Reviews & Comments
Columbus, IN
Small town -
2/5/2006I lived in Columbus for a verrrrrrrrrry long year in 1993. It is such a small town that its easy to navigate. Its hard to become a member of the community because everyone is so tight, even at the churches. Cummins is the big company in town and other than that you have to drive to Indianapolis to get any work that pays more than min. wage. Its a pretty slow life, very laid back. It kind of reminds me of the old tv show Green Acres. I cant really say what the schools were like because mine were in day care back then. I do remember my daughter getting into trouble for correcting the teachers lack of proper english (we dont say aint or y'all). The weather was okay and the houses were priced okay. As far as gangs go, I never saw any in Columbus, but you will find them in parts of Indianapolis. The worst thing you are going to find in Columbus is some good ol' boy red necks. Oh yeah, and the local mall is so small it has a K-mart in it as the main store!
Escondido, CA
The weather is great, wish I were there. -
2/5/2006I moved away in 1990 but still go back often to visit my family and friends. I lived in Escondido for 17 years and it will ALWAYS be home to me. Theres no place like it. Located just outside of San Diego, there is tons of stuff to do and the weather is just gorgeous.
Eugene, OR
Granolas - need I say more? -
2/5/2006The area is a lot of fun and there is a lot to do. Its made up of a lot of kids who came there to go to school and then decided that they hated corp america and preferred to live an el natural lifestyle. If this is something that appeals to you, this is the place to do it. You can easily sell your homemade wares at the street markets and live paycheck to paycheck. The weather is so so... rain in the fall, winter and spring. Summers are hot and the lake is crowded. The beach is only a few hours away but once you get there, its usually too cold and windy to enjoy.
Tulsa, OK
The people are great - the job market sucks -
2/5/2006The job market wasnt much when we lived there (which is why we dont live there anymore). A bachelors degree will get you about $11/hr and a highschool education will earn you minimum wage. The weather was much nicer than I had expected and the housing market is very affordable. I remember a conversation that I had with my brother. When I told him that we bought a house for $48K he said thats what he paid for his truck. Then he asked me if my house had running water and an indoor toilet :). Got to love that sense of humor. Tulsa does have a lot to offer if you dont need an income.
Everett, WA
Everett is fine if... -
2/5/2006I live just 10 minutes south of Everett in Lynnwood. Everett is fine if you dont know any better and have never been anywhere. Not to be disrespectful to the people who love it here, but we get 229 cloudy days, 79 days of partially cloudy and a whopping 57 clear days. Oh did I mention the 160 days of precipitation? We dont get all that much rain, its just that it drizzles ALL of the time. The person living in Everett isnt running into traffic because they arent leaving town. The freeway STOPS on I5 from about hwy 405 to hwy 2 and it crawls. The traffic in the Seattle area is some of the worst. And God forbid it should rain, because traffic comes to a standstill! Like its new to them or something. Lord, I cant wait to get out of this wet climate. The housing market here is inflated and I am going to make a bundle on my house. Thats the only good thing I can say about it. I have lived in Washington, Oregon, Oklahoma, Indiana and San Diego. This area has been the worst for climate, but the best for a place to raise my kids. The Mukilteo school district is the best in the area. If you are into IT there are lots of jobs here. Just plan on living on the outskirts of town and taking the bus. I work downtown Seattle and its a 35 min bus ride each way at $3 each direction. Most employers will pay for 75% of your bus pass because parking is $266/mo downtown! The busses run pretty regularly but you do lose some of your freedom taking the bus. I spend about 30 minutes a day waiting for the bus and then I spend another 30 reading on the way in and 30 sleeping on the way home. Its not all bad, its just that there are nicer places to live than Washington state. Life is too short to live under a cloud.