Tell Us About Your State/Province/Etc.

[Shaman]

Maine:

Pros:
- No natural disasters (ok, once every 500 years ice storm in 90s)
- No poisonous enough to kill you anything
- Natural wonders and beauty abound.
- Four seasons
- Moderately modern cities in Southern Maine
- In your face honestly
- Charitable population
- Amazing work ethic

Cons:
- Few Professional Jobs
- Very small mid 20s-early 40s population
- Huge travel distances
- Four seasons
- Water never really gets warm enough to swim in (I'm a wuss)

[gelbe Kulter]

Central Ohio:

Pros
- Close to southern Ohio's unglaciated Appalachian foothills; good scenery and riding.
- Plenty of "professional" jobs - computers, sciences, mathematics; and still some good blue collar work.
- Casual atmosphere - blue jeans, no tuxes! Chinos are dressy here.
- Far fewer traffic problems than more densely populated areas
- No lack of city amenities - restaurants, shows, symphony, ballet, art museum - not as much as in bigger cities, but still enjoyable.
- We can easily drive to visit bigger cities and not have to live with their traffic and expense all year.
- Tornadoes - they are not the threat that outsiders think - this isn't Kansas - and they keep some of the more nervous people away.
- Seasons: Fall is great, summer has sweet corn, spring is very green, winter is usually mild.
- We can still see stars
- Birds, trees, lakes, streams, etc...
- A giant monster university
- OSU football

Cons:
- Hot, humid summers
- No decent skiing
- Browns fans
- Our lobster and blueberries have to come from Maine.
- Mall people
- Lawn worship
- Whiners who want a bigger city, but don't move
- no really good live theater, only trucked-in musicals
- a giant monster university

[yjleesvrr]

I live in Virginia, the "Old Dominion."

Pros -

- Relatively low cost of living (except in Northern VA)
- Diverse economy consisting of service, manufacturing, and agricultural
- Diverse and beautiful landscape (got the mountains, got the bay, got the beach)
- Diverse population
- Pleasant climate with 4 distinct seasons that avoid the extremes
- Incredible history and sites to visit (where else can you find such a concentration of Colonial, Revolutionary, and Civil War history within a couple hundred miles of real estate?)
- Proximity to Washington, D.C.
- State government is conservative

Cons -

- Lacks an international city (Richmond has its charm and is a great place to live, but it is not world-class in any particular field)
- Summers can be unpleasantly humid in the coastal areas during July/August
-Too much money is spent on infrastructure around Richmond while too little is spent in Northern VA given the population of both areas.
- State government is conservative

In General -

I've traveled extensively around the country, and I appreciate my home state more when I see other places.

[jonothan]

Is this thread for Americans only or would you care to hear a little about Lincolnshire in England?

[yjleesvrr]

We'd love to hear about Lincolnshire.

[Boxer]

Georgia has lots of courthouses.

[jonothan]

Lincolnshire, extends from the Humber in the north to the Wash in the south, and is, after Yorkshire, the second largest county in the UK.

Lincolnshire people are called "Yellowbellies" because the Lincolnshire Infantry wore yellow waistcoats under their red jackets in the 18th Century.

Mostly flat countryside but there is a hilly area called the Lincolnshire Wolds running down the backbone of the county. Great biking country. Long sweeping roads with great visibility.

Low unemployment, huge agriculture industry. Seaside resorts are Cleethorpes, Mablethorpe and Skegness. Best fish and chips in the world. Best country pubs with good food. Biker heaven, really.

Called "The Drought County" as it's dryer here than anywhere else in the UK. All the rain falls west of the Pennine Hills in Manchester.

Friendly, humourous self-effacing people. Few motorways. Takes an age to drive across the county. Lincoln itself is a cathedral city, not much spoilt by tourism like York.

We live in the north east of the county. Three hours from London. Only one airport, which is ten miles away. The only scheduled flight is to Amsterdam in Holland. Lots of holiday charters fly from Humberside though.

Great to bring up a family as it's quiet and easy living here. Bit dull for younger people.

Four distinct seasons but biking possible year round if the roads are dry.

Thats us really.

Jonothan

[scottybooj]

Is this thread for Americans only or would you care to hear a little about Lincolnshire in England?

-Is it near Hobbiton?

Jonothan, when you mentioned Lincolnshire I chuckled, cause it made me think of Lord of the Rings and the Hobbits and their Shire.


Ahh, New York....hmm where do I begin? I live on Long Island, which is the little thing sticking out to the east of the bottom of NY that looks like a fish. So my comments are for suburban Metro NY.

Pros:
Close to NYC, but not in NYC.
Metropolitan living....most things are available here.
We have wonderful beaches....we have a protected bay and the ocean on the south, and the Sound on the north.
Four Seasons.
Actually quite a diverse community, from city life to farmland and vineyards.
Great Public Schools.

Cons:
Close to NYC.
People can be a little unfriendly at first...
Summers can get muggy and hot.
Traffic.
Long Distances to get to everything....suburban sprawl.
RIDICULOUS TAXES. seriously, we're carrying the rest of the state.
Generally, very liberal politics even with a Republican Governor.

