tell us about where you live

[leftofthedial]

city? suburbs? country?


edit: oops, left off small town.

[LSK]

1. suburbs for miles and miles and miles

Chicago suburbs to be exact. They just keep building and building over here.

[leftofthedial]

3. miles and miles of beige cul de sacs?

like those in Colorado?

[LSK]

11. no exactly cul de sacs

But just typical normal homes everywhere.

They are building new homes and mcmansions and townhomes further and further out in the corn fields. I wonder how long till suburbia reaches Iowa.

[tjwash]

2. I live in the burbs.

Small lawn, 2 car garage, 1.78 kids...

[leftofthedial]

89. what portion of a golden retriever do you have?

how far to the nearest mall?

[SiobhanClancy]

4. I'm not sure..

I guess Old Orhcard Beach could be considered a suburb of Portland(Maine).

[Gormy Cuss]

102. You live in a small beach town.

A very pretty beach town with one of the finest stretches of sand in the state, yet close enough for commuting to Portland. Now Scarborough, that's becoming a suburb.
:hi:

[ZombieNixon]

5. Four blocks from the city center of Chicago.

Doesn't get much more urban than that...:shrug:

[leftofthedial]

7. that's pretty urban

I love Chicago

[ZombieNixon]

12. Ironically, I used to live in Farmington, NM...

and before that, in the DC suburbs.

I've never made a subtle transitions when I've moved. :D

[leftofthedial]

15. Farmington?

I played in the Connie Mack World Series there about a thousand years ago.

[mdmc]

6. I used to live in a small city in the middle of nowhere

now I live in the same small city, and it is now a commuter location for NYC.

[gollygee]

8. Smaller city

not sure if I would call this suburban or not. I don't know if we're big enough to have true suburbs.

[Arugula Latte]

9. Well, I think it's pretty cool ...

I live in the city of Portland, but the neighborhood is suburban in look, sort of, but not in a bland way ... it's green and leafy and quiet, filled with big trees ... we have a big lot (a rarity in the city) and live on a cul de sac ... it's gently hilly ... you can get to downtown Portland in a few minutes ... we have lots of parks ... there is a quaint commercial district nearby ... great place for kids and adults ...

[leftofthedial]

14. I'm a fan of Portland

I used to travel there quite often.

I think I'd miss the sunshine if I lived there though

[Arugula Latte]

26. Yeah, that's really my only complaint.

I grew up in Calif. with lots of sun. But, I figure, every place has some major downfall ... rain is ours! Plus, the refrain here is "that's why it's so green." Well, 30 days in a row of drizzle will do that! LOL. :hi:

[leftofthedial]

35. Beautiful city

used to have an interesting music scene too.

[terrya]

10. Chicago....the 3rd largest city in the United States

I live in the Edgewater area....6200 block North.

[leftofthedial]

90. my kind of town

[mwdem]

13. Suburb, but still a little rural.

North of Dallas, Ft. Worth, but building is going on at a rapid pace.

[converted_democrat]

16. I live on the outer edge of a very small town...

The pukes outnumber the Dems five to one.. I hate it here, if I didn't have DU I'd lose it.

[leftofthedial]

28. stay with us!

don't lose it!

[leftofthedial]

17. I live in a suburb, but in an area that has been redeveloped

as a mixed-used "city center" and actually feels extremely urban. I can walk pretty much anywhere I need to go. Some terrific cafes, restaurants, galleries and shopping, as well as homes, all within a few blocks.

[eyesroll]

18. On the East Side of Milwaukee

I'll be moving soon to Bay View (another neighborhood in Milwaukee) -- it has a little tiny bit more of a suburban feel but there still aren't acres of manicured lawns or anything.

[leftofthedial]

63. I've never spent much time in Milwaukee

Do you like it?

[eyesroll]

79. Quite a bit.

It's an underrated city, really.

[evlbstrd]

19. Urban core, baby.

I can walk to wherever I need to go, including the job.

[Heidi]

20. Hi, leftofdial! May I show you?

I just captured these webcam images for a letter I'm writing to a friend in the US. We live in a rural area just down the mountain from a village, population about 300. The photos below show the view and some of the architecture of our Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. All of the photos were captured within the past hour (about 5:30 p.m. here, which is 6 hours later than Eastern time in the US.)

