Your Favorite Place(s) to Live

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I grew up an oil company brat\....MS, AR, OK, TX, LA, AL, CO, South Korea, FL, NC, Germany, and now Alaska. I really enjoyed living in Louisiana during 5 years of my youth and a bit more in the USAF...good hunting, fishing, food, etc.

Brett, I am proudly oil field trash, myself. I grew up in some really obscure places like Rock Springs,WY, Laramie, WY, Kemmerer, WY, Blanding, UT, Craig, CO, Flora, IL in the 50's and 60's. I skied Steamboat Springs in 1960 when it was a one horse cow town. The skiis were wooden with leather straps. A friend and I took his toboggan off a couple small ski jumps there.

[Frederick Skelly]

I grew up an oil company brat, then served in the USAF for 20-plus years, so I've lived a few places: MS, AR, OK, TX, LA, AL, CO, South Korea, FL, NC, Germany, and now Alaska. I really enjoyed living in Louisiana during 5 years of my youth and a bit more in the USAF...good hunting, fishing, food, etc.



I was stationed down the road in Goldsboro for 11 years and when it came time to retire, I considered living in the RTP...I worked in health care administration for the latter part of my career...or in Ashville, since I loved the Blue Ridge area. But Alaska won out. I'm where I want to be. I tried for years to get stationed here but never drew the lucky ticket. I got Germany instead, which was another of my dream assignments. I loved it there but not quite enough to live there. So when they asked me where I wanted to retire, I told 'em they were finally sending me to Anchorage, Alaska.

Funny thing is, I had been here only once, for one night, in December of 1980. I was on my way to South Korea aboard a C-141 and we stopped overnight at Elmendorf AFB, in Anchorage. I got off the plane. It was dark. There was snow on the ground. I grabbed a bite, checked into my room, and hit the hay. When I got up in the morning, it was still dark. There was still snow on the ground. I got on the plane without having seen much of anything and didn't come back for another 18 years later, to the month. So I've been here for just about another 18 years and I don't regret moving here for a minute.

The scenery is grand to be sure. I live at the foot of a mountain at the edge of a national forest and mountains at almost every compass point. On a clear day, we can see Denali, about 130 miles away. Moose are more common than stray dogs. Sure, the winters are dark but the northern lights are not to be missed and summer days of 19-plus hours can be glorious, when it isn't raining...and sometimes, even when it is. Even during the drudgery of my daily work commute, I never tire of the views.

The people are something else, too. We're very diverse in the usual ways that diversity is measured: race, ethnicity, national origin, you name it. Last time I heard the statistic mentioned, 99 languages were spoken among the children in the Anchorage School District. We're also pretty diverse in personalities: friendly, independent, adventurous, quirky, in addition to the cantankerous, colorful characters you may have heard about.

It doesn't hurt that Alaska was recently placed #2 in a recent ranking of Freedom in the 50 States, by the CATO Institute. That and *cough* bigger than Texas.

Sorry Brett, but when I think of your lovely home, all I can think of is
COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rich Riddle]

Brett, I am proudly oil field trash, myself. I grew up in some really obscure places like Rock Springs,WY, Laramie, WY, Kemmerer, WY, Blanding, UT, Craig, CO, Flora, IL in the 50's and 60's. I skied Steamboat Springs in 1960 when it was a one horse cow town. The skiis were wooden with leather straps. A friend and I took his toboggan off a couple small ski jumps there.

Ken,

I remember when Steamboat Springs was much smaller, but not a one horse cow town. Just for clarification you were talking the 1950's and 1960's, right?

[Brett Luna]

Brett, I am proudly oil field trash, myself.

I can't make that claim. My dad was a white collar Texaco (marketing or distribution, I think) and every time he got a promotion, we moved.

Sorry Brett, but when I think of your lovely home, all I can think of is
COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD COLD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The flavor of cold varies a lot here. The interior and north slope get really cold but places like Fairbaks also see 90s in the summer. I think of Anchorage as a somewhat colder, slightly drier version of Seattle.