[JCsman]

Alabama (especially central AL):

Cons:
Poor education system (in my weaker moments I think it's to cultivate a
lower/working class for perpetuity).
Hot, Hot, Hot (and humid)
College football fanaticism
Mediocre roads in area
No real mountains
Only one BMW dealer in the whole state (90 miles away)

Pros:
Women with southern accents
Southern women (and, no, I don't mean the stereotypical fainting
Southern Belle - my wife is an Alabama woman. Tough, strong, smart,
loving, generous, protective. And more)
Warm, warm, warm winters
Near enough to the beach for easy trips, not so close as to bear the brunt
of hurricanes
Great college football
Great roads a reasonable distance away
Southern cooking
Cost of living is fairly low
Barber Motorcycle Museum
More courthouses than Georgia

[Boxer]

The only scheduled flight is to Amsterdam in Holland

What other flights would be necessary?

[JCsman]

Lincolnshire people are called "Yellowbellies" because the Lincolnshire Infantry wore yellow waistcoats under their red jackets in the 18th Century.

Interesting Jonothan. I suspect the term "yellowbelly" may have a substantially different meaning over there, especially since you attribute it to fighting men. (No offense intended) here it is slang for someone whose bravery is suspect.

Colloquialisms are interesting creatures. We had an inquiry from DJ Down Under a while back about the term "Yankee'. It means a lot of different things in different parts of America.

[JToole]

Where is our Kiwi Contingent? I would love to hear what it is like to live in New Zealand!

[beekstersocal]

CALIFORNIA basically in a nut shell .kicks ass

[MidlifeMark]

I'm a Boston Red Sox fan. The definition of a Yankee is a Quickie, only without the girl.

[rph802]

Great thread, cant wait to hear from someone in Colorado...

VT

Pros

- Great skiing almost everywhere
- Mountains, mountains, mountains
- Maple syrup!!
- Roads can be great for biking, twisty, sweepy and just entertaining
- Even the interstate aint all that bad for riding, beautiful views and no
worries bout someone pulling out in front of you
- Many pleasant villages to ride through with all the necessities
(gas,food,lodging)
- Mostly friendly people that will make you feel right at home (unless
you've got MA or CT plates!! )
- Five full seasons (spring summer fall winter and MUD!!)
- Can still find a house with a view and a more than a postage stamp of
land for less than a million dollars
- Biggest natural concern is the dreaded Nor'easter snow storm, hey it'll
melt or you can plow it. Unless you live way the hell out like my brother
does (about 7 or 8 miles from pavement) you go a little slower and have
a 4WD vehicle with decent tires and you can get through most any of it
- Summers are gorgeous, get about a week or two that is boderline
miserably humid, rest of the summer is just nice, nice nice
- Fall with the leaves changing is just amazing. I grew up in here and am
still stunned by it every year
- Burlingon has pretty much everything you can want in a city. Music, f
food, major university (UVM), professional work (IBM), nice water fronts
(lake Champlain and Mallets Bay), shopping of every kind. And you can l
live twenty minutes away and be in as rural area as you'll find.
- Outside of Burlington, there is almost no such thing as a traffic jam. I
have to drive 10 miles before I hit a traffic light!!

Cons

- Flatlanders (you know who you are) coming here and gawking at the
freaking leaves every fall. Driving 5mph all the time. Stop and take a
picture already!!
- Same thing goes for the skiing. People, it snows here!! ALOT!! Anticipate
this and learn to drive in it.
- In a word--->FROST HEAVES!!!
- Theres a good three months (Dec-Feb) where riding is virtually
impossible or at least terribly uncomfortable. November and March can
be very iffy also.
- Not all the women have complete sets of teeth
- Hope you dont like your cell phone cause getting a signal is a coin toss.
- local taxes can be a (insert bad word). A full 25% of my monthly
mortagage goes to the town, a very small town at that
- CT/MA/NY are way too damn close!!

On the whole, I can't hardly imagine living anywhere else. FL has mostly nice weather but you can keep your hurricanes and tourist traps and flat straight roads. I lived in Boston for several years while in college and it was a nice change and I'm glad i had the oppurtunity but unless you can afford to live right in downtown and avail yourself of mass transit, I'll pass thank you. California has some intriguing plusses but you cant plow mud or earthquakes. Again, quite interested to hear from fellow boarmembers about CO. I gave some serious consideration to moving out there but ultimately decided to come home to VT.

DJ, what bout Aussie???

Craig

[new2BMW]

I have three places I call home. I don't own a home in any one of them.

Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Pros.
People are very friendly.
Crime is very low in the civilized part of the city.
Four distinct seasons with especiually nice spring and fall weather.
Not crowded.
Great place to raise a family.

Cons.
Summer is too hto.
Winter is too cold.
Even though the population is not so big, traffic is tough in places.

