Another con of Melbourne is its transport system. If you don't have a car it's difficult to move around.
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What do you like/dislike about your city/town ?
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Small town politics can be brutal. A few years ago, a new business was eying our town only to be run out by a group of existing businesses. The new guy would have offered higher wages and the old businesses would have had to match him or loose their employees. And the mayor let them get away with it.
There's a huge resistance to change around here. The whole "we've done it this way for 100 years" thing. I might even add that it's not just my town, but the whole state starts to feel that way. (I work for the state government.) The state talks about innovation, but when the opportunity is in front of them, they let it pass them by (for example, industrial hemp) or act too slowly to make it worth the effort. No wonder why the Amish seem to fit right in around here...
There's a huge resistance to change around here. The whole "we've done it this way for 100 years" thing. I might even add that it's not just my town, but the whole state starts to feel that way. (I work for the state government.) The state talks about innovation, but when the opportunity is in front of them, they let it pass them by (for example, industrial hemp) or act too slowly to make it worth the effort. No wonder why the Amish seem to fit right in around here...
Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. You aren't talking about that Play-Doh guy, are you? Dude, I stopped playing with that stuff years ago. I told Mr. Play-Doh to **** right off!
i live in an urban neighborhood in a middle america city
The current city mayor is not controlling spending and he is also reducing city services. This never happened with the previous beloved mayor. Keep in mind these days are the good times and a possible recession looming.
The current city mayor is not controlling spending and he is also reducing city services. This never happened with the previous beloved mayor. Keep in mind these days are the good times and a possible recession looming.
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What reforms you would like to see in your city? For example in Melbourne where I live I would really really like traffic rules change, it's making our life hell. Here if you exceed speed limit by 5 km you will be slugged $200+ plus you lose a point. In Germany its $10 for the same offence.
since you mentioned it; speeding tickets
i got a $80usd ticket for driving 31mph in a 25mph zone.
the city uses a third party private firm to handle this.
Pot has been legal here for some time. all good but would have been good for the city to limit the number of pot shops in a neighborhood. It attracts the homeless and commercial rents have gone up. Once they called this antique row but not its the green mile. Just forced most of the marginal business out.
the electric, and cable tv infrastructure is very old on my block.
no reason to have the lights flicker as much as they do and the outside wires are unsafe
interent is expensive and slow.
security is lax the last year or so. i had my honda civic VX stolen. It takes a long time for the police to show up and if you can smash grab it in 15 minuites of less you will not get caught.
OP; like the bike. Ii don't ride any more. It so consumed me when i did tho. There are several canyon roads just outside the city going up into the mountains. There are two roads, one in the valley and on top that connect these canyon twisty roads.
i got a $80usd ticket for driving 31mph in a 25mph zone.
the city uses a third party private firm to handle this.
Pot has been legal here for some time. all good but would have been good for the city to limit the number of pot shops in a neighborhood. It attracts the homeless and commercial rents have gone up. Once they called this antique row but not its the green mile. Just forced most of the marginal business out.
the electric, and cable tv infrastructure is very old on my block.
no reason to have the lights flicker as much as they do and the outside wires are unsafe
interent is expensive and slow.
security is lax the last year or so. i had my honda civic VX stolen. It takes a long time for the police to show up and if you can smash grab it in 15 minuites of less you will not get caught.
OP; like the bike. Ii don't ride any more. It so consumed me when i did tho. There are several canyon roads just outside the city going up into the mountains. There are two roads, one in the valley and on top that connect these canyon twisty roads.
I grew up on a farm in the American heartland about equidistant to three towns with populations of 140, 300, and 4000. I’m grateful to have grown up a farmboy and in the family situation I did. I think its solitude helped me to be independent, self-sufficient, and to develop the ability to adapt. The community was safe and they all seemed to work together; and since it was so small everyone knew everyone and their pet’s name so it kept us out of some trouble. Or at least escape responsibility for the few hours or day or so it took word to reach my family.
Military service took me to new places, experiences, and to meet new people. I eventually landed in California, mainly San Francisco, where I stayed for more than two decades. It was a wonderful place for this kid to live and finish growing up.
