Being just on the other side of the river from mcmann (and having grown up on the Jersey side), I agree with her. It's just a great location and I love the change of seasons.

For traveling...it's perfect. I can be in LA or London in about 5 hours.

Let's see...depending on location, the last few weeks in Oklahoma look something like this:

ice storm
wind advisories
burn ban in all counties
extreme fire danger warnings
multiple earthquakes
deadly tornados

Oh, and then there were some 70-degree days mixed in there, too. Right now we are in a pretty severe drought.

There's good and bad no matter where you live, but I enjoy living in the upper midwest. No hurricanes, earthquakes or accents to contend with, donchaknow. Lakes, rivers, trees, grass, and the change of seasons is still enjoyable to me.

I did find one place that intrigued me, Ft. Huachuca, AZ. Didn't have all the faults of AZ (extreme heat, lack of trees, and greenery) and it was very nice there. But for the most part, I'd like to move a little farther north. Into north-central or northern MN. I would prefer smaller town life. But I doubt that will ever happen, unfortunately.

Although I don't like snow and ice, I'd still say yes. I like the change of seasons and the variety of weather we have. There is very little extreme weather (although my wee little town was hit by a freak tornado in 2006). I'm only 2 hours from my parents in NE PA and not far from Philly and Baltimore.

Yes, I like where I live.

Long Island, NY is a very desirable area in the US. It is also extremely expensive to live here. I live 50 miles east of Manhattan, about one hour's driving time. I usually take the LIRR train in.

Excellent services/recreation here - hospitals, great doctors, malls, NYC, concerts, shops, golfing, beaches, parks, restaurants, etc.

And...we are surrounded by the Atlantic ocean and the sound.

Let's not forget the Hamptons out east, and Montauk ("the end").

My DH and I are Long Island natives, born and raised, and we can't see ourselves living anywhere else.

Carol

I'm a water bug and being near water is important to me. Austin, Texas was my very Favorite Home on a Lake and Texas Hill Country. But, I only live 87 miles South of there now. 2 hours to San Antonio and 1 hour from Houston.

Texas Beaches leave a lot to be desired. But, I do enjoy a walk on the beach and good old Salty Air.

Winters are mild and Summers are very hot & humid. I'm not crazy about Hurricanes and Tornado's.

You know that old saying?? The grass is always greener on the other side. LOL
If I could take my whole family I would leave. But since that is pretty doubtful, I'll just sit here and complain. LOL

I absolutely LOVE living in Hawai'i!

Yes, I love where I live. I like the changing seasons and love snow. Don't care for the heat that much. Like spring though. Central Indiana.

I wouldn't mind living where there is less snow and ice (although..we have had very little this year) and less humidity in the summer... but otherwise I like it here very much. We do have to worry about tornados (and we are due for the big earthquake or so they say). I think every place has it's faults (too hot, too cold, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc.).

Where is it 80 degrees everyday? That is where I want to live. :-)

Not that much... but like Rita said, we just have about everything. Today it is the high winds, and drought conditions, which makes it a VERY HIGH fire danger.

But I got used to it. Overall, just hang around... a day or so, it will change. :)

I have seen so much of North America, and such pretty sights, and gone through such desolate area... I think, I am fine here. ;)

Moni

I love living in coastal southern California. We do get earthquakes now and then, but I just plain am glad to be away from the ice, snow, and humidity of the river valley in Illinois where we grew up. 2 of my kids are in the west Los Angeles area, as is my brother, but one is in NYC and likes the big city. My younger sister is also close by in Huntington Beach. The only winter weather we have is rain, and some winters we don't even have that. Summer evenings are cooler than the hot Midwest summer nights. We get lots of good sleeping weather summer nights. I do remember those hot, humid nights before there was air conditioning in Illinois. Nope, I don't miss the Midwest's climate. I do miss the nice people there--genuine and sincere, use their heads, and reasonable real estate prices too. Don't even get me started on housing costs here!

Cynic...don't you live in Minnesota??? To me that is the worst accent ever! How can you say no accents? Ya??

