posted 05-18- 05:56 PM               

I'm in the Portland, OR area now and love it. It reminds me of the way the SF Bay area used to be except we're greener and wetter than SF. Our weather is very similar to Southern England except our summers are about 10 degrees F. warmer. Lot's of open country and farmland here in the Willamette Valley, again similar to S. England. Year'round skiing is only 60 miles away, the beautiful Oregon Coast is 60 miles the other way and we have forests all over.

posted 05-18- 07:37 PM               

I'm glad to see Texas on your list, and let me give you a few reasons why.

Now first off, I am biased. I was born in El Paso, and only lived out if the state for about a year. It was out of my control, as I was only 4. I got back to Texas as soon as I could at age 5.

I live in the Greater Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. It's a vast accumulation of several cities we affectionately call DFW. Whatever you do, don't go to Houston, Lubbock, or anything in far West Texas. Houston just sucks, and Lubbock is just another word for a sauna.

DFW has a very diverse economy, so it weathers economic shifts very well. North Dallas is the one of the fasted growing places in the USA. There are jerks here, as anywhere, but for the most part people in DFW (more so towards Fort Worth) are very friendly.

Jobs are fairly plentiful, and the cost of living rather easy. Two of the major types of jobs in DFW are in medicine and high tech.
You can get a nice modest home like mine for about 50K, or you gan get the average home for about 120K, oy you can find 2 million dollar castles (literally, there's one for sale now).

Unfortunately, the mass conservative wave that has drown America has completely obliterated the more rational liberal minded folks in DFW (IMHO).

As far as scenery goes, well... its flat. Thats all I can say about it. We do have lots of lakes for water sports, lots to eat, and the best Mexican food in the world (sorry Mexico, I like ours better). Now, it can get hot. We rarely get snow, but the summer heat can get well over 107 for many days in a row. That's why the lakes are so important. As for other scenery, well almost the prettiest women in the world are in Texas, I imagine your wife needs to be here to make our collection complete.

I've never seen another place I could be as happier in.

posted 05-18- 08:20 PM            

P

Jerry I was just over to Manzanita last year, had a great time, bloated on bivalves

Oh ya I forgot to mention, the worst (I mean worst) thing about Idaho is; THERE'S TOO MANY GOD DAMN MORMONS!!!

posted 05-18- 08:29 PM            

Both have the advantages of good public transit and lots to do and good restaraunts.

New York (where I live) is hideously expensive, at least until you figure it out and find some reasonable housing. But there are a lot of jobs here and walking to work and doing your errands on foot within a few blocks of your house is a pleasure that can't be had many other places in the US. Plus its got great movie theaters, great bike paths, great parks, etc.

I lived in S.F. for a few years, I like New York better.

posted 05-18- 08:48 PM               

The US? Why?

Come to Canada, The only thing that sucks is the taxes.

I'm pretty sure Canada has beaten the US in the UN best countries to live in the last couple years.

Are you guys going to be nice or are we going to have to move this to flame wars?

If I was going to live in the states I would probly want to live in one of the western states or rocky states.

Can't see me living in the south or central.

My favorite places to live in Canada have been here in Ontario and Northern alberta.

I havn't lived in the rockies though although I have thought of it.

posted 05-18- 09:45 PM               

The BEST part about it here though is that it's NOT crowded. I can't stand big cities/masses of people and down here everyone goes to work in shorts and casual shirts. We like it a lot, it has a vacation-like atmosphere year round.

For the Canadians in this forum, I have relatives in Halifax Nova Scotia and in Vancouver. Both are very nice but of course we enjoyed Vancouver more. In 1976 we spent two weeks vacationing on Prince Edward Island and had a GREAT time. But man the jelly-fish suck bigtime! They were everywhere.

May as well add this too. The military afforded me the following "paid" vacations around the globe.

ALL OVER the US.
Goose Bay, Labrador
Santiago, Chile (supporting Clinton's visit)
Sydney Australia (and Alice Springs too)
Subic Bay and Manila, Philippines
Thailand (had great view of Vietnam from air)
South Korea
Okinawa Japan
Tokyo Japan
Misawa Japan
Wake Island
Kwajalin (Both islands in Pacific)
Hawaii and Alaska MANY times
Guam
Pago Pago
Cairo Egypt
Amsterdam Holland
Kopenhagen Denmark
Mildenhall England
South West Spain
Madrid, Spain
Cicily, Italy
Austria
Frankfurt, Germany
(many places in Germany actually)
Kuwait City, Kuwait
Daharan and Bahrain, Saudi Arabia

and I think that's about it. Out of all those places, the most fun and memorable times are in Honolulu, Hawaii. It's truely a paradise on earth.

