What is the best and the worst about where you live?

[debrakay]

I like to know about people.  I like to know things about my friends.  I am interested in the lives of my friends.  That said,  I would like to know about where you live, why you live there, what you like about your area, and what you do not like about your area.  I will go first.

MY LIKES: I live in the same little town I was born in.  The ocean is about 10 miles away so I can go to the beach whenever I desire.  I live at the base of a mountain and I love the mountains too.  I am in what you call rural America.  The nearest large city is about 75 miles away and a fairly decent drive but cities are not too much to my liking.  I grew up with fishing, hunting, clam digging, crabbing and those kind of outdoor activities and I enjoy them all.  Most of the people are kind, considerate and good.

MY DISLIKES:  It rains an average of 90 inches a year so we spend a lot of time indoors during certain seasons.  That would be fall, winter, and spring.   The average temperature is 55 degrees with highs in the upper 70's and lows in the lower 40's.  Lots of people from the big city come here on weekends and holidays so most of the local population stay close to home during those times.  You can sometimes get stuck behind a tractor or manure spreader and be late for an appointment.  It's a small town so if you are not careful you can become the center of gossip.

Your turn. 

[Neighbor]

Hi, interesting and hopefully a fun topic;

I too come from rural lands very close to the ocean and did spend time clamming as well as crab trapping, and pulling seaweed for huge clambake lobster events, mostly along the southern coast  of Maine USA.

Our family as led by my dad had two very large clambakes each summer, about 80 family members for one and 200 for a work related one. I used to be up digging the pit long before sunrise for those two major clambakes, and watching the tidal conditions for the necessary seaweed.

Plus we would have a few smaller clambakes with 20 or so when I would launch a little 14 foot Penn Yan canoe rib square back boat with a tiny seven horse power motor to go out to  the open Atlantic  fishing for Blues, near the Walker -Bush estate.

I once also was knocked off the rocks while fishing from the inlet at Drakes island as a hurricane whipped 20 foot plus wave crushed down over me.  I did however save my catch a smaller Blue!

I also became transplanted to an entirely different climate called Huntington Beach California back before "The Beach Boys" and enjoyed endless summer with view of snow on Mt. Baldy where I would go for winter fun.  I would cruise around for other idiots to road race.

The majority of my adult life however has been spent at a wonderful place along the Suncoast of Florida. Where I am between bay and intercostal waters, able to kayak and fly cats. All while being an hour and half from the grandest spring fed rivers and wildlife,- from gators, deer, and even monkeys.

Why I even bought a remote  island once off the coastline ( Well half of it anyway). It was so remote we had to portage our pram boat  through areas of nasty water moccasins and huge rattle snakes to get to it with supplies. There were old  American Indian mounds there, large mounds of oyster shells and a cistern  from perhaps the days of the trail of tears and the Seminoles.

It all has become developed over time. The forest ranger tower I Lived under is now long gone, replaced by lots and lots and ever more lots of people.  It is all gone, just history now, as are the massive pine woods, all replaced with houses, shopping, centers and people. I can literally walk to over 800 stores and medical facilities of all kinds. The fire department and the police station merely feet from my dwelling place hardly even a walk away.

 I have found a new trail, to a new place, in the woods by a reservoir half way back to my New England roots.  I drive back and forth, back and forth from the Suncoast of Florida to it and back yet again- because well because there is nothing there in the woods when I need something like doctors.

Literally half the people I meet in the small town  near the remote woods are in the same "boat" as me. They have come from Florida after being there for many decades, having left northern States or California. All are trying to find something away from people, but with a great church body to fellowship with, and a good medical support system.

 I am beginning to think I really live on I-75 Atlanta, sitting in a traffic snarl.

Nice try on all our part.

Oh the best and the worst of it all? Hmm, people I suppose. The shear number of wonderful people and the awfulness of the most wicked of people, all just  a little too close to each other in the time of the signs.

 

[AdHoc]

A fun topic no doubt. Let's see if we can bring our Lord into it.

WHERE. Central Europe.

