"The most wonderful time of the year".....Balderdash!

[70chall440]

I have been very fortunate in that I have the opportunity to travel the country visiting virtually every state at one time or another (might have missed one or two). Additionally I have traveled all over the world and got to see a lot. In the US, the great thing that we have is as it relates to the climate, you can pretty much find whatever you might like, same with the terrain, what you like is somewhere in the country.

For me personally, my decision on where to live was/is driven by a number of factors weather and climate not the least of them. I grew up in ND and have no desire whatsoever to live anywhere near that again. I have spent time down in Phoenix and experienced their 115+ temps in the summer, not real interested in that. Western WA provides pretty moderate climate; people say it rains all the time but like anything it is something you get used to although it really doesn't "rain" (in fact parts of TX get more annual rain fall), its more of a drizzle but it never gets super hot or super cold, so I like it from that standpoint. Politics are another animal, thus far it has been tolerable but it is going towards the left and I suspect I am going to have to make a hard decision at some point. Lastly, it was important for me to be near a military base for the medical coverage/support as well as the other aspects like the Commissary. Pretty much all my friends are in this area with a few exceptions, this is where I staked my claim at least for now.

 

[moparmarks]

Naw. New Jersey has the worst drivers by far. CA is a distant 2nd.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Naw. New Jersey has the worst drivers by far. CA is a distant 2nd.

Spend time in the Middle East or Asia & tell me again...... LOL..

 

[70chall440]

Naw WA has the worst drivers of all... many of them migrated from CA, many granola headed Prius driving tree huggers, etc. I have driven in CA and NJ and I still say WA drivers are worse because they are ambivalent to the world around them, they will drive 45 in the left lane on the interstate and never look in the rearview mirror.

They will go from 70 to 30 in an instant because there is someone on the other side of the highway going the other way that got a flat or has been pulled over. They will wait until you are just about to pass them to pull into your lane without warning and NEVER speed up, they just don't want you to pass them.

I once saw a woman going down the interstate at 60+ mph reading a book and eating KFC... no the car was not a tesla or a modern car that helped keep you in your lane, this was an older Subaru (lesbaru as they known here). She was completely oblivious to anything going on around her; accident looking for a place to happen and if/when it did she would not understand why it happened.

 

[Dennis H]

Holidays a pia for all reasons noted. This the first one that i will not work in 30 years. We’ll see how this goes.

 

[70chall440]

Spend time in the Middle East or Asia & tell me again...... LOL..

I have driven in both of those to include India. The difference between all those places and the US is that there they openly only have one rule, biggest vehicle rules. Here in the US we have a dizzying array of rules which only half the drivers acknowledge and abide by. Overseas it is like mad max but once you understand that and get with it, it isn't all that bad because you know everyone else is doing the same thing. I actually like driving there because it is like a road race and demolition derby all rolled into one and everyone is playing.

 

[moparmarks]

Spend time in the Middle East or Asia & tell me again...... LOL..

I mean here in the lower 48.

 

[moparedtn]

I wouldn’t care if it was -40 as long as the sun was shining. The short days and lack of sunshine are my issues as well. I chose Illinois because I love high taxes, crooked government, crappy roads and rude people.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I wouldn’t care if it was -40 as long as the sun was shining. The short days and lack of sunshine are my issues as well. I chose Illinois because I love high taxes, crooked government, crappy roads and rude people.

Sounds like you'd be right at home in Massachusetts.

 

[moparmarks]

That ain't nothing. Seen all that in most states.
Twice while driving this in N.J, was pretty sure I had the only pickup in the state, I was sitting at a stop light when I hear a loud noise next to me. Look over to see a driver had curbed his car hard to get up on the sidewalk so when the light turned green they could blaze out in front of me saving .5 seconds. I'm talking nice cars too not pieces of crap. Once was a 60K MB and the other time was a 60K BMW and they hit the curb hard, not creeped up there.

Another time we just pulled into Neptune right behind an accident on a 4 lane street. The other drivers just went crazy. Some jumped the medium which had bushes and rocks and started driving the wrong way down the other lane. Others jammed into the exit only of a parking lot causing another wreck. We just sat there laughing our asses off. Was just like watching it all in a movie.

 

[moparmarks]

I also ask the same question, Ed. If you hate living there so much why don't you pick your bitch *** up and move? I've been to 37 states including Florida, NY, Alaska and Hawaii and I always love coming back home to Colorado but getting tired of the winters even though I live in the high desert and the pot smoking hippy liberals are running amuck. I do live in a really red county. Everyone here owns at least one pickup truck and several guns.

