Local & Regional ForumsLooking for people in your neck of the woods? Or maybe you are going to visit another area and need some help from the locals? Check it out!
This question was brought up on another thread. I thought I would start a new thread so everyone could participate. FC has members from all over the world and I thought we could share stories about where we live. Since I have always lived in the country, I would love to hear what it is like to live in a big city or a condo on the ocean or wherever you call home! I'll go first since I started it.
I live in TN, way out in the country. The closest town is about 10 miles away and it is very tiny. One traffic light, one grocery store, etc. You get the picture. I live in a subdivision that currently has 6 homes in it. On the way to my house you will see nothing except miles and miles of farm land. We live on the Hiwassee River. It is very peacful and quiet here. No traffic. You can hear an occasional train whistle blow and all the regular sounds in the country. Crickets, frogs, cows, etc. We have a beautiful view of the Appalachian mountain range in the distance. In front of our house is a huge farm with the original farmhouse on it. I don't know how old it is but it is on the national register of historic homes. It is currently operating as a B&B and seems to be very successful. If we have the urge to do some "serious shopping " we go to Chattanooga or Knoxville.
Well, that is a little about where I live. Come on everyone, share some stories about what makes where you live unique and home to you.
Kelly
__________________ I think animal testing is a bad idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers!!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot. The B&B up on the hill is suppose to be haunted !!!!
If you would like to see the B&B go to the link below. In the photo gallery, the picture entitled "sunset on the pond" is in their backyard overlooking the subdivision I live in. The pond in the picture actually belongs to the subdivision and is right in front of my house.
Sounds like you live in a wonderful place. The B&B is beautiful. You said it was haunted, have you saw any strange things?
I live outside of a town of about 20,000. There are several towns close to us. We live by a State Park and Trout Hatchery and about 23 miles from a big lake, so I am used to dealing with tourists. There are some really beautiful natural resources here. This is the ruins of a castle that is very close to where I live, it has a very sad story behind it. The story is at www.odd.net/ozarks/parks/haha.htm
__________________
If you need help, ask God
If you don't need help, Thank God
Hi - I live in Georgia, just about 30 miles NE of Atlanta in the medium-sized town of Lawrenceville. We are in an older subdivision with a decent sized yard. Because our house was once used to house a hydroponics plant for growing pot, we got it for a "song."
There is a RR track about 600 feet from the house, so we hear the trains about 5 times a day. It does make a pleasant "clickety-clack" sound - rather comforting. We hardly notice it at all anymore.
We are far enough back in the neighborhood that it is very quiet and feels very isolated, but I only ahve to drive 1 1/2 miles to be at a large grocery. The bank is 3 minutes away, we are within 5 miles of: my daughter and SIL, multiple food estabilishments (including a wonderful Japanese place!) 5 groceries, 7 "drug stores," a Home Depot, a Petsmart, a Target, a good bookstore, and various other vendors. We can go to City Council meetings and still be home by 8:30 or 9pm!
Going only a little farther, we are about 10 miles from a moderately large mall with most of the usual amenities: shopping, restaurants, etc. And we are about 20 miles from the Mall of Georgia - one of the largest malls in the country. (About 80-85% the size of the Mall of America.)
Our son and DIL live next door, which works out well for both families. We work hard at staying "out of each other's pockets."
Standard small / medium sized town life. Quiet enough to hear the crickets and birdies, close enough to a city to get nearly anything we want or need.
Graceygrammey, your location sounds right nice, too! Kelly - I'd love to see the B&B!
The pic is a photo we took of the house when we bought it - then I ran it through Corel Photopaint and "cartoonized" it. Can't find the original, of course!!
graceygrammy....no, I haven't seen any spooks or strange happenings up on the hill. The website doesn't mention anything about it being haunted but maybe that is not something they want to advertise. It may just be local folklore. Maybe I'll have to spend the night up there one night to find out!
Your part of the country sounds lovely. My family and I love to visit state parks. Thanks for sharing the story behind the castle. You were right, a sad tale indeed.
Elizabeth....your home looks lovely. And what an interesting history behind it! I have never been to (or heard of) the Mall of Ga. You have peaked my curiosity. I will have to check it out.
This thread has been fun so far. I already have learned about 2 new places that I would like to visit
Kelly
__________________ I think animal testing is a bad idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers!!
Hi live in Irwin Pa. its kind of in the country . Not like where you live . We have lots of parks a DQ baseball feilds. I really like it. The schools are very good. We just celebrated 150 years as a community.
Last edited by bubbagoozie2; 08-25-2005 at 06:40 AM.
