Where We Live—Recommendations Where To Live

[Stuhoo 89,074]

Lots of discussions about quality of life in various places.

Here’s a thread to discuss.

[Scotty R 3,632]

In a van down by the river

[Banksyrules 5,337]

If anyone wants to discuss dog quality of life , I’m willing to share how my pup is 15 and still moving like a puppy. 

[Stuhoo 89,074]

58 minutes ago, Banksyrules said:

If anyone wants to discuss dog quality of life , I’m willing to share how my pup is 15 and still moving like a puppy. 

Different thread, but Milo the most excellent dog ever is turning ten this summer and is very interested in any wellness tips.

[wirenuts 1,451]

7 minutes ago, Stuhoo said:

Different thread, but Milo the most excellent dog ever is turning ten this summer and is very interested in any wellness tips.

Every owner believes the dog they own is the best dog ever, and none of us are wrong

Edit: I got sidetracked on quality of places to live. I love indiana because it is home, but i can also see where people wouldn't like it very much. Also have lived in Phoenix, Charlotte and parts of Florida.

Phoenix is great if you like being insanely warm at daytime and pretty cold at night. It is a desert though. People seem to be not so friendly unless they have relocated there from the Midwest, in my opinion. 

Charlotte is great. We'll taken care of city that is one of the biggest banking centers in the nation. Florida is Florida. Always warm and nice but almost all of the places I was at was near the beach, so hard to go wrong there. 

[RaceToTheTop 30,954]

Not where I’m living now, but in five or so years when I retire I will be moving to the Greenville SC area.

[Stuhoo 89,074]

Currently live in South Florida.

Previously lived in Chicago, Bloomington, near suburban DC, New Haven Connecticut, and Boston.

My priorities are:

1) Smart, good, thoughtful and analytic people,

2) Tons of interesting, high-level stuff to do, and great and interesting places to eat and get good groceries,

3) Bang for the buck,

4) Climate- for me that’s four seasons and not sweating my balls off.

5) Walkability

6) Commute times and accessibility to other excellent places 

—————————————————

If I had to rank them?

1) Chicago

2) Boston (very close second but loses big to Chicago on cost)

3) Bloomington

4) New Haven

4) South Florida (only not last place because we are in a stellar-walkable area, which is unusual for Florida)

5) Suburban DC

[LamarCheeks 22,065]

1 hour ago, Banksyrules said:

If anyone wants to discuss dog quality of life , I’m willing to share how my pup is 15 and still moving like a puppy. 

I have a 14-year-old pooch. She doesn't move quite like a puppy any longer -- but she's hanging in there. Her quality of life took a significant upturn once she stopped drinking and smoking. 

[HoosierHoopster 8,188]

Where I live - Houston area 

Recommendations- live somewhere else

unless you enjoy annual hurricanes, tropical storms and insane heat plus humidity, crappy uninsured drivers, daily shootings, and lack of zoning - so build a gas station next to a school next to a car wash and stack the billboards as high as possible. But the standard of living is high… 

Personally if I could I’d live on Lake Tahoe - CA or Nev side. vacation there in summer or winter if you haven’t you’ll love it, idyllic, lake’s amazing, it’s like 10,000 feet deep, the skiing is amazing, hiking… 

And this is different but I’m also considering going back to DC or across the Potomac, Old Town VA area, so much to do, beautiful city, mountains and the Bay nearby. Kinda pricey though lol

edit - with you @Stuhooon walkability — love DC (the most European city in the US), can get anywhere on foot / metro / bike— and the bike trails are picturesque and take you through DC-MD-VA.

I’d add Chicago to my list as well, my oldest went to NW, so spent good time there, great city.

Edit 2 - where I’ve lived

Concord NH

Bloomington (age 6-21)

Atlanta

DC 

VA - Old Town Alexandria

Wilmington DE

KC

Houston- Sugar Land

 

 

[woodenshoemanHoosierfan 6,682]

Good ole Teutopolis, Illinois. Population 1400. Only bad thing is it is in Illinois.
Hour from Champaign, 2 hours from Indy, 1 hour from Terre Haute, 1.5 hours from St Louis.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[NashvilleHoosier 3,906]

55 minutes ago, HoosierHoopster said:

Where I live - Houston area 

Recommendations- live somewhere else

unless you enjoy lack of zoning 

I actually love this about Houston and wish more (or all) major cities would adopt it. Unfortunately combined with the overall city planning of Houston being so egregiously spread out and low density, it’s a massive opportunity squandered. But at least makes it much easier to build desperately needed housing. 
 

 

[Demo 23,275]

St Louis is weird as hell. I can’t imagine there’s a more insular or provincial large city anywhere. Example: When we moved here I was told that people were gonna ask me where I went to high school. That that was a St Louis question. I was 51. And yeah, many, many times. Also, everything here is named the St Louis________. Panera is called The St Louis Bread Company here and here only. And the city’s sports culture of Cards/Blues/MLS couldn’t miss me any worse. People from here can’t imagine living elsewhere. Those of us who aren’t really, really can. Because it’s an organic old River town it’s very poorly land planned and incredibly hard to get around in. Has most of the good stuff and bad stuff of large cities with 1 notable exception: Home prices are shockingly good and there are some spectacular and very affordable areas to live in. On the whole I wouldn’t recommend it, and I’ll be happy as hell if/when I can move, but if you really, really do your homework there are very good options. 

