Good and bad things about the state you live in?

[k1xv]

Vermont (rural)
Pro:
Not crowded, not much road traffic
Four seasons weather, environment is clean
Friendly full time residents, smart too
Maple syrup
Low crime in rural areas

Con:
Taxes high and getting worse
Too many short term rentals and some obnoxious 2nd home owners
Too much drug activity.
Some long and very snowy winters
Black fly season, mud season

 

[Pablo]

WA:

Good-
Great weather
Green
Tons of hiking and biking trails
Some open space left, but going fast
Income tax kinda sorta not there for most
People are almost as nice as Californians

Bad-
Seattle
Nut jobs of all stripes
Worst politics in the nation
Terrible nonsensical ineffective gun laws, designed to penalize the innocent
Property crime beyond belief
Easy and free junk for homeless, so more homeless come and druggies abandon all hope and live homeless and criminally
Traffic because conniving pols think not building roads will make people take mass transit, but not a lot of mass transit
Tax money goes in rat holes, never to be seen again
High property tax
Nearly 10% sales/use tax in many areas
Income tax on wealthy/upper middle and on businesses
Can be smoky some summers

 

[Dave Hess]

I’m headed to Seattle next month and you’re scaring me. LOL

 

[Pablo]

I’m headed to Seattle next month and you’re scaring me. LOL

Don't step in the feces

 

[levi]

Don't step in the feces

Round here the expression is, "Don't cut your foot."

No idea why.

 

[Pablo]

People near our borders know this is true

 

[SevenBizzos]

Illinois Cons:
Taxes
Climate
People
Roads

Illinois Pros:
None

 

[Ranger83]

Democratic People’s Republic of Massachusetts

Good
Strong economy (thanks MIT!)
Good public schools
Interesting coastline

Bad
The state where gerrymandering was invented has led to one party rule
Politicians spending our money on their social causes
Sanctuary state means undocumented illegals are everywhere
Political and institutional corruption - state crime lab, state police, DA’s
Huge liabilities for highway maintenance, state pensions
Least efficient public transit authorities in the country with $24 billion in deferred maintenance

 

[GON]

Good Afternoon folks. I live in Pennsylvania. Good things I like are fishing areas, state parks, cool towns, history sites like Gettysburg and no tax on food and clothing. Bad things are horrible roads, property tax, turnpike and lack of drive in movie theaters.

I had the privilege to live in rural Pennsylvania for four years. Could write a long list of all the positives. Here are two:

1. Citizens that fully love their nation's history

2. The local farmers markets- especially the hot sausage sandwiches.

Only needs improvement I can think of is the need for more single family houses in rural areas.

 

[GON]

WA:

Good-
Great weather
Green
Tons of hiking and biking trails
Some open space left, but going fast
Income tax kinda sorta not there for most
People are almost as nice as Californians

Bad-
Seattle
Nut jobs of all stripes
Worst politics in the nation
Terrible nonsensical ineffective gun laws, designed to penalize the innocent
Property crime beyond belief
Easy and free junk for homeless, so more homeless come and druggies abandon all hope and live homeless and criminally
Traffic because conniving pols think not building roads will make people take mass transit, but not a lot of mass transit
Tax money goes in rat holes, never to be seen again
High property tax
Nearly 10% sales/use tax in many areas
Income tax on wealthy/upper middle and on businesses
Can be smoky some summers

Gig Harbor, WA police warn of purse thefts targeting elderly women​

Published 13 DEC 2024:
https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/gig-harbor-purse-snatchings?

 

[SaberOne]

I’ve come to love Arizona after spending my youth in Southern California. Sure, I miss the laid-back, surfer-dude, hippie vibes of those days, but California has gone off the rails in a lot of ways. The best thing about Arizona is its natural beauty—from the low desert of Yuma to the high desert of Sedona, the landscape is stunning and diverse. The downside? The brutal summer heat, which can turn that beautiful desert into an unforgiving hellscape.

 

[billt460]

Good weather, (no snow and very little rain), low taxes, very pro gun.

