A Little Survey

I live in a ranch home in St Louis county. I state the city because one, it is on my profile, two I just don't care who knows, and three because depending on who you are some think that is a big city, others don't. :p

I love where I live but I am always working on my house and changing things. I think I just need an outlet for my creativity. My house is only 19 years old so it is kinda generic, or at least it was before I started changing things. :p

I live in a single family, multi-level house tucked in a lil' neighborhood that looks like a Forrest. We love it. I live in a medium sized city. I am here simply b/c of destiny or chance.

~If I had my choice I would live in a beach house on the pacific somewhere...Malibu, maybe Santa Barbara? If only....

I live in a single family house (a mother daughter - mom lives on the other side of the living room wall) at the end of a quiet street with 12 houses. We are on a circle. My town is a small village about 30 miles from the NYC border - there's a main street and a park at the end on the harbor with a bandshell and a dock. my hosue was built 60+ years ago by my dear uncle who is now in heaven. There's a lot of custom cabinetry, I ahve a heated slate floor in the living rom. While there are houses I like more than mine, I know that a lot of love was built in to my hosue so many years ago. the only people who've ever lived in it were my aunt, uncle, cousins, parents, sibilings, my husband and my kids. Lots of love here.

I live in a house the size of a kids freaking tree house [gag] in this GORGEOUS 'old money' neighborhood with lots of trees :) I love trees for some reason, I think because growing up in NJ we had huge trees... Anyway, I'm within walking distance of the James River and surrounded by huge old money mansions... there are all these huge gorgeous old houses... then my 'fort'. When I tell people the area I live in they say 'OMG YOU'RE RICH?!'... um, HELL no, it's like living in the freakin servants quarters, LOL!! ;)

I live outside of town on 9 acres, mostly wooded. Our closest neighbor cannot be seen or heard. The closest grocery store is only 10 min away and my commute to and from work is 35-40 minutes. We just had our "dream house" built 2 years ago and it overlooks the valley. Our view is breathtaking. We are trying to do some landscaping (haven't had the $ until now) and I don't even know where to start!! So right now we just have a large lawn. We hope to stay here until our boys are grown. We want them in the same house all through childhood, something neither one of us had as kids.

Single family house in a large city (San Antonio). I love the house because it is unique and a bit older so we have huge trees, but it is WAY too small, and I want better elementary and middle schools for our kids to attend, so we will probably be moving withing the next couple of years. I am hoping that we will be able to move into a larger (4 bedroom with a bonus room/playroom) before J starts kinder.

We live in Suburbia :)
The neighborhood we live in is a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah. All the houses are on about 1/4-1/3 acre lots and look fairly similiar (multi-level, 2500 sq foot middle class homes, built in 1990's). My husband had to find a place for us to live within a week and I could not drive down to look as we lived about 2 hours away, so the first time I saw the house was when we were moving in. I was nervous when I arrived here for the first time that I would never find my way out of the neighborhood. It is such a big maze of houses. I do love that it feels safe; no busy roads nearby, lots of kids and young families; people take care of their homes and yards. There are lots of walking paths and parks. It is a pretty area- the mountains are very close on the East and the Great Salt Lake on the West. However, there is little privacy as the homes are close together. I would like there to be more businesses close by- we have to get on the freeway just to get to anything.

If I had my choice, we would be in a neighborhood but have larger lots so the houses were not so close together. I would like to be closer (within walking distance) to coffee shops, grocery stores and gas stations. (There is not a single coffee shop in my town! That's Utah for you!) Luckily we will be buying a home soon so I will have the opportunity to choose something that works better for us.

fun question! Thanks. :)

I live in a ranch style home on one acre just about 2 miles outside of a very small town on the coast. We are outside of the "fog belt" as we call it here.
We just bought this home 1 year ago (last week). We used to live in a single family home inside the city limits in a trackhouse neighborhood. We now rent that house out.

Although we would have prefered to sell our first house first, we couldn't pass up buying our current home when we got the chance. I absolutely 100% without a doubt LOVE where I live. It is exaclty what we wanted for our kids. A place to run and play and build forts and be safe. We get plenty of sun and the redwood trees block some of the wind. We have a 2,000 foot shop that reminds me of growing up playing in old barns.

