said that they used that same site during the Vietnam War to train Huey pilots. There were helicopters all over the place back then.

Are they really going to rebuild the Baker Hotel in Weatherford? They used to have hot springs there and it was actually a destination for tourists many years ago.

You're describing Mineral Wells. 20 miles past Weatherford. And yes, they are heaving money at the old hotel to rebuild it. Mineral Wells is red hot right now. Just explosive growth. I rode my bicycle out there and back yesterday. New construction everywhere. 

Your right. I was thinking of Mineral Wells. You have to drive through Weatherford to get there. When I used to autocross there it was just a sleepy little town. We actually had trouble getting enough hotel space for the SCCA events. There was an Italian restaurant there out on the West side of town where we used to go after the events for dinner. Sounds like that place has really changed.

It's not terrible. I love the pacific northwest for it's natural beauty along with my proximity to both the mountains and the sea but the denizens just...lack respect. For everything. People leaving trash all down the street, driving like shiny happy people, the government focusing on the wrong sides of problems. It's a bit disheartening. 

z31maniac said:

I was thinking the same thing. The townhouse example, I guess you work from home, eat ramen every day and never have any other activies? 

Keep in mind that starting salary for a fresh-out-of-college new grad with a CS degree at Google/FB/etc has been over $100K for a while now.  A couple years experience and some RSUs in an appreciating market and a two-tech-income couple can be making $300K/year.

Keith Tanner said:

1SlowVW said:

I think I've expressed it before here, but I love where I live. Sackville NB Canada is a small university town (pop 10k residents when school is in). Small town vibes but because of the university you still have good bands, good food options, and the town is kept very clean. 

No town is without issues and we've seen crime go up and down since we've been here. But I live on a private lane and have really great neighbours. We like it here so much that I bought a business here. 

We have an international airport 30 minutes from my doorstep and if we want to go to an city for the weekend we can head down to halifax nova scotia which is about 2 hours away. 

 

Mostly though it puts me about an hour from my parents which is important to me with small children. 

 

We may not live here forever but for right now it's a really great fit. 

 

The Maritimes are a great place. You just have to be able to deal with winter, which weeds out the weak :) I am of a belief that the harder it is to live somewhere, the better the people are because they have to work together.

It was -30C here the other night before windchill. But as a rule where I live on the New Brunswick Nova Scotia boarder the winters are fairly mild, two hours away in Halifax you see hardly any snow. Newfoundland...it depends where your at. 

My wife and I have talked about moving somewhere without winter for a year or two when the kids are a little older. Honestly though I think I would miss it. I'm certainly missing the snow this year with barely a foot on the ground. 
I will say that being in auto parts In a small town is great. I know all the shops, even those who aren't a first call to me I'm on a first name basis. 
I also over 2 years working here and 7 years living here now know lots of people. Hard to go out to the store and not see someone you know. That's not for everyone but it's great for us. 

I currently live in Pasco County, FL but work in southern Hillsborough County, FL.

This is the second time living in Florida. The first was from 2010 to 2014 when I was active duty military.

I absolutely cannot wait to get the hell out of Florida.

The cost of living has skyrocketed here. The population has exploded since I was here the first time. Traffic is a nightmare. The owner of the house I was renting raised the rent by 30% and it literally priced me out of the area. Luckily, my relationship with my GF had progressed to the point to where she asked me to move in with her. My daily commute went from 40 miles to 80 miles but I'm saving over $2,500 a month in rent and utilities. 

Car insurance is super expensive down here due to the number of uninsured motorists.

I hate the beach and Disney does nothing for me. Kennedy Space Center is amazing though.

Some people call this a tropical paradise. I feel like its an endless summer of swamp ass. Its miserable in the summer and winter brings all the boomer snowbirds.

I greatly miss the Pacific northwest. Or just the west. I'm seriously considering applying for a technician job in Clovis, NM. Hardly any people and the cost of living is like half of here. And its something that I think I will enjoy, which is something I can't say about my current job.

If I could leave tomorrow, I would.

Keith Tanner said:

1SlowVW said:

I think I've expressed it before here, but I love where I live. Sackville NB Canada is a small university town (pop 10k residents when school is in). Small town vibes but because of the university you still have good bands, good food options, and the town is kept very clean. 

No town is without issues and we've seen crime go up and down since we've been here. But I live on a private lane and have really great neighbours. We like it here so much that I bought a business here. 

We have an international airport 30 minutes from my doorstep and if we want to go to an city for the weekend we can head down to halifax nova scotia which is about 2 hours away. 