I've lived here my whole life. I am less than 20 miles from the Gulf, as the crow flies, but I have no interest in beaches. Can count on one hand the times I've been in my whole life. Fresh seafood is nice tho.

I live about 45 minutes from Houston, which is nice if I need to go there...I try to not go very often tho...but I don't mind the traffic...usually I can get around with no problems.

I live in the country on a bayou, enough acreage that I have no near neighbors. I love nature and wildlife but more than anything I love peace and quiet.

I wouldn't live any other place.

East central Kansas has got to be one of the worst places I have ever lived! I grew up in Vermont and spent almost 25 years in Arizona.......why did I leave!

I do not at all like where I live:( I live in Southern Cali in the Inland Empire AKA Riverside it is hot and hicky. We live in a simirural area which is nice, close to everything and we all have at least an acre of land. I am a city gal born and raise in a sleepy suburb of LA County 1 mile from the beach. I would love to live in South Orange County~~~we have horrible traffic here and people drive crazy on our main blvd. I honeslty have never liked it here but my DH does and so do my kids:(

Well, Lunchlady, I do live in southern Orange County, and I have to agree that your summer daytime temperatures are awful. I remember shopping in Riverside when we moved to Temecula with babies. Needed a few things, and boy were the stores limited 33 years ago! A real challenge to find cookie sheets and soap dishes!!! Things have changed for the better with shopping choices since then. Now we live along the south Orange County coastal area, and the climate is so much better.

I grew up in northern Ohio, lived 6 years in southeast Florida, a couple years in middle Tennessee. I am now in northwest Georgia, north of Atlanta.

People are always asking me which location I liked best. Geographically, I honestly say I liked them all, no one favorite. There is nothing like a fall day in the farmland of Ohio, and to a kid, snow days are heaven. I passed my driver's test on a snow day from school! Go figure. South Florida has the best winters, of course. December is beautiful there, nothing like clear night skies with a breeze through palm trees! The Everglades is spectacular! We dodged hurricanes, moved away before the worst recent years, so luckily my view isn't tainted by that. Tennessee was all the seasonal beauty I grew up with, but without the harsh winters. Middle TN doesn't have the mountains of east TN, but it still had its own country charm. The Nashville area is a great place to raise a family, lots to do and very affordable. Weather-wise, nothing too extreme happens there. Though a little snow shuts the city down, they aren't equipped for it and it does happen every once in a while.

And now, I can be in mountains in an hour or in downtown Atlanta in an hour. The ocean would be more like a weekend trip. I am perfectly located between family in OH and FL, can go either place in a reasonable day's drive, even with kids.

I would love to see more of the country and would enjoy living pretty much anywhere as far the the scenery. I just really don't want to be more than a day's drive from family. Given a choice, though, I think I would take my chances with hurricans in Florida again before I'd spend winters in northern Ohio again. My blood has thinned, can't take the cold anymore! LOL! And my spirits cannot take months of gray skies again.

I live in Lancaster, with weather similar to McMann's. I was born and raised here and DH and I love it. I am a gardener and this is the place to garden! We can get some hot, humid warm spells in the summer, though.

Fall is lovely, as well as spring and summer. Could never live in the SW - brown doesn't appeal to me.

I love our area....the beautiful central coast of California.
We live in Nipomo, the town with the most 70 degree days in the country. We have terrific weather most of the year.....a few hot days, a little fog in the summer and it is rare to get nights below freezing. It snows in our mountains every ten years or so.
The people are nice, the beach is near and we even have a supermarket now.
I love the ability to eat very fresh vegetables and fresh strawberries almost all year long and I have a lemon tree that produces lemons all the time. We supply our entire neighborhood.
I have great soil for gardening and my orchids love it here. (Cymbidiums.) They are blooming now.
There are lots of historical places in the county, the scenery is beautiful and we have one of the greatest steak houses in California....Jocko's.
We have shopping 10 miles to the south and 15 miles to the north. There is a great university in San Luis Obispo....Cal Poly and very good community colleges in SLO and Santa Maria. Because of our great weather we have good medical care and one of the top 100 heart surgery centers in the US.
I was 19 before I ever saw the central coast even though I lived 125 miles away but knew it was where I wanted to spend the rest of my life. I have been here over 46 years.