 

[factorytuned2012]

Conway, sc

The bad Traffic and the college students.. did I mention traffic

The good hmmm?
I’ll get back with ya

 

[JeffKeryk]

Los Gatos, CA.
I love it here. Opportunity abounds, but high tech is brutal and not for everyone.
The weather is amazing.
Traffic can be bad and some drivers are down right dangerous.
So much to do. I wouldn't love anywhere else. Silicon Valley has been good to me.

 

[andrewg]

Pro: Beautiful Cascade and Olympic mountains. Puget Sound and San Juan Islands. Washington coast/beaches. Sunny and semi-arid Eastern Washington. Mild winters. Usually very nice summers....rarely too hot. Bicycling trails and tons of hiking areas. Many diverse places to eat. Gobs of places to shop. Typically good medical facilities/care. Most roads in good shape. Large boating culture.

Cons: Progressive/liberal government....especially on the west side of the state. Lots of rain from November through March with many dull, grey skies. Crime in the cities along with a lot of homeless drug addicts. Traffic during commute times is a nightmare. Rude and often unskilled drivers. Heavy crowds during peak tourist season. Real estate extremely expensive. Understaffed police departments.

 

[supton]

Lake Sunapee region, NH (kinda central).

Pro's:

• quiet small town life
• mountains may be short but they are local
• local skiing (if you are into that)
• Fall may be a short season but oh my, get out on a good day and it's a slice of heaven

Con's:

• Typical NH taxes (although not bad by NH standards).
• blackflies and skeeters
• long winter nights
• Too close to MA--as a result, we drive like they do
• roads tend to be narrow. Pickup trucks think they own the road; cyclists have no shoulder to live with. Many roads do not have lines painted on them; those that do, find the paint worn off after a couple of winters, if not painted frequently
• speaking of cycling, lots of hills... it may not be VT or CO but still
• Cold winters and hot/humid summers
• that quiet small town life means it's a 45min drive min to get to any "big" store. There's some local hardware stores and grocery stores, but Walmart etc are like 45 minutes minimum (then again... Walmart is 45 minutes away, there's two sides to that coin )

 

[wings&wheels]

Massachusetts

Good:
-Economy, availability of employment
-Education, all levels, some of the best in the nation but w/ a big variance between cities/towns
-Infrastructure, roads, commuter rails around BOS, airports from Logan to the municipals
-Diversity of restaurants, entertainment, etc.
-The varied and often stunning environment, Cape Cod, Buzzards Bay, Cape Cod Bay, MVY & ACK, the Berkshires...our coast provides some of the best boating on the East Coast.

Not so good:
-Taxes, all, R/E taxes are crushing
-Overall 'culture', could be described as an over-educated arrogance (and I say that as someone who could be accused of both )...probably cannot say much more safely
-Politics and politicians at every level, combination of busybody arrogance with sleaze, we've had some characters and scoundrels and apologies for unleashing some of them on the national level
-Gun laws, see above
-Cost of living, corelated with the local economy and education unfortunately
-Winter

I'd call us a 'nice place to visit'! That said, we do enjoy living here and the downsides are just the unfortunate cost, but it can get irritating.

 

[wings&wheels]

Bad-
Worst politics in the nation

I will respectfully challenge you for 'worst' politics....

 

[svtrit]

Iowa here. Live in the Loess Hills. Not flat corn ground as people suspect and very beautiful. Many good fishing and hunting spots. (especially if you know a few farmers) Google Loess Hills.

Bad: Tornados. floods, snow and ice. heat and humidity.

We have more pigs than people. Can’t decide if that is good or bad.

Agree with your assessment on IA! I live in the flat corn ground area.

 

[svtrit]

Illinois Cons:
Taxes
Climate
People
Roads

Illinois Pros:
None

I am required by family obligations to make the trek to IL a couple times a year. Even my daughter, who notices nothing, asked what is wrong with the people there.

Going home (Dekalb) makes me realize why I left. CA, where I ran to in my youth, had much friendlier people. Iowa also is much friendlier.

I was offered a transfer there a couple years ago. My dad told me I would be a moron to take it and move back. My parents will leave when the matriarch of the family passes away.