This is fun! I love hearing about other places, especially since I don't travel much! I live in Irving, which is a suburb of Dallas TX. I literally live right next door to DFW Int'l Airport. I have always enjoyed watching the planes land, but I don't like to fly. Hee, hee. I had moved to Little Rock, AR for about 3 years but was really, really glad to be back home. Little Rock was too small for me! I love Dallas but I love living in the burbs. What is so wonderful now-a-days is that even though traffic is horrendous, I don't have fight it since everything I need is within 15 minutes.
One of the frequent comments I hear from travelers is that we have such a large sky. I didn't notice it long ago, but I do now because we're so flat so you do see a lot of blue skies.
Another thing I love about Dallas is the new development. I love new buildings, new shopping areas, new development areas and ever since I could remember, Dallas has always been like that.
What else is awesome about living in the suburbs of a metropolitan area is that I live in between two large cities, Dallas and Ft Worth. Dallas is the conservative, constantly changing city and Ft Worth is the laid back, artsy type.
Weather wise---it is incredibly hot here. Ugh! The peak is usually in August, so yes, we've been having 100 degree weather lately. But the winters here are just right for me because I can't stand the incredibly cold! The winters are usually above freezing temperatures, and that sometimes is too cold! And goodness, should it snow/ice here, the whole city closes. LOL. That cracks me up.
Rockport Massachusetts is my home. On the map it is on the very tip of Cape Ann. Sticking out on the Atlantic Ocean. Beautiful summers, wet springs georgous falls and cold snowy winters. Only 40 miles north of Boston so we have great theater, art galleries, shopping, hospitals and universities. I love it here but I don't know any other life so I guess I can't compare. Home is where the heart is...right? Roxie
Three months ago I lived in a sea of apartments in Fort Worth, TX. Now I live about 10 miles south of the closest town (around 800) in Kentucky.
There we had gangs. Here we have family (literally. I think we're related through DH's mom and dad to about 1/2 the county).
There we had a few scrubby trees which were called landscaping. I've seen more green here in 3 months than I did in Fort Worth in 8 years.
There we didn't let the kids outside without us being there with them and I locked the apartment door when I went to the car to get something. Here we can let them run to their Mamaw's (next door) 50 yards away and we can let the door stay unlocked whether we are here or not. (OK, that still feels a little odd.)
I guess I'm a country gal at heart.
__________________ LuAnn Chris
Brian , Benjamin , and Trinity
I just moved to Las Cruses to continue my eduction. I only know there are over 20,000 people at the univeristy alone and beautiful mountains nearby. DH got transferred to Carlsbad, NM 5 years ago.
Although I spent many of my childhood years in Hobbs, NM, right on the NM/TX border, my hometown is Iraan, TX. Both sets of my grandparents literally moved that as the town was being born--so to speak. Everyone lived in tents while buildings, businesses, and homes got built. The house that my father grew up in is still there and I believe my aunt is in the process of selling it right now.
Anyway, Iraan was named after a man named Ira Yates and his wife Ann. V.T. Hamlin was living in Iraan when he created Alley Oop. If you travel to Iraan, a town of between 1,000 and 1,300 people be sure to visit Alley Oop park complete with Dinny the dinosaur, Alley Oop, and even get your picture taken as Alley Oop or Mrs. Oop. Don't forget to visit the Iraan Archeological Museum. (I love the permanent wave machinge inside.) Iraan has an active Archeologicl Society and my in-laws are very involved with it. If you happen to be in Iraan during Alley Oop week, which is in June, every other year, you will get a bonus of seeing the Alley Oop beauty pagent. You may see Miss Pebbles and Miss Oola. At the park during this celeration, you will find a cake walk, bobbing for apples, crafts, and other such fun things. The claim to fame is the fact that Dan Seals (county singer) and Jimmy Seals (Seals and Croft) are from this area. Growing up, they either lived in Iraan or the football rival town of Rankin. Jimmy graduated HS with my mother. Their father is buried in Iraan. I have attached a picture of Alley Oop,who is located in the park. I have also given you 2 links to information about Iraan. You may contact Betty Cash on the first link if you want to know when the next Ally Oop day is or if you want a bumper sticker or something as a collection of something from each town you have ever heard of. PM me if you want to know my last name. I can promise you that when you call anyone there--they will know me. lol Finally, Iraan, is about 86 miles south of Midland/Odessa, Texas. The second link shows that .08% are black and I can remember when that .08% Black person temporarily lived there. Primarily, it is all Hispanic and White.
Looking for people in your neck of the woods? Or maybe you are going to visit another area and need some help from the locals? Check it out!
What's it like where you live? 
Chris
, Benjamin 
, and Trinity 