I live in southern Ontario, close to Niagara Falls and Buffalo. The Niagara Escarpment is beautiful, it's the fruit belt of Canada. It's probably my second favorite Canadian place to live. If I had my choice, I think I would prefer British Colombia. If I could live anywhere in North America, it would be North Carolina. I've been there several times and I love the climate and the culture. And I sure wouldn't miss these awful Canadian winters.

I live in South Orange County, CA. It's an hour or so to San Diego, less than an hour to LA, a little over an hour to Palm Springs, the high and low deserts, skiing and about 15 minutes to the beach and another half hour to find a parking spot. LOL

Lunchlady, I was just in Riverside yesterday and it wasn't hot, it was pouring rain! :-) We were driving home from Palm Springs and because it was raining so hard we traveled mostly surface streets for the 80+ miles. It was great! Got to see downtown Beaumont, old town Redlands, downtown and the mission district or Riverside and the main drag of Corona (big whoop) before we were forced to the freeway because of that darn mountain. We got off at the next canyon that went through the mountain and continued our drive to So OC. We had a blast.

Jodi-

The weather in Iowa isn't all that great but it is balanced by the friendliness of the people. You just couldn't ask for nicer folks. There are lots of fun things to do here in Ames and Des Moines is only 40 minutes away. The crime here in very low, which probably is one reason folks are so friendly to strangers. The cost of living here is very low and I am able to easily afford my mortgage payments on my retirement income. In CA I would have never been able to afford to retire.

Interesting thread. I spent my first 26 years in New York City, and all my summers growing up were spent in Sag Harbor, Long Island. I've lived on 31 acres in PA for over 30 years, but although I love it I will always feel somewhat landlocked here. Once saltwater gets into your blood, it's hard to get it out.

I enjoyed the few years I lived in NJ, but today I would find it too crowded. Of course, you can double that for NYC. On the rare occasions when I'm behind the wheel in Manhattan, I continually remind myself that I learned to drive in the city. :-)

As for weather, I always said I love the four distinct seasons. My parents lived in Florida for 30 years, and I enjoyed visiting them in February. It was a nice way to break up the winter, but I never wanted to be a "snowbird"--one of those people who abandoned the north every winter to go south, returning in March or April. Well, these days being a snowbird sounds just fine, and if I could afford to do it, I would join my friends who are down there right now.

For one thing, my Raynaud's-damaged hands wouldn't hurt the way they do now if I were in a warmer climate.

Other than the extreme inconvenience of winter (!), though, I'm happy living in the northeast. I love my peaceful, rural setting, and I appreciate the fact that I'm 20 minutes from a friendly small town and 45 minutes from stores and restaurants. It isn't often that I want the latter, but it's nice to know they're there.

Sure could use a nice bay, though. And sandpipers, seaweed, and clams to dig.

Susan

Wow, this is an interesting thread. My hubby and I have been talking about where to retire to. I grew up on Galveston Island. Except for two years in Austin when I was in college, I lived in Galveston until I was 22 years old. Then I moved to Houston for 11 years. Lived in northern New Mexico for 5 years then southern New Mexico for 5 years. We have been in SE Minnesota in the country for 7 1/2 years now. This is where Ron grew up and his family is here. We still have one son in school and he will graduate in 2011.

My problem is that, like some of you, I am landlocked and grew up with the salt water. I'm really tired of the long, cold winters. It seems like in MN we have winter summer and fall, but no real spring. I am seriously wanting to move south but Ron is afraid of the hot, humid summers. We were looking at South Carolina but have never visited there. I googled "best place to retire" and looked at several articles. One mentioned Beaufort, South Caroline and it sounds wonderful to me. I love to swim and need to be closer to the water. It's also not too expensive to live there.

It's very hard to think about moving, though. Leaving lots of family and friends. At the same time the winters here are really getting me down. Mcmann's area sounds really interesting. California seems too expensive.

