Do You Like or Hate the Neighborhood or Area You're Living In?

[debbie in seattle]

Debbie, where are you thinking of going? Just curious as my mom's family lives up there so we visit a lot. My fav aunt (97 this year!) lives up on Beacon Hill and I have cousins all over the Seattle area.

So funny how tons of articles in our local paper talk about Seattle being the Millennial techies' preferred destination. I keep thinking, "Do they understand how bad Seattle traffic really is?!?" LOL!

Lethe: Just saw you posted after my post. I'm thinking (when I do move) on moving to Scottsdale, have a daughter in the area. Our traffic here in Seattle just sucks, it's terrible. There was an article in the Seattle Times today about a home (piece of crap home-they showed several pics of it) that just sold for $1,000,000! Also got hit with notices about our taxes skyrocketing this year.

 

[Don M.]

Lethe: Just saw you posted after my post. I'm thinking (when I do move) on moving to Scottsdale, have a daughter in the area. Our traffic here in Seattle just sucks, it's terrible. There was an article in the Seattle Times today about a home (piece of crap home-they showed several pics of it) that just sold for $1,000,000! Also got hit with notices about our taxes skyrocketing this year.

A "crappy" house, going for a million dollars, is Not that unusual in many of our cities. The fact is that there is an increasing housing shortage...especially for those in the lower income scales. Construction costs keep rising, and wages Do Not, and the number of houses being built is Not keeping up with population growth. If a person looks at housing sales sites such as Zillow, or Realtor.com, it is not usual to see houses selling for substantially more than they are really worth. As a result, more and more people are being forced into apartment living. If these trends continue, it will not be many more decades before the majority of our people are squeezed into "hi-rises", and our cities begin to resemble some of the heavily populated 3rd world cities....urban squalor, surrounded by the gated communities of the rich.

 

[Sunny]

skip

 

[Sunny]

I also like my immediate neighborhood, not particularly the surrounding area. My community is gated, therefore fairly safe, and beautifully landscaped, built around a golf course, so it's pleasant to look at. Not magnificent scenery, but pleasant. The surrounding area is busy, lots of traffic, too many strip malls, gas stations, etc. Parts of Montgomery County are really beautiful, but this is not one of those parts, and probably wouldn't be affordable if it were.

But I still miss Bainbridge Island, in the middle of Puget Sound, where we lived for 18 years before coming back to Maryland to be near our son. That place had a quality of life that is rarely found, and was truly beautiful. (And it didn't have the hot, humid summers of this area!) Debbie, you're probably familiar with it. I know what you mean about the Seattle traffic; it was always a pleasure to get off the ferry and return to Bainbridge.

 

[Ruthanne]

Actually, I am totally tired of the climate in my state and tired of the same old boring scenery here. Would like to live out west in CA or near there.

 

[KingsX]

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I like my immediate neighborhood. It's like a small oasis in the middle of a sprawling urban city.
It's filled with tall trees and 50 year old custom homes. It is very quiet here. But it's also close
to shopping and everything else one might need. Many older people live here. Some are the
original homeowners. I've lived here almost 17 years myself. But the older people are dying off
and the demographics... like the times... are changing.

 

[twinkles]

i hate where i am living at--i live with my daughter and there is nothing to see but trees--when you are 84 you cant afford to rent except in bad neighborhoods

 

[Seeker]

This is my back yard. I wouldn’t trade this rural community for anything. I love it and want to die here.
We had the quarter of a million dollar home, pool ,and all the toys to go with. Sold it all and our business 20 years ago and bought these 22 acres out in the country. Our town has one caution light and a population of 500. I’m 4 miles from the caution light and if I turn left I’m 12 miles from a small town that has everything I need. No malls or famous restaurants but my mother lives an hour and a half away which I visit at least twice a month and I have access to all those things. It’s a lot to up keep and I realize one day I may have to give it up but that’s a bridge I’ll have to cross when I get there. My grandchildren have all grown up here and it holds so many memories.

 

[ProsperosDaughter]

I love where I live! It is very rural; but close enough to shopping. It is a quiet narrow twisty road. No neighbor across the street (hay field) side neighbors are far away. My house is very tiny but just the right size for me and my cat.

 

[hearlady]

I am so torn on this. We've been in this quiet neighborhood, small town for 26 years. I really don't want to sound like a snob but my problem is it's an older neighborhood, no covenants and it's become somewhat rundown. People don't take care of their houses and yards. Most do but right next door is an eyesore.
We like our house. It's a good retirement size and one floor, 1/2 acre yard. If we moved it would be to have more privacy, maybe foothills and scenery.
If we stay we would make house and yard more senior friendly.
Any advice from anyone who went through the stay or move decision?

Update: The neighbors next door were forced to put new siding, facial, etc on their home before they could refinance their mortgage. It looks nice! One lil ole thing. They moved the piles of junk off the carport when the work was being done then moved it ALL back when done. It's a little neater and I can certainly live with that. They are good people otherwise and that's a plus.

 

[hearlady]

This is my back yard. I wouldn’t trade this rural community for anything. I love it and want to die here.
We had the quarter of a million dollar home, pool ,and all the toys to go with. Sold it all and our business 20 years ago and bought these 22 acres out in the country. Our town has one caution light and a population of 500. I’m 4 miles from the caution light and if I turn left I’m 12 miles from a small town that has everything I need. No malls or famous restaurants but my mother lives an hour and a half away which I visit at least twice a month and I have access to all those things. It’s a lot to up keep and I realize one day I may have to give it up but that’s a bridge I’ll have to cross when I get there. My grandchildren have all grown up here and it holds so many memories.

View attachment 48069

oh my gosh! Reminds me when we lived in Colorado and our backyard had scenery like that and backed up to the mountains.
Pretty!

 

[Happyflowerlady]

I am an Idaho transplant who moved to Alabama about 10 years ago to live closer to my daughter. There are things that I like and things that I don’t, and sometimes they are the same things.
The weather for instance.
I love that we do not have all of the cold and snow that I had to deal with in north Idaho, and that down here, pansies are considered a wintertime flower. Here it is in January, and my hyacinths and tulips are already trying to sprout up out of the ground, and in Idaho, they would be buried under the snow until at least March or April.
Spring and fall are great here, but the summer is so humid that even at 4 AM, you have water dripping down your face if you go outside, just because of the humidity even during the cooler part of the day.
I actually HAVE to be outside at daybreak to water the flowers, because after about 9-10 AM, it is too hot for me to be outside.
In the winter, we do not have snow, but it is cold, wet and rainy, so still not great to be outside. An inch of snow shuts down the whole South because no place has any way to deal with snow, and cars are piled up in freeway accidents.

If I could live anywhere, I think that i would live out on the West Coast again, somewhere near the town of Astoria , Oregon. It is close to the beaches of both Washington and Oregon, and the climate is moderate.