I moved back to the Midwest to help my sick mother. After she died I immediately moved to Minneapolis-St Paul. I don’t know exactly how I changed or if that community changed. I found it suffocating and sorry to say insufferably intolerant. I have a few family members there who I visit whenever I must. (Haha) I’ll never forget where it is I came from but the sooner I can leave the better I feel.
Military service took me to new places, experiences, and to meet new people. I eventually landed in California, mainly San Francisco, where I stayed for more than two decades. It was a wonderful place for this kid to live and finish growing up.
I moved back to the Midwest to help my sick mother. After she died I immediately moved to Minneapolis-St Paul. I don’t know exactly how I changed or if that community changed. I found it suffocating and sorry to say insufferably intolerant. I have a few family members there who I visit whenever I must. (Haha) I’ll never forget where it is I came from but the sooner I can leave the better I feel.
Its disaster to involve private companies to handle traffic rules. They need to survive so they'll do anything to to milk your hard earned money.
Well, I grew up in different countries, studied abroad and later worked mainly abroad. Eventually I don't feel at home anywhere.
Where I did like to live was Geneva. It is still close to my heart.
The entire time living in California it never felt like home. And when I returned to Iowa I felt out of place and most uncomfortable. Today I’m at peace.
Houston - the roads and traffic etiquette are horrendous. The cost of living is pretty good.
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Mate, Australia is about the same size as the US. The population of Australia is a fraction of the US; Australia is pretty much empty and yet land & house prices are absurdly high. And the cost of living is way too high too imho.
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Mate, Australia is about the same size as the US. The population of Australia is a fraction of the US; Australia is pretty much empty and yet land & house prices are absurdly high. And the cost of living is way too high too imho.
USA got almost 30 major cities comparing to Australia.
Ny
Dc
Buffalo
LA
San Francisco
Chicago
Houston
Dallas
St Antonio
Philadelphia
Phoenix
St Diego
Austin
Boston
Las Vegas
......list goes on. You are talking 300 000 000 v 25 000 000 in Australia. Its about the volume not size.
[doublepost=1554175445][/doublepost]Seattle
Denver Likes:
- 300 Days of Sunshine (as long as you are liberal about your idea of a sunny day)
- The Rocky Mountains (Skiing, hiking, camping, parks)
- 350-some breweries in the state of Colorado
- Red Rocks Amphitheater
- Green Hatch Chili's being roasted in late summer and fall
- Very dog-friendly, with dogs often being welcomed along with their humans
- Miles and miles of bike paths
- All the major league sports teams
- Beautiful scenery and lots of outdoor activities
- Snow melts off really quick
- Legalized Marijuana (your opinion may vary on that)
- Warm days / Cool nights. You rarely have to run your AC at night
- Good fishing (though I don't fish)
- Good hunting (though I don't hunt)
Denver Dislikes:
- The nightmarish blue horse that greets you on arrival to Denver International Airport (dang thing killed its creator)
- With great beer comes great beer weight
- Marijuana Tourists (nobody likes them)
- Things tend to dry out and crack
- Spring hail storms mean roofs only last a few years and you may have to find a good dent repair shop for your car
- 300 Days of Sunshine (as long as you are liberal about your idea of a sunny day)
- The Rocky Mountains (Skiing, hiking, camping, parks)
- 350-some breweries in the state of Colorado
- Red Rocks Amphitheater
- Green Hatch Chili's being roasted in late summer and fall
- Very dog-friendly, with dogs often being welcomed along with their humans
- Miles and miles of bike paths
- All the major league sports teams
- Beautiful scenery and lots of outdoor activities
- Snow melts off really quick
- Legalized Marijuana (your opinion may vary on that)
- Warm days / Cool nights. You rarely have to run your AC at night
- Good fishing (though I don't fish)
- Good hunting (though I don't hunt)
Denver Dislikes:
- The nightmarish blue horse that greets you on arrival to Denver International Airport (dang thing killed its creator)
- With great beer comes great beer weight
- Marijuana Tourists (nobody likes them)
- Things tend to dry out and crack
- Spring hail storms mean roofs only last a few years and you may have to find a good dent repair shop for your car
I don't have a "home town" so I'll just state the cities I'd prefer to live in from smallest to largest.