 

[Cranky]

What bothers me is when the temps are in the mid 70's with sun (normal highs are low/mid 60's for this time of year) and then over night the temps get into the 30's with high for the day in the low 50's and wet and breezy. Right now it's 43 and over cast. Yeah, not that cold but with a string of mid 70 temps lately, it doesn't feel that nice out.

I once saw a woman going down the interstate at 60+ mph reading a book and eating KFC... no the car was not a tesla or a modern car that helped keep you in your lane, this was an older Subaru (lesbaru as they known here). She was completely oblivious to anything going on around her; accident looking for a place to happen and if/when it did she would not understand why it happened.

Lesbaru LOL! Will remember that one! Caught my pastor driving and reading going down a 6 lane parkway one day and yeah, I let him know about it on Sunday!

I have driven in both of those to include India. The difference between all those places and the US is that there they openly only have one rule, biggest vehicle rules. Here in the US we have a dizzying array of rules which only half the drivers acknowledge and abide by. Overseas it is like mad max but once you understand that and get with it, it isn't all that bad because you know everyone else is doing the same thing. I actually like driving there because it is like a road race and demolition derby all rolled into one and everyone is playing.

My favorite place for driving was in Germany back in the early 70's. They were serious about driving and most knew what they were doing. Out on the autobahn the wife was usually in the back right side seat. No distractions wanted up front doing 130+.....

 

[moparedtn]

I also ask the same question, Ed. If you hate living there so much why don't you pick your bitch *** up and move? I've been to 37 states including Florida, NY, Alaska and Hawaii and I always love coming back home to Colorado but getting tired of the winters even though I live in the high desert and the pot smoking hippy liberals are running amuck. I do live in a really red county. Everyone here owns at least one pickup truck and several guns.

Ah, you're reading comprehension challenged it appears. I've never said, a single solitary time, that I hate
living here. In this particular case, in this very thread, I agreed with another poster that I hated winter weather.
Dig?
"Bitch ***"? Come up my ridge and find out...

Ok, I'll try this again....S-L-O-W-E-R, so maybe you'll understand it this time...

I actually asked the question, generically, then elaborated on why folks live where they live because
I was curious (that and I know it's a good topic that a lot of people like to discus).
As I have posted countless, nauseatingly numerous times - I love where I live and I DID "pick my bitch ***
up and move" in order to GET here over 25 years ago, thanks.
I left a ridiculously urban, expensive, turning leftist quickly area with crappier weather to do so, even
though I had a good gig going and had a couple decades' worth of friends and work there and had to
start from scratch here.

Anyways...
Several of these fine folks have answered herein and there's common themes amongst the answers, namely,
family/born there and for work. Those are certainly to be expected, because that's why most folks do
live where they do - point being, weather is usually a little further down the list behind those and the
cost of living.
(In my case, both sides of my family were originally from TN - although ironically, I am now the sole
surviving member of my immediate family still in the state.
Still - it's where I belong.)

Now, to further the discussion - for those who live where they do because of family ties, I want to
expand upon that a bit further:
Do you know why your ancestors chose to live there as well?
What got the "clan" there to begin with?

 

[myk r sanchez]

What got the "clan" there to begin with?

My bitch *** is in california, only because my mom hated the winters in Pennsylvania and new York. My dad and I did not want to leave the east coast, but my mom hated it so much that she just left one day and called my dad from California and said "if you want to be with me then you can follow me to california. If not, then nice knowing you." I remember that day too-i was there when my dad got the call from mom. "You're WHERE?!" LOL.

Now, I have no family that I know of, as my parents died when I got out of high school, and I never met anyone else in the family outside of them. I would love to relocate to Texas, maybe Arizona, Nevada, etc, but I've got a ton of stuff and with the five cars that I refuse to let go it'll cost me a lot of money to relocate. Didn't help that 2020 was a bust work wise and ill spend the next few years recovering financially. Guess my bitch *** will be here a while longer...

 

[Budnicks]

I was born & raised here, I was born here in 1959 Concord Ca.
my mom was born here in 1939, my dad was born here in 1937
his dad was born here in 1900, his mother was born here in 1902 etc. etc. etc.
mostly all East Bay area, 30-40 miles in from SF

I'm an actual Native Californian
(long before all the hoards of transients/transplants from the east all moved here)
most all my family, business & friends is/are still here
7-8 generations (or more) of my direct family,
have been here in NorCal
Mostly near/around SF, East Bay Area originally or all over Nothern Calif.
the matriarch of our family, was here in the late 1780's
around Ft. Bragg when the Russian were settled here
they were Germans & Norwegians
(Patriarch side, German's some came west from what is Wisc. or Minn. today
& also St. Louis area, in early to mid 1800's)
Logging family, ranchers, dairy, engineers, oil industry,
construction & shipbuilders
some sort of my family has been here for 240 years now