Thanks for starting this tread, Mcmann!

For the most part I love it here. I love the mountainous terrain, the views and mountains are beautiful. We are just a few hours from DC, a little over an hour from Pittsburgh and frankly our little town has about everything the larger ones have to offer. We have a tremendous symphony, ballet, 2 great performing arts centers and for the most part we have honest, hardworking people. It's a small city so everyone knows everyone and everyone's business! LOL!! I'm really well known in the community, it's a small pond!

Our cost of living is low, something that is much appreciated. We have a beautiful 4 bedroom, 4 bath, 3600 square foot home that sits on 28 acres of ground with inground pool and it cost us under $200K 12 years ago. My taxes are under $3500 a year on it. Yep, I'm pretty happy here.

I'm a native Kansan, and have intentions of moving away from here when I retire. It's sweltering hot in the summer, bitter cold in the winter, and in between it's beautiful.

I'm thinking about moving to South Carolina, Alabama or Arkansas ... told hubby that I *will* move when I retire, and I certainly hope he'll come along!

Oh, and marigene, where are you located, it sounds like you should be pretty close to me. I'm near Olathe.

We live in Pensacola, Florida which is in the panhandle of Florida. (Betcha didn't know there was a panhandle here!)We have lived all over with the Navy and this sounded like a good place to live when my husband retired. We've been here 30 years now and won't leave. The friendliest people are here and the cost of living is lower than most places in Florida. Pensacola is a medium size city and you can find everything you want here. Y'all come!

Interesting thread. I don't want to sound mean, but the truth for me is that I hate it here - it's a small city and sadly, this state has very prejudiced people. I'm from Dallas where there is a huge mix of every kind of person. Being in this state has been very difficult on our Indian daughter, who has beautiful brown skin. She has cried a lot and she's only a child. It's extremely hard to see your child in pain. We'd leave if we could, but DH is 57 and it would be hard to get another job at his salary, his age and in this economy. (His company consolidated several offices and closed the one in Dallas.) He is in a very specialized field and we had no choice but to move or he'd be out of a job. We never dreamed it would be like this. We have tried several different churches, too. People barely speak. We've tried all sorts of things to make friends, but it finally dawned on me last summer that people here don't really have friends - they have RELATIVES and they don't let anyone else into their circle. I know people from my sister's church back home who came here to pastor a church and they found it the exact same way. They moved back to TX, but their DD and her DH still pastor a church here. If it weren't 4 hours away, I'd go there! That's why I chat online - so I'll have someone to chat with! I am usually a very happy person so this has been a rude awakening. I miss my friendly Texans! Well, I keep on praying for a miracle!

We are snowbirds and we love both states. Minnesota is drop-dead gorgeous spring, summer and fall. Now that we're older, we're not wild about the snow and cold, so we spend the winters in the middle of the Ocala National Forest in Florida.

People are warm and friendly in both places, very small towns, not much traffic. IN FL, we are an hour from Daytona Beach, so if we want to go the beach, it's a nice day trip.

I remember gong to Oregon when I was about 6 (we lived in Wash. state then) and my Mom said I kept raving about how pretty it was. I'd love to go back and see it again.
JoanMN/FL

So where exactly are you MissIndia2020?

Jodi-

DH and I have always lived in suburban Chicagoland. He spent many summers at camp in Michigan and I spent many in my mother's native Rhode Island.

Now we live 30 miles north of Chicago in what feels like a small town. It's beautiful along Lake Michigan in Spring, Summer and Fall, but the last two winters have been awful, beginning in mid-November with big snows and zero temps.

We're near enough to a big city, top medical care, international airport, mass transit. We're not in the same earthquake boat as California (New Madrid Fault in Central Illinois) and we have plenty of water. Our town is not densely populated; schools and services are very good. Value received on our taxes. Importantly, DH is near his Bears and his Cubs. (Not that he attends games; who understands the male mind about sports teams?)