Innsbruck
Helsinki
Vienna
Boston
Innsbruck
Helsinki
Vienna
Boston
My hometown is Woodside, California:
Pros:
-Beautiful. Rolling hills, oak and redwood forests, a country estate (Filoli)
-Rural. Despite being a few minutes' drive to Silicon Valley, it feels like another world where people own acres of land and have horses.
-Small and quiet. Many towns in the Bay Area have become very, very crowded over the past several years due to the tech boom, but Woodside has kept its low population. Small local markets and restaurants that have been around for years are still around. One hopes they remain for years to come.
-Access to open space. Woodside is a hub for outdoor recreation. There are many parks and preserves with abundant trails.
-Pleasant weather. Like most of California, the weather is nice all year round.
Cons:
-Expensive. Woodside, like many of the communities that flank Silicon Valley, is not affordable. Houses are worth millions. In fact, the most expensive home sale in the U.S. occurred in Woodside (a $117 million mansion built for Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son).
-Isolated. While it's not far from "civilization", some areas take a while to get to. Roads can be narrow and precarious.
-It's a bubble. People who grow up here can be quite sheltered.
-Uptight residents. Any small ritzy community is going to have its share of uptight residents. This is the kind of place where if you paint your house a different color, it'll probably end up in the newspaper.
Pros:
-Beautiful. Rolling hills, oak and redwood forests, a country estate (Filoli)
-Rural. Despite being a few minutes' drive to Silicon Valley, it feels like another world where people own acres of land and have horses.
-Small and quiet. Many towns in the Bay Area have become very, very crowded over the past several years due to the tech boom, but Woodside has kept its low population. Small local markets and restaurants that have been around for years are still around. One hopes they remain for years to come.
-Access to open space. Woodside is a hub for outdoor recreation. There are many parks and preserves with abundant trails.
-Pleasant weather. Like most of California, the weather is nice all year round.
Cons:
-Expensive. Woodside, like many of the communities that flank Silicon Valley, is not affordable. Houses are worth millions. In fact, the most expensive home sale in the U.S. occurred in Woodside (a $117 million mansion built for Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son).
-Isolated. While it's not far from "civilization", some areas take a while to get to. Roads can be narrow and precarious.
-It's a bubble. People who grow up here can be quite sheltered.
-Uptight residents. Any small ritzy community is going to have its share of uptight residents. This is the kind of place where if you paint your house a different color, it'll probably end up in the newspaper.
Because it has the same kind of offbeat vibe that Toronto has without the squished feeling. The fact that I can be dipping my feet in the golf of Finland and a half out later feel like I'm the only person on earth at Nuuksio. Like a lot of places in the north the people seem to relish the fact that their weather can be hostile the "we conquered mother earth and she now provides"
Denver Likes:
- 300 Days of Sunshine (as long as you are liberal about your idea of a sunny day)
- The Rocky Mountains (Skiing, hiking, camping, parks)
- 350-some breweries in the state of Colorado
- Red Rocks Amphitheater
- Green Hatch Chili's being roasted in late summer and fall
- Very dog-friendly, with dogs often being welcomed along with their humans
- Miles and miles of bike paths
- All the major league sports teams
- Beautiful scenery and lots of outdoor activities
- Snow melts off really quick
- Legalized Marijuana (your opinion may vary on that)
- Warm days / Cool nights. You rarely have to run your AC at night
- Good fishing (though I don't fish)
- Good hunting (though I don't hunt)
Denver Dislikes:
- The nightmarish blue horse that greets you on arrival to Denver International Airport (dang thing killed its creator)
- With great beer comes great beer weight
- Marijuana Tourists (nobody likes them)
- Things tend to dry out and crack
- Spring hail storms mean roofs only last a few years and you may have to find a good dent repair shop for your car
Well said and explained. We know what to look now when we visit your city/town
It's been a miserable place anytime I visited. I was going off of your post, though. Don't have any complaints about where we live.
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I just googled image for Woodside OMG is that city dedicated for the Millionaire only? Its full of mansions for sale from $16 000 000 to $100 000 000 plus . Wow great discovery.