If you are a young guy and considering your options for your future (and are in the US), look into the US Air Force. I was a guy who never had a strong desire to travel, but now that I have I'm very glad I did! You will have many fond memories. Just think, I was sitting on the ramp at Cairo West Airport in Egypt, sitting in the pilots seat as pilot in command on several engine maintenance runs. What a kick it was to take the C-5 Galaxy up to full power and hear the guy out front on the chord (making sure all was clear) screaming about the HUGE sand cloud I was creating! Plus, our hotel we were at for 60 plus days was right across the street from the Pyramids! My room's window view was of Giza (the big one). Just incredible.

posted 05-18- 10:00 PM               

San Fran, to an East Coaster it seems soooo fake (the people that is). Avoid. Housing is far more than $450,000.. a guy at my last job bought a house for $400,000 and sold it for $850,000 after ~4 years.

I lived in Berkeley CA for 4 months (across the SF bay), and once I figured out everyone is crazy in Berkeley (except for the hordes of homeless individuals), I quit my job and moved South.

Next, LA California. Too expensive also, although much cheaper than San Fran. Average house price (2-3 bedroom, 2200 sq. ft., 1/10 acre) is probably $500,000 in Santa Monica/Venice (the only place worth living in the region). Fair warning, most of the people in California are crazy (heard the same about Florida), if you can deal with this, you may love the place. Otherwise, move to OR or Washington State, or Arizona.

San Diego seems nice, very conservative though. Haven't lived there (yet).

New Jersey is ok because I'm close to Philly, Washington DC, Baltimore, and New York City (I thought I'd hate NYC, but on the contrary, it is the best city in the world!). Where I am in South Jersey: $130,000 buys a house that is equivalent to a $700,000 house in LA (or what $2,000,000 buys in San Fran). Taxes, etc, seem high in NJ, property taxes on a $130,000 house can be $5,000 per year (depending on your township).

At one point I quit my New Jersey job to move to Santa Maria CA. SM is near San Louis Obisbo; SM is fairly inexpensive. Lots of old people there. The country side is beautiful, and once the developers ruin the area (by putting houses everywhere in 10 years), you'd be able to sell your $250,000 house for $4,000,000.

I've spent most of my life in Baltimore Maryland.

It is difficult to move to a new place.

I lived in Germany for 3.67 years, and found "permanently" living outside my own country in 'Hicksberg' to stink. It also had a detrimental effect on my ability to find a job when I returned to the US.

Size yourself up: are you aggressive, outgoing, eager to meet new people? Can you live in a place were everyone seems crazy? (No one in New Jersey can drive a car properly, I've heard drivers are even worse up north). Are you really sure you was to dis all your old friends and family?

Basically, moving sucks, and I can't recommend it. But I'll probably only stay here 2 years before I look for a new job somewhere else.

Live in NYC if you can afford it, if not, live in Washington DC. Both are high energy cities. Housing in DC is slightly expensive.

posted 05-19- 12:51 AM               

I have been to many of the places above and they are great places to visit-- but I always enjoy coming back home...I am from northern New York-- home of the Adirondacks...Lake Placid (where the US team beat the USSR in 1980 ...Plattsburgh...where Benedict Arnold snuck his teeny fleet by the British at the Battle of Valcour Island....and now I reside in Saratoga Springs-- where August is busy with the horse racing...and another great historic event-- what they called the "Turning Point of the Revolution"...where the British were defeated while trying to march to Albany.

I love history-- and am glad to be in an area so rich in it NY is a bitch with all the taxes though...and I do live near out idiot governor Pataki...but past that-- I love my little cottage in the woods

------------------

Brought to you by the campaign for a better Dauntless!

posted 05-19- 12:53 AM               

Come to Australia

Much better place

You are either in droughts or fierce storms!

Laugh-a-minute fun!

posted 05-19- 01:15 AM               

Very true guys, It does sound great down there, except it sounds like your even worse off on the cost of comptuers parts and games then we are, and have to wait longer.

