Where I Live.............

Parallax · 10-13-2009, 11:08 AM

We have a lot of threads where we all end up giving an opinion about where someone else is. Lets have some fun and hear your perspective of where you live.

Where I live:

There is relatively little crime

The people are friendly

There are 4 seasons: Winter, Still Winter, Damn its Hot, and Winter's Coming.
We can get some very extreme weather conditions; high wind, hail, blizzards,
intense heat, torrential rains, but hey, the other 4 days of the year are absolutely beautiful.

To most people around here, getting dressed up means cleaning the mud off
of your boots. (formal wear is clean Levis)

Fine dining is any place where the sliverware can be cleaned off with your napkin
rather than having to be sent back.

Walmart is viewed here the same way Sachs, or Bloomingdale's is by New Yorkers.

Anything purchased out of town just has to be better than if it were bought in town.

People don't generally watch Green Acres reruns. They think its a documentary.

If you are driving down the street and see someone you want to talk to, stop
and talk. If the guy behind you doesn't want to wait, too bad he should have taken a different route.

The drivers for the small public transit system we have (1 small bus and 1 minivan)
all believe that traffic lights, stop signs and lines on the pavement are just suggestions.

You can easily tell the long time locals from people new to the area.
The new folks are the ones that take up only one parking space.

*Das Boot* · 10-13-2009, 01:33 PM

Ok, here's were I live:

The seasons here are a little cold, pleasant, too hot, pleasant, and back to a little cold. All except winter, you can bet on the humidity to be close to 100%. It can be almost too hot/humid in the Summer to do anything because of the stinging sweat pouring into your eyes from just walking out the door.

There is a church on every corner (really!). Three out of four are Baptist. Now when I say Baptist, I mean Southern Baptist. You'll know if you've been to a Southern Baptist sermon if after you leave, your completely educated on what a tithe is and what the current economic status of the church is.

Traditional folks from the area are mainly concerned with appearance both in visual and impression. You're not traditional unless you have been born here and taken to the genuinely excepted "rules" of being southern. Traditional folks can put on a friendly face and talk to you about this or that and seem genuinely interested in getting to know you. They can also do all this and insult you without you realizing it until after they have left.

Others that have just moved to the area (often referred to as Yankees) are usually shunned. They're treated just as friendly, but are usually insulted a little more than normal. The biggest question that a Yankee gets is - "When do you plan on leaving?"

All types of foods here are drenched in butter, grease and salt (ala Paula Dean).

Iced tea is heavily sweetened with sugar.

The number of registered cars in the state are more than the number of registered drivers.

Dirt here is red and the mud is even redder.

Engulfing most roadsides is kudzu. It vines and leaves cover the trees, power poles and ground like a blanket.

The most popular suit is still the seersucker suit (see Matlock).

Outside of sweet tea, the two most popular liquids are gasoline and moonshine.

Duct tape and twisty ties are more common home fix-it remedies than hammers and nails (this also goes for car repairs).

I'm sure I'm forgetting some things, but this is where I live... I wouldn't live anywhere else.

Jasvox · 10-14-2009, 04:46 AM

Let me guess, both of these places are extremely conservative?

Jason

Parallax · 10-14-2009, 06:18 AM

Originally Posted by Jasvox

Let me guess, both of these places are extremely conservative?

Jason

Let me guess. You are one that doesn't like political threads, but you're going to try to turn this into one anyway.

*graphicgr8s* · 10-14-2009, 06:49 AM

Our house is a very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy

Jasvox · 10-14-2009, 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by Parallax

Let me guess. You are one that doesn't like political threads, but you're going to try to turn this into one anyway.

That wasn't my intention as the word "conservative" isn't always the same as "republican"

So, you guessed incorrectly.

Jason

Parallax · 10-14-2009, 09:14 AM

Originally Posted by Jasvox

That wasn't my intention as the word "conservative" isn't always the same as "republican"

So, you guessed incorrectly.

Jason

Then that was my bad. You, however, did guess right, at least about where I live.

*smc* · 10-14-2009, 09:49 AM

I live in a fairly small city of 375,000.

on an island which is 365 miles across in size....large enough to hold a few cities and some of the inhabitants have never been off it.

In a province that is larger than 3+ Californias...or 60 some odd Connecticuts.

There are 4 things people do here;
- Work for the government (it is the capital city for BC)
- Go to the university
- Retire
- Visit (about 4 million tourists visit annually)

It is warm here for Canadian standards (and many parts of the US as well). It rarely snows here....but it rains a lot! It gets cold quickly when you drive inland on the mainland.

The crime rate is very low. Vancouver is getting a bit worse but here there are no handguns for criminals or the public. Trying to sneak one into town is viewed the same as trying to smuggle hard core drugs. Visitors that try coming across the border with one have their vehicle seized and end up in the Canadian justice system.

