META/OT - Where do you currently live? What are some pros/cons of living there?

LA baby.

Avoid the bad,,,,traffic.

Live the good,....Weather, Beach. Girls.

San Francisco in the City

PROS

-Accessto the outdoors locally and a short drive to the mountains and sublime snowboarding in Tahoe. Not kidding about it being so close to really beautiful areas and completely wild nature, my neighborhood has coyotes in it and there have been mountain lion sightings in the city twice this year. I put up an owl box in my backyard and there is one nesting there now and I no longer have to worry about gophers. Pretty cool for a very large city.

-Beaches/surfing, nuff said, I love cold water so it's good for me, people that don't won't enjoy it too much.

-Weather is pretty much unbeatable for someone like me who is fairly heat averse. It rarely gets above the low to mid-70s and on the low end it rarely gets below the lower 50s. there's some people who piss and moan when it gets into the 40s which is very rare, and I just laugh.

-10 years ago I would have said that the food here is unrivaled in a small league consisting of New York, Los Angeles and Paris, but so many cities have better food these days (hell, London has gone from the worst food in the world to what I would consider almost the best). At any rate, San Francisco still has Top Notch food but I don't think it's quite the advantage it once was compared to other places. I'll never keep up with all the different restaurants opening and food trucks and fusions and permutations, so it's pretty nice, but pretty expensive.

-Diversity/people.. I have lived all over the world including London, Paris, Zurich and a few countries in South America and I still love San Francisco people the best. The city has gentrified painfully in the past 10 years so I would definitely say that this aspect is on the same. 

-The economy is on fire and if you work on tech, especially startups, you can do very well here, but there is no guarantee. for every billion dollar company that starts up, there are a thousand failures. 

CONS

-Cost of living is insane....$117,000 in salary is officially considered low income here, median home price got to $1.61M this year and a recent study showed we pay 30% more for groceries than anywhere else in the country. It is brutal if you aren't rich.

-The public school system just sucks. There are very few that are worth sending your kids to and they are assigned by lottery if you don't live right next to the school (typically meaning you own a home worth two to three million dollars or up). This drives the vast majority of parents that can afford it to send their kids to private school at about $30,000 a year and given how expensive everything else is, this makes living here doubly brutal.

-Gentrification - this city is a shadow of its former self in terms of diversity from when I moved here in 1990. Most of my friends who are DJs, artists or other people who are self-employed and don't earn a lot of money were forced out of the city a long time ago and that continues unabated. Whole neighborhood's that used to have an ethnic identity are now just gone.

-People - a symptom of the gentrification and the huge influx of people that come here to make money, the city is way less friendly than it used to be. 

Huntington, WV

Pros:

1: only a 6 hour drive to Ann Arbor

2: cheap meth and heroin

Cons:

1: too many drug addicts

That University Region Down South (TURDS)

Pros:

- Manageable cost-of-living; have a meh job and still live in a nice house in a nice hood on one income

- Traffic is minimal, especially for a city of its size of 700,000ish, hardly anything is more than a 20 minute drive away

- Surprisingly underrated food town

- Generally pleasant Midwestern populace and, as the geopopulous and cultural median of the country, has something for everyone.  Church groups, cornhole, Latvian festivals, gay pride - we got it all.

Cons:

- I d0n't think I need to Spell it oUt.

Temperance, MI

Pro

• Is not in Ohio
• Just over the border from Toledo,OH. If anything is going on in Toledo it is a short drive.
• Very easy to get to Ann Arbor or Detroit
• Nice people

Con

• Michigan roads 
• They do not snow plow worth a damn

Honolulu.

Pros

- Yes, but they are very respectful and won’t approach you if not alone.

Cons

- More than you’d imagine. Homelessness is a really big problem.

A few other observations...

People are among the nicest I’ve worked with.

Easy to bake in a work out by just walking home from work at night.

Mass transit is excellent.

Sunshine and rainbows!

Evanston, IL

Pros: 

Easy access to Chicago by either car or the L

I live five blocks from the lake and beaches, and you can rent all sorts of water craft in the summer. 

