What do you love about your chosen city of residence?

[JediNein]

I'm in SoCal, specifically in the San Fernando Valley.

We have the corrupt mayor. The insane parking lots commonly referred to as freeways. Potholes that can eat a Hummer stretch limo and two Audis with room for a Civic for dessert. Mudslides. Earthquakes. Awesome IFR with fog and zero-zero in places. The beaches 2-3 hours away -- depending on traffic, or ten minutes walking from the right airport. Hi-speed chases are a spectator sport. Buy a house and sell it in two months for a hefty profit, 500K will fetch a nice tin shack without the tin. 700K is a condo. Renting is worse.

Within two hours are the highest and lowest spots in the lower 48. I just did a day trip to the Grand Canyon in a Warrior. The T210s find Mammoth quickly and easily. Heading south, 2 hours brings Sedona and other sorts of desert, mountain, ocean, or lake recreation.

They don't roll up the streets and go home at 5 PM ala. SLC. The humidity comes with a coolness that is perfect after an 80 F day, in mid-January. On rare days do we see 100% humidity and 100 F, not every freaking day ala. FLL. People mind their own business, not going out of their way to be mean to you ala WV. If you want the hillbilly feel, just head up the interstate to Bakersplat and enjoy.

But the absolute best part about SoCal is VNY.

Every day is an airshow here.

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein

 

[Hawker rider]

Well I will chime in

Hot Springs, Arkansas.
very small retirement-style city, which is both pro and con, thankfully not the type of people places like Florida or California seem to inhabit.. If you like the south, than Arkansas is a good place to be. Me not being a native, it's hard to make friends.

Nightlife is non existent, The summers see a good share of tourism, that combined with the national parks that are plenty. We have nice lakes, mountains. So watersports, mountainbiking, hiking enough options for that. side note to riding a bike here>> people from these 'woods' are not really ever getting used to sharing the roads with bikes....nuff said, you take your life in your hands.

I believe the southern people are very hospitable, but to really break into a community is very hard. My wife has got some family here and some close friends. So that's basically now all my social life too.

Commuting> Little Rock is central enough that it's close International connections in Memphis (3 hr) Dallas (5hr drive) but Memphis seems to get a little tougher for the international commute that I have.

All in all, I will be happy to move elsewhere

 

[NTXPilot]

I went through Arkansas once. I'm not gonna lie...it was rough. Just my opinion though.

 

[TurboS7]

Lucky, lived in two places since I have been married, 2 moves threee houses. St. Charles, Ill and Margate, Florida.

 

[SDF2BUF2MCO]

It Depends on What You're Looking For

Having lived in several different areas over the last few years compliments of my company, I'll chime in with my $0.02:

South Jersey/Philly:
Good - lots to do; great cheesesteaks; some very nice people (really)
Bad - Eagle fans; high costs of living

Louisville:
Good - a sense of community; reasonable costs of living; great college sports town; friendly people; cool pilots
Bad - Kentucky Wildcat basketball fans

Buffalo:
Good - another town with a sense of community; housing and insurance very reasonable; great summers; friendly people; cheap ticket prices and thin crowds at the Uni of Buffalo football and basketball games
Bad - outrageous taxes; long gloomy winters; and of course the snow

Orlando:
Good - great winter weather; if you fly for recreation you can fly 12 months out of the year; no wage taxes; a melting pot, people from all over the world live here; if you're single lots of good looking women; plenty of entertainment and of course the water; college sports
Bad - no sense of community probably because it is still in the melting pot stages; poor quality/cheap construction but high prices; traffic can be a pain

With all that said, Indy would be my first pick. Love the midwest.

 

[Groundpounder]

I live in the Fort Lauderdale area, moved here from New Hampshire at the end of October.

Pros: Nice and warm in the winter, hot women, lots to do, lots of flying, nice beaches.

Cons: People cannot drive here!!! It seems there is an accident on every corner. Lots of people from other cultures, which is fine, but I feel like a minority sometimes. Rent and property prices are through the roof. Everything is paved with a building on it.

I don't miss working in the snow, but I did enjoy the NH winters, and I miss the scenery. I'd rather live up in the Northeast, or at least somewhere more rural, but there is lots of flying down here. I'm going to move back as soon as I get enough flying time to get a job up there.

 

[ShadowFlight]

I'm in SoCal, specifically in the San Fernando Valley.

We have the corrupt mayor. The insane parking lots commonly referred to as freeways. Potholes that can eat a Hummer stretch limo and two Audis with room for a Civic for dessert. Mudslides. Earthquakes. Awesome IFR with fog and zero-zero in places. The beaches 2-3 hours away -- depending on traffic, or ten minutes walking from the right airport. Hi-speed chases are a spectator sport. Buy a house and sell it in two months for a hefty profit, 500K will fetch a nice tin shack without the tin. 700K is a condo. Renting is worse.

Within two hours are the highest and lowest spots in the lower 48. I just did a day trip to the Grand Canyon in a Warrior. The T210s find Mammoth quickly and easily. Heading south, 2 hours brings Sedona and other sorts of desert, mountain, ocean, or lake recreation.

They don't roll up the streets and go home at 5 PM ala. SLC. The humidity comes with a coolness that is perfect after an 80 F day, in mid-January. On rare days do we see 100% humidity and 100 F, not every freaking day ala. FLL. People mind their own business, not going out of their way to be mean to you ala WV. If you want the hillbilly feel, just head up the interstate to Bakersplat and enjoy.

But the absolute best part about SoCal is VNY.

Every day is an airshow here.

Fly SAFE!
Jedi Nein

Dang, with a stirring yet realistic commentary like that, you made me miss home! Good ol' SoCal...and VNY.

Peace

SF

 

[Nolife]

New Orleans

24 hr bars, no last call, overstuffed po-boys, rig diving, fresh water and deep sea fishing, green water and mud beaches, sucking crawfish heads, raw oysters $2 a dozen, Abita Amber, mosquitoes, 2 am bayou sulfur smell, oak trees over St. Charles, french quarter melons, jazz fest, 20 minute rush hour, rather large t-storms, and lest we forget... creole women and Y'ats.

 

[AV1ATRX]

I don't live in a "city" and I never will (especially NYC!!!). It's a tragedy that my crashpad has to be in the city, and that's as close as I will ever get to residing in a city or town.

I'm rural and proud of it! I love living in the country because it's quiet. There's no cars continuously blowing their horns for NO FREAKING REASON! I can't see in my neighbor's windows and they can't see in mine. I have a huge garden. I can be in a field or the woods and still be on my own property. My animals don't have to be fenced in or walked. I can see the stars at night when there isn't cloud cover. (How do kids in the city ever learn the constellations when they can't see them?) I can hear the cows bellowing at the next farm down.

Oh yeah, and I happen to like grass and trees, which apparently people in NYC don't need.

I know people who live in NYC and grew up here. They have explained to me why they like it, and I can accept their reasons. I guess it's all in what you're used to. I happen to be used to getting stuck behind tractors on the only road that goes to town, and it doesn't bother me at all.

I don't know if it matters where the rural area is, but mine happens to be in central Virginia. Virginia is a great state because you have the mountains and the ocean all in the same place. I personally think the winters are too cold for my liking, but it's a small price to pay for the natural beauty here.

 

[TrafficInSight]

If you can't be tolerant of views that don't match yours and you can't stand the white man not being on top you can't live in the bay area. period.

The flying is great, much like it must be everywhere I guess, the housing costs are insane and gas prices are on the rise, much like everywhere. But I have to say that San Francisco and the entire bay area in general is the greatest city in the world.