If you could move anywhere...

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

We moved to Utah to be near my son, and to escape the heat, humidity and pollution of Houston. We landed in a beautiful custom, contemporary home on the side of a mountain looking into a canyon. The view is great.



If you are not Mormon, however, steer clear of this place. From the totally absurd liquor laws to the church run executive, legislative, and judiciary systems...they are in charge, don't care if you know it, and if you don't like it leave...
We are.

Be careful how you paint a group of people. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints, and live on the Canadian Border in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. I know from first hand experience that Mormons in Utah don't represent the views of the Church in the greater world. That is, the LDS people as a whole, are warm, freindly, and gracious to a fault. We tend to be freindly and not look down our noses at anyone else. In fact it is a part of our proclamations that we live in harmony with everyone else, not forcing our own beliefs upon others.

Unfortunately, whenever a group of people get together in large numbers, be they hockey jocks in high-school, , a particular religeous group, or cowboys in Texas, they take on unique group dynamics and tend to protect their own beliefs in sometimes irrational ways. Utah is like that. I have known many a Latter-Day-Saint who was turned off by the restirictive, and sometimes snub-nosed beliefs by some of the members living in Utah. And yet, there are great people there as well.

It is never a good idea to paint all members of a group, be it race, ethnicity, or political beliefs by the same paintbrush. There are good and bad in every demographic.

As for where I'd like to live, it's right here where I'm at. I'd just like to change the attitudes of our local people here. I would change the City Council to a group who loved the youth, from new-borns to young adults, and who would like to provide quality things for them to do. I would also like to see clean, valuable, and good paying jobs in the area so that all of our kids didn't have to move to find careers. I long to live in a place as beautiful as where I'm at, but where people genuinely care about each other.

I have lived in so many places and in so many different communities, and countries. And there were wonderful and rediculous things about each of them. I don't care for gossips. I don't like people who feel it's there buisness to make others unhappy. I don't like people who are full of themselves. And I don't care for people who believe that obatining knowledge is stupid, or square, or not cool. Planned idiocy is not a good way of life.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

Oh, and except for the "categorizing of people" part of this post, the rest is not meant to be a reflection of you, Hopz. I understand your frustration at Utah's sometimes rediculous behavior. Some of the people there need to learn the humility that they are supposed to demonstrate to the world.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[vagriller]

When I went to Costa Rica, it was 106 in shade! Their seasons are opposite of ours. I was there in late May. I was on the Pacific coast too. I think it might be in only the 70s in the very high elevations but its also extremely humid there (rain forest). It is a very lovely part of the world.

That must be the part I am thinking of. I know of a guy that cultivates a rainforest there, and that is who I heard the 70s weather from. They could see the volcano on a clear day from where they live.

 

[Swann]

I love the home we just bought in November!
So, rather than relocating, I'd rather do the following:
move dh's work here (he's currently got a 1-1/2 hr. commute each way)
move my parents & sister to this area
and, while I'm at it, I'll take some snow in the winter too.

Except for most everyone commuting fairly long distances, Southern California has it all.... No one lives more than a 30 min. drive to the snow. Santa Monica Mts, San Bernardino Mts, Cuyamaca Mts, etc. The beach is only a 60 min or less drive too. You can surf in the morning and ski in the afternoon..... Not many places like that in the world .

 

[pdswife]

We have to wait until Paul retires but.. the condo in Mexico will be waiting for us.

Then there's the family house in Greece that we'll visit when ever poss.

BUT... HOME is here. It's where we belong. It's where our friends are.
It's close to our families but not too close. It's HOME. I doubt we could ever leave it for another place forever.

 

[middie]

Anywhere that doesn't get cold !

 

[Dina]

My husband and I are planning to relocate every summer, starting next year, hopefully. He's an R.N. and I'm a teacher but take the summers off. He'll be taking on 8 or 12 week assignments and come back home for the remaining 9 month school year. We'd rather have the kids in a stable place while they're in school then travel during the summers. The first place we'd like to temporarily move to is Hawaii, next Colorado, then Arizona and NM. Once we find the place we like, we'll just stay and forget about Texas.

 

[vagriller]

The first place we'd like to temporarily move to is Hawaii, next Colorado, then Arizona and NM. Once we find the place we like, we'll just stay and forget about Texas.

Hawaii or Colorado, or both! Depends on what you like to do though.

 

[Hopz]

Goodweed- it was/is not my intention to "paint" a whole group of people. I agree that I know some really nice LDS members, and I also know some who are the opposite while pretending to be of the faith.

Also, I am/was not offended by any of your comments. I hope mine did not offend you- it was not my intent.

I am only alerting others that while this part of Utah is gorgeous- living here does come with some "baggage". Part of that baggage is awareness that the leader of the church runs things here, from owning the leading newspaper and tv/radio station, to strongly influencing (directing) all aspects of government. If that's not so, let me know.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Goodweed- it was/is not my intention to "paint" a whole group of people. I agree that I know some really nice LDS members, and I also know some who are the opposite while pretending to be of the faith.

Also, I am/was not offended by any of your comments. I hope mine did not offend you- it was not my intent.

I am only alerting others that while this part of Utah is gorgeous- living here does come with some "baggage". Part of that baggage is awareness that the leader of the church runs things here, from owning the leading newspaper and tv/radio station, to strongly influencing (directing) all aspects of government. If that's not so, let me know.