Very diverse, which has been great for raising our kids. They're exposed to every race, religion, gender orientation, and economic status you can think of. There's not a lot of pressure to be like everyone else. Also, the high school offers something for everyone. Most kids find their place. 

If you're into Big Ten sports, Northwestern offers some reasonably good options and of course, when Michigan is in town, those tickets are easy to come by, save for football. 

It's a good mix of city and suburb. 

Cons: 

The weather. Winter sucks. Spring isn't so hot, either. We're a baseball family, and April, May and even June can be cold and awful. I've sat on many cold bleachers, wrapped in a blanket, watching my kids play ball. January, February and March are cold and dark, if you like that sort of thing. The fall is my favorite time but it's always too short. 

The infrastructure leaves much to be desired. Some of our facilities, the ice rink, for example, are literally crumbling. Other suburbs are way ahead of us in that department. 

Evanston businesses aren't thriving they way they should. You'd think a college town would be great place for restaurants, but they close all the time. It's only been in the past three or so years that we've noticed more restaurants opening and staying open. 

Traffic is getting worse. 

Traverse City

pros

Great if you love the outdoors

Lots of breweries

A nice selection of restaurants for the size of the city

cons

The tourists are unbearable at times

Housing is pricey for what you get

Since I have lived all over I'll just rank them in order of preference:

1. Salt Lake

SE Mich

NorCal

SoCal

Dallas

Seattle

7. Chicago

Detroit native, used to live in St. Petersburg, moved to Twin Cites from San Diego 10 years ago. On Minnesota:

Pros: 

-good roads

-good public schools

-great sunsets

-the only museum in North America devoted exclusively to Russian art

Cons:

-tater tot hotdish

-six-month winters

-mosquitoes make it impossible to enjoy summer; barely 3 weeks each of spring and autumn

-extremely provincial population; I know countless people who have never ventured out of their county, much less the state.

Overall, I don't really care for living here, but it has been a good, safe place to raise my daughters, and my wife and I both have good jobs, so I can't complain too much. But days like today, when I'm back in Michigan on vacation, always make me wistful.

San Diego here. 

Pros

• tacos (we’re basically northern Baja)
• pandas (Zoo/Anchorman)
• awesome weather and easy access to beach, mountains, desert
• great craft beer scene
• generally friendly people

cons

• cost of living
• distance from Ann Arbor means getting to more than 1 game/yr is very difficult
• sports culture is weird because many transplants and only 1 pro team
• Wildfires are no joke

We live in the godawful state of Kansas...the provincial thinking capital of the world. Been here for 8 years...stuck for another 8-until our youngest grandson graduates from HS. We're here to give our grandsons a better chance in life. Retired a couple years ago from many years of pediatric oncology nursing...wife continues as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Do love our 55 acres...cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks, dogs and cats...and the garden-raise much of our own food. Many hobbies-traveling, gardening, the athletic endeavor...bake breads and pies part-time for a nice local restaurant. 

Pros: A terrific grandson. Very little light pollution=incredible night skies.

Cons: Everything else-especially the weather and people.

Adirondacks. High Peaks Region. 

Cons: My neighbors had a bear in their yard this morning. I have to drive forever just to get to a Texas Road House or a Wal Mart. Tourist central.

Pros: Same as cons, plus skiing, beaches, mountains, lakes, kids who still play outside.

Ypsilanti Township

Pros

• Low taxes compared to Ann Arbor
• More buying compared to Ann Arbor
• Quieter 
• Close to many trails
• Close to depot town with new breweries opening and underrated restaurants  
• Lincoln School District is upcoming and improving
• Less crime compared to Ypsi city. 

Cons

• Not Ann Arbor 
• Coyotes live near my subdivision. they have already snatched up a few cats and smaller dogs. I have a Husky-Malamute-Coli mix and even he was scared when he heard a pack howling nearby. 
• increasing number of sparties

Santa Monica, CA

Pros

• Weather
• Friendliness
• Food
• Activities

Cons

• Cost of living
• Traffic

Manlius, NY

PROS

+Relatively low cost of living.  Housing in and around Syracuse is affordable. 

+Great schools.  Many of the Syracuse City School District schools are questionable but in the suburbs there are many good districts. 