LIKE; There is a saying hat when God made the Alps he took extra time on them. I live in the foot hills (foot mountains) and forests of the pre-alps. Our nearest mountain is 45 minutes away and 8'000 foot/2,500 meters high. Compared to the classics at 16,000 feet, "our" mountain is small. But it is beautiful, high, independent, immovable and majestic, just like our God. At 8,000 feet you can still climb the 100 or so steps from the cable station to the actual peak with enough oxygen to appreciate the view of 6 countries - Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Germany, Italy and France. On a clear day you can just make out the Mont Blanc - the highest mountain in western Europe and situated on the French / Italian border. Down in the valleys live a once hardy mountain folk known for being good mercenaries, but now banned by their constitution from serving in any other army except their own. The public transport is the most extensive (per land area) and best in the world. Delayed trains make the national news. Luther, Zwingli and Calvin were the major players in the Reformation and the honesty and hard-work ethic are still around. Taxes are low. At regular intervals along the country lanes are mounted boxes with plastic gloves attached. No leaving dog-business in the lush grass.

DISLIKE; There is no paradise on earth. Winters are harsh. The alps create a micro-climate of their own and "our" mountain often registers winds of 100 mph at the peak. The towns are close together and we have the most traffic signs per mile of any country in the world. "Black ice" can form quickly and unannounced on the roads. We pay the most for a Big-Mac in the world about $17-$19. People like order and they live close together. So you can often have a neighbor disagreeing with you about just about anything. This has an upside though. Your neighbor will be the first to see your house being burgled and phone the police. The police average about 5 minutes to arrive, but due to the low crime rate, this is usually because your gas grill is giving off too much smoke. This can be avoided by inviting your neighbors to the grill - in which case they'll only report you when they go home after eating your steaks. Steak cost about $120 for a kg (2.2 lbs). There is lots of snow to dig, but nowhere to put it. Best not on your neighbors driveway. The police take 6 minutes in winter. No sharing shoveled snow! In the summer the milk farmers take their cows up the mountains to eat the lush grass. If you get behind a procession of cows you could be late which is seriously frowned on. Also, your car will have cow-business filling the mudguards after about a mile. Talking about the Reformation, it took a Supreme Court's decision in 1990 to give women the vote.

[enoob57]

The best is it will all be burnt up and be forgotten... 

The worst is it shouldn't of ever happened....

[Marathoner]

Just now, enoob57 said:

The best is it will all be burnt up and be forgotten... 

The worst is it shouldn't of ever happened....

Amen!

[Sower]

13 hours ago, debrakay said:

I like to know about people.  I like to know things about my friends.  I am interested in the lives of my friends.  That said,  I would like to know about where you live, why you live there, what you like about your area, and what you do not like about your area.  I will go first.

I live in the great state of Texas, (where so many ex Californians are flocking:) and grew up around Military city USA, San Antonio as a kid.  Other than when my military dad was stationed in other states/countries, was born at Fort Monroe Virginia myself while he was stationed there, all my siblings born Fort Sam Houston, San Antone, and later lived 2 1/2 yrs at Clark AFB, Luzon, Philippine Islands in the fifties. Also lived on several other military bases at different places. Spent two yrs overseas myself in the orient while I served in the military seeing many other countries, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Hawaii, Viet Nam, etc.

The bride God picked for me was found in Houston, and we then eloped to (right below the green pepper above) Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) Texas, where we lived several years and were blessed with having our children there. (And our new life, being born again)  They grew up literally in the salt water, learned to swim in the salt water at 6 months, as we spent most free time fishing, catching shrimp/crabs, and scrounging beaches when the tourist would leave. I taught my kids how to fish while in diapers, and my oldest daughter later  was able to teach her husband how to catch bait with a cast net, rig and bait hooks, cast and catch the fish, fillet them and cook them. We caught our own fresh shrimp with our push net in the passes, crabs in crab traps at piers, trout and reds in the bays, Spanish mackerel and King mackerel at the jetties or on Padre Island. Neat stuff for childhood.

While the kids were still young we left the coast and moved about 2 hours inland on land I had inherited, where we had cattle and horses and chickens, scorpions spiders and snakes, etc etc. Our kids were really upset when we left the coast! 

