Do you feel a certain loyalty to a town? Do you consider it your hometown? Is it where you live now? Do you find yourself yearning for a city you lived in when you were younger, or a city you haven't yet gone to?

Where are the best places to live?

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

Answers

My actual hometown is Feilding, in the North Island of New Zealand. It's a very quiet little country town (12,500 people), and it's kind of nice, but pretty dull.

However, I consider my hometown to be Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. I lived there for five years (until I came to London), and it's seriously cool. It's beautiful - built around an awesome harbour, it's nice and small (350,000 people), so you run into people you know all the time, you can walk everywhere there, and it's got more bars and restaurant per capita than just about anywhere in the world (it's true).

A night out in Wellington is guaranteed to be cool. There are so many cool bars to go to, they're all within walking distance of each other, and they all stay open until around 4 am.

London is a very cool place to live, especially South-West London (Richmond and Putney - where we live), but I would never base myself here forever. We're already planning where to live next. The shortlist is Wellington (naturally), Melbourne or Sydney (I've heard such cool things about both of these cities), or Toronto (Tristan just got back from a trip there and has fallen in love with it).

Cape Town is also very cool, but South Africa is not somewhere I'm planning to live any time soon.

Anyway, forget all the other places ... Wellington is the true centre of the universe.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

I still live in the town I grew up in, Des Plaines, IL. It's not a great town, but it's near everything. You want shopping? Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg (about 15 minutes away) is the largest mall in the US (yes, I know Mall of America is the largest sized mall, but Woodfield has the most square footage of retail space). You want culture/fun things to do? Chicago is just 20 minutes down the expressway. Everything is there from resturants and clubs to theatre and museums. Some of my favorite memories are going down with friends to see Second City or hanging out with the other freaky teenagers at The Alley. However, my husband and I are getting antsy. The city life is getting a little old and crowded. Maybe it's time for us to move, to borrow from Little Shop of Horrors, somewhere that's green. We shall see.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

I consider San Francisco my hometown, since I really don't remember the places I lived before this very clealy, and I have no emotional attachments to those places.

The longest time I lived in one place as a kid was 5 years in Texas, from 1960 to 1965, ages 8 to 13, in a 'burb of Dallas, but I certainly don't consider that a "hometown" in any way, and I don't really have many positive memories of Texas (I hear Austin is nice, but I don't wanna move there, and I can't imagine that I'd like the weather, since there's no fog or ocean breezes, right?).

Anyway, I was born in Holland, Michigan in 1951, but moved away in about 1957... I have some very vague memories of the town, and would like to go back there sometime and see what it's like now - people tell me it's still a pretty part of Michigan.

Best place to live - here, of course, if one can afford it (which I really can't, but I cling on anyway, and our jobs are here, and we wouldn't really save any money by moving to the 'burbs anyway, and we would die there, from the heat and the commute stress and cost, and other factors).

Judy

http://www.judywatt.com

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

Oh, I am such a Sacramento girl. It's not really my hometown -- that would be the bustling city of Lincoln, California, population a couple thousand -- but it's my town now. I really did love Los Angeles, and I wanted to live in New York or San Francisco for a long time, but I really like it here and I don't see myself moving any time soon.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

I think it's true that you never know how much you love a place until you leave it. When I moved to Dallas from Birmingham (AL), I thought I was going from mundane to cool and hip. Wrong. Birmingham is a kick-ass city full of history (although some of it is humiliating history) and music and mountains and trees. Dallas is not my town. Not my place at all. There's a lot to do here and there are really some fantastic things - the museum, the symphony, all the freaking restaurants, Fort Worth right down the road - but when you live somewhere and you are always thinking about leaving it, you know it's not meant to be. And there's nothing wrong with that - wherever I go next, I will always have fond memories of Dallas.

As much as I love Birmingham, I am not planning on going back there to stay anytime soon. My family lives there and I will probably live there for good some day but, I want to try out some other places as well. And why not? You are only young once, right? So Pamie, if you want to try the New York thing some day, I say go for it. You can survive. Wait tables and audition every day!

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

I grew up in Kingston NY -- Hudson River valley -- but spent most of my adult life in the Binghamton NY area. Binghamton was a wonderful place to live -- and a great place to raise kids! I always claimed that my West Side neighborhood was in a time warp, kind of a timeless neigborhood where you would have to look at the parked cars to identify which 20th century decade you were in. (Twilight Zone fans: Rod Serling had lived on the next street over and had set many of his stories in this area, including in this very neighborhood.) Shade trees, quiet side streets, friendly neighbors, front porches, a lovely park within walking distance (complete with a free carousel), a decent art and science museum, a small zoo, a hands-on children's museum, lots of parks, decent shopping, good local theatre, good local opera company, a very good state university center... I miss it. Why am I not still there? The local economy totally fell apart a few years ago. (For example, this past fall we finally sold our house there -- we'd been unable to sell it at the time we moved -- we ended up selling it for just about what we had paid for it eighteen and a half years earlier! And since a current day dollar is worth a lot less than a 1980 dollar...)