 

Mostly though it puts me about an hour from my parents which is important to me with small children. 

 

We may not live here forever but for right now it's a really great fit. 

 

The Maritimes are a great place. You just have to be able to deal with winter, which weeds out the weak :) I am of a belief that the harder it is to live somewhere, the better the people are because they have to work together.

It was -30C here the other night before windchill. But as a rule where I live on the New Brunswick Nova Scotia boarder the winters are fairly mild, two hours away in Halifax you see hardly any snow. Newfoundland...it depends where your at. 

My wife and I have talked about moving somewhere without winter for a year or two when the kids are a little older. Honestly though I think I would miss it. I'm certainly missing the snow this year with barely a foot on the ground. 
I will say that being in auto parts In a small town is great. I know all the shops, even those who aren't a first call to me I'm on a first name basis. 
Also after 2 years working here and 7 years living here we now know lots of people. Hard to go out to the store and not see someone you know. That's not for everyone but it's great for us. 

Summerville sc (a suburb of charleston).

Love it here.  We have 3 seasons and skip winter.

Sure it gets hot in the summer, but what's the difference between 92 or 99?  It's hot as balls either way.

My neighborhood has 4.5 miles of private hiking /mtn biking trails, a pool, lots of trees, and plenty of car needs.

Love it!

Do I like where I live? Yes and no. I liked it a lot more before the city folk started moving up here, building houses and making it busy, or at least busier.

I grew up in and around the GTA (Toronto area) and when we wanted to buy a house we moved an hour SW where it was very affordable, and I commuted. If you're familiar with the Andy Griffith show, this area was just like that until recently. Everybody knows everybody, in a good way - your kids can't get away with anything without you finding out, and if it's the cop that catches them they're likely being brought home for justice, not taken to the station. Unfortunately with the run up in real estate prices, a lot of city people cashed in and bought up here, making it very expensive, though prices seem to be dropping like a stone recently. It's quiet, property taxes are low and the weather is good. London, an hour west gets more than double the snow, we get very little, and the temperatures are a lot better than the GTA where we came from. Cooler in summer, and warmer in winter, and decent paying jobs are plentiful. And being Canada, multicultural food options are abundant in the city, 20 minutes away, and there are even some interesting options locally. The nearest town, a farming community, has everything we need as well as three Mexican, and two Jamaican restaurants. There's an oval dirt track 15 minutes away, a large paved track 20 minutes, and within a few hours, at least another half dozen, or more, including at least a dozen motocross tracks, with my favourite one 10 minutes away.

I could live without the winters but they could be a lot worse. It's been mostly green grass and mild temps so far this year.

Love where I live with perhaps two exceptions:

- I have maintained close friendships with old friends on the opposite side of the country for which I wish I could see more often. We will have to become comfortable with our daughters spending their summers in Pennsylvania in order to have a relationship with their grandparents, aunt/uncle and cousins. 

- The cost of property is so high in close proximity to Flagstaff that the idea of having a car collection and a big shop seems out of reach. 

Best things:

- ability to go from barely above freezing temps to high 60's in a two-hour drive is pretty awesome during the winter.

- gobs of sunshine

- waldeinsamkeit translated to “the feeling of being alone in the woods.”

In reply to pheller :

I came very near applying for an entomologist position with the Forestry Commission that was based in Flagstaff.  I had just been diagnosed with prostate cancer and approaching surgery.  Looking at the weather data I'm not sure I could have hacked it.  I ended up not applying.  

I live near Spartanburg, SC and pretty well like it.  We've been here 36 years so it's home now.  We have grown like crazy the last 3 years and it's gotten way too crowded.  I'm not sure where everybody is coming from.  Greenville is 20 minutes to the west and Charlotte and hour to the east (once they finish I-85).  

z31maniac said:

93EXCivic said:

mainlandboy said:

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

Come to PA.  I bought my 2bd/1ba detached house with a garage for $87k.

How much do you have to make to afford a $1.8M house?  I'm guessing it's about 15 times what I make.

Wow, I can't imagine house prices that low! A very high income is needed to buy a house in the Vancouver area:

Most of the people who live in detached homes here bought the house many years ago before things went nuts, or they were able to borrow significant funds from family in addition to a large mortgage.

I can't imagine paying that large a percentage of my pay check towards housing cost...

I was thinking the same thing. The townhouse example, I guess you work from home, eat ramen every day and never have any other activies? 

Yeah.  Suddenly PA is looking more attractive.

I live in Oakland California and work in Berkeley (Not the cuss word). It's pretty great in a lot of ways: Weather, entertainment and educational activities, economy, proximity to road-racing venues, food, vibrant multi-culturalism. 

Unfortunately, where it sucks it does indeed....suck. Homeless people, traffic, amazingly dysfunctional city governments, crime (largely localized) and of course the cost of living. 

I'm very enamored of Western Marin and Sonoma Counties. It's the coastal region just North of the Bay area and pretty stunning. A lot of it is locked up by either rich people or dairy farming, but there are accessible and relatively affordable pockets. I really considered buying a decommissioned dairy a couple of years ago and will probably regret not having done so for the rest of my life. I've also thought about buying a chunk of undeveloped land and just parking an airstream on it for weekends and vacations.  

There are a lot of great places in this country to live. If I were a young man again I'd really consider a variety of places such as Colorado, Oregon and North Carolina. But since Northern California is where my roots are, and since I can afford it, there's no incentive for me to leave a pretty wonderful place.

As an aside, the San Francisco Bay Area is notoriously expensive to live in, but I've noticed in real estate listings that a lot of areas are catching up. My Brother in Law had an absolutely gorgeous property in Pleasanton CA - 2 acres, a big house with a swimming pool and great landscaping. on the same street as and about a 1/4 mile down the road from John Madden's digs. He up and moved to a Dallas suburb recently and for a comparable amount of money got a really nice house, but on a far inferior lot to what he had in California. I don't get it. I know that he hated California politics (His doormat used to say "Entering the no-spin zone"), but I'd take his CA property 10 days out of 10 over his TX one. 

I live in Qualicum Beach BC, if you take an Alaska cruise from Vancouver you sale past my front door (sort of). QB is a small town (8300 people) and semi rural - thers's lots of 5 acre hobby farms that I walk by regularly. The only chain stores in town are banks, financial advisors, Home Hardware, the pharmacy, and grocery store (which started here). I love it here and joke that you can almost see it from North Vancouver where I used to live.

And to add to the Vancouver price discussion two screen shots from BC Assessment

The above is current home

The above is the home we sold for $1.48 mil in Dec. 2020. It was sold to builder who completely renovated the house. I saw the complete pictures after the reno and and the only word for it was wow, and yes that's his sale price $2.52 mil and I have no idea how the buyers came up with the money.

In reply to Kreb (Forum Supporter) :

Every time I think of leaving I think of the weather, the great produce (tomatoes!!) camping, coast etc. CA may be crazy but it has so much to offer. Just have to pay for it, because it was discovered long ago. 

San Diego County, CA.

Yes, and that's an understatement. You can divide the cost of rent by 12 and the cost of rent where I used to live in Michigan by 7 and get a similar number per month of outdoor activities. Pay and expenses are both higher by the same percentage. The roads are hilly, twisty, and smooth.  The mix of locals, techies, and military personnel adds up to a healthy community. One factor reducing cost of living here is that stuff lasts forever - lots of 30-year-old cars, fifteen-year-old trailers, and roads with original pavement and signs.

Three things I don't like are the lack of adequate five-over-one construction to allow housing prices and rents to flatten out, the DMV, and the limited number of automotive companies to work at.

codrus (Forum Supporter) said:

z31maniac said:

I was thinking the same thing. The townhouse example, I guess you work from home, eat ramen every day and never have any other activies? 

Keep in mind that starting salary for a fresh-out-of-college new grad with a CS degree at Google/FB/etc has been over $100K for a while now.  A couple years experience and some RSUs in an appreciating market and a two-tech-income couple can be making $300K/year.

Then one of you gets sick.. and you're berkeleyed. I guess I just like to live a little further from the edge. 

Wherever you go, there you are.

Apart from places with regular weather and seismic extremes, or sprawling urbanity, I could live pretty much anywhere.

codrus (Forum Supporter) said:Keep in mind that starting salary for a fresh-out-of-college new grad with a CS degree at Google/FB/etc has been over $100K for a while now.  A couple years experience and some RSUs in an appreciating market and a two-tech-income couple can be making $300K/year.

And that's one of the things driving prices here. One of my buddies is a firefighter, his wife works for the local government. They bring in $200k/yr, and that's not at all out of the ordinary

Two things that I thought of after I typed that out. I had to renew my driver's license, the plates on 4 cars, and health card a few weeks ago. I drove to the local service Ontario and did everything in one spot. It was $90 and I was in and out in 10 minutes.  I also don't have locks on my windows, and until I started working nights and PW was nervous because we didn't have a dog, I didn't have a key to the front door. I didn't need it, we never locked it. That's worth something.