How much do you love the town you live in?

[The Valkyrie]

TO MY TOWN

More than a catbird hates a cat,
Or a criminal hates a clue,
Or the Axis hates the United States,
That's how much I love you.

I love you more than a duck can swim,
And more than a grapefruit squirts,
I love you more than a gin rummy is a bore,
And more than a toothache hurts.

As a shipwrecked sailor hates the sea,
Or a juggler hates a shove,
As a hostess detests unexpected guests,
That's how much you I love.

I love you more than a wasp can sting,
And more than the subway jerks,
I love you as much as a beggar needs a crutch,
And more than a hangnail irks.

I swear to you by the stars above,
And below, if such there be,
As the High Court loathes perjurious oathes,
That's how you're loved by me.

Boru

(full disclosure:  the above poem was stolen, part and parcel, from Ogden Nash's 'To My Valentine'.  It express my feeling about Kerikeri to perfection.)

So, you'd recommend living in Kerikeri, then?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

You picked that up, did you?

Boru

[The Valkyrie]

You picked that up, did you?  

Boru

I've heard it's nice.

Never been there, myself.

Too many tourists?

[BrianSoddingBoru4]

*shrug* Tourists are seasonal. It's winter now, so things are pretty quiet. I don't much mind them, though - my wife owns a curio shop, and she's not at all shy about relieving tourists of their excess cash.

Boru

[The Valkyrie]

I was walking down Lambton Quay yesterday and - almost literally - tripped over Chinese tourists.

They were everywhere.

[energizer bunny]

I currently live around the New York City area. It has its pros and cons. I really like the diversity here. I've met people from all over the world and i'm not even the type of person that goes out of my way to met people. It is not uncommon to sit on the train and here 4 different languages being spoken at once. I like that i don't have to go far for anything. You have just about everything here and you don't need a car as the train takes you everywhere. There is always something going on here so you really have to be a pretty boring person to be bored here. As far as the people that live here. Well, you can fine some of the nicest people here just easily as you can find some of the rudest people here. That's what makes the city so interesting. 


I don't like how overcrowded it can be. The trains can be jammed pack with people and you can find yourself next to someone who is completely drunk, a man who seems to have never taken a shower, or a woman with waaay too much perfume on.  I don't like how expensive everything is. The higher living cost is slowly getting rid of the minorities that make this city so unique. It can also get quite noisy at times.  

Is there somewhere in particular you'd rather be or is where you live not even that important to you?

Frankly i'd rather move back to Tampa, Florida. There are personal things i need to take care of first which is currently preventing me from moving back. Once i take care of what i need to take care of, i'll start looking to move back. I miss it there. It was the perfect place for me and i loved my location. A lot more quieter, laid back, friendlier. More spacious and a lot cheaper for a more spacious home or apartment. I enjoyed the warm weather all year round and just the overall environment.

[TheRealJoeFish]

I'm in Pennsylvania, USA in a town of about 45,000. From age 4 to 17 (when I went to college) I lived in a town of about 5,000 in rural Pennsylvania, and eventually went to college in a town that was only slightly larger. I then went to law school in Philadelphia, PA (about 1.5 million people), and, holy crap, was that a culture shock. I won't say I couldn't handle it, because I did. I won't say that it wasn't a good, exciting place to live for a guy in his young 20s, because it was. But, let me tell you: I was counting down the hours until I could get out of there. It wasn't a good place for me to be, mentally or physically, and I seriously freaked out at the prospect of living/working there for any extended period of time. When almost all of my class went to NYC, DC or stayed in Philly, I looked for any and every job in smaller Pennsylvania towns; after Philly and Pittsburgh (pop ~400,000) a lot of the state's population is in about 30 cities of between 40,000 and 100,000. Of the ones that ended up being possible, I chose the one I'm currently in and moved here for the job back in summer 2014. I'll probably stay in the area for at least the short-long term (next 5 years at least), as I'm currently looking for my next job (2 year time limit on this one) and know a lot of the firms around here. Also I've made really good friends. Also family is within 90 miles. Also I like being able to do city things one day and forest things the next day, which is extremely possible around here. So: good place for Joe.

[c172]

I live in San Diego (California), USA. We are known for our weather. Which is fine, but I can't live life on weather alone (even though it is important). As well, it's not like we aren't prone to heatwaves. I like it cooler. I'd love it about 15 degrees cooler on average. 

Also, while my neighborhood has tons of civic pride, it also has tons of homeless folks. More than I've seen on my trips to L.A. or NYC (though maybe less than DC). 

People complain that we aren't very cultural. Well, we do have California Ballet Company, an opera, and several outlets for modern art. Just on par with Anycity, USA, I think. 

The political scene isn't great, but what is cool (not sure what other cities in the USA have this) is that many of our neighborhoods have councils of their own. Ours meets monthly (wish it were more, but that's another thread), and brings in city government reps and officials, including the mayor and our district's city councillor, who is beloved my many, and will enter state government when he terms out later this year.

[robvalue]

Option 3 for me.

I live near Sittingbourne in Kent. The part I'm in is one of the nicer areas, and I'm lucky to be in a quiet cul-de-sac. My neighbours are very nice and I feel safe here, even walking about at night, which I can't say for everywhere I've lived. I've never had anyone cause me any serious hassle in the 2-3 years I've been living here.

There are many places I'd rather live, but I consider myself fortunate for what I have here.

[SteelCurtain]

Nashville, TN, United States

I do not have any strong feelings about Tennessee. Nashville as a city has very little character. It is the country music center of the Universe, has the Grand Ole Opry here, but very little else. Especially as I cannot stand country music. It's not especially beautiful, there isn't a special character to speak of.

If I had to continue living in Tennessee, I would choose Chattanooga.

For me, I want to live in a city, preferably west coast, preferably Silicon Valley/Bay Area or Pacific NW. I have always lived in the South or around majority southern Christians, except for my stint in the Navy in San Diego. That was like a special kind of freedom. I couldn't afford to live there after leaving the Navy, so I came to Middle Tennessee. The cost of living here is fucking amazing, which is why I stay until I get my second bachelors. After that, I go where the job market takes me.