+Proximity to Syracuse University.  Kind of an uninspired campus area but we have football and basketball season tickets.  The football is usually pretty bad but you do see an occasional upset. 

+Winter sports.  If you like them, this is a great place to live.  It’s also beautiful during the few weeks we experience spring, summer and fall. 

+It’s only 7ish hours to Ann Arbor, which means we get back there for at least a couple football and basketball games each year. 

CONS

+It snows all the freaking time. We got snow on April 29 this year.  April 29.  Winter lasts 48 weeks*.  (*That is an estimate.)

+SU is very bad at football. 

+My mother-in-law lives 6 minutes away. 

+The few restaurants we have close at 9:00 during the week.  

West Suburb of Milwaukee for 5 years via Cleveland via Flint

Pros:

Cheese, beer, nice people

Cons:

Road construction

Bethesda, MD

Pros

-urban living without the crowds, and easy access to nature and biking/walking trails

-probably the highest per-capita density of gyms and yoga studios . People here like to stay fit.

-very close to DC as well as all the other towns around DC

-we get to see Michigan football every other year (when they play the Terps)

Cons

-expensive (but not DC expensive)

-construction going on everywhere, all the time

-the restaurants are rather bland and boring despite the constant turnover and new openings

-the nightlife isn't so great either

-the bar down the block from me is an Ohio State bar now (Tommy Joe's, which used to be a Michigan bar before they changed locations)

Petersburg, Alaska

NOTE1: I have only been here 6 days and am only staying 2 months / full-time summer pastor at the Presbyterian church in town

NOTE2: I have also lived in Chicago, Ann Arbor, Benton Harbor, Hudsonville/Borculo (MI)

PROS:
- Fish / crab
- Mountains
- Whales 
- Glaciers
- Kayaking, Hiking, Boating, Cycling
- Very Few Tourists - because island and no cruise ships
- Weather - not hot
- Small town

CONS:
- Rain (a lot) - though looking good next few days
- Cost - everything is pricey in Alaska, especially on an island
- Accessibility - plane or ferry to get here or get elsewhere (costly too)
- No arts or sports to attend

Louisville, Kentucky

NOTE3: Only been there for 9 months; attending seminary

PROS:
- Lots to do
- Easy to navigate, traffic is nothing
- Temperate winters
- Food is outstanding
- Nearly every arts or sports available (even if minor league or major college)
- Close to other places (1 hr to Cincy, 5 hr to A2/Detroit/Chicago, 2 hr to Indy, 2 hr to Nashville)
- Kentucky Derby is nuts
- Incredible parks
- Great free stuff for kids
- Big Four walking bridge over O*** river
- Bourbon
- Surprisingly good breweries
- A bunch of stuff I haven't found yet

CONS:
- No fresh water lakes or swimming locations
- Louisville and UK people
- Hot in summer
- Kentucky Derby is nuts
 

Tampa, FL. 

Pros: 

• Weather is splendid with the exception of May when it's hot as heck and doesn't rain. Winters, everyone knows how it is down here. Summers are actually fun with the storms, except when they turn into Irma. 
• No state income taxes. I got a 10% raise to leave Ohio. Win-Win.
• Outdoors activities: Fishing is fantastic. Lots of great camping and hiking sites all over the state. 

Cons:

• The main thing out of state fans see is one of the worst stadiums in the worst neighborhood in the area. RayJay is as bland as they come and is located in the red light district. Good planning. smh. 
• Biting midges (no-see-ums). Worse than mosquitoes and biting flies. All three suck, but you cannot see the damned things. It's like being attacked by cloaked mosquitoes and biting flies. 
• Love/Hate with tourists. I love the no-taxes part. I hate the traffic. 
• The SEC. 

Oklahoma City

Pros

Low cost of living

People are friendly

Winter weather isn't so bad

Cons

State finances / economy not diversified enough--too tied to oil prices

Education is so-so (the two big public universities, OU and OSU would be at the bottom of Big Ten academically--but they are inexpensive)

Weather in the spring (hail, tornadoes) and summer (temperatures in the 90s and 100s) isn't the best

I live in Hays, KS. I was previously in Lacrosse, KS until about a month ago which is much smaller like 1200 people so it’s an improvement in amenities. Everything in Lacrosse was closed by 10 o clock and it was a 30 minute drive to get any food or drink in late hours. 