[leftofthedial]

21. well, that is beautiful!

You are lucky to live in such a place.

thanks for the pix.

[Heidi]

24. I've gotta say, I've never seen an "ugly" place anywhere in the world.

Even the most blighted areas are painfully beautiful once one observes the people, the character and soul of the place. :thumbsup:

[leftofthedial]

31. the swiss backdrop doesn't hurt though!

but it is the people who matter.

[jobycom]

52. Wow. That sucks.

For the rest of us! Geeze, Heidi, that's gorgeous! I hope Ginger appreciates it.

[Initech]

22. I live in the world's largest suburb - Orange County, CA

[leftofthedial]

23. how do you like the OC?

lots of repukes?

how far to the beach?

[Initech]

46. Tons of repukes but I can take the toll road the whole way to the beach!

That's one good thing about living in the "OC". I live in the north part of it (pretty close to the Orange County / San Bernadino county border) - repuke central! :puke:

[huskerlaw]

25. Urban--Los Angeles, CA

though technically I live in the Valley, so some would argue it's really a suburb.

[leftofthedial]

30. the valley

all the vampires walkin' through the valley
move west down Ventura Boulevard

I think of it as suburban, but density-wise, I suppose it's urban.

[huskerlaw]

47. Compared to where I came from

it's definitely urban. I grew up in rural Nebraska. ;)

Though I can see the suburban argument as well.

Shit, I was just on Ventura Blvd. about 10 minutes ago. Thank god the sun's out. Those vampires scare me. ;)

[leftofthedial]

64. I've spent much time in the Valley

Mostly NoHo

Always carry the concentrated holy water garlic spritzer . . .

[XemaSab]

27. 3 blocks from the gritty urban core

Of Redding, CA! :woohoo:

[leftofthedial]

32. well there's grit

and then there's true grit

[scarlet_owl]

29. I guess I live in a suburban area.

I live in un-incorperated Urbana.

[leftofthedial]

65. let me get this straight

Urbana is suburban?

[fleabert]

33. small town that feels rural sometimes, but is only 15 minutes from

downtown San Francisco...

[leftofthedial]

37. east bay?

south?

north?

I'm trying to think of where I could drive to in 15 minutes. there are some beautiful places.

[fleabert]

53. Pacifica!

this is, of course, not during rush hour! I stay away from the roads during drive times. We just took a little 12 mile drive south to Half Moon Bay yesterday, we feel very lucky to live here considering how close great towns are.

maybe lucky isn't the right word, the dh busted his ass to get us here, so I am appreciative more than lucky! :-)

[billyskank]

39. Hi fleabert!

:hi: :hug: :loveya:

[fleabert]

54. hello friend!

:hug: happy valentine's day!

[billyskank]

59. Thank you sweetie!

I will be spending it alone...again...but that's okay. I'm not complaining. :hug: back atcha!

When are you going to give me a good picture I can draw you from? :)

[fleabert]

61. do you need it pm'd or can I post it here?

cause here's one...

[Arugula Latte]

83. Wow, Fleabert, if I may say,

as a hetero woman, you are quite lovely! I always enjoy your posts ... I'm out of $$ to donate, but consider this a "virtual" heart to you. :hi:

[fleabert]

113. as a very open-minded hetero woman, I accept that compliment most

heartily! (pun intended, lol)

you are too kind, and how bout we exchange a hug instead of a heart? :hug: there you go!

[Arugula Latte]

114. Sounds good!

:hug:

Gosh, I'm feeling all gushy and lovey on this Valentine's Day!

[Fox Mulder]

34. In the middle of mother fuckin' nowhere.

It sucks.

[leftofthedial]

38. but the peace

the quiet

the solitude

[One Voice]

36. Small town...

central Indiana, and it sux! too many re"thug"licans!

Thank goodness for DU! :yourock:

[leftofthedial]

41. how can there still be repukes?

how can any group of people be so frigging stupid and oblivious to the crimes their "leaders" are committing?

sorry you're stuck there.

[Left Is Write]

40. I live in the suburban surrounding area of a medium-sized city.

I use the term "suburban" loosely, though, because I'm not sure Boise could be considered "urban." ;)

[leftofthedial]

66. that'd be like Albuquerque

a couple of suburbs in search of a city.

