I LOVE where I live. We have wonderful public schools, almost nonexistent crime, lots of parks and bike trails, high employment, friendly people....like oregano, I can't think of one negative thing. LOVE, LOVE it.

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We live outside of Boise, Idaho. It is an awesome place to raise a family. The schools are great. We live on a property that is just rural enough (chickens, horses, etc) but also walking distance to schools and about 1.5 miles to our little downtown. I think we have the best of both worlds.

Weather? We do get snow in the winter but not so much that most people (except for the California transplants) seem to have problems with it. And our closest ski resort (publicly owned) is just a 30 minute drive away. We have four equal seasons. As soon as you're tired of one season it is time for the next to come along. Summers can be hot (100+) but it is very dry. We have almost no humidity. Spring is glorious. Fall is spectacular. We can get a wind storm every now and again but that happens at the change of seasons. One kind of weather gets blown out as another kind gets blown in.

Jobs are still plentiful, depending on your career. Housing can be reasonably priced depending on what you're used to. The area is still growing even though the rest of the USA is in a slump. There is no shortage of recreational / entertainment things to do. Crime is extremely low.

The downsides:

1) We're not near the ocean. I grew up in CA - not on the coast but near enough - and I miss the beach and the ocean.

2) The area is suffering from growing pains. The government agencies around here are split between 'doing things the way they have always been done' and adapting to the rapid growth. Because of that, some parts of the infrastructure struggle to keep up, particularly roads, schools and public transportation.

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"I've been rich and I've been poor but independently wealthy is where it is at."

HATE IT! I live in San Antonio TX and if I believed in hell I would think I was there. It's hot. It's humid. It makes me have allergies all year round. It's high crime. All people think about is getting their drink on and I mean everybody, not just college kids. And they keep building and building so the traffic here is getting horrible. I cannot wait until dh graduates so we can get out of here!!!! I see bad parenting everywhere. Child abuse is on the news all the time here.

Phoenix. Love it except this time of year when it's so hot. And on Christmas day when it's 85 out!! I want to use my fireplace!

But, two miles away are the mountains. You can literally go swimming in the heat and skiiing in the snow in the same day.

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Make someone's heart smile today.

I live south of Boston, MA and love it. Our town is small, not too much commercial development, which I love, but it makes for high taxes. We are only 30 minutes from Boston which is key because our son is a preemie and has some issues and there are great hospitals there. We have lots of nature - deer, wild turkeys, foxes, etc. It's quiet and the neighbors are great. The elementary school system is great, high school not so much but maybe that will change by the time my son is a teenager. All in all, I love where we live.

Absolutely LOVE it! I live in the suburbs of Atlanta and the next town over was recently rated as one of the America's top ten cities to raise a family (Suwanee, GA) I love that any time in the year within a two week period it will be 65 degrees or more. You get a touch of winter just long enough to put on a coat and think it's real cute and then it gets warm when you are over it. I would HATE shoveling snow! I lived in upstate NY for a little while and I just remember thinking that life there was so much work because of the weather.

the area where I live is so family friendly with the kids playing sports, spending summers at the pool and lake, libraries are abundant and there is plenty of shopping to be done. The part of the burbs where we live doesn't even have traffic too bad. That is, of course, as long as you stay off the interstate at rush hour. I just love it. The people are friendly and I'd like we think we really have that "southern charm."

My only complaint is probably that it stays SO hot August and September. And I guess if dh or I had a commute that wouldn't be so good either. Other than that it's a wonderful place to live!

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i LOVED where we used to live - stevens point, wi.

but im a winter girl. loved the definate seasons, loved the college town, loved the fact that i could snowmobile out my door and be on the river tubing in about 10 minutes. loved the no traffic reports, little crime and the summer polka church festival season. wasnt too hot on the schools, since there was only one to choose from!

I live in WA about two hours from Seattle. I have lived in the Pacific NW for 26 years and it is home. I don't mind the rain anymore or the occasional snow storm. Love the seasons, close to mountains, and ocean. However the one down side of living here is the high cost of homes! Your average home here is well over $200K now. Cost of living is getting very high here, especially for a single parent of two.

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Me Mom
DS Matthew
DS Patrick
Family Pugs Disney & Parker
Completed the Disneyland Half Marathon 09/03/07.

Of course I love it! I live in sunny, San Diego!! Not only is the weather great, but the people too. I moved here 3 years ago because of a job opportunity that basically landed in my husbands lap, and we love it! We talk about eventually moving to a bigger house, but only if it is within the mile or so radius from where we currently live. We have made SO many friends that we have vacationed with, dined with and just hung out with.

Long story short:

Great Weather + Great/Kind People + Decent Schools = SAN DIEGO


Did I mention that we live about 10 minutes from the beach, 10 minutes from a theme park (Legoland) and about 1.5 - 2 hrs to the mountains? And, about 40 minutes from Sea World, 60 minutes from Disneyland and about 15 minutes from the Wild Animal Park!!

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***The greatest work you will ever do, will be done within the walls of your own home.***

-Author Unknown

Lovin' Life w/3 Beautiful Children, Cameron - 7, Natalie - 5, Ashley - 1

Great to hear opinions from different places. Thank you.