I live in a 50's ranch in an awesome neighborhood, in a suburb of Boston that has a ton of preservation land, historical buildings, and beautiful public spaces designed at the turn of the century by FL Olmstead (who designed Central Park in NY and the Emerald Necklace in Boston) and HH Richardson, who designed famous churches, libraries, etc. The architecture around here is amazing both inside and out. The blocks around me (all tree-lined side streets) are all ranches and Capes, built in the 50's and 60's. Every house is different and the mature landscaping is nice too. The bigger streets surrounding our neighborhood have beautiful 100-year-old Victorians. We can walk to schools, the library, church, the playground, the Y and little shops on main street. In good weather, people are constantly biking and jogging in my neighborhood, and my older kids can bike or walk to friends' houses. I don't love my house, but I love where it is and will hopefully stay here forever!

moved to our small town 20 years ago. Live in a single family 1970 ranch in a small subdivision on what used to be the outskirts of town. The home was a standard ranch until the previous owners changed the floor plan. Now it's an absolutely excellent party house with a great room/dining room that's 35x35'! Love it! Large lots, but we don't have a garden due to 2 big dogs. Great neighborhd to walk & ride bikes. Safe for the kids to play in, & great nosy neighbors to help keep track of them!

The town has expanded to our side of the hwy, & we now have businesses, restaurants, the new middle school, the new fire dept, & many others on "our" side....which causes dissension in our community. I would seriously think that any type of expansion/growth in today's economy would be appreciated, but it is not. & this dissension brings me to my next thought: I hate how our town is ruled by cliques that have been in place forever. We've lived here 20 years & are still considered new....even tho' we've participated in school/sport/community events for years. How sad to live in such a small mindframe.

That said, I have announced to my family that when my DH passes away, I will be moving back to StL.....well, actually the outskirts. I simply do not feel enough of a sense of community to stay. I know that I have a great support group here....but the pull of family is strong.

I grew up in an historic home, my Mom now lives in a 100+yo home. That's what I prefer, but my updated ranch is great too- now that it better reflects my tastes. Most new homes do not appeal to me. I prefer handcrafted (such as our lake home, built over the course of many years) or historic. I prefer funky & unique over basic. I prefer a more secluded setting & would love to move outside of town now that our children are older. We all want a fishing lake & seclusion!

I live in a small town in a small 2 bedroom house with a huge garden. :-) Within walking distance is shops, restaurants, my dd's school, my work and a cinema. I have lovely neighbours and (apart from when I was young living with my parents) this felt like my home as soon as we walked in the door. I love my house. My house was built in the 40's.

I live in a condo building on the 13th floor in a spacious 2-bedroom apartment with my Husband and two kiddos. We have a beautiful view of lower Manhattan to our east and the Statue of liberty to our south. While we live on the Jersey side across the Hudson river we still live in a pretty urban area. I love living close to NYC and would love to move back if I could afford it...at the same time would love a little house with a backyard in a small neigborhood where my kids ride around on their bikes....for now - I think I'm right were I should be:-)

Single family home within the city of Chicago, but not a 'typical' neighborhood. (When people think of typical neighborhoods in the city, it is a mix of condos, townhomes, walk-up apartment buildings, and single family homes...all on top of one another.) Our neighborhood is all single family homes and although many people are out walking in the neighborhood for leisure or exercise, most have to drive to restaurants, etc.

It's still too urban for me. If I had my druthers I would be a "complete and total sell-out" and live in a nice suburb where the mall and big box stores are no more than 10-15 minutes away.

I live in Minneapolis right across the street from one of our beautiful urban lakes. The condo I rent is in a brick building with 12 units that was built in the 1920s. I have a ground floor unit with a door onto the front patio with a lake view. I love it!! I can watch the sail boats on the lake out my front door and window and listen to the free concerts at the bandshell every summer night. I can walk to coffee and ice cream shops and restaurants. Bike paths for miles from my front door. I could go on and on... :-)

Downsides - only on-street parking, shared coin laundry, 1 bedroom only, and the idiosyncrasies that come with an old building. 16 mile drive from my daughter's school. Thinking about having to move for convenience as my daughter gets older and I find a "real" job after I finish school... :-(

I live in a 3 bd apartment and the complex is not very big, only 56 apartments. I'm not here by choice, I manage the place. I live in a beautiful, historic gold rush town tho and only a stones throw down a grassy path to our historic main street. The weekends are fun for walks because we get to meet all sorts of people that are in town on their way to see Yosemite National Park.
We feel safe here, not a lot of crime or chaos. We used to live in Bakersfield, and I really have nothing good to say about that town, and was blessed for the opportunity to come here.
If I had my druthers I would be in a cabin near a stream or a cool little house where I could see the beach :)

Northern burb of Dallas (Allen/Plano) in a very nice neighborhood. We have a rare lot that backs up to a wooded area that will never be developed so we have a lot of wildlife and privacy.

Single family home, 5 minutes or less from my favorite little shopping center with grocery. Love the easy acces to DFW airport and Love field, all the things to do, shop and great restaurants.

We were the first home to be completed and move in on the park (wooded) property in 2000. The neighborhood is now built out completely in about 4 sections. The "inner" part of the neighborhood was completed about 3-4 yrs before our section was opened. Love it.

I say I love it and I love the wildlife however, yesterday daughter (16) closed her garage door and without our knowledge until later on, the garage door closed on a 2 ft coppernead snake's head. The critter was headed in to her garage. YIKES. This is the 5th copperhead killed on our property so far this year... this one was TOO close to the house!!I love the other wildlife we have, bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, etc.

I live in a rented Cape Cod style home built in the 50s...for now. In July, we're closing on a house in the same neighborhood with almost the same floor plan (just the second floor is less Cape Cod style, more like a full second floor ceiling height). It's got horrendous carpeting, a kitchen that never left the 50s, and bathrooms that need to be gutted. Plus its got LOTS and LOTS of wallpaper, which I HATE. They layout is very traditional, whereas my tastes run to contemporary/modern architecture. Why are we buying this loser of a house? It's enormous, in a neighborhood I love, kids can go to the same school (heck, they'll be on the same bus route), the backyard is GORGEOUS and in a couple of years, I'm gonna do a whole house remodel, kitchen, bath, add a mudroom, possibly build a pool, and turn it from a 50s Cape Cod into a perfect contemporary home. Plus in an area where there are more homes for sale ABOVE $800,000 than below, this house is seriously well-priced. I'm buying real potential here and I can't wait to get in there and start working on it!

Before we moved to our current house, we lived in a 2 story house (built 1969) on 1/4 on an acre in Northern Va (Sterling, Loudoun county). We lived there 17 years and pretty much witnessed the paving over of the county. Where we use to have fields/crops/cow pastures there are now town houses, plazas and traffic - SO MUCH TRAFFIC - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

When my husbands job had a chance for a transfer (and my job is portable) we jumped at the chance to move and now live in Chesapeake, Va.
We've got 3 acres, a ranch house (built 2006) and we're pretty much in the middle of a soybean field.
We can see the stars at night and enjoy hearing frogs (and cows/sheep/roosters and an occasional donkey). The worst traffic we get here is when the farmers are planting/harvesting the crops (wheat/corn/soybeans) and a slow moving tractor has to move down the road. Once in awhile you have the whole road to yourself (something that could never happen at our old place). Some neighbors have horses and we all have veggie gardens and will trade what ever we have to spare (my blue berries should be ripe soon).
I like being a little away from it all but we're not so far out that it's impossible to get to a hospital or see a movie every so often. We're 30 min away from the beach and we're looking forward to the Pungo Strawberry Festival this weekend. We have access to the inter coastal water way which makes it easy to take the boat out to go tubing or fishing.
Life is good!

I live in a single family home, in a very densely populated residential area that has 3 large metro areas.

I'd much rather live in a more rural area that is very near an urban area.

I live in south east texas, but I am from Wales, UK. The weather just about kills me!
I live way out in the country, in a less than 800 sq ft trailer, 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom - there are four of us in it. It is free, and that is the ONLY reason I live in it - I am going to school, so I appreciate not having to work and pay a mortgage.
We also live on 10 acres of land, with a forest and a half acre lake, and a pool - all of this belongs to my in laws who live next door, but let us do whatever we like.

We live in a single family home in a lovely old intown neighborhood of Atlanta. We're only 2 miles from downtown! I love the combo of being in the city with so many great city neighborhood offerings and also a Victorian neighborhood with the homes, big trees and old gardens.

I live in a nice family neighborhood, Middle class. The homes are all owned by older people, in their 60s or beyond. Most are anyway. The neighborhood is from the 70s. I bought this house because i grew up here and when i saw it for sale i had to have it.

I live in a single family house in the woods. We live on the last street in the City - right before the 'burbs. We have deer that run through the front and back yards. My neighborhood is about 20 years old. I really do love where I live. However, I wish there were more kids around for my kids to play with.

I live in a small suburb of Cincinnati. We have a 2000 sq foot single family home on a cul de sac, built 14 years ago. Children cover the whole street, so it's nice for our little ones. A quarter of a mile down the street, you will find trailer parks, and multi million dollar homes in my town.

We currently have our house for sale, but it has nothing to do with the house. The school district is struggling, and we need to go where its better.

I live in a 10 year old 3 bedroom home in a suburb od sacramento. My city is surrounded by tomato and wheat fields, almond and olive orchards. I would love to live in the coastal mountain range near san franisco :)

Theresa N - I went to college in Albany and LOVE LOVE LOVE Saratoga - I bet wherever you live is straight up beautiful!