So now home is a semi-rural area of Rhode Island and I find that I like it here... pleasant place to live, close to the ocean... and Providence is not that far away (in Rhode Island nothing is very far away!)... Providence in real life may not be quite as beautiful as it appears in that silly television program, but it is a very attractive city... interesting architecture, a pleasant downtown, art and music and cultural events, colleges (RISD, Brown, etc.), restaurants... and Boston is fairly easy to reach by Amtrak or by car... A drawback is that the state government is an amazing mixture of incompetence and corruption... however it does provide a source of amusement... and it may be that it is no worse than most other states (consider Mass.), it is just that R.I. is so small that it harder to hide.

(Jackie: it's interesting that Sydney and Toronto are on your list of possible places to live. They are both delightful places to visit and I think they would also be good places to live. I think they are very similar; I always tell people that Sydney is like Toronto with a California climate.)

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

I live in New York City, which I have basically lived in and around my entire life. There have been plenty of times when I have thought about leaving here and trying some place new (San Francisco, Chicago and Austin have all been considered). The truth is, as difficult as it is to live here some times (it's noisy, dirty, expensive and - because I live in the far East Village - sometimes quite dangerous), I can't imagine being truly happy anywhere else.

The thing about New York is, you either get it or you don't. I've known lot's of people who've come here from other places with an idea of what New York will be like for them. No matter what their expectations have been, New York is the kind of place where random moments and experiences can impact you in ways you could never have predicted. Lot's of people come to New York for a year or two, freak out about the quality of life issues that we New Yorkers have to deal with on a daily basis, and go back to wherever they came from - smugly certain that they have escaped something truly horrible. These are the people who don't get it.

There are alot of things about New York that suck, but in my opinion, there is so much more to love about this city (great music, food, museums, architecture, theatre, celebrity spottings, shopping, job opportunities, eccentrics, people watching...I could go on and on) that anywhere else would pale in comparison.

I was in Austin in March (for SXSW of course) and I loved it. I know some people who live down there, and I was seriously considering making the move for a year or two. It's a great town, and because I'm really into music it seemed like a really fun place to live. And the thrift stores...amazing! But when I got back to NY, I realized that if I moved to Austin I would be giving up alot of things that I would really miss. And in the end, I decided to stay here.

So. New York isn't for everyone, but it certainly is the place for me.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

okaaayy - i think i wrote enough in the "views" question thingy to make it obvious that Toronto is definitely my hometown.

it just has SO much to do, great transportaion systems, funky people, thriving theatre, HUGE bands come through there all the time, and there is a also a thriving smaller music community, the shopping is just kick ass, the schools are fabulous (university of toronto has a beautiful campus), the people are wonderful and the beer is good.

the only issue - and THE reason i'm not moving back - the pollution. i mean, when they do the air quality index in the summer, and they say kids should absolutely NOT go outside for recess - well. i don't dig on that. (it's 'cause it gets SO humid there in the summer) of course, because it stays warm at night, the patio's of bars are just hoppin' for 3 months straight. :)

i've always wanted to live in new york though; although maybe i've just watched breakfast at tiffany's too many times...

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

My hometown is Schenectady NY..... It was once home to one of GE's major plants. The plant is still here employing about 4000 people... Down from 50,000+ in the late 50's. Needless to say the city is frowntown. Want a nice two bedroom house? I can find you one for for about $35,000? Average age of population? 60. Remember that recession that started in 1990? Has it ended yet? I hear word that things are looking up. Perhaps recovery will get here in a year or three... :-) It's not a bad town, but idiotic government and short sighted economic policies have trashed upstate NY but good. The countryside is wonderful though, and in the fall nothing is

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

Absolutely -- I feel a very strong connetion to my hometown - Toronto. Apart from all the usual wonderful things people say about it, it has a feel to it that no other city I've visited or lived in has - a caring, diverse, fun place. My sister called me last month to tell me all about her great weekend - she'd gone to an Asian culture festival, gone out to the islands, and half a dozen other summer in the city activities, and I was ready to jump in my car and head home. Providence isn't a bad town, but there's not enough to do.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

I was born raised and still live in tiny lil' Falls Church VA. Sounds like nowhere, but hop on I-66 and in about 10 minutes that big ol' Washington Monument comes popping up and the highway spits you out onto Constitution Ave. going past all the monuments. That's why I love my hometown. Plus I'm a museum brat and I fully appreciate all the tax dollars that go to the Smithsonian so I can go see art for free on the weekends. I was in NYC, and appalled that I had to actually PAY to get in to MOMA! It's nice being right outside a big city, we have this hometown feel here, everybody knows everyone else (which is either great or terrible) my h.s. graduating class had 96 people in it, 36 of which (including myself) had been together since kindergarten. I've had the same best friend for 18 years (i'm almost 19, to give an idea of how much of my life that is) and she lives across the street. But minutes in the car, and you're in the nation's capital. It's neat.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

I've lived in Omaha, Nebraska for thirteen years now, and I've got to say that I love it. It's the best... city life and country livin' all wrapped up. Depending on which direction I drive, I'll run into either farms, suburbs, the downtown area, or shops. It's wonderful. The job market is booming; I'm only a senior in high school and I've got two well-paying part time jobs. Crime rate is low, education is good.

Hey, has anyone seen http://www.personalogic.com ? Take the survey and it'll tell you which cities would be good for you.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

I have lived in Racine, WI all of my almost 30 years. We have a beautiful harbor, we have SC Johnson Wax, JI Case,and Modine so you can get real nice jobs here. 20 minutes north and you're in downtown Milwaukee. 1.5 hours south and you're in Chicago. My whole family is here but I need a change. I want to live in Savannah, GA or somewhere in Maine. My fiancee is a cement finisher and has a nice business here. He says if we move the only place we'll go is northern Minnesota (whooo, big culture shock there)because it's the only place finishers make more money. But, regardless, this isn't a bad place to be stuck.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

I miss Austin so much it hurts. And your entry today certainly didn't help me, Pamie! I didn't actually live there; I lived about 40 minutes away from the city. But I went there as much as possible, and I always figured I'd end up there. Instead, my spouse's job brought me to Wisconsin. There are wonderful things here, but nothing will ever take the place of Austin in my heart. I grew up near Chicago, but the Windy City never appealed to me much. I hope that the increasing Austin population doesn't affect its charm. I think they say that over 100 people move there every day? I'm only surprised its not more. Madison, WI looks promising though; I may try to soothe some of my Austin heartache by visiting there.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

My heart belongs to my hometown of Old Lyme, Connecticut, and let me tell you there's a contrast between there and here, here being Denver. At the turn of the century painters "discovered" Old Lyme because of its fantastic light, reflected off the Sound and the rivers and lakes. It is lovely and insular despite between nearly exactly between NYC and Boston and peaceful to look at, despite being Peyton Place underneath. I try to love Denver as much, but it's a city. I enjoy having all the city things near to hand, but I miss silence and darkness and stars too--and fireflies and snowfolk snow, neither of which Denver provides. The mountains--includng Aspen, Pamie, which is not out to kill you--are a respite and provide silence and pitch darkness and stars aplenty (so now all I have to do is live amongst them instead of 30 miles away in the plains).

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

Hey: first of all: congrats for such a great name :))

I don't live int ehstates so you will probably not care about my opinion about the place where i live, but hey i need to sayi am dying of boredom in here. I liv ein Mixico, in Aguascalientes, the capital city of Aguascalientes State(the name means hot waters)and it seemed nice, u know one of the best places to live in Mixioc, but that was only in teh begining when i came here. I was born in San Luis Potosm, which is 2 hours from Ags. and well is is even worse. Aguascalientes is the best place for vacations, there are soem itneresting things to do, specialy in April when we have en national San Marcos Fair which is really fun, but soon u get bored.. I have visited every place in here and i already know all the restaurants and pubs and cionemas an all!! all the museums too, and i have noticed people just waitng for the stupid fair the whoel year, they live for it!!

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

I was born and raised in San Diego and I still love it there to this day. Each time I visit, I want to just find a place to live and stay there. I can't afford the rent though. The thing I love most about San Diego is probably just all the memories I have of it as a kid. I went to the beach almost every weekend, the weather is absolutely beautiful. The last time I went, it was foggy until about noon or so, I had forgotten that the fog burns off around noontime every day. I love the way the air smells there and how at night there's a really light breeze that comes in. I love Austin, I love living here and it's a really great place to raise kids, I think. Not too big not too small. I like Austin mainly because there's always something to do, I like the people, and I like the friends I've made here. I love San Francisco and I plan on moving there after I'm done with school. I went to San Francisco for a week in my senior year of high school and I fell in love with the city. I had so much fun exploring everything, it just seemed like the right place for me to be. I'm transferring to the Pratt Institute in a year or so and I'm really looking forward to the whole NYC thing. I figure, if I like it enough and find work, I'll stay, if not, there's always California.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 1999

i grew up in portland, oregon, and i always loved it. after moving to olympia (do you know your states and capitals, boys and girls?), washington about three years ago, i thought i would always hate it and went back to portland whenever i could.

