Jae

has written 4 SperlingViews. Currently, Jae is living in Allen, OK and has a little something to say:

Great People, but hope you like Rural Living Posted On: 3/31/2011 1:19:05 PM

I have lived outside of Allen, OK for about a year now on a ranch. I will say that Oklahoma is beautiful land for ranchers and those who love rural living. It is only 20 minutes from Ada, OK (a college town of about 17,000) which has a Wal-Mart, gas stations, hospitals, and some shopping options (like Maurices). Nevertheless, I will say that Allen itself has certainly seen better days. I'm sure at one time the downtown area was beaautiful with historic brick buildings and shops, but now it is extremely run down, in short, due to limited financial resources. There is one small resaurant in Allen that I would never trust going to and they do have one small grocery store thing. One bank, a small library, and many people who have lived there their entire lives and have yet to travel outside the state of Oklahoma. I worked in Ada for the Dept of Human Services for a while and worked a lot with many teachers in Allen, OK. The teachers and other working folk do the best they can with they have but there is so little financial resources in Allen, it is hard to be amazing at anything when there is little to go off of. I've been told by many in Ada that Allen is about a year behind academically compared to Ada schools, but I will say one thing that Allen people are incredible. The people of Allen are very nice and welcoming and they certainly notice you if you've never been through town before. the crime rates are much lower than Ada, which is nice for families, but again the school system is far behind and the only attraction is the new dollar store in town. There is little to do if you like the evening life, but again, Ada is only 20 minutes away and is a college town. Overall, Allen is a friendly place to live with limited options for financial or career growth and no night life. Oh, and the cost of living in Allen is really affordable as well, of course most of Oklahoma is pretty cheap to live in compared to much of the US =)

Still Unsure... Posted On: 9/1/2009 11:29:45 AM

I just relocated to the Lancaster, NH area from Cedar Rapids, IA. The town itself is pretty and the geographical surroundings are of course beautiful and breath-taking. As far as people are concerned, I must say it's been very difficult to integrate into the community...and I'm an extreme extravert. It's not so much that people are mean or anything...in fact everyone Ive spoken with has been very nice and extremely welcoming. It's moreso that most people in this area were born and raised here, born here, and moved away and then moved back, or have known someone in the area that they relcoated here for. Very few people in this area seem to be permantly transplanted here, unless by choice, say for a temporary vacation home...in which case, the travelers don't stay anyway so they don't much get close with the locals. Most family and friend bonds here go way back, so it's very difficult to find anyone else that is so to speak "looking" for new friends to hang out with. Its a nice community and beautiful location overall, but the "born and raised here" mentality makes it very difficult for newcomers.

AMAZING PLACE TO LIVE!! Posted On: 9/1/2009 11:21:34 AM

Personally, Im not sure why so many people are down on Asheville. I loved living there for the three years I was there and would not have changed anything about it. The people are wonderful, the food is amazing, and the culture is hands down 100% unique. I never felt like an "outsider" when I moved there from he midwest and I would give anything now to leave the New England area to go back to the welcoming and loving spirits of the Asheville area. I recommend living outside the city for any families...like Black Mountain, Montreat, Hendersonville, Fayetville, Lake Lure, and chimney Rock simply because the crime rates are lower but still have the conveniences of the amazing city not too far down the road. All in all, Asheville is a wonderful place to live.

re: general ramblings from a new comer - 7/7/2006 Posted On: 9/1/2009 11:17:06 AM

Ironic isnt it? I just moved from Asheville to Northern, NH about a month and a half ago. Funny thing, sounds like we switched places all together. In response to your question of the orientation of the men there...there definitely are straight attractive, financially secure men there...you just have to look hard enough. I recommend personally, not staying in the city, since the "free spirits" in relation to sexual orientation tend t o gravitate that way. Head towards beautiful towns like Lake Lure and Chimney Rock where you have a lot of travelers and local business owners that have their heads on straight. Black Mountain, Hendersonville, and Hickory, NC are good recommendations as well. Anyway, I wish you the best of luck down there and know that I'd do anything to be back down there. Beautiful area with hands down WOnderful people!