I asked this some time ago and we have so many new members thought it would be interesting to see how we've spread out lately.
I was born in Scranton, PA, and reared in Dunmore, Scranton's close neighbor. Great place to be from. My 93 year old dad still lives there in the house I grew up in, and I will visit him for a week surrounding Father's Day this year. If he wasn't living there, I would have no real reason to return, except maybe for the occasional high school reunion, as I am still in touch with several of my old classmates.
There is a book that insists I'm from Mars, but I'm pretty sure l was born in San Diego. I now reside deep in the heart of Texas, although l'm not sure Texas has a heart. ☺
Well, I grew up being told by others when I asked that question, "I'm from my mother!" I was born and raised in Nawlin's! Actually if you go by the French pronunciation of the French namesake town, Or-le-an ('s' the last consonant is silent). Then to pronounce the city here in the US properly, it should be NEW OR-LEE-ANS (like the majority of the natives do). My $0.02
@Akfishlady My curiosity has taught me that Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Memphis all contributed to what we now know as jazz. N.O. LA did have the "red light' district (Storyville) where someone with a piano, usually, was filling the room with music/jazz.
Pennsylvania by way of Turkey, Massachusetts, Virginia
Orange County, California
@Akfishlady I love it here! Sure housing is ridiculous, but I get to be minutes from the beach, mountains with snow in the winter (but not have to deal with tons of snow), and like you said, I'm so close to a ton of theme parks. We do have Disneyland passes, but that probably won't last too long. Right now my daughter is young enough to get in for free.
I'm a military brat.... so it's weird.
My parents bought a house in Virginia Beach Va. when I was in 2nd grade. Later I graduated high school from there, so sometimes that feels right... but the longest I ever lived in one place as a kid was Naples Italy for 4 years.
This is an awkward question for many people brought up in the military.
I never learned fluent Italian while living overseas, curse words got me by, but the 4 years from 12 to 16 are very important. Thats when you develope important friendships for the first time, taste in music, sexuality (to a degree), etc. I keep up with the most people from that era of my life. (thank goodness for FB and the internet in general!) I give a crap about those friends more than most of the automatons I graduated HS or knew in College...
My parents home state was Missouri, and I went there for college, but always felt out if place. I wasn't raised in the midwest/heartland/biblebelt... or whatever cutsie name they want to use this week.
My experience with Missouri is that it is tripolar. There is St. Louis which IMHO has a very East Coast flavor and outlook. My ex grew up in the St. Louis area, I lived there a few time. Then there are the Ozarks, which is the hill billy back woods mentality. Then there is Kansas City which is western looking, modern and the only part I like. I also have lived in the KC area, and if not for my kids I'd move back there in a flash. I used to say on the Kansas side only, then the governor trashed the state and I'm glad I got away when I did.
I lived in St. Louis for a few years after college. Its weird in many ways. It's trying to be a BIG city, but still too small town. I was always surprised how racist things were there. The events around Ferguson weren't a surprise if you've lived in that city. For a big city, many folks had and embraced small town red neck racist attitudes. How many big cities had KKK highway signs?
Years ago when I left St. Louis to move to Omaha I remember being shocked seeing a young interracial couple in the Old Market. At that time you'd have never seen that in St. Louis.
(My folks live down in the bootheel of Missouri which is basically an extension of Northern Arkansas!)
Boston Massachusetts to be exact...
@Akfishlady yeah driving is Insane here, always has been..lolol
If I tell where I am from...would you guys promise no to discriminate me as did a member of Agnostic. com?
Los Angeles, Ca
@Akfishlady It's OK I know how to get around traffic.....lol, I used to spend about 2-3 months a year in Coos Bay OR, that was relaxing.
I stuck Iowa in the Mid-West region.
I'm in Nebraska, not West per se, but often Midwest is considered further east. We're Great Plains.
@Akfishlady I understand. To make it more accurate would make it unwieldy.
@Akfishlady I was a little surpised you broke the U.S. up as much as you did. ?
