Kickass places to live?

[alkemical]

Originally Posted by Doggcow

He's my responsibility. No way in hell am I giving him up, or going anywhere without him. I decided to let him dictate my life, when I brought him into it.

Plus he's like 60% of my game, man.

So, I think Europe is pretty much off the table because of that. Guess I'll stick with the US.

If you're going to stick in the US - get yourself a camper/van. You can always use it to camp/travel around. Might help you in stretches.

[Doggcow]

Originally Posted by alkemical

If you're going to stick in the US - get yourself a camper/van. You can always use it to camp/travel around. Might help you in stretches.

I'm looking more to settle in one place than continue to move.

[alkemical]

Originally Posted by Doggcow

I'm looking more to settle in one place than continue to move.

My bad.

[Drunken.Broncoholic]

Europe may be tough nowadays with the economy even worse there than here. If you are drawn to the pacific northwest style what about just cruising down the coast?

[DomCasual]

I will get crucified for this, but Salt Lake City isn't half bad.

If you're outdoorsy, there's tons to do (maybe more than any place I've been in the US - and I grew up in Denver)! It's a clean city. There are a lot of Mormons, but Mormons make great neighbors (IMO). The drinking laws have been relaxed a bunch, thanks to Jon Huntsman. And the downtown area seems to have developed a decent night life, over the last decade.

That said, if I could work at home (which I do), and I had nothing tying me down, I would live in San Diego. I love that city. But my kids have a big, Mormon extended family here (50 cousins, give or take), and I would never move away from that. It adds so much to their lives! It's a built-in circle of friends that they'll carry with them for life. Throw in the fact that they're, literally without exception, all good kids. If you live here, you could probably call them your cousins, too.

I haven't been outside the US all that much, but I have been to every state - multiple times. There are some great cities in our country!

[Dukes]

Originally Posted by DomCasual

I will get crucified for this, but Salt Lake City isn't half bad.

If you're outdoorsy, there's tons to do (maybe more than any place I've been in the US - and I grew up in Denver)! It's a clean city. There are a lot of Mormons, but Mormons make great neighbors (IMO). The drinking laws have been relaxed a bunch, thanks to Jon Huntsman. And the downtown area seems to have developed a decent night life, over the last decade.

That said, if I could work at home (which I do), and I had nothing tying me down, I would live in San Diego. I love that city. But my kids have a big, Mormon extended family here (50 cousins, give or take), and I would never move away from that. It adds so much to their lives! It's a built-in circle of friends that they'll carry with them for life. Throw in the fact that they're, literally without exception, all good kids. If you live here, you could probably call them your cousins, too.

I haven't been outside the US all that much, but I have been to every state - multiple times. There are some great cities in our country!

I second the San Diego idea. That's my #1 place I want to live hands down. It's certainly not for everyone though.

[BroncoBuff]

Originally Posted by Doggcow

I've essentially lived in the Seattle Area all my life, and while I love the pale ladies (I really do) I want to do something exciting with my life.

I've done you one-backwards, in that I moved to Seattle six years ago. Maybe I can 'reverse-engineer' some ideas for you. My first 24 were in Denver, next 7 in Wichita Falls, El Paso and Iowa City, 14 in Los Angeles, now here. So listen up, sonny, I've been around.

You don't talk too much about your interests, but I'm guessing you've been out late ... rowdy nights closing down bars in Belltown and the U-District, right? Well forget all that. Everything you hear about the sophisticated, laid-back sandals with socks nature of this city is true. Mostly a good thing I guess, but not so much for a 20-something looking for adventure.

There's a lot to be said for the South. I know you spent a few years in Florida, but that's different. North Florida is really just an extension of Alabama/Georgia, and South Florida is not "the South" at all. I'm talking Richmond/Charlottesville VA, parts of NC, maybe Nashville, even Atlanta in a pinch. Unlike California and the West, you'd experience a different "culture," so to speak.

My specific recommendation is Austin, Texas. First of all, forget most of what you know about "Texas," Austin is the exception. Not hot and dry like the rest of the state, not backward like the rest either. There's plenty of Texas Texans there, state capital, UT, but it's pretty liberal in general. They call it a cutting-edge tech center - "Silicon Valley South" - but I'm not so sure. "Cutting edge" is so relative ... it's no Palo Alto or Seattle. The VERY BEST bar scene/music scene I've ever experienced, hands down (forget everything you know about Belltown). Best Mexican food I've ever had, too. Not sure how the girls compare with Miss I and LA's spots, but Austin does sport seriously gorgeous co-eds almost everywhere you turn. To top it off, Austin has always numbered among the pet-friendliest cities. It's grown quite a lot since I was last there in '03, but still - Austin would definitely be my destination ...

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by DomCasual

I will get crucified for this, but Salt Lake City isn't half bad.

Not crucified - just laughed out of court.

[Rohirrim]

Kick ass places to live? Mine would be the Amalfi Coast:

[BroncoBuff]

Checked on Austin's growth, and it's pretty alarming: 656k in 2000, 804 now. Doesn't mean it's less liveable - the right kind of suburban sprawl can be hardly noticeable. Looking back, Austin has been a growth monster for a long time, damn near doubles in size every 20 years:

1970 - 251,000
1980 - 345,000
1990 - 472,020
2000 - 656,562
2010 - 790,390
2012 - 804,000 (est.)

As far as Utah and SLC, I'm a big fan actually. Spent 4 days each in Provo and Salt Lake covering the old WAC hoops tournaments, couple of football overnights. Not the right place for most of us, but if you're laid-back, a non-drinker with a family, it would be hard to beat. Clean city, low-crime, highly educated with a decent jobs base. LDS people, too ... there's something about them. "Shiny" is the word that leaps to mind. Can't say I'm a big fan of the religion, but the people have a unique something.

Just saw a couple of surprising SLC facts: 1) It's a Top 50 gay friendly city, and 2) most plastic surgeons per capita. Weird.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by BroncoBuff

My specific recommendation is Austin, Texas. First of all, forget most of what you know about "Texas," Austin is the exception. Not hot and dry like the rest of the state...

You kiddin' me, bro?

Austin is hotter than Hades.

Last summer they set some sort of new record for most consecutive days > 100°.

[DomCasual]

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

Not crucified - just laughed out of court.

How disappointing. I was hoping you could respond with a cartoon that you cut and pasted.

[BroncoBuff]

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

Austin is hotter than Hades.

Last summer they set some sort of new record for most consecutive days > 100°.

Yeah, I might've got carried away with myself there. I've been lucky when visiting, never seemed too bad. Speaking of visiting, '03 was my last time ... population growth is still nuts. Too bad, really. Pop has doubled since I was first there in 1982

[Requiem]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

Kick ass places to live? Mine would be the Amalfi Coast:

lord of the rangs

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by DomCasual

How disappointing. I was hoping you could respond with a cartoon that you cut and pasted.

You carry that cartoon baggage with you everywhere you go, don't you?

Shows just how on-target some of those 'toons have been.