We're at our small condo on Maui now, and thinking about coming for longer than a month in the future. (What to do about the dog, though?) Maybe we'll look at Florida again, although I've spent time there in winter in the past and froze -- it sure ain't Hawaii. (What it IS is closer!)

Thanks everyone for sharing their thoughts. I find it fascinating to learn what people think about their areas. There are times when I fantasize about where we might move if we retire. And I'm not sure I could pick just one spot. We're fortunate to live in a country where there are so many different regions and climates to experience. I think I would enjoy being a vagabond for a couple of years so that I could spend time in some of these areas.

I do not like living in Las Vegas, but this is where our jobs are...and where my boys are. They are true desert rats and will never move from here. When it rains here, it usually floods. In the summer, it is hotter than hot. Walking outside, is like walking into a blast furnace. The change of seasons doesn't change anything in the desert. Just the temperature. It goes from hot in the summer, to cold in the winter and very little time at "just right".

I am from Iowa and as Linda said, "The weather in Iowa isn't all that great but it is balanced by the friendliness of the people. You just couldn't ask for nicer folks." I miss that your neighbors don't wave as you drive past. I miss that you don't have a neighbor drop in for coffee. I miss the falling leaves in the fall, the snow in the winter, the birds chirping in the spring and kids running thru the sprinklers in the summer. You will never see kids doing that here (they probably do it in the backyard where they are less likely to get caught by the water authority)...our water source is dropping drastically. They say we will be out of water by 2025. That is only 16 years. Then we will have to get water from somewhere else. I miss being able to see into your neighbors back yard...and talking over the fence. Here, we have 6 foot + block walls separating the yards. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. LOL I was obviously absent the day they taught us in Geography that Southern Nevada is a desert.

This is why when we finally are able to retire, we will move to Montana. Is it time to retire yet?

i live right outside philadelphia in a small suburban town, in an adjacent county, close to transportation, shopping, more supermarkets than i can keep track of, hospitals, theaters, etc. it's only a train ride into the city, where you can find all the culture and american history you want. however, in that same city is gangs, drugs, murder, crime and it seems to be moving up. the news is rather depressing.

it's a gas tank away to the jersey shore points or the pocono mountains or a train ride to new york city. i'm rather spoiled by the convenience of it all.

i do love the accessibility of everything, but i could change it all in a heartbeat. i want to be in a more country-like area, further upstate, with more ground and neighbors further apart. personally, i have been looking, but circumstances and timing were not in alignment. i also don't want to be too far from my granddaughter (resides with me now), and my son and DIL have finally agreed they want to move from this area as well. once i finish up some minor improvements/updates to my house and things pick up in the market and i find my piece of heaven, i'll move.

i'll do want to stay in the state, still have the change of seasons - snow and all (and realize i'll be extending that snow season), and if my growing season is shortened, i'll just have to adjust things to the greenhouse.

maryanne

I'm in MN and I really like it. I live in a great area close to the city but in the woods near a lake. Have been thinking about moving out of state and spending a little time there has made me realize the things I really like about MN. I love the lakes and woods and trails and changing seasons - including beautiful snowy winter days when your shoes squeak when you go for a walk on the snow. Hot humid summer days are great for being in the lake and the moderate spring and falls days are perfect for everything. And whatever the weather is it usually varies from day to day - rarely long extended periods of anything too extreme. Every place has it's own natural disasters - we have tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, floods, ice storms, and blizzards.

I moved from the cold, nasty winters, hot, humid summers of Southeast Iowa in 1978 and have NOT looked back!

I absolutely love the Southern Nevada desert life. I will take the dry heat over damp cold any day.

I like the fact there is something going on all the time out here. I like that almost everything is 24/7.

Yes, I live in the "Entertainment Capital of the World", but you must understand I do live here; therefore I do NOT go to the strip every night....I do NOT gamble.

I raised 3 children here...I spent many an hour at the baseball, football and soccer fields. We have normal lives here..not everyone works in the casino industry.

If I had to leave Southern Nevada....I would head to the Houston or San Antonio/Galveston areas in a heartbeat!