I live in a single family home in the suburbs. we have a nice neighborhood that is very family friendly but unfortunately we are not able to walk to many places (area not very pedestrian friendly) and I miss that.

single family home on substantial acreage!!! Love the country feel but live in a big suburb :)

Currently I live in a rural area on 25 acres. Hardly know my neighbors; have wished for a neigborhood or community. We've been here over 25 years, and built here because both of us grew up like this.

Last fall we bought a summer cottage on a lake in an adorable community. I am looking forward to getting to know our neighbors - they've already been so nice.

Next year we are planning to move to a nearby small city, and live in an older cute home near everything so that we can walk to cultural events and shopping. Living out here in the country it is a 15 minute drive to everything.

I will miss the woods around us, but we can get that at the camp. I will miss the quiet, but right now it is too quiet. I won't miss the amount I spend in the car or on gas. I won't miss the huge house, taxes, and electric bills.

There is no perfect solution, is there?

I live on a small barrier island off the coast of new jersey on the ocean front. I LOVE it ! I used to worry about the next big storm coming and washing the house away but now, I see what is going on in the Midwest with the tornados and the flooding in the valleys along the Mississippi, and I realize no one is really safe from mother nature anywhere. So now I will just relax and enjoy it every day that I am blessed to be here.

I live in a 3 bed, 1.5 bath ranch style house on a quite street of similar houses. They were all built in the 70s.

I like my house. I like the area I live in - quiet little suburban street - I can hear the birds chirping in the morning. But, I am close to shopping and entertainment.

Small cities strung together that form the MS Gulf Coast offer a variety of "personalities" - it's just a 10 minute drive to the beach, or art gallery, local landmarks, and entertainment. It is really pretty cool here.

I really can't think of any other place to live - so I must like it.

Fun Question.

God Bless

I live in a single family home, which we own in a quiet suburban town less than 2 hours north of NYC. When I first came here, I felt like it was too rural for me but now I love our community. We live on a cul de sac street off of a main road, with one other cul de sac street connecting, so 22 homes in the immediate "neighborhood." No traffic on our road and you would be able to tell if someone didn't belong. My teenager, however, doesn't love being so far away from everything and having noplace that you can really walk to. You'd have to go 8 miles to the nearest supermarket. Teen rides her bike 10 miles to meet friends at Starbucks in "town,"
My preference would be to live someplace that was warm year-round but I'm afraid that'll have to wait til retirement, and I'm still 21 years away.

I saw this question a few days ago and didn't get around to answering. It is fun to read where everyone lives.

We recently moved to our home and we love it here. We live in the East Bay area...pretty close to San Francisco. We are surrounded by beautiful green hills for most of the year but they turn a gorgeous tan during the dry months. We even see snow way out on the hills during the coldest months of the year. We see white windmills up on the lower hills providing our area with needed alternative energy.

We live on a 2/3 acre lot in a court with established trees and shrubs. We have a beautifully landscaped yard with a pool, lots of grass for playing on, a veggie garden which is my heaven on earth, and a play structure for the kids and visiting kiddos. Our home is a tract home that we try hard to spruce up and give character to...we recently painted it tan with white trim and black shutters and a black door. It is almost 20 yrs old. We remodeled our kitchen and I am in love with my granite counters and composite granite sink....oooh they are beautiful. It is a tri level and we have enough space so we are not tripping over eachother and can find quiet corners to be alone if need be but not too much space that we can't keep up on housework.

Our home is our refuge from the crazy and hurried life buzzing around us. It is very peaceful and we have wonderful neighbors whom we gather with often for parties and hanging out. THere is a park around the corner, baseball and soccer fields and a BMX bike track that the kids love to go to. The school is nearby and is a wonderful community with so much to offer.

Where I live isn't beautiful it is in the heart of the city but very run down,you would think since there are thousands of attractions that come & go this neighborhood would be beautiful.But nope we are surrounded by people who don't care about their homes,the lawn the garbage it is very frustrating but hey at least mine is cleaned up free of clutter & everyone looks @ our home.I live in a 2 story 4 bedroom 1 bathroom home unfinished basement I have heard this use to be an old farm house that cows were on our property & the surroundng neighborhood,most homes here still have servant stairs they are either still in use or covered up there are big gorgeous homes that are kept up but still there are many that aren't.

We live in a rural "town" that doesn't even have a traffic light. But it is easily accessible to stores and restaurants. It really feels a lot more "country" than it is. We traded Homeowners Association fees for more rednecky neighbors and don't regret it. Our house was built in 1971.
We USED to live in a "planned community" where we had to submit an application to paint our garage door a new color. Not a good fit for us.
Before THAT, we lived on a sailboat in San Diego. That was the life.
Before THAT, we lived in Saratoga Springs! And yeah, I believe it's Caroline Street where all the coolest old houses are? Maybe my memory is failing me...
Have a great day!