Tokyo, Japan.
Pros. Probably the safest place on earth.
You could stand in the worst neighborhood, drunk at 3:00 in the morning, counting your money out loud and not be robbed.
Excellent ethinic food from virtually anywhere.
The whole island is mountains, so the riding is incredible.
Very clean place.

Cons;
Crowded.
Traffic. (Although lane splitting is legal.)
Expensive. My apartment is $10,000 USD per month. (Not my money!)
Most Japanese people in the subway need a breath mint.

Mexico City, Mexico.
Pros.
The food.
The clubs.
The weather. Depending on the season, every morning is between 8 and 12 degrees C (45 and 55 F). Every afternoon is between 18 and 28 degrees C (64 and 84 F)
The cultural history (Lots of really cool museums, ruins and pyramids.)
The food!
The music.
The economy is very affordable.
The people are great. Everyone will invite you into their home for a meal.
The food!
Family is the #1 priority.
The food is great!

Cons.
Poverty and crime.
El traffico está locisimo!

[jonothan]

Lincolnshire people are called "Yellowbellies" because the Lincolnshire Infantry wore yellow waistcoats under their red jackets in the 18th Century.

Interesting Jonothan. I suspect the term "yellowbelly" may have a substantially different meaning over there, especially since you attribute it to fighting men. (No offense intended) here it is slang for someone whose bravery is suspect.

Colloquialisms are interesting creatures. We had an inquiry from DJ Down Under a while back about the term "Yankee'. It means a lot of different things in different parts of America.

You're absolutely right, but in this case the egg came before the chicken.

The term "Yellowbelly" as a description of a coward actually originates from the Lincolnshire Yellowbellies. They were not the most courageous of regiments and the term Yellowbelly became the accepted term for someone lacking in courage the world over. The yellow waistcoats were, as I understand it, the genuine source of the now widely used expression.

J

[JToole]

Fantastic thread! More posts! More posts!

I lived in the High Desert (CA, AZ, NV) for a while and someday I will return there. Probably a suburb of Los Vegas.

Pro's:
Strangely beautiful - the desert is really something to see!
Good riding / flying weather almost year around.
Ah! No alergies.
Cultural diversity: "Desert rats" to "fat (casino) cats" and everything in between!
There really IS something to this "dry heat" thing.
My God! The stars at night!
Lake Mead.
Hoover Dam.
Vegas!

Con's:
The sun can literally kill you.
Flash Floods.
The dark side of Vegas.

[MattPie]

St Mary's County, MD (Southern MD)
Pros:
Lots of pretty water
Only Feb is really too cold to ride (1)
Light Traffic in most places

Cons:
Few roads 'go' anywhere, so not many back roads to explore.
July-Aug is rather hot and humid (2)
It's 72 miles to Bob's BMW and 75 to Morten's.
Most of the water is private, so you can't get to it.
Fairly flat and shallow curves.

(1) too cold to ride is defined as below 40 F. Adjust opinion accordingly.
(2) 95 F and 60-70% humidity

Binghamton, NY
Pros:
Non-riding season is good skiing!
Hilly and winding roads, lots of back roads and alternate routes.
Little Traffic
It's really cheap to live there.
Summer is in the 80s, so good riding from May - Sept.

Cons:
Snow season is Dec - Mar.
Nearest dealer is 60 miles away in PA
NY Gas is expensive, and the State troopers don't give many warnings.
Pavement quality can be lacking.


Buffalo, NY
Pros:
No traffic
Back roads
Low cost of living
Great food
Fantastic Fall scenery and weather

Cons:
Snow from Dec - Apr, although there may be days you can get out.
Nearest Dealer is still 60 miles (and the next is 160!)
Roads tend to be straight, but hilly south of the city.

Valley Forge, PA
(only lived here 3 weeks..)
Pros:
Lots of twisty, pretty roads

Cons:
Traffic
Pavement Quality

[latakia77]

Montana is a terrible, terrible place to live.

Desolation is always our somber companion. When you look up, all there is to see is the sky and God shaking His finger at you, saying, "If you whine that this is bad, I'll show you Wyoming!"

Winds and inhospitable changes in temperature are constantly assaulting us physically and mentally. Cold, nasty, wet or frozen wind from every side of you.

Mountains of western Montana are treacherous. Impossible to cross without gallivanting through tangled threads of poorly maintained 2-lane cowtrails dotted with crumbling asphault. Around the rocks and through draws, down the wretched switchbacks, and along frigid rivers and streams the "roads" have no markings, and it is impossible to see around the bends and curves from all the trees growing out of the surrounding scarred land. Two places you want to see may be 60 miles apart by "road," when they are really only 40 miles apart as the crow flies. (We, of course, don't have any crows left, because we had to eat them last year, we are all so poor.)

It's 100 miles between most gas stations. Some stations still only accept cash, or gold nuggets, and pumps are only available during business hours (8-5.)

Desparate peasants are everywhere. Illiterate mobs of the great unwashed grovel at the feet of tourists and passers-by; begging for money, alchohol, canned goods or a merciful death to quench their misery.