I am in Phoenix, Arizona.
Pros:
-Everything seems to be new and in very good condition, because this city feels like it is still growing before my eyes. They are still building the ever expanding light rail system (Trams for people not from the US), so public transportation here is getting better as well. You DEFINITELY can make public transportation work for you here, you just got to learn the system better, and realize it also includes the vast bus system as well.
-We seem to have all of the restaurants that are normally "unique to an area" for example, we have In N Out from California, Culvers from the midwest, Whataburger from Texas, Shake Shack from New York, and we are getting a White Castle.
-We have very nice areas of town when you just want to "feel in the moment", Scottsdale, is like the little slice of Beverley Hills, in Arizona. You see nice cars, expensive brands, and sometimes it just is inspiring to me to be in this environment. Also a big beautiful Apple Store at Fashion Square.
-The nightlife is getting a lot better as well. Scottsdale and Tempe have really good night life, and Scottsdale can make you feel like a celebrity just going into one of their clubs. Tempe is more of a college party town. Downtown Phoenix has an arts scene. And I knew we were becoming more and more "welcoming" when I saw the crosswalk on 7th Ave painted like the pride flag.
-It is affordable city life. It isn't New York or LA, but it is very affordable and the amenities are there.
-We are doing pretty good on the tech standpoint. I use Apple Pay a good 90% of my day, and we have the Waymo self driving car service. Fiber internet with 1Gig speeds is a thing here!
Cons:
-Snow birds. They come over, act like they own the place, and claim "they pay for our taxes, etc" and then drive like crap with Iowa license plates.
-it is "too new", so there is very little historical buildings. There is some if you look for it, but everything lately seems to be nothing but new high rise apartments being built....everywhere.
-120 degrees.
-Traffic
-I love china towns, and I am disappointed Phoenix doesn't have a viable China town.
-Sometimes, it feels like we are culture less.
-Sports. When people come over to our games, they are cheering for THE OTHER TEAM, and not our home teams, because of transplants and snow birds.
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Pros:
-Everything seems to be new and in very good condition, because this city feels like it is still growing before my eyes. They are still building the ever expanding light rail system (Trams for people not from the US), so public transportation here is getting better as well. You DEFINITELY can make public transportation work for you here, you just got to learn the system better, and realize it also includes the vast bus system as well.
-We seem to have all of the restaurants that are normally "unique to an area" for example, we have In N Out from California, Culvers from the midwest, Whataburger from Texas, Shake Shack from New York, and we are getting a White Castle.
-We have very nice areas of town when you just want to "feel in the moment", Scottsdale, is like the little slice of Beverley Hills, in Arizona. You see nice cars, expensive brands, and sometimes it just is inspiring to me to be in this environment. Also a big beautiful Apple Store at Fashion Square.
-The nightlife is getting a lot better as well. Scottsdale and Tempe have really good night life, and Scottsdale can make you feel like a celebrity just going into one of their clubs. Tempe is more of a college party town. Downtown Phoenix has an arts scene. And I knew we were becoming more and more "welcoming" when I saw the crosswalk on 7th Ave painted like the pride flag.
-It is affordable city life. It isn't New York or LA, but it is very affordable and the amenities are there.
-We are doing pretty good on the tech standpoint. I use Apple Pay a good 90% of my day, and we have the Waymo self driving car service. Fiber internet with 1Gig speeds is a thing here!
Cons:
-Snow birds. They come over, act like they own the place, and claim "they pay for our taxes, etc" and then drive like crap with Iowa license plates.
-it is "too new", so there is very little historical buildings. There is some if you look for it, but everything lately seems to be nothing but new high rise apartments being built....everywhere.
-120 degrees.
-Traffic
-I love china towns, and I am disappointed Phoenix doesn't have a viable China town.
-Sometimes, it feels like we are culture less.
-Sports. When people come over to our games, they are cheering for THE OTHER TEAM, and not our home teams, because of transplants and snow birds.
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I lived in LA, SF, NYC, & Phoenix, and love all of these places. I am very proud of how diverse the US can be. Each state has its own culture, and can feel like you're traveling to an entirely different country at times....its beautiful.
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