[HoosierHoopster 8,188]

29 minutes ago, NashvilleHoosier said:

I actually love this about Houston and wish more (or all) major cities would adopt it. Unfortunately combined with the overall city planning of Houston being so egregiously spread out and low density, it’s a massive opportunity squandered. But at least makes it much easier to build desperately needed housing. 
 

 

It’s an eyesore and honestly Houston is one ugly city. To have a nice neighborhood outside city limits you have to have master planned communities.  To each his own but for me it’s a disaster of urban planning. There’s a real homeless problem- it’s not helping affordable housing at all. 

[Demo 23,275]

1 hour ago, HoosierHoopster said:

It’s an eyesore and honestly Houston is one ugly city. To have a nice neighborhood outside city limits you have to have master planned communities.  To each his own but for me it’s a disaster of urban planning. There’s a real homeless problem- it’s not helping affordable housing at all. 

My wife’s sister and our brother in law lived there 2005-2010 and hated every single day of it. Wouldn’t even let us visit. Would visit us as an excuse to get out of town. Weather, traffic, pick something, never said a nice word about it other than the opera company was ok. 

[TadQueasy 2,560]

11 hours ago, Demo said:

St Louis is weird as hell. I can’t imagine there’s a more insular or provincial large city anywhere. Example: When we moved here I was told that people were gonna ask me where I went to high school. That that was a St Louis question. I was 51. And yeah, many, many times. Also, everything here is named the St Louis________. Panera is called The St Louis Bread Company here and here only. And the city’s sports culture of Cards/Blues/MLS couldn’t miss me any worse. People from here can’t imagine living elsewhere. Those of us who aren’t really, really can. Because it’s an organic old River town it’s very poorly land planned and incredibly hard to get around in. Has most of the good stuff and bad stuff of large cities with 1 notable exception: Home prices are shockingly good and there are some spectacular and very affordable areas to live in. On the whole I wouldn’t recommend it, and I’ll be happy as hell if/when I can move, but if you really, really do your homework there are very good options. 

Live down in the SW area closer to Springfield.  I have been in Missouri for the last 23 years.   I would never recommend St Louis for anything. It is like the arm pit of America. I much prefer the KC area if you want a bigger city area in MO.  

[NashvilleHoosier 3,906]

12 hours ago, HoosierHoopster said:

It’s an eyesore and honestly Houston is one ugly city. To have a nice neighborhood outside city limits you have to have master planned communities.  To each his own but for me it’s a disaster of urban planning. There’s a real homeless problem- it’s not helping affordable housing at all. 

Oh yeah. I'm not defending Houston as a city. Never lived there but the several times I visited I spent more time in a car than I did actually doing anything. It's just ironic (if not just completely infuriating) to me to see so many of our cities limited in building density and other meaningful, impactful growth so desperately needed b/c of antiquated and restrictive zoning code. Yet our one example of a city mostly not burdened by that has chosen to build in the most sprawled way possible. What an opportunity missed.

[Napleshoosier 10,812]

Naples, FL

Often recognized as the best city in the country to live.  It’s very clean, safe, and easy to get around.  Collier County Sheriffs Dept. and Naples City Police are very friendly but will NOT put up with ANY nonsense!  Beautiful Gulf of America beaches abound with fun had by all.  For golfers there are 93 courses in the county.  We have so many restaurants you could never visit them all.  There is plenty of entertainment choices to suit most tastes.  It has a very informal feel as well.  Also home to the famous Seed to Table.  #1 grocery market entertainment in the country.  No state income taxes in Florida works too!  Been here 22 years now.

downsides……very hot summers with afternoon showers and the occasional hurricane!

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,322]

Fairbanks Alaska

Winters suck

[OGIUAndy 1,067]

19 minutes ago, ALASKA HOOSIER said:

Fairbanks Alaska

Winters suck

You also have to watch out for the "little people" and the time warps from what I have been told.

[HoosierX 1,776]

19 hours ago, Stuhoo said:

Currently live in South Florida.

Previously lived in Chicago, Bloomington, near suburban DC, New Haven Connecticut, and Boston.

My priorities are:

1) Smart, good, thoughtful and analytic people,

2) Tons of interesting, high-level stuff to do, and great and interesting places to eat and get good groceries,

3) Bang for the buck,

4) Climate- for me that’s four seasons and not sweating my balls off.

5) Walkability

6) Commute times and accessibility to other excellent places 

—————————————————

If I had to rank them?

1) Chicago

2) Boston (very close second but loses big to Chicago on cost)

3) Bloomington

4) New Haven

4) South Florida (only not last place because we are in a stellar-walkable area, which is unusual for Florida)

5) Suburban DC

I think Chicago's affordability is pretty underrated at this point.