We live an an older end unit townhouse. Bonus part tho is were the end unit up against the woods!! so i look out my kitchen window to the woods, not my neighbors deck ! negative about is the "Visitor" parking for our units are the last two spots after our parking spots. Didnt really think or care much about it before, but people are coming and going, which makes the Dog bark which will wake up Mikey (all hours of the day and night)........... GGGGRRRRR LOL
things could be worse tho , right? Right
I do HATE having to share a back yard and having to follow all their "stupid rules" ~ cant do this, have to have that, cant have that, has to be this color etc.........................
We're so ready for our own house w/ our own Back yard !!!! Thats our Dream. Right now I'm 20 mins for Providence, the capital of RI and 40 mins from Boston ....so thats a bonus :-)
But who has time to go to the City anymore... HAHAHA

I live in a 3,400 square foot house on about 2/3 acre in a hilly, woodsy, small, suburban town across the bay from San Francisco.
I like living here for now, it is beautiful and safe, good schools, no crime to speak of. BUT, I dream of the day when the kids are gone and we sell this place and buy a flat or condo in San Francisco! I love the city and I hope to spend my golden years there, watching the fog roll in, sipping coffee, going to shows and eating at fabulous restaurants as much as I can, aaahhh :)

I live in a good neighborhood with lots of trees and birds! Which I love! It's an older neighborhood, but the houses are well kept and so are the yards. The neighbors are good too. It's also great that there is a grocery store with in walking distance so if I'm ever out a car (which I always am) I can just walk there to get supplies for whatever. The house it's self is drafty but good. Needs some updates with the windows and doors. It's a cute 3-story with blue siding and red brick in some parts.
I do still live with my parents because I'm a single mom working part time and going to school. I graduate in Sept and I'm hoping I can get a cheap car after that, then by next Feb move out. Cross my fingers!! I love my family and appreciate all that they do, but I just can't stand living with them any more.

I live in a single family home in a subdivision built into the side of a mountain. It's beautiful and the community is 6 years old. We built the house and it's pretty big... raised ranch with a nice size yard. It's a small town, a village in fact. I don't mind it, but the politics of a small town can be difficult, especially when you are the "new people".

Given my choice, I would live in FL near my family. We're working on it, but this housing market just won't allow it!

I live in a city of about 15,000 people. It's very spread out and our acre of land backs onto a mountain. Our home is a single family house of about 2800 square feet. I'm very happy with where we live. We're technically 'in town' so everything is very close, but it doesn't *feel* like we're in town because of the quiet street and mountain.

I live in a single family home in a suburb of dallas tx. I have lived in this area all my life so im used to it. Although, if I had a choice I would completely change it and live somewhere else. Maybe when my kids are grown? I have always wanted to live somewhere beautiful with trees and scenery. I love rain and clouds (not the tornadoes we have) and I would love to have actual seasons and see the leaves turn, ect. To be able to sit outside in say june and not have a heat stroke. One day oregon, vermont or new hampshire here I come!

I live on 5 acres in a forest. All of our neighbors have at least 5 acres, so we are spread out a bit. It is so peaceful here, which is what really attracted us to this property. Our home is a little bit more than 4000 sq ft, single story with a basement. We have chickens and a dog and some barn cats. We have a country feel, but the nearest major grocery store is only about 10 minutes away, which is perfect. We have a long, winding driveway, which I just love. You can't see our house from the street. I really like it here, but we tend to get a lot of snow (high elevation). We are still waiting for warm weather to arrive. It's been cold/chilly with only occasional warmer days sprinkled in. I love it here, but I would be okay if we moved somewhere warmer. ;)

I live in a mobile home on a pond out of town on 4 acres in Ga.

We live in central Austin. It is an established neighborhood, we live in what they call a bungalow.. it is one of the smallest homes in the "hood".. It was built in the 30's and my husbands grandparents owned it 2 different times, but never lived in it. My husbands parents lived here while his mom was pregnant with him until till he was 2. Later his other grandmother lived here for about 10 years before she moved into a small apt.

So the house is very special to us. It is only 2 bedrooms and 1 bath, has a great yard. We LOVE our neighbors and community. The schools are excellent. Now if we could just afford to remodel the home.. It has the original fixtures. Some days you can close a door and other day you can't.
There are some windows we have never been able to open.. It is pier and beam so we have cracks in the walls (so does everyone else in the hood).. But we have been very happy here.