BUT;
I do keep moving further east in Calif., as I age
lived in Concord/Clayton area for some 27 years,
with a 2 years stint in Antioch Ca., 7th & 8th grade
before I moved to Garden Valley Ca. Sierras foothills ElDorado co.
went to HS, class of 77' baby, living with my dad/stepmother (bitch)

I've moved east usually for a better lifestyle,
far less liberalism, more bang for you buck
bigger & better property, or business & family
but mostly a different Golf/Country Club/Gated community

from age 38 (I semi-retired to go racing, I've seen every state)
1997 I moved east to Rancho Murieta CC, Sloughhouse area
eastern Sacramento Co. from 1997 - 2007

in-between times, prior to Oct. 1997
I've also spent almost 4 years in Eugene Oregon, college
never again live there

Spent a year in Springfield Mo. area, rebuilding a dragstrip with a buddy
nice country, people were a bit standoffish but nice enough

I've spent about 4 years in Alaska, I loved it there
but the economy crashed & moved back to Calif
I lived in Witchita Ks for about a year+, construction project McConnel AFB

I keep coming back to Calif., the weather here is the best
even up here where it snows, I moved to east of Sonora Ca. 2007
have I mentioned how much I hate snow ?

10 or so months it's great fucken' weather here,
over them 10 or so months, probably an average temps of 75-80*+
great short springs 80*-ish
a few hot weeks mid-July to mid-Aug, 100*'s
then the Indian Summers until Oct., 85-90*'s
very short Falls, average maybe 70*-ish
it gets in the teen/the twenties every so often, in Jan-Feb, actual winter
low is usually at/in the winter nights, it's cold high 20*'s low 30*'s
we do get a foot or two of snow every so often,
a dozen times maybe on wet years, 1/2 a dozen times regularly
with a spattering of rain days here & there
(20 miles upcountry it gets dumped on, deep snow, 25' in some areas)
it's usually gone in a week or so here, thank goodness
I hate shoveling snow !!
then back to near or mid 70* for a while again, sunny & clear, warm

we literally have about 300+ days
of 70*+ collecter car driving weather here

If not for the great weather here & my long family history/business/income
I'd probably be in Southern Utah (of all the places in the US I've been)
like around Webster or St. George, probably golfing
maybe occasionally 4x4-ing, fishing, hunting or drag racing

 

[moparmarks]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERCH, whoa, stop, backup...... I certainly was not referring to you Ed or actually anyone else in this tread. Man, did that come out wrong. I was referring to people that always complain and bitch about where they live but never do anything to change that. I was raised that if you don't like the situation that you are in that it is up to you to change the situation. Thats all.
Actually Tennessee is one of states that I have never been to. I hear tell that it is a beautiful place and is on my to do list.

 

[Dennis H]

Transplant. 1991. Born raised Allentown. Great weather here in California. Mountains. Ocean. PCH.
AND Liberals. Third World heavy influence.
Willing to put up with the last 2 cause i got SICK AND ******* tired of the Northeast weather.
I can take the Coronet out today if gruesome newsom would let us. No salt or bullshit.

 

[myk r sanchez]

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERCH, whoa, stop, backup...... I certainly was not referring to you Ed or actually anyone else in this tread. Man, did that come out wrong. I was referring to people that always complain and bitch about where they live but never do anything to change that. I was raised that if you don't like the situation that you are in that it is up to you to change the situation. Thats all.

I hear ya. In my case the easiest thing to do would be to ditch all of my stuff and the cars, take the money and start over, but with the charger and the rest of my things, once you get out you're not getting back in again, as in the cost of getting back into all of the things I've worked for and cherished over the years have now reached a price point that I wouldn't be able to get to. Only other solution is to scrimp and save, but thats going to take years...

 

[moparmarks]

Yep another reason I like living here. Can drive my cars year around. We have the snow but then also more sunshine than Florida. No salt either. Now Utah uses a lot of salt. Even on dry roads your car turns white over there.

 

[moparmarks]

I hear ya. In my case the easiest thing to do would be to ditch all of my stuff and the cars, take the money and start over, but with the charger and the rest of my things, once you get out you're not getting back in again, as in the cost of getting back into all of the things I've worked for and cherished over the years have now reached a price point that I wouldn't be able to get to. Only other solution is to scrimp and save, but thats going to take years...

Well you gota do what you gota do. I like the San Diego area. Been to La Jolla many a time. Cal is a beautiful state with awesome weather just toooo many people for small town me.