Once we moved we blazed a spot in the woods, bought a "temporary trailer house, and moved in. No water, gas, telephones, septic system, or even electricity for a while. Like we were camping all over again, and the kids then had a blast. My wife made sun tea, and cooked meals on the Coleman. The house we were going to build with the money we had saved was depleted due to building our roads, power lines, barbed wire fencing, propane tanks, water well hook up, starting my business, the slab for the business shop, and oh, the medical cost of having  another child, our son. So the temporary trailer house became a 30yr semi permanent, no new home. But a son instead. Cool.

We finally were able to build our home after the kids grew up and married. God supplied the money, and my brothers and friends helped us build our home ourselves, about 12 yrs ago. And now my last dozen cabinets in my business are completed,  in the trailer ready to ship soon, and at 76yrs, I'm going to get out from under the gun and retire, to "Enjoy the Fruits of my Labor" Finally!

When we moved here about 4o+ yrs back we found our first church home, a small baptist church, and we are still here. It became our new family, and don't know how we could ever leave.  I believe God had his hands on us, directing all our movements throughout our marriage. Most of our family is living within walking distance, the rest an hour away (a dozen grand kids total). All believers. (I believe)
I confess, I am blessed beyond measure, with true blessings. I don't know why. I'm the richest man I know!

Year before last year we celebrated our fiftieth wedding anniversary. Our family goes every year back to the coast to get together, renting two old houses on the water for a month at half price, after the tourist season is over in September.  Our kids kicked in and got my wife and I a guided bay fishing trip. And wouldn't you know, my wife caught the last, biggest,  fish of the day, a huge sow Redfish over three feet long.      (Now mounted in HER kitchen).  

 

 

 

[AnOrangeCat]

1 hour ago, Sower said:

I live in the great state of Texas, (where so many ex Californians are flocking:) and grew up around Military city USA, San Antonio as a kid. 

Fellow Texan here. I've been all over the country in my life but it always leads back to Texas. In my case I'm in some nowhere town between major cities. The climate is really horrible for me since I burn easily and have some heat sensitivity going for me. But that aside? It's one of the nicer places to live. Things are really affordable here compared to other parts of the country. Something else that I find striking is that at least in my neck of the woods people here are generally nice. I have a lot of online friends who live in big cities. It's really striking to me when they say things like it's normal for people in their area to not even know their neighbor's name after living next to them for years.

[Debp]

I'm in L.A.   The worst thing is the rents are crazy high and we usually get a rent increase each year.   (No rent increase the last few years because of the Pandemic, the mayor froze rent. )

I wish we would get rain like in other places.    Rainy season is supposed to be Winter/early Spring.   But a lot of years we barely get any rain.    This year we did get some more thankfully.

 

Everything is convenient for me to get to now that I don't drive.   I can walk to the grocery store, some doctors, banks and there are some restaurants.

The weather is good, usually 70's and 80's.  There is also a good subway system, and a station about two blocks away.   Subway has different colorful art works in each station.

People tend to be friendly in L.A.   Even people you might meet on the street.

I have several wonderful neighbors.   They often help this senior citizen get some groceries.   Even a teenager helps me go to the market sometimes.   He refuses any money for helping.    Says we should help each other.

The department of aging sends boxes of cafe food each week.   They did this during the Pandemic.   Now they have started it again due to the inflation.   The city takes care of the seniors pretty well.

When I was getting around more easily, I could sightsee alot via the subway.   Also, a 50 minute city bus ride takes you to the beach and pier.

 

[AdHoc]

12 hours ago, enoob57 said:

The best is it will all be burnt up and be forgotten... 

The worst is it shouldn't of ever happened....

 

12 hours ago, Marathoner said:

Amen!

True, but that is only half the story ...

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. ...
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. (Re 20:11–21:5)

- The Greek word rendered "new" literally means "made pristine".

- The Tabernacle of God is with "MEN" - not only the Church. So Psalm 78:68-69 assures us that after the purge, the earth REMAINS;

68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved. 69 And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.

 

[Henry_iain]

I live in a relatively small university town in the Western Cape in South Africa. Here I'm just going to focus on my own town. 

On the plus side, it is a truly beautiful part of the world. Good schools and a university, relative safety and high standard of living makes it a great place for families and people who live here form a very supportive community with an easy mix between different cultures.  

The darker side is the corruption in the government,  the frequent electricity issues, the tendency to over develop which results in housing prices being quite high.