There is a strong sense of community. Social programs are supported but you have to work hard. You won't qualify for handouts if you're able to work.

The city is connected with bike paths (converted from old railway lines) and a good chunk of commuters ride into work year round.

The city has British roots....locals wander around playing bag pipes....there are double-deckers buses (including new double-decker buses).

Pentax is not such an odd camera to own.....

Parallax · 10-14-2009, 10:10 AM

Originally Posted by smc

I live in a fairly small city of 375,000.

on an island which is 365 miles across in size....large enough to hold a few cities and some of the inhabitants have never been off it.

In a province that is larger than 3+ Californias...or 60 some odd Connecticuts.

There are 4 things people do here;
- Work for the government (it is the capital city for BC)
- Go to the university
- Retire
- Visit (about 4 million tourists visit annually)

It is warm here for Canadian standards (and many parts of the US as well). It rarely snows here....but it rains a lot! It gets cold quickly when you drive inland on the mainland.

The crime rate is very low. Vancouver is getting a bit worse but here there are no handguns for criminals or the public. Trying to sneak one into town is viewed the same as trying to smuggle hard core drugs. Visitors that try coming across the border with one have their vehicle seized and end up in the Canadian justice system.

There is a strong sense of community. Social programs are supported but you have to work hard. You won't qualify for handouts if you're able to work.

The city is connected with bike paths (converted from old railway lines) and a good chunk of commuters ride into work year round.

The city has British roots....locals wander around playing bag pipes....there are double-deckers buses (including new double-decker buses).

Pentax is not such an odd camera to own.....

O.K., I I'll buy the rest of it, but this?: Pentax is not such an odd camera to own.

*reeftool* · 10-14-2009, 10:13 AM

Where I live we have 2 traffic lights.

It's a 15 mile drive to get groceries you can't get at the convenience store.

We have 2 restaurants, no fast food chains, 2 take out pizza shops and one bar.

Our winters are long and cold. Spring is known as mud season. The fall is often spectacular. The summers are mild with the mid to upper 80's considered very hot.

Just about everybody owns a pickup truck for around town and a small shoehorn car to commute to work in.

We have about 10 churches not counting the ones in the neighboring town across the river.

No motels. 5 campgrounds and a B&B.

The paper mill that was the largest employer in the area closed down forcing long time residents to sell out and move or find new jobs and commute. Most commute. Our heavy traffic is rush hour at 5 AM. Our traffic jams come on friday afternoons in the summer as campers and motor homes get backed up at the red light.

Most of our downtown burned to the ground about a year ago, now a block long vacant lot.

Most folks look out for each other. A storm left us without power last winter for several days in below 0 weather. Nobody froze to death. They opened a shelter but closed it after a day when nobody used it.

*smc* · 10-14-2009, 10:37 AM

Originally Posted by Parallax

O.K., I I'll buy the rest of it, but this?: Pentax is not such an odd camera to own.

I think it was because Pentax was huge here back in the 80s and 90s. Canon and Nikon still take the lions share but it's not that unusual to see someone walking around with a Pentax...both film and digital.

code4code5 · 10-14-2009, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by Das Boot

Ok, here's were I live:

OT, But I'm totally digging on your avatar!! LOL!

Jasvox · 10-14-2009, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by Parallax

Then that was my bad. You, however, did guess right, at least about where I live.

No worries!

*smc* · 10-14-2009, 09:00 PM

A bump....I was hoping to hear a little more about some of the places people are from....I thought the thread was a great idea (as long as the politics doesn't get in the way)

seacapt · 10-15-2009, 11:38 AM

My little town has a park in the middle with a Little League field and one of the best kids sports programs I've ever seen.
Very few residents are wealthy but most are proud of what they have worked for and earned , many even wax their riding lawn mowers.
Many homes have a small boat trailer or a pig cooker parked in the driveway.
Kids can be kids and feel safe here.
Many folks hunt to suppliment their food budget.
People who grew up here are wary of new arrivals until the newcomers prove themselves.
Kids refer to adults as Mister & Miss.
Nieghbors all wave and smile when you drive by.
Until 12 years ago you could get anything you needed in town but then Walmart openned a Super Center 10 miles away. I hate walmart and refuse to buy from them.
My little town has a small old grocery store where Willy Mays was asked to please not wait behind the "colored line" when he came in to get a pack of cigarettes back in the 60's (Thats the way the story goes so please don't consider it a political comment or racial slur).
Where I live there are a whole bunch of churches of all denominations.
Where I live there is a great little library that my kids can ride their bikes to.
Where I live it's OK to own a mobile home.
Where I live people still farm for a living.
Where I live I've put down roots. Two of my kids were born here. I live across a quiet street from the Mayor who invites my son to come to City Hall for help with his scool projects.
My little town is in a process of rapid developement and change . Unfortunitely the change is far too rapid so modern day carpet baggers may not be welcome with open arms.