As you can imagine, Arkansas isn't that great. Where would recommend to move and why? What did you like or not like about the different places you've lived or stayed for time?
North Epping, Sydney. Shared a house with a massive balcony overlooking the Lane Cove River National Park. Two minutes walk, and the loudest thing you could hear was birdsong. Good times.
I don’t have a favorite place, but I’m definitely enjoying Tucson. From all my moves in the Amy, I've learned it’s not so much the place, but rather, your state of mind. Anyplace can be great or shitty. That being said, I don’t know why people would choose to live in humid places.
While I was active duty I lived in Okinawa. OMG humidity!! Mold grew quickly there. While I was married and ex was active duty we lived in Louisiana and Virginia. I don't deal well with humidity. I was not sad to see Ft. Polk in my rearview mirror.
@EarthKate the humidity in Arkansas is brutal!
Montana! I've been here since 1994, and absolutely love it. The area I reside in is mostly conservative and christian, but I've met some great people here, and the landscape is gorgeous!
That would be Burlington, VT where I lived for 3 years. Always something to do, had a circle of friends and beautiful scenery. Where I am living now with Dan is a geographically beautiful area and only 2 hours away.
Nice!! That looks glacial!
@HippieChick58 yes near Kootenay Crossing in British Columbia.
@MiltsterD When I was in the Seattle area we'd take the kids on hikes in the mountains, and we learned about glacial rivers. I love the colors!
I grew up on a lake in Michigan. Glowing sunsets filled the sky with colors, reflected in the lake, and streaming into our living room windows.
Skinny dipping at night made me a lifelong sensualist. August evenings at the lake were warm as bathwater, accentuated by icy cold streams flowing up from the bottom. It was an exquisite experience I long to share.
What lake? We have a place on Elk Lake east of Traverse City.
Long Lake in Commerce Township (formerly Union Lake, Michigan)
I’m an inveterate skinny dipper - when I lived in the Boston suburbs, I used to go at night to a state park called Breakheart Reservation, where there were several ponds for swimming, including one that was oriented East-West... it had a huge glacial boulder at the shore that some people dove off, & another submerged one in the middle of the pond, that I accidentally discovered one night, but swam to directly every following time that I went there... I sat on the boulder with the water up to my upper chest, my arms floating in the cool water, watching the moon travel over the length of the pond, listening to the bullfrogs croaking on the banks, & smelling the pine resin... it was a magical place, & I wish I lived near there still
I’ve also enjoyed several places that were clothing optional, including Gunnison Beach on Sandy Hook in NJ, part of the Gateway National Recreation Area (Federal laws don’t prohibit nudity, so there often are areas set aside for clothing optional use)... during a visit to Sweden to trace my heritage, of course, there were many places where I could go sky-clad
Asmara, capital of Eritrea (although when I lived there between 1968-1972 it was considered a province of Ethiopia)... the city is a jewel, a northern Italian gem built in Mussolini’s Africa when Eritrea was an Italian colony... it is a UNESCO heritage site, filled with arguably the greatest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world - as an example, here is my addition to Atlas Obscura about one of the outstanding buildings in Asmara: [atlasobscura.com]
The country, long considered dangerous due to the repressive government, is beginning to loosen again thanks to the rapprochement with Ethiopia after 20+ years of hostility. Filled with natural beauty, important archaeological & historical sites, & a rich & hospitable culture, it was an outstanding place to live when I was there, & if I could afford the cost of the trip, I would gladly return.
Very interesting. I am sure you have more stories to tell. Looking forward to get more whenever you feel like typing. No pressure, no rush.
You're kidding? When I was in the military Asmara was a place we could have been sent. Other's who went there said they did a lot of hunting Monkeys. No one in the military seems to like where they are stationed. I was sent to Sinop, Turkey.
@JackPedigo - what branch were you in? yes, some people chose to hunt with weapons - I used cameras & tape recorders... & I may seem unusual, but most people I know who were stationed or spent any time in Asmara (all branches of the service, as well as civilians, dependents, & travelers, have extremely fond memories of the experience
@SkipD I was in the Army Security Agency. One place we did not want to go was Shemya Alaska. I also caught the camera bug. Had a Pentax SLR and Yoshika Mat Duel lens box. I later discovered what a special place Sinop i was/is.
@JackPedigo what was your MOS? I was 04B/98G Arabic linguist - spent a year at DLI/WC Monterey before Asmara.
@SkipD Mine was 33D20 High frequency intercept recorder maintenance. Spent a year at Ft. Devens (near Boston) going to school.
You know Arabic? My late partner spoke Farsi (she gave up trying to teach me).
@JackPedigo yes, I took the 47 week intensive Arabic class... btw, Farsi uses the Arabic alphabet, but is an Indo-European language (not a Semitic language) fairly closely related to Sanskrit, Russian, Greek, & of course a whole lot of others... I actually have studied quite a lot of languages in addition to Arabic - Russian, French, Tigrinya, Italian, some German & Swedish, a little Greek, Icelandic, & Old Norse, & a smattering of Ancient Egyptian... your MOS sounds like a much more recent one than were around when I was in the ASA... I never was stationed at Devens, but after I got back to the States I lived for a number of years in Boston
When taking into account climate change, I think the Pacific Northwest is a solid spot. I'm considering the Olympic peninsula in the rain shadow so that the rain isn't overwhelming. Water will be less of an issue without the threat of sea level rise in many areas of regular draught conditions. Moderate temps year round are appealing. Other natural disasters will have minimal impact because of elevation, so tsunamis won't be a major factor. The Mountains and the sea are all right there.