[Idylle Moon Dancer]

42. All of the above, sort of

Pioneer Valley, Mass.

[atomic-fly]

43. within city limits...but suburban type neighborhood.

[catmandu57]

44. A small town in the Northwest corner of Missouri

A small town that tried to grow into a suburb, it didn't happen thank the diety. The gas prices drove the developement south away from us, closer to the Interstate hyway and Kansas City.

We leave our house unlocked 98% of the time we only lock the door wqhen we're going to be gone overnight, or when there is a strong wind which will blow it open in the winter.

I leave the key in my cars ignition, we know our nweighbors and keep an eye on their houses and they do the same for us. We are literally a minute away from the country, with farms, woods, ponds. We like it here, we live in a heavily democratic section of town. For all the places we've been it's always been nice to visit, but, it sure feels good to be home.

[leftofthedial]

91. "home" is a sweet place, if you can find it

now what was that address again? you know, the one with the unlocked door and the keys in the ignition? LOL :rofl:

[catmandu57]

101. I don't know whether it's honest people, or

it's that nobody wants an 1984 subaru. It smokes drinks and runs around maybe that's it.

[WeRQ4U]

45. Small town North Dakota

It has both its ups and downs. My view of it changes like the seasons.

[leftofthedial]

92. ups and downs?

I remember North Dakota as being pretty flat . . . :-)

[WeRQ4U]

117. Good point.

Actually, where I live is the badlands. River cut canyons and burning coal veins. It's rough. Now, the east side of ND.........not so much.

[mvd]

48. I voted suburban

But it's kind of rural-suburban. Small town, but only 30 miles away from Philly.

[tnlefty]

49. Other - state of confusion! When we first moved here it was more rural,

but now the farms are being bought up and developers are turning these old farm areas into subdivisions and 1 huge freakin' golf course is less than a mile from here.

[leftofthedial]

67. I've written a few songs about cities swallowing farms

It's almost like watching a snake swallow a bird.

[tnlefty]

78. Which songs? I'd be most interested. This damned golf course started as

a gated community with the course and now it has expanded across the road and there are 2 gated communities with this extension. The farms are gone and I think it's just ugly. For years I was amused driving down that road because 2 old men would be sitting on the front porch in the afternoon/evening and they always had absolutely gorgeous hanging baskets of flowers during the spring and summer. It was like seeing 2 old friends. Their house was demolished about 8 months ago. It's sickening actually.

[leftofthedial]

94. I doubt you've ever heard any of them

"Save the farm" songs are kind of out of vogue in RW Nashville LOL

One of them sounds almost exactly like your story

It's called "Cottonwood"

It's about sprawl devouring farms and ranches between Denver and Boulder.

The process had just started when I wrote the song back in the early 80's.

The whole region is completely paved now.

Someday, perhaps I'll come "out" to DU and post some mp3s or links.

[Ariana Celeste]

50. decent sized town

10-15 minutes from the capital. Growing more and more, just got a super walmart :eyes: and a mall, so I guess we won't be just a decent sized town much longer.

[leftofthedial]

68. with Wal*Fart, it's becoming an indecent-sized town

:-(

[tyedyeto]

51. Town full of old fogies n/t

[leftofthedial]

69. Old Fogeyville

sounds cool!

cracker barrels down at the general store?

a diner?

[tyedyeto]

82. Nope, retirement community

But occasionally we do have wheelchair and walker races. Then there's the ever popular cane fights. Some of these old fogies are pretty feisty.

[leftofthedial]

93. have you seen the "Rocky" takeoff commercial on TMC?

the one with the denizens of the retirement community reenacting scenes from "Rocky"?

Cane fights made me think of that.

[Metta]

55. Between mostly the suburbs and some extensive rural patches.

In the green, rolling hills of southwestern corner of PA which, I'm told, looks very much like parts of northern Alabama and Arizona outside of Sedona.

[leftofthedial]

70. I don't think I've ever heard norther Alabama and Sedona compared

now I'm confused

[CottonBear]

103. Northern Alalbama has amazing mountains, cliffs and gorges with waterfalls

It is so beautiful there!