[Mark Blatter]

There's no place better than California (or as we often call it, Paradise). We have great weather and you can drive from wonderful sandy beaches to snow on the mountains in a very short time. We have outstanding natural attractions such as Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada mountains. The population is diverse - you will see people from all over the world on the street. We have some outstanding restaurants of all types of cuisines. If everyone had to spend six months in California before they could move someplace else, we'd have standing room only.

It's the nearest thing to Heaven on Earth.

Mike

I have visited many places in CA and would live in San Diego, if it was still the 1950's. Other than that, my favorite place is still Montana. Western Montana around Flathead Lake, central Montana around Helena, or eastern around Billings. All are great. It is still the Last, Best Place, or as a friend from New York calls it, God's Country. I was just in Helena and Bozeman this past week visiting two of my daughters and was again reminded of how great a place it is....few people and lots of open space. Dry now, but to sit and watch the three rivers of the Missouri flow past, knowing that in about 45 - 60 days (taking out the time spent in lakes) that water would be entering the Gulf of Mexico is pretty wild. We spent a day at Hauser Lake and were one of about 10 boats on the lake.

Yes the winters can be a bit cold, but that is God's way of telling those from sunny climes to go home. Plus, no sales tax. You buy a $1 item, you pay $1.

I have lived in WA, UT, MT, FL, CO and RI. Plus I spent 6 months in OK. I will take Montana over all of them. I have to admit though, that the Olympic Peninsula, or around Bremmerton, Port Townsend, etc. would be a great second choice.

[Stewie Simpson]

Australia; we have the right controls in place to protect our citizens.

[Rick Potter]

There is no place like home...click, click, click.

[Rich Riddle]

There is no place like home...click, click, click.

Rick, I grew up on Kansas and even lived in SW Kansas where they keep Dorothy's home (it's in Liberal). There is no place like Kansas but I will never live there. Flat as a pancake, scientifically proven.

[Art Mann]

I just finished a 2 week tour of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and thought it might be a great place to live. However, I had second thoughts driving towards Copper Harbor and seeing a sign beside the road that said they had a record snowfall of 315 inches (IIRC) in a recent winter. Even that kind of weather might be fun for a little while.

[Rich Riddle]

I just finished a 2 week tour of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and thought it might be a great place to live. However, I had second thoughts driving towards Copper Harbor and seeing a sign beside the road that said they had a record snowfall of 315 inches (IIRC) in a recent winter. Even that kind of weather might be fun for a little while.

We vacationed to Copper Harbor two summers ago and went to Isle Royal in August. We saw those signs. It dropped down to 36 degrees at night on the island, in August. They close up the first week of September because of looming snow. The return boat ride had terrible waves. While the UP looks beautiful, it's summer last about two days. That might be why only two percent of the citizens of Michigan reside there.

[Jerry Bruette]

I just finished a 2 week tour of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and thought it might be a great place to live. However, I had second thoughts driving towards Copper Harbor and seeing a sign beside the road that said they had a record snowfall of 315 inches (IIRC) in a recent winter. Even that kind of weather might be fun for a little while.

You have to remember that 315 inches is lake effect snow, same thing that Buffalo,NY gets every winter, go 50 miles to the south and the snowfall totals are alot less.

We vacationed in Savannah,GA a couple years ago in September and thought the apologies for the temps in the 70's were funny, we told everyone we were more than pleased it wasn't any hotter.

[Dave Anderson NH]

27 years ago my wife and I were able to mover over the border from Mass to NH. Being in southeastern NH means a half hour drive to the seacoast for beach lazing, swimming, or sea kayaking. An hour to 1 1/2 hour drive puts us up in the White Mountains for the appropriate season sports of hiking, backpacking, whitewater kayaking, rock climbing, ice climbing, or skiing of any type. Lakes for fresh water sports are plentiful. The hunting and fishing are quite good. We enjoy the 4 seasons and particularly like living in a small town of which has grown from the 1800 people of 27 years ago to the 4900 of today. I have a small lot of 2 acres and only the house across the street is visible though in winter I can see 2 others when the leaves are off the trees. We like the small town atmosphere and the extra amenities of a city are only half an hour away. The only ways I'll move out of our house are on a gurney or in a rubber zipped bag.