What about fires and earthquakes?
@Akfishlady We have the same issue here. Last night we finally got some rain after months of drought.
@Akfishlady Right, there's always a risk. However, it's a lower risk compared to other areas. Temperature extremes are more likely everywhere, so I'm looking at areas that won't be as impacted compared to others. Some here have mentioned earthquakes on this thread, but that's a constant reality that is purely geology. Climate change is happening right before our eyes, so we just have to adapt and make an informed decision based on the data we have. If the rain became less frequent, then desalination is a great option in the region, which one can't do in Denver, Santa Fe, Austin, or any other desired areas.
Denver, CO. My first 5 years out of grad school, I was young, single, in a big city, had good jobs, found a wife, my daughter was born there, trout fishing in mountain lakes above 10,000 feet, disco was in full swing, great bars, real Mexican food, bought my first house. I lived there from 1976 to 1987. Still miss those days.
I gave you a thumbs up for admitting you like disco. Brave very brave.
I have lived in Liverpool most of my life. Bar a brief stay in London. So this city is my only and best choice. However the question was where is the best place you have lived? That prize has to go to my ex. Sunnyside, a road built into Princes park circa 1835. The park was originally private and the houses part of the development. Now split into flats but with a back garden gate into the park and a frontage that looks out onto a wooded copse. I could look out of my front window and watch the birds and squirrels. Then wake up overlooking the tennis courts and park. No traffic noise yet only 2 1/2 miles from the city center. At one point our house was the Bolivian embassy and I entertained notions that Butch Cassidy may have visited there. I do not miss my ex but I sure do miss that flat.
None of the places I've lived at so far. I grew up in the Vancouver (BC) area, and most people would say how beautiful Vancouver is. Ugh, not if you live there. Rainy, gloomy days most of the year, high crime and drug use rates, crowding, high cost of living, terrible transportation system. It's fine if you're a tourist who just gets to see the pretty and trendy places.
I live outside of Edmonton now in the country, and I do like it out here, away from people, lots of space. But I do have to deal with the inconveniences of country living (long distances to anything, higher costs for foods and goods, very conservative minded population).
I lived in Vancouver from 1971 - 1987. I loved it. Housing prices and overcrowding are crazy now, though.
@Stephanie99 I lived there from 1983 to 1997. My parents bought their house for around $200,000 in 1983. Now that same house is worth around 1.25 million. Actually that is just the property value because the house is old and falling apart. If the house is fixed up or in good order it would be worth a lot more.
@graceylou My dad still lives there and I have a lot of friends there. My parents bought a house in 1972 that my dad sold in 1990 with an enormous mark up after my mother died. Then my dad did a lot of buying and selling and can afford a house in the UBC area. Any of my friends with houses are in the outskirts. Except for one whose parents bought her a house back in 1990. I won't be moving back there with those prices.
@Stephanie99 Yup my parents live there. My brothers too. That would be the only reason I go there. Yes, and some of my friends from childhood as well. My parents still live in the same house they bought for the family in 1983. They are in the process of selling it now because they need to move to a care home soon.
Bisbee, AZ. A nice quiet town with an artist community.
@Omen6Actual
My last duty station was Ft. Huachuca (Libby AAF)
I wasn't thrilled with Tucson.... But Tombstone, Bisbee, Huachuca..... I really liked.
I have moved 23 times in my life. I was military, married my ex who was also military and stayed in til he retired, and then moved 3 times after he retired from the military and then 4 moves after divorce. So I have lived all over the US and overseas, and have ended up 50 miles from where I was born. That was not in the original life plan... Anyway, I loved Western Washington State best of all. We lived in/near Tacoma/Seattle/Everett area. So beautiful, so liberal, so many activities to do. Second favorite was the Kansas City area. I enjoyed the East Coast, so much history. Loved being close to DC, but hated the crowds, the traffic, the crumbling infrastructure. I loathed being in the south, don't deal well with heat/humidity/insects the size of cars/attitude. I also loved living in Germany, the distance thing though, can't get in the car and drive to my sister's house.
San Francisco is awesome, but it's expensive. I'd recommend the suburbs if you're going to move to that area though. The actual city of San Francisco is a nice place to visit. It's also a nice place to leave.
Might I suggest San Bruno, Millbrae or Daly City. All within earshot of affordability yet still close to the inner city with the endless number of cool things to do and see that it has to offer.
You can also move to the east side of the bay to areas like Lodi and Stockton. These places are a bit of a journey to get to San Francisco itself and have some bad areas in regards to the crime rate, but housing prices are very affordable. If you want to go in to the city, you can simply drive to a park and ride near Antioch and take the BART to anywhere you want to go.