[Metta]

104. Not Sedona per se but some of the green areas outside of it.

We didn't get a chance to see any when we were there. One of our traveling friends told us about it after his trip there.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

56. It used to be a small town outside of DC

But DC and all the other small towns sprawled out, so it's effectively a suburb of Washington DC.

[leftofthedial]

71. that's definitely some nasty sprawl

I've driven all over the country and that's my least favorite area to drive in

some pretty country and some cool little towns, but all being swallowed whole.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

124. The worst thing is

watching the woods and wetland areas that separated one town from the next get trashed and turned into strip malls that only seem to appeal to pawn shops and check-cashing stores. :(

[NJ Democrats]

57. I live in a small town

Andover, NJ (township not Borough) some 6000 people. Within 10 years it will be the newest suburbs of NYC. There are already people who work in NYC who live here.

[leftofthedial]

72. I am seeking a "commute" of less than five minutes

walking

[Kerrytravelers]

58. Pasadena

[sarge43]

60. Rural NH

About 10 miles due north of Plymouth. We have an acre of former pasture land, surrounded by pines and sugar maples. Bear, moose, wild turkeys, raccoons, fox, raptors, bluebirds, 'dees, goldfinches, purple finches and more all visit. We have about half the place planted with wild flowers and the rest with lilac, roses and clover for the hub's bees. He has three hives. I have a veg and herb garden. We can see Mt Tecumseh from our kitchen window.

Yeah, I love it and I'll only leave feet first.

[leftofthedial]

73. sounds like heaven

I mean except for the out in the country part. ;-)

you are lucky, lucky!

[justabob]

62. urban

I live in an older neighborhood in a great location more or less in the center of the city. The bad news is that the developers are busy on my block. 3-4 nice older places have been flattened to make way for much larger and much less interesting buildings, but it is still a nice place to live.

[leftofthedial]

74. what is it with Murkans

always plowing our history under so we can create some disposable monstrosity on the corpse of our culture?

I don't get it.

[justabob]

121. I don't know, but I wish it would stop

I understand it is a lot easier just to build a new house, but really, they are tearing down decent sized, structurally sound, architecturally interesting homes (mostly duplexes that were rarely vacant and earned healthy rents). Our neighborhood is starting to get riled up about all the construction everywhere, the fact that these new things stick out 6-8 feet from all the other homes, and because the new houses just don't match the heart of the neighborhood at all... that is the good news.

Last week I started a photo essay to document the destruction of a neighborhood... I happened to have my camera handy when they tore the last two buildings down and decided to make a project of it. We'll see how it turns out.

[Oeditpus Rex]

75. I'm not close enough to town to be in a suburb

Nor far enough out (two miles) to really be rural — though across the road is nothing but grazing land. And the town itself isn't large enough (36,000) to have suburbs, anyway.

Not really a suburb, not really the boonies.

So I came up with a word for it: the burboonies.

[leftofthedial]

88. "burboonies!"

that's funny

and appropos for those "in-between" places

[pokerfan]

76. A Paradise Called the Palouse

National Geographics' words, not mine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palouse

[leftofthedial]

87. that's some purty country

:thumbsup:

[Rhiannon12866]

77. I live in a suburban neighborhood in a small town.

It's pretty rural. I voted for small town.:shrug:

[leftofthedial]

86. I used to live in a little rural pocket that was swallowed by suburban

sprawl (long before I lived there)

yet our neighborhood still seemed like living in the country, despite the busy streets just 50 yards away.

[Rhiannon12866]

125. By definition, I live in a small town

Though it's the largest city in the vicinity. But we are still pretty rural, since I've seen deer from the road, foxes in the woods and we have bunnies in the backyard.:shrug:

And my friend lives in a neighborhood just like yours, yards from the highway, yet he also has bunnies in his backyard.:-)

Where in Colorado? I have family there and I know that it's really growing, though they're exporting the jobs. My cousin is in Castle Rock, loves her neighborhood, but is cursing the major development, practically in her backyard...:-(

[Taxloss]

80. Hard to get more urban.

Smack in the centre of London.

[leftofthedial]

84. now that would be cool

sounds expensive though

[Rosie1223]

81. On a farm

I guess that's as rural as you can get.

[leftofthedial]

85. yup

that'd be rural

a working farm?