@Akfishlady, @HippieChick58 I have often wondered why the mid-west is still so far east after all these years.
@Donna_I History is why. I live in Omaha. Street numbering starts at the eastern edge, and the city grew mostly to the west. I live at 168th street, my neighborhood was built in the early 2000s. For the city, Midtown is considered about 40th. To me that doesn't make sense, the middle of the mass of the town is about 90th. I've been here since 2005. Same reason Ohio is considered Midwest. Nope, not logical.
@HippieChick58 I agree!
I was born of American missionary parents in Haiti, next to Cuba.
I commuted to the US every five years for a year to keep up my American citizenship, and moved to the US for college in Kentucky, after which I lived in various states, such as IN, GA, CA, IA, CO, and NJ.
But because my mom's family farm was near Morehead, KY, that's where I lived the longest.
Hmmm. Maybe some near misses. My sister & her husband were missionaries is Cuba when Castro came to power. I have a brother (Ph.D. in physics) who spent his "career" teaching in a Christian commune in Mt. Carmel, KY (near Jackson), and I was expelled from Asbury College, Wilmore, KY (near Lexington) in 1957 for smoking cigarettes.
@Wallace You're right. I attended Asbury College 1970-73, then my senior year at Bethel College in IN. My parents were in Mt. Carmel in the 1940s, where my dad built a Christian radio station.
@BigBoMclain I went along with the Asbury College dress code but protested it. Whenever not on campus I wore bell bottoms, and tie-dyed T-shirts, wore a hippie-style scarf tied around my head over my waist-long hair hair, and rode a motorbike with my boyfriend. It was my motorcycle but too heavy for me to maneuver.
@birdingnut Wow! Probably some of my old profs were still at Asbury when you were there. And re the radio station at Mt. Carmel--: my niece was a DJ there for a gospel music program and I suppose my brother was the station's engineer. At least he maintained his first class FCC license. Although a very conservative Christian, he refused to reject evolution so they took him out of the science classroom; but he continued to teach math in the school and bible college there.
@birdingnut, @BigBoMclain Dress codes were strict at Asbury--I think men could not even wear blue jeans; but that was not my problem because I didn't have any flashy clothes. But, by golly, weren't ducktails cool!!!! I think some biblethumpers called a prayer meeting for a friend of mine who sported a ducktail because he was way too worldly! Cheers to you.
North Carolina, near Charlotte. Southern Bible Belt.
Born in Montana, but the winters are too damn cold.
So I moved to Arizona, but the summers are too damn hot.
So now I am visiting my sister in Utah. Just right temperature wise.
Prescott is nice - I moved here about 2 years ago from far NorCal
Born and raised in California but now live in Arizona
@Akfishlady I left because I joined the Air Force.
The Rose City ..that’s not Pasadena
@Akfishlady Miss my Rose City … though when the festivities began - we’d (native Portlanders) head to the mountains or the beach!
Midwest leading the race !!! yee-huuuu !!!!!
@Akfishlady sort of speak, just an expression.... nothing to worry about
@Akfishlady ...... and the Midwest still taking the lead !!..this is exciting !! Perhaps we could've placed some bets !! (No wait, scratch that... as a minimum it does sound illegal, doesn't?)
It's a little complicated. I was born in Atlantic City, but grew up in Iowa
Born in Longview, parents lived in Kelso at the time. Spent a number of years in and around SF, including a townhouse in the canal district of San Rafael. Now in Prescott AZ. I also live in a rural remote area of NorCal - Happy Camp.
I too was born in Longview. 1948. Left when I was 16. Been everywhere, compliments of the SUN. Live in N.E. OREGON.
@Maggiemay same year as me! My folks took me to Arizona where I grew up, but have lived in many NorCal places and now am back in AZ. If I could find a way out f here and back to the PNW somewhere I might come back. I have been looking at the Brookings area.
@JudiArmbruster moved outta Portland last June. Too expensive. Much better here in ione.