then i realized that i just spent all my time in portland at the same old malls i'd frequented for years and visited friends in the suburbs. i got into the local music scene in oly a bit, made friends, etc., so it's at least tolerable. most shows are all-ages, which is nice, and it's a good daytrip to seattle or portland, as well as some beaches. many, many freaks hang out in sylvester park downtown, which makes it all the more fun, sometimes.

i've recently come to realize that seattle is a pretty dumpy, irritating town -- well, maybe not -that- bad, but i still like portland a hell of a lot better. and now that i'm older and i have friends to whom i must introduce it and share thousands of lost childhood memories, i am revelling in reaquainting myself with the city.

maybe i'll find a new place. i've got to go to college one of these days, and i have no intention of going to evergreen here in town.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 1999

I was born in Providence, Rhode Island and grew up in Providence, Istanbul, Iowa, Maryland, New Mexico and finally, for the last ten years, I've been living in Ankara, Turkey. Among all these places the one I liked best was Albuquerque, New Mexico where I lived when I was in 2nd grade. But the one I've really felt that I belong to is Ankara, so I might as well call it my home town. I love Ankara, because it's a big city minus the chaos. I don't know, many tourists who come to Turkey find Ankara dull and Istanbul much more attractive, but I suppose Istanbul is better to visit than to live in. Ankara is the place to call "home".

-- Anonymous, July 28, 1999

I have lived in the same small-ass (2 square miles) suburban town in Jersey my entire 20-something years. There is nothing great about it and I absolutely hate it here. I spend as much time as I can away from it. It was nice when I was a little girl, safe and secure and small and friendly but over the years it's grown into a "ghetto" town. when I take a drive downtown I feel so out of place. It's definitely not "me" anymore. But I do have a profound loyalty to my "homeland", Poland. I've never lived there but have stayed many summers throughout my life and I've never once wanted to come back to the states. The simplicity of life there amazes me. The scenery is stunning, and the people are so warm-hearted. hehehehe, not to mention all the partying that goes on at the drop of a hat!!! I feel such history and calmness there; it's like nothing I've ever experienced. I feel closer to my roots there (since I am first generation born and raised in America)and my loyalty remains. I really would like to live there if I could only decide between the city or the country...well, that and my parents' approval. My mother argues that they left Poland to have better opportunities and lives here in the US and here I am trying to get back, regress. I don't see it that way.....

-- Anonymous, July 28, 1999

I'm a Philly boy through and through. Can't explain why people born and raised in Philly end up considering it like their ethnicity, but we do. I went to Syracuse for 4 years and still considered Philly "home." Been living in Washington DC for 2 years, and when people ask me where I'm from when I travel, I say "Philly."

I REALLY miss Philly a lot. I like DC a lot, but Philly was my culture.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 1999

Nothing.

-- Anonymous, July 30, 1999

i adore baltimore. lived here all 19 years of my life, and as much as i rag on certain aspects of life here (the silly accent, for one, and our butt ugly football stadium for two), i think it's great. i'm proud of my city. but i don't want to come back here after college.

i'm also extremely loyal to chapel hill, north carolina, and the twin cities in minnesota. both have their charms.

-- Anonymous, August 03, 1999

My home town Berwyn Heights, MD,

1 mile square, population used to be about 5000.

I could sit on the roof of my house and see the dome of The Capitol - that's right, the roof over the rotunda that conjoins The U.S. Senate and House. On the 4th we had great free seats before the trees grew up in the neighborhood.

There used to be a stop sign on EVERY street corner!

At one point we had the same mayor for 12 years because no one bothered to run against him - seriously, he was no despot or machine politician, everyone thought things were fine.

I knew a woman who managed to reach the age of 21 before she realized that Berwyn Heights was NOT a part of College Park, a much larger City with a lot of difficulties that surrounds the Heights on 3 sides.

Wth all that, just outside D.C., in 30 years, 1 homicide.

-- Anonymous, August 07, 1999

I was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay area (Redwood City); I'm the third generation in California. Always liked living there, but now prefer my new hometown across the bay - Fremont.

We've got good schools. My kids can go mountain biking up Mission Peak (2500 feet), swimming at the club, or play baseball.

Lake Tahoe for skiing and Yosemite for camping are each just 3= hours away. The Pacific Ocean is less than an hour away. San Francisco is a 1 hour drive or BART ride.

Jobs-a-plenty, as Fremont is part of Silicon Valley. Weather is mild; no snow, summer temps rarely over 90: (yet we don't get the SF fog), no rain from May thru October. Bring plenty of $$$ though, housing is very expensive; the median house price is over $350K.

-- Anonymous, August 09, 1999