Course there much more to life then computers, MUCH MORE.

posted 05-19- 01:16 AM               

Japan is a nice place to visit but that's it! It's nuts over there. VERY crowded and LOTS of pollution. I've been there in both the winter and the hot and sweaty summers. I prefer the good ol' US by far. But for the experience of it and to draw your own conclusions, you should go for sure. (see my lengthy post above about my travels).

Argon, about Texas, damn I had no idea it was so dangerous down there. I know most places have there sickos and all, but we were at one point going to move to Dallas. Now though our next move would probably be San Diego. I've heard so many great things about it. Plus we are only about 2 hours away.

I have been to Miramar NAS down there a few years back but that was only like a 4 hour stop I didn't get a chance to see much of it.

posted 05-19- 01:25 PM               

I work in Dallas, and some of my best friends live there. I love to play in Dallas, and the pay is better there than in Tarrant County too. I guess its not all bad... ;-)

posted 05-19- 02:20 PM               

Forget the alps, we have over 50 mountains in this state that are above 14,000 feet, and several over 15,000.

Winters on the east slope of the mountains are actually rather mild compared to the plains states and the northeast (or in the mountains).

The economy in this region is still going beserk. My kids were making $9 an hour working at fast food "restaurants"

Smokey- you and I can actually agree on something. I have relatives in Illinois and spent 7 months at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. It is darn hot and humid in summer, and just as cold as you said in the winter. The one redeeming thing about going out there was spending vacations on my Grandparent's farm near Vandalia. Lot's of great memories about that place.

BTW, I grew up in Montana til I was 18 and lived in California for almost 10 years after I got out of the Navy. One of the happiest days of my life was crossing the California border in a U-Haul heading for the Rocky Mountains.

posted 05-20- 03:08 AM               

The San Francisco Bay Area is great, but it's getting too crowded. I've lived here my whole life and have seen the region go downhill. Most of what's happened and most of the stereotypes about California are due to the people that come here, not native Californian's themselves (if you can find any!). I think alot depends on what your situation is. If you're married with a family, this is probably a place to avoid because of the high cost of real estate, declining public school system, cogestion, etc... On the other hand, there are reasons why there are so many people here; high paying jobs (in the past, anyway), global center of high tech (if that's your thing), nice weather, convenient locale to beaches, mountains, wine country and a great metropolis - San Francisco (Jerry's right, don't ever call it "Frisco". It's either San Francisco or The City). By the way, if you come here, don't live in San Francisco. Check out one of the suburban areas.

If you're serious about the move, let me know and I'll be glad to share more info.

posted 05-20- 12:55 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Spanky the Mad Dog:

The US? Why?

I'm pretty sure Canada has beaten the US in the UN best countries to live in the last couple years.

---

Is that the same UN that voted Libya onto their Human Rights Commission and voted the US off?

posted 05-20- 03:33 PM            

My favorite place to live was Las Vegas, Nevada. Hookers, junkies, 'trash' you name it, that place was a pisshole. But very fun if you have money. Don't let the neon lights fool you, that place has issues.

posted 05-20- 04:08 PM               

I should have stated that Canada has been at the top of numerous list that name the best places in the world to live.

Maybe the US isn't in the UNs good books cause they havn't been paying their UN dues?

posted 05-20- 05:19 PM               

I had a business trip to Houston in December 2000. The Museum district seem really nice (had dinner there with a bunch of German Medical Residents who where rotating through US hospitals). However, the air quality in Houston makes breathing difficult for me. And there seem to be an oversupply of strip malls and strip clubs in the corridor leading south to the Johnson Space Center.

If I could choose to live in any state, I'd choose Hawaii. That state is a neat blend of East and West. Its beauty is beyond words. The cost of living there seems 20% higher than California.

You need to take a cross country trip, see all of America (US & Canada), figure out where the nice/interesting people are, figure out what kind of weather you like, and lastly figure out where you can earn a living.

I wish I had joined the Air Force like Pete Hawk. Sound like excellent travel experiences. I've been to Daharan Saudi Arabia and Kuwait City Kuwait (and stopped over in Qatar). I feel sorry for the average Saudi person, the life of an average Saudi sucks compared to ANY person in the US. Saudi is hell on earth.

posted 05-20- 07:19 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Psi:
Lol about the exit from big "C" Jug, where in Montana???

P

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posted 05-20- 10:28 PM               

Ya never know man, Its a crazy world, and money talks. I'm sure if you threw enough money at them they would, You are the richest country in the world right?