No offense taken. I know you by your posts to be a person worthy of respect. I just didn't want others taking exception to what you said. I know from personal experience how innocent comments can be misconstrued and so was merely warning you to take care.

And I agree with you whole heartedly that there are certainly people in a community that can make life difficult for others. The youth in my home-town have little to do, and no future because of our "ruling-class" around here. It is a pet peeve of mine. But I don't live within city limits and so can't even vote in city elections. It's maddening to see mean-spirited people occupying powerful local positions.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Chef_Jen]

Well Italy was beautiful... Bermuda i could live there *except for winters* its dreary but i had sucha good time there not sure if it was the people i was there with the sun sets or the pink sands or all of it lol

But australia is where id like to live now - one of my dearest friends are there and i miss the conversations

 

[mudbug]

Near water, with seasonal changes. And a private dock.

In the heart of a big city in a high-rise building with a doorman and concierge(HH will never go for this).

Out in the boondocks in a log cabin used to sound good, but there's no bookstores or pizza delivery.

We've discussed this recently and have decided to stay put here in Subdivisionland at least while daughter does high school. I pointed out that if we move elsewhere when she starts college, she will be coming 'home' to a strange town where none of her friends live. No good solution for that one yet, but I don't think I want to stay here forever.

 

[kadesma]

Near water, with seasonal changes. And a private dock.

In the heart of a big city in a high-rise building with a doorman and concierge(HH will never go for this).

Out in the boondocks in a log cabin used to sound good, but there's no bookstores or pizza delivery.

We've discussed this recently and have decided to stay put here in Subdivisionland at least while daughter does high school. I pointed out that if we move elsewhere when she starts college, she will be coming 'home' to a strange town where none of her friends live. No good solution for that one yet, but I don't think I want to stay here forever.

Wait til daughter marries and settles down and starts a family, then move in several doors down and wooohooo, you can be like me

kadesma

 

[mudbug]

nobody can be like you, kadesma - you are an original.

 

[Michael in FtW]

La Jolla, CA and go to Scripps as a graduate student! Work at Sea World with the dolphins and whales and continue the word of Dr. Cordis on interspecies communications - or at Scripps in the wave current lab working on my theory of wave-generated electricity.

 

[cara]

okay, Michael, I haven'`t thought of that yet, but it sounds great.. I love whales!

I would like to go somewhere exciting and unknown.. starting something completely different..
If that would be near the sea, everything would be perfect
I could imagine living in Scandinavia, Italy, North America, Australia, New Zealand etc..
but also somewhere around the baltic Sea, not only at Germany's beaches...

 

[Claire]

This is a funny line, because about 8 years ago, my husband and I decided that our Florida retirement wasn't working. We bought a pickup truck and a trailer and spent 3 years on the road, looking for our ideal. Since we are two people, compromise was in order (I already had located a flat in Ljubljana that we could afford to tour Europe from for a couple of years, he nixed that. He kept talking about these great old farm houses in the country. Huh? He can't fix anything. Seriously, nothing. Doesn't like to garden. Why?). So we went looking. So we found where we are now. Beautiful very old town, walking distance to restaurants and watering holes, very friendly natives (we've been taken into the bosom of locals). Hubby and I have itchy feet, but we've stayed here for five years, almost unheard of. Hawaii, California, and Virginia (my first choices) proved way too expensive for retirement. Florida too boring. Anyway, my many European friends say they fell in love with Galena for the same reasons we did. It looks like a great European small town (no, it isn't a "theme" town, it is just old). It is pretty, it is green (a big thing for me). BUT -- the big caveat -- if you're young and need to make a living, small towns are difficult.

 

[buckytom]

We tend to be freindly and not look down our noses at anyone else. In fact it is a part of our proclamations that we live in harmony with everyone else,

ahem... i think you need to go to confession gw. are you forgetting new yawkuhs?



as for me, i can't say where i'd want to live, 'cause i may have to go there someday and don't want anyone following me.

 

[thumpershere2]

I guess I would stay right here in northern Minnesota. Small town but close to a larger town. We are on a lake and fish off the dock or take the boat out. We enjoy snowmobiling and ice fishing and like the change of seasons. We have traveled out west and south but MN still is better. I do like the Rocky MT. tho and wouldn't mind living in an area where I could view them all day.

 

[licia]

I love where we live, after all, we've been here for 36 years. Our children grew up here and still return to see us often. We have lots of friends, a good church family, enough relatives, close enough to the important things. The only thing I would change is that people are moving here right and left making the traffic terrible at times. I really don't know where they come from. We live only 35 miles from where I was born, but I've travelled to Europe and other places that interested me. We are retired and do what we want when we want and have enough interests to keep us from becoming self-absorbed. We also have enough to keep us happy and be able to share with others. I am very grateful for everything I have. If I had to move somewhere, I suppose I'd try to make that work also. If I could only cook like Kadesma, I'd be one happy camper!!!!!!!!

 

[Robo410]

on the road traveling right now...MD to OH yesterday...doing MI to the UP today, then over to MN sun. Then back by way of IN and I 70 through western MD. but we're building in Cester Cty PA. (SE of the state) Mushroom country!