I lived in Northern CA for the first 31 years of my life and loved it, but we wanted to be someplace more affordable. We moved a bit north to Portland, Oregon and have been here 15 years. We love it here! So beautiful. Such nice people. It was a great choice.

Sheryl

Pa must be in my family's blood since we've been here for 300 years on both sides of my family. I live in PA Dutch country..close to Phila, the Jersey Shore, NYC, DC, and Baltimore. The seasons are great except for hot humid weeks in the summer and the droughts we've experienced. I know nothing else since I never lived one day out of this state. I live an hour from where I was born and raised and my kids never left either so this must be a great state to live in.

I grew up in southeastern Minnesota, not far from Rochester and lived here for 30 years. Then, because of a job offer I spent 16 years in southwestern New Mexico. Now I've been back in Minnesota for almost 8 years.
I like the change of seasons that Minnesota has. Winters do get long and cold but I've spent enough time here to be used to it.
New Mexico has lots going for it. I was very happy there. We lived in the mountains at 6,000 feet elevation. We never got the extreme heat like Tucson or El Paso. There were still 4 seasons but Winter was much more moderate. It would snow but then 2 days later it would be back up to 50 degrees. I lived in Silver City, New Mexico. The Gila National Forest began literally on the edge of town. It is 1.5 million acres. For an outdoors kinda guy that loves to hike and camp this was perfect. From the back deck we could look out at the continental divide just 3 miles away. One drawback to New Mexico was the dryness. Even at our elevation we got just 16 inches of rain a year. Not the desert of Tucson or Phoenix but certainly not as lush and green as Minnesota.
What a great thread. I'm still trying to figure out where I want to go when I retire.

Ron

We feel like we live in the best place in the world...The Texas Hill Country. I have lived in many parts of the US and this is the best place we have ever lived. The weather is wonderful, the people are wonderful etc etc ...

We will retire here in Maine when that time comes. There is no other place I would want to live. Beautiful beaches(I could do with warmer water though), lighthouses, being able to see the stars at night, even the tourists are beginning to grow on me after all these years. We raised our children here and they love it also. When we have talked of retiring and selling the house and moving we hear a loud NO WAY from the girls. They too can't think of a better place for us to live. lol. If we need more of a night life Boston is just 45 minutes away. Yep, we have snow and ice storms. Doesn't bother us. We are prepared for them and help out those that aren't. Sledding at the golf course or skating at the outdoor rink with a bonfire and a hot cup of cocoa, is the best. Love watching the snow fall while the fireplace is burning birch wood(love the popping sound). Could do without May fly season and mud season can grate on my nerves at times but they don't last that long. We have traveled to many, many places and they are very nice to visit but for living we will stay here. Haven't found another place we like better. NancyLouise

I love in Southern Massachusetts and love it here. There are mountains, beaches, fabulous restaurants, great shopping, major cities, excellent hospitals, museums, symphonies, theater, many educational opportunities, and more close by. I love the changing seasons. Some winters are worse than others and some summers are worse than others, but all in all you can't beat it. Plus all my friends are here.

I've been in St. Paul MN for 20 years and just love it. It is a "small town" feel with all the ammenities of a big city yet without the huge hassles of long commutes, etc. It is easy to get out into the country in about 20 minutes drive. Love the seasons and, yes, even the winter. Nice, Midwestern people--low key, not much rat race, much slower pace than either coast, little pretension. All the many workmen and women I've employed restoring, now, two old houses have been amazingly honest. Many stores still take checks without even asking for ID. Plus, the city is beautiful, lined with colleges, churches, and old mansions up and down Summit Ave. I can't imagine a more civilized place.

I like most things about being in NW Arkansas, except for the chiggers in the summer and the fact that you can't dig a hole around here, it's too rocky. We live in the beautiful Ozark mountains and it's very picturesque. We get all four seasons, which we missed a lot when we lived in FL. And we're centrally located in the US so travel to anywhere, nearly, isn't too hard or too far. The people are nice here, too, very Southern/friendly. We like it, no intentions of leaving ever.

I lived in Massachusetts for my first 10 years then Illinois for the next 15. I came to California 31 years ago. Out of all the places I have lived I would say I like this the best. I like the weather most of the time and there is quite a variety geographically. We have beaches 5 miles away, ancient redwood forests within walking distance, we live in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mts. so have great views of valleys and even the ocean. I can drive to the mountains in a few hours if I want to play in the snow or to the desert if I want heat.

I have lived close to the CA coast for 22 years and enjoy the Mediterranean climate. I can garden all year long and have fresh veggies, flowers and fruit. We are north enough to have some seasonal changes, but don't usually get the extremes in heat or cold. Though in the last couple of years I have been noticing some changes in the weather pattern.

Everything you could want is close by, great 5 star restaurants, big shopping malls, historical sites; Santa Cruz, San Jose and San Francisco museums, symphonies, theaters. We get lots of big name entertainers. You could go 24/7 for a week and never repeat anything if you wanted.

I don't miss the very cold snowy winters or hot humid summers of the East Coast or Midwest. Occasionally I get nostalgic for the Autumn changes that you get in New England. And I miss the fresh clams and fresh picked blueberries. The only other place I would want to live is Hawaii.
Clare

Okay, a first time poster here...I have been a member at GW for quite some time - even back to Spike days.
I too live in Lancaster County PA! I was so excited to see there are several neighbors posting, so I decided to get up the nerve.
I truly love this area. I travel a lot for my work and get to see many parts of this beautiful country of ours. But none quite compare to coming home. I have lived here my whole life and wouldn't trade it for anything. I love the fact the in just a few hours I can be at the beach, NYC or our nations capitol. At the end of the day I can return to my quiet home and hear a horse and buggy clip-clop by.

I LOVE the Northwest!!! Beautiful forests, mountains, beaches, lakes and rivers. Everything is so green. I spend as much time in the outdoors as possible. I love that I can be at the ocean, mountains, rainforest, a lake/river, or a desert within a few hours. I can't imagine living anywhere else. The rain gets annoying but is worth it, and the only real natural disaster threat is an earthquake (maybe a tsunami, but unlikely). I guess Mt. Rainier erupting is a possiblity too. I don't think I could live somewhere with hurricanes and tornados, but I guess it's all just what we are used to.

Stoney, I am in Anderson County (Garnett).....I do shop up in your area at least once a month!

I've been a "Camp Follower" most of my life, following my husband from coast to coast and Europe with the USMC, then all over the State of California as a state employee. I have never lived anywhere that I didn't find so much to love about it and put down roots. We have now landed (retired) in Southern Oregon and am pretty sure this is as close to heaven as one can get. The Rogue Valley and the mountains that surround us are beautiful all seasons of the year. I do complain about the cold and wet winters, but it is a rare week that we don't have periods of sunshine like today. Even warm winter temperatures sprout up often. 50 degrees right now.

i've lived in the orlando burbs for 12 yrs now and this is the furthest north we will ever live lol. i can see living in south FL or far southern CA coastal areas but really nowhere else. i grew up and spent 29 yrs in chicago and while i miss the culture and city living i don't want to go back to live there yr round. maybe for june-oct lol oh that would coincide w/ hurricane season and the worst of our long-hot-humid summers hmmm. but it would take an extraordinary amount of money (tens of millions atleast lol seriously thou) to get me to live anywhere colder than orlando.

this winter has been the worst in 12 yrs and if it only happens every 12-15 yrs i can live w/ it. for the first time we actually had plant damage at our house, until this month i had cuban & jamaican heliconias in my rare tropical collections. hurricanes didn't affect us until 2004 and then we got 3 (a Cat 2 and 2 Cat 1's) in 6 weeks, went 24 days w/o power and learned ALOT, now only 100 mph constant winds concern me. this past summer we got over 36" of rain from Hurricane Faye in a few days and we didn't wash away, so now i'm not going to be worried about rains. 2004 & 2005 were bad for hurricanes but they have not seriously effected us since.

all in all i would not live anywhere else but warm FL, it was 78 and sunny today BTW :-) ~ liz