Hays is ok. Most would say it’s a dump but if you’ve lived in Kansas long enough it seems ok by comparison to most places here. I don’t want to be in Kansas much longer but if my last stop is Hays I can live with it, I can’t stand or live in Wichita ever again. Personal reasons. 

I live in a small suburb of Flint, basically in the country.   I was born in Flint and I've lived in Chicago, Atlanta, and Metro Detroit.

PROS:

No traffic.  I have 3 stop signs and one signal light on my 20 minute commute.

Very safe.

Very quiet.

Land is cheap.  We have 10.5 acres.   We have a big vegetable garden, kids have 4 wheelers.   My house was so cheap, I've been able to afford 3 sports cars.

Lastly, my parents live 1.5 miles away, and for two working parents with 3 kids, it's a Godsend.

CONS 

Few good restaurants.

Limited options for private schools.

Yeah, I wish the Flint metro economy was more vibrant.  There is so much riff raff around all the time.

I live in Sweden.

Pros:

• Basically free healthcare, including for anyone under the age of 18 whether or not they have the legal right to be in Sweden, and including most prescriptions, dental care, vision care, etc. for minors, too.
• No poverty aside from people more or less pleasantly begging because they make more money by begging in Sweden than they would by working in Romania.
• No need to own a car because you can bike or walk or take public transit everywhere.
• Generally very safe.
• State subsidies for having children plus almost free education for them.
• Everybody speaks English.

Cons:

• People are too tall.
• Impossible to find Jell-O in grocery stores.
• Winter is coming.

PA... its pretty much Michigan with better weather.

People talk funny

Liquor distribution sucks

since prevailing winds are from the west, we have to tolerate the stench from ohio

PA firearm deer season starts when Michigan's ends... bonus, double the deer hunting.

Empire CO

Pros:

Location, location, location.  Our southern exposure at 8600 feet has a nearly perfect climate.  A 15-minute drive to the Berthoud Pass (11,300') offers 400 inches of snow a year and great backcountry skiing but some years I barely shovel my driveway because the sun vaporizes it so quickly.  We are only 45 minutes from downtown Denver (hour to the airport) one way and five ski areas the other but are separated from I-70 by a mountain that keeps our air quiet and skies dark.  Housing is still reasonably priced (although that is waning) and did I mention location?  Basically it's just a quiet mountain town with great access to everything.  

If you are chill and want to move your business here I highly recommend it.  Our restaurant space is currently unoccupied and being offered on the cheap for example.  Hell hollar my way at hansberg ,at, msn dot com if curious.

Cons:

Not enough eateries/business in town and the local government has their head in their ass about most things.  I am just outside the city limit otherwise I surely would be mayor; I love it that much.

Portland, Maine

Pros: Largest "city" in Maine, doesn't feel like a city, easy drive to Boston, lots of bars, shopping & restaurants, the Old Port, lots of culture (art walk downtown first Fri of every month etc.), ocean town, beautiful in the summer & fall, lots of fall festivals like apple picking, fairs, & festivals

Cons: Winters suck, lots of people moving to the area, roads & infrastructure not keeping up with growth, traffic sucks at times particularly in summer, cost of living particularly housing is high and salaries don't support it, very hipster, can be cliquey, no one pays attention to college football (all NFL & Patriots)

Ann Arbor—right by the stadium, between Allmendinger and Wurster Parks.

Pros:

1.  Walking distance to all Michigan sports, and we have season tix to most.

2.  Walking distance to downtown, walking distance to work.

3.  Top of the Park and various activities  always something to do  

4.  It’s a bubble for sure, but I need that right now.

5. Walking distance to both Washtenaw Dairy and Blank Slate.

Cons:

1.  Winter weather 

2. Walking distance to Washtenaw Dairy and Blank Slate.

3.  The roads.

4.  Property taxes are insane 

5.  Sometimes I feel like there are too many angry people here   A weird mix of “get off my lawn” and old hippies.  I don’t know how to describe this.