[Rosie1223]

95. yup,

Have the tractors to prove it.

About 1000 acres of corn and soybeans, 75 head of black angus cattle.

Yes, it's a lot of "working".

:)

[leftofthedial]

96. whoa! that's a FARM!

:thumbsup:

[Samurai_Writer]

97. Mountains

Not 'rural', as there is no farmland. A 'town' of about 200 people up in the Rockies, about 30 minutes from Boulder, CO. I have lived in big cities all my life, and am LOVING the peace and quiet.

[leftofthedial]

110. watch out for bears, mountain lions and wildfires

and the wild granola-seeking hippie.

Boulder can get pretty scary.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

98. Suburban/mildly rural. I'm on the rural end of a suburban town.

I live on a VERY busy road, though, so it's never REALLY rural...

:D

[last_texas_dem]

99. Small town

Orange, TX = Pop. 19,000 or so at last count. I've heard a few people call it a "suburb" but it's really not, though it does have larger cities on either side (Beaumont, TX 25 miles to the west, Lake Charles, LA, 35 miles to the east).

It's kind of a dying place; about 1/3 of the population left when the shipyards closed in the '80's, and the chemical plants are having problems now, too. Getting hit by Rita didn't help much. There are some good things about it; it's on the coast and there are pine trees everywhere, etc. Mostly it's just home and where most of my family is, so I don't mind it, though I'd like to get out of here eventually.

[Blue Diadem]

100. I said small town..actually tiny village..

pop. a little over 1,000..farm fields across the road. I have clear view right now for about 2 miles before the woods.

[mitchum]

105. A college town that is known as one of the country's music meccas....

however, it's a bit of a sham (although we are still able to sell it to the rest of the world) At one time the students (even the worst kind of "Sons of Dunwoody" and "Marietta's Finest") really would pack shows to hear "weird" music that one didn't hear on the radio. But for the most part that is no longer the case. Sadly, it's now hobbyists playing for audiences made up of fellow hobbyists.
But I guess living on past glory is a quintessential southern thing.

[no name no slogan]

106. Very very blue Urban Core

In the bluest city in the state, in the only state that went bluer in 2004 than it did in 2000.

[u4ic]

107. In a medium sized city

it and its burbs are home to approximately 1 million people.

[BlackVelvet04]

108. I live in the country, in the mountains

on a couple of acres of land. Closest town is 13 miles and closest mall is 14 miles.

Sometimes I have as many as 13 deer in my back yard. I love it!

[Beware the Beast Man]

109. On the edge of suburbia.

Travel 15 miles west, you're in Cleveland; travel 15 miles east, you're in Amish country.

[yvr girl]

111. Urban - I live across a bridge from downtown

I live just to the left of this picture.

[Roon]

112. 10 minute drive to downtown Denver eom

[randr]

115. Early fall out the front door

[leftofthedial]

122. damn!

[YellowRubberDuckie]

116. Downtown OKC...

24 story building. We love it, except for the water continuity in the shower is fucked up.
Duckie

[Lady Effingbroke]

118. trailer park.

[hyphenate]

119. I grew up in Boston

in Jamaica Plain and in Brookline, MA; right now, I live in Worcester, MA, and for a long time lived in West Covina, CA, which, at just under 100,000 was the smallest city I lived in, but one of the largest in acreage.

[clyrc]

120. I live on a University outside a city

in the UAE. I guess it's suburban. Everyone who works at the University lives in a nice apartment with small back yards but plenty of grassy spaces for kids sports or outside dining. I grew up on or around military bases, so this feels familiar to me and I like it. My husband grew up in the country and he isn't so crazy about living around the people he works with.

[TomInTib]

123. On a bluff overlooking San Francisco Bay in a litttle town named..

for "Shark".

[In_The_Wind]

126. My bird feeders are at risk from bears. Deer and turkeys visit daily.

A few miles away a herd of buffalo have grown from 3 adults to well over a dozen animals. Tourist come through our town on the way skiing, wine tasting or searching for antiques.

On the down side: 200 new homes were built over the past few years just down down the road a short distance from me; and there's talk of a casino being built the next exit off the highway north of me. I moved where it was countrified but now it isn't anymore.

:hi: