I always thought I would live in North Central Illinois forever. I am very proud of Illinois and think its infinately better than the surrounding states ... Iowa, Wisconsin, Missourri (i.e., Misery), Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana ... okay so being better than those isn't really saying much (Yeah ... I'm joking, sort of).

But, after having a son, starting triathlon trianing, and visiting the southwest ... I will be a Texan (wife is originally from Mexico, then Houston, then Illinois), an Arizonian (we have good friends in Lake Havasu), or a New mexican, within the next 5 years. I need sunshine. Having young kids and being "homebound" sucks. I want sunishine and I want to be outside ... everyday.

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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --

I live just outside of Albuquerque now. My wife went to college in New Mexico and we moved here from the Bay Area. Although I would prefer to live in Berkeley or Seattle, I choose to stay married (I believe the exact phrase was 'never again as long as were married'). I'm originally from Northwestern Montana so living anywhere that it snows more than an inch at a time is completely out of the question. I don't even like visiting Montana during the winter. As far as sunshine is concerned it was 58 for my lunchtime run yesterday and I did a 17-mile ride along the Rio Grande after work (only needed a light for the last 10 minutes or so) and it was about 48 or so.

I live in the Boston area. Hate it! I love my house. I love my neighborhood, and I like my neighbors. But I hate Boston. It's crowded, expensive, the traffic is bad, and the people are rude. The fact that the weather sucks most of the time(like today: -5 degrees) and the days are short much of the year doesn't help.

I've lived here most of my life, except when I was in the Air Force. I liked Texas, although I didn't see too much off base. I was at Lackland for both basic and Tech School. I lived in Vegas for 4 years while stationed at Nellis, and I really loved that town. There are lots of folks who go there chasing dreams of avarice, or looking to hit bottom(and they find it), but the weather was nice most of the year, and there were a lot of nice people there.

The funny thing about small town folk is that the people have their heads on straight when it comes to community and how to treat each other. Las Vegas, despite its size, definitely had a small town feel, even though it was around 800,000 strong when I left. I miss rock climbing in the Red Rocks all year round, and I miss fishing on Lake Mead with my friend Larry.

Part of it may be the romantic lens of 12 years past, but despite being in an awful marriage at the time, I think of that as a happy time in my life.

I'd love to go someplace else, but all the family is here(which, I am convinced, is the only reason anyone lives here), and we really love our house. But if I can find the opportunity, I would definitely move away from here. MY wife has given me permission to find a job in Edinburgh or Hawaii. Other locales are negotiable.

Anyone know of any software developer jobs on Kauai?

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I'm living in Oslo (Norway) again, for 12 months this time, 6 months to go. Can not wait till we move back to our little "farm" in Fredrikstad 90 km south of Oslo. Oslo is Ok and I have friends here, and aprox 240 seconds to walk to work.

But the life in the city does not suit me anymore. I'm longing for the 60 km rolling cycle route that starts right outside my door, the beach that is a 30 min run away and the woods that is just 2 min away. And my little girls have a much better life living there with a BIG and safe garden sorounding our house.

A good thing we go there every weekend

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Bent Olav Olsen, recreational triathlete?

don't know if they are looking for SD in Kauai but IASTED runs a very big multi-area conf. there mid august this year...you may want to go :-)
I know, I will :-)

"Let's talk home towns here."

Wish I had one. Was never in the military myself but grew up the first 18 yrs of my life as a military brat with my dad in the Canadian Air Force. Consequently we were moved around quite a bit. Lived across Canada, the USA twice, Germany twice, France and England. It was tough as a kid moving so much but even then I realized how fortunate some military kids are to see so many places.

Only problem is an adult I start to get twitchy after living in a place for awhile and feel it's time to move. Even as an adult I've moved around quite a bit. Been here in rural eastern Ontario for seven years and really starting to get the bug to move again.

<<Let's talk home towns here. Are you happy where you are?>>

No. Despite good air/water quality, high-caliber medical care, good K-12 and secondary education and many of the other things that make the Puget Sound area a great place to live, I need more natural UV exposure. When I lived in California, I had brown skin and white hair. Now I have white skin and brown hair. Everybody says "Gosh, it's soooo green around here year 'round" to which I say "Yeah, because it's damp here year 'round."

<<Is your town the place you want to die in or are you willing to move with out much problem?>>

I will probably stick around to finish my education, because the schools around here are good and I'm paying resident tuition. Once I'm done, I am planning to relocate. However, I do realize that the grass often looks greener on the other side of the fence, so I don't want to move just for the sake of moving.

"Rain, rain, go away..."

Brett

Substitute "Jersey" for "Boston" and I'm right with you. I'm not gonna die in New Jersey, so I'm making the most of it. I have surf, woods, museums, music, and great food, all within an hour or so in some direction.

"Home ... Home is where you wear your hat" - Dr. Emilio Lizardo

I live in a pretty small town about 100KM north of San Francisco. Weather is generally pretty nice but it is becoming very expensive (ave house is $440K) and traffic is getting bad with all the Bay Area types and SoCal people heading north. But being able to ride year round is great. A cold winter day for us is below 50F. Levi Leipheimer moved here a few years back due to the great riding and I have heard it is considered one of the best riding areas on the west coast. Having said that, California is really having a lot of problems (too many people, too little water, schools deteriorating,etc). I am a third generation Californian and never thought I would leave but sometimes I wonder what else is out there.

If money/job were no object I would take a winter place on the north coast and a summer place in Oregon or extreme Nor Cal.

I'm a white, English-speaking American living in Canada in a Francophone farming community and teaching in an all-Mohawk school. This has been my situation for 16 years. Although I like Canada, and my community, and the rez, I sometimes feel seriously displaced, dispossessed. I would love to retire somewhere in the Southwest, but my Canadian wife says no. My sights are therefore on Lethbridge, Alberta, where the mountains are near, the grasslands surround, and the chinook winds blow frequently in the winter. I lived two years in Allen, Texas, Mr. Tibbs, and loved it dearly. Dallas IS indeed a fine place!

I just moved to Tempe, Az. a couple weeks ago. So far I think it is alright, but I don't really have a good feel for the place. I imagine I will only be here for a couple years. My brother is going to Grad School here so I moved out here to live with him for the time being. Its hard to get used to not being able to do long rides directly froom my front door, but I like the sun.

I grew up in Houston and I am very glad to be gone. Like the above posts... ...I had fun in school there, knew tons of super people, etc., but the city itself is lame and the weather is just horrible. Heat and humidity all the darn time. Rains a lot as well, pollution, TRAFFIC, AHHHHHHHHH!



Ok, I'm ok.

I have lived in Colorado for a total of about 1.5 years in the last 7-8 years. I really think that I will probably be heading that way next, but perhaps not forever. I do consider the state of Texas to be my home so there is a good chance I may settle there one day. But to steal a line from Gladiator, "not yet, not yet."

Justin D

"Thursday's Child has far to go..."

I grew up in western Michigan, which is an okay place with teriffic summers and awful winters. Never thought of it as a bad place, but it's a big huge world out there, and I wanted to see more of it. Went to school in Michigan (good scholarship offers undergrad and in-state tuition at U of M for grad school) with a little while in DC.

Spouse got a university teaching offer in rural northwest Tennessee, and it was the two most hellish years of my life and his there. We took the first job offer that would get us out of there and ended up in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida midway between Pensacola and Panama City Beach.

It's a good place- reasonable cost of living, good schools, great weather, great restaurants, plenty of different ways to be active and healthy. We've bought a house, found footing in the local community, and figure we're here for the medium haul. Where we live isn't perfect, but it would be hard to find somewhere else where we felt like we could have so much for so little.

But we're planning on ending up somewhere lse after retirement. Sowhere warm. I've had my fill of lake effect snow for a lifetime, and even during the winter here it gets a bit too chilly. Maybe some place further south in Florida- Sarasota or Winter Park. Maybe the southwest- Tuscon or Palm Springs. Maybe Southern California if the housing costs ever do contain themselves there.

Cause there's a big wide world out there, and I want to get to live in a couple more places around it in the time I'm here.

I am from Dallas. The only things I like about Dallas are the Cowboys, Mavs, and Rangers. Oh yeah, and visiting my family, most of whom are there. I lived there until I was 16 and again for a couple of years as an adult and I think it is a miserable place to be. Lived in Houston for a while, too and it's not any better, although for different reasons. Austin, on the other hand, is great. Lived there for several years and it's the only place I would live in Texas. Sorry, don't know anything about El Paso, Francois, though I've heard some good things.

I also lived in Alaska for 2 years and I loved it, but that was before I got into triathlon. I'd like to go back some day and do a really small 1/2 IM they do up there. Been in Cali for the last few years now.

I was in Dallas for the holidays, Jon. Next time I'll look you up.

>>Let's talk home towns here.
Anyone else a freak about where they live?<<

Originally from Kansas and a town of about 40,000 people. I'd never move back, either to Kansas or the Midwest. I hate cold, I hate snow. I went home for Christmas and hit the boredom limit in about 60 hours.

I have a very short list of places I will live: SF, San Diego (North County only), Paris (the one in France). I'd like to try NYC for a short time.

In a perfect world where I have piles of money or unlimited credit card limits (and someone else pays the bills), I'd live in the Bay area part of the year (loft in SF plus a house off Hwy. 128 in the Alexander Valley--on the Vineman bike course), then in New Zealand the other part of the year. The triathlete's version of "Endless Summer". And, lots of travel to Paris, Chamonix France (in the summer), actually maybe the all of July in France; Hawaii; Ireland.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

With the exception of a couple of years while I was in the Marines and the first year of my life, I have lived where people go to be on vacation. I was born in Kansas City, MO, but we moved to Denver when I was one. I lived there until 21 and saw it change drastically, into a place I no longer like. Too many escapees from back east who hated it where they were, and then tried to change Colorado into what they left. For the past 24 years, I have lived in NW Florida, which has a great combination of low cost of living and high quality of life. This is home now, and every time I find something to complain about, I remind myself of what happened in Colorado, and keep my mouth shut. If you llike paying high taxes, are a liberal, artsy-type, will probably vote for Dean, then don't move here 'cuz you probably won't like it.

Hey, I'm a artsy bleeding heart liberal who wouldn't mind seeing the county raising taxes if they would just build us a nice long course municipal pool, and I'm liking NW Florida just fine :) I just don't talk politics with my coworkers.

But then Florida can be a curiously tolerant place no matter what side of the political spectrum you're on. As long as you promise to be against offshore oil drilling, and bond with your neighbor over stories of roadways overcrowded with tourists and overrun by bad elderly drivers, the bigger political questions don't get in the way of friendships here.

I live for 8 years in the greater Toronto area and every time I go back (went back last week to catch the most pitiful basketball game I've ever watched ... Raptors vs. Clippers = snoozefest) I can't believe that I managed to be happy living there. When I drive by my old house I feel claustrophobic since the homes are piled on top of each other. I now live in rural eastern Ontario (maybe I'm near you Cerveloguy?) and love it. Relaxing drive to work, tons of great riding routes and trails to run on. The only drawback is my training group is much much smaller and the pools here are not as nice (except the one on the military base but access is not as convenient as in the big city).

Orginally from Wellington in New Zealand, the last 8 years have been a bit of a wander.

2 years living in London (UK). I spent this time living in Southfields - just near Wimbledon Common for running, easy to cycle out of the city.

1 year in Manhattan (NY). Upper East side - 5 minutes to Central Park - did lots of running, gym and swiming but virtually no cycling

4 years in London (UK). Mostly Southeast and East. Plenty of parks for training in and did lots of swimming. Moved up from Olys to Full Ironman in this time.

This last year I have spent about 8 months living in hotels in Tokyo and the rest of the time with friends in London. Running has been the focus now - gyms are expensive, hotel pool is closed for the winter, cycle is in London. Hopefully I will have an apartment here in Tokyo soon and then I can get my stuff shipped over and do some real training again.

I expect a couple more years here in Tokyo and then I am calling it quits and returning to New Zealand. I miss the outdoor life that I had there.

I just moved to phoenix and really miss tucson which I consider my hometown even though I lived there for 7yrs. It's an awesome place. One where you can leave you house for a 100 mile ride all in bike lanes. Plenty of trails to run and ride, low cost of living, laid back atmosphere and not as hot as phoenix.
I'll probably like phx better once I actually get into my own place and get settled.

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Brian Stover USAT LII
Accelerate3 Coaching
Insta

This is a toughy for me, having come from a small farming town in south-central Illinois (pop 5000) and now living in Silicon Valley. Went to school out here in CA, then lived in lots of places before deciding I still liked CA better. I like CA better predominantly due to athletic reasons. The running/biking/hiking/etc. is better here than those other places (Zurich excluded). Weekends are like vacations.

So the tough part:

• Cost of living is insane. My wife and I have given ourselves 2 years to either establish that we can afford a house and kids, or move.
• People aren't so hot. Community spirit, kindness, manners - all foreign concepts to CA. That's perhaps a generalization, but it's best illustrated in the percentage of people who respond to my hellos on the trails when we're all out running: CA 20%, IL 80%, GA 100%. Folks are too "autonomous" here, if that's possible, and I prefer neighborly neighbors, friendliness, and traditional values.
• Family isn't here. But I'm not moving back to rural IL, so whatever.

I'd like to be here long term; my wife is open to it. It's a race to the goal - being able to afford a house and kids - before the biological clock ticks game over. What's most important in life? We're choosing personal interests and careers over standard of living, family, and friends. Not an easy choice. Every week is fun, but just don't know if we can afford to do it forever.

Born in Berkeley, raised in Berkeley and Oakland. I love the SF bay area (which is not Silicon Valley and has a very different culture). True, there is traffic and its expensive. But I have a great job (salaries are high, too) and can take public transportation. There is so much great recreation here and the weather can't be beat. There is a very active and large tri community and also running, swimming, and cycling communities. There are 5 different master swim programs within 10 miles of me.

I'm raising my son here and I don't think I'll ever leave.

I'm a bit of a wanderer too. I grew up in a small town in central Italy, but the last few stops have been Coral Gables (college), which I loved, Milan (grad school), and then a rollercoaster: London, Rome, Vienna (Austria), Rome again, Belgrade (Serbia), Amsterdam, Belgrade again, La Paz (Bolivia) and now Rome again. I've been here long enough to appreciate a few things (lots of parks with plenty of runners at every hour), the weather (simply awesome) and the culture; yet I can't wait to get the heck out of here every week end. I go back to my folks' hometown where my girlfriend lives and where I can run and ride with no risk whatsoever (people living in small towns have definitely more respect for bikers and runners). I used to consider myself a big city type of guy, but I no longer feel that way. I don't really have any strong roots anywhere, but wherever I'll end up, it will be a small town for sure.

I was born and raised in Dublin (Ireland). It wil always be home, but it has gotten a bit ugly there over the last few years as the economy booked and people became obsessed with money.

Left there just over 4 years ago and moved to Sydney. I have no plans to leave here at the moment. Great weather, decent public transport, nice beaches etc. etc. Also love the south island of NZ, but not sure there's much call for software developers around there though.

"I think it is a miserable place to be."

Why do you hate it?

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.