dfnh

I was born in the city but knew from an early age I wanted to live in the country which probably influenced me to choose a country boy for a husband. New Hampshire is beautiful and we live close enough to a city to enjoy those advantages. It's really not far to Boston either. But we like the smell of trees and freshly cut hay, lots of sky and nice views. It's a great place to raise a family. Our son used to slide in the backyard and could snowmobile from our backdoor. He and his friends could swim in a clean river. My husband loves the green-ness of the New England states and the four seasons.

edhodge

I love the area of Arkansas where I live (Northwest corner) but the rest of the state... uh not so much. I do love the Ozark mountains, all the lakes and rivers and streams, the 4 different seasons. I love that we are big enough but not too big.

azzure

I am a California girl, born and raised in the LA area, who always yearned for clean air, trees and lakes; so about 12 years ago we packed up and moved to Washington State, on the Olympic Peninsula. People told us that we'd hate the weather, but for the most part, we love it here. We have great natural beauty in every direction, and Seattle is close enough for cultural pursuits.

That being said, I still feel like a California girl, and feel very much at home when I visit there. I miss Santa Barbara, Ojai, Yosemite, skiing at Mammoth, weekend trips to San Diego. I don't miss the smog, traffic, and summer heat, though.

coldkelly

I live in Wisconsin and would love it if I could leave it for about 2 months every winter. The winters are just too long and I despise cold weather. Am working right now on relocating to a warmer place. I have kids that have moved south and while there are things that they miss about WI- the lakes, trees, great natural scenery, being 90 minutes from Chicago, the people etc, none of the 3 would ever move back here just because of the weather.

chepar

Growing up, I couldn't wait to leave "the rock" as so many teens graduating from high school call Oahu.

Moved away and lived in various places on the mainland for about 8 years. Couldn't wait to return to Hawaii. I've been back home for the past 10 or so years and I can't imagine (realistically) living anywhere else.

Downsides are things like the cost of living and that we have to fly 5.5 hours just to get to California, never mind the rest of the world, but the positives are myriad.

John

Been to all 50 states. Lived in 16 different states due to work and retired to Northwest Montana and will NEVER leave.

zlaor

I love to live in NJ.

However due to government corruption on every level (especially at the very top) this state it has become impossible to make an honest living.

mahs

I live in Massachusetts .. I think it is gift to be able to live here .. It has culture .. climate (four seasons) .. ocean .. hospitals .. beauty .. moutains .. I honestly believe we have it all .. Cape Cod .. the Berkshires .. Boston ... colleges .. country life if you want .. city life if you want .. Job market is competitive and housing is costly for sure but wide variations of pricing depending where you choose to live ... probably a lot like other states .. I have lived here all my life and would hate to ever have to move ...

hpeabody

Do you love the state you live in?

Yes, I guess I do.

I live in southern California and although I have been in all 50 states (I have visited Hawaii every year, since 1980 and consider Hawaii my "2nd" home) I CAN NOT imagine home being anywhere other than here in California.

Don

Love Washington state. Born in Tacoma, moved away when I was 3 (Air Force brat), didn't get back to Washington state until I was approaching 40.

Grew up mostly in San Antonio and lived 15 years in Raleigh before we headed to Washington about 10 years ago. I liked TX and NC a lot, but I looooove living near Seattle.

Summers are great, with little humidity and high temperatures typically in the 70s. Spectacular scenery with the mountains, the Sound, the lakes, the trees, the rhododendrons--just a lovely place to call home.

Wine country is nearby, there's the Palouse and the high desert of eastern Washington, and the rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula. We can zip on up to Vancouver, BC or down to Portland, OR, two of our favorite cities, in just a few hours.

The winter and spring overcast and drizzle are even okay, and we don't get very cold temperatures for someplace as far north as we are. But we can get to snow in the Cascade Mountains in winter in less than an hour when we want to.

We see a lot of wildlife in our neighborhood in the foothills of the mountains--lots of rabbits, deer, raccoons, birds, and the occasional bear cub.

But let me just close with the note that if any of you are thinking of moving here, don't--it rains all the time and the rivers flood and we get mudslides and earthquakes and windstorms and fires. You'd hate it here, so please do yourself a favor and don't move here.

Chele60

So Calif here and no, I definitely do NOT love the state I live in. And I'm not all that into the northern portion, either, though I do think parts of Northern California can be prettier than Southern. When I was in my teens and 20s I could not imagine living anywhere but California and thought anyone who lived anywhere else was insane!

Since then I've discovered other places, and have discovered that California - in almost all ways - hovers near the bottom of desirability of places to live. If it wasn't for job and family responsiblities, I be outta here so fast....

carolyn

I'm a Kentucky farm girl and love the state, although I moved to the city to work when I got out of school and only want to go back to visit in the country (although my brother's tomatoes and corn on the cob draw me).

We have the four seasons with a beautiful spring and fall, wonderful state parks and Mammoth Cave NP, lots of lakes and rivers, mountains to river valleys, horse farms in the Bluegrass to hard scrabble in the Applachians, southern hospitality, and a great love of family and tradition.

Louisville and Lexington have good arts and restaurants, and smaller cities have lots of charm.

I lived in Hawaii for a year when my husband was in the Army and loved it--have gone back a number of times--and lived in Jacksonville, FL, once for a year; but this is home and the only place I want to finish out my life.

travelinandgolfin

I love Hawaii. Weather, the people, weather, the beaches, weather, the golf, weather, the food. Did I mention the weather?

Basically, I need blue skys and white clouds overhead (usually) and moderate temperatures. I also need to be able to play golf year round (hence the handle)!

Downside? The politics; I'll leave it at that. Cost of living is high and you can't just drive somewhere for the weekend, which I'd love to do.

sharon62

California native here. I do love this state. We have so much. From deserts to high Sierra mountains to coast to flat farmlands...from country areas and agriculture to big cities and music, food, museums, film, entertainment, cultural diversity. Oh and nice weather!

patandhank

Arizona here. Can't say we like Phoenix. We came because that's where jobs brought us, but someday (at least retirement) we will leave. When the weather is nice (winter months) it gets dark at 5:00 p.m. The summers (when it stays light), it can be so darn hot you don't want to be outside. For being such a large city, the highways, public transportation, and downtown area are not that good. Having said that - Arizona as a state has some beautiful places to visit.

travelhappyfamily

Having grown up in Western NY and attended college in Syracuse, I can appreciate your passion for the area. I love it up there during the summer and early fall.

But I don't like counting my snow in feet, so southbound it was. =) We've been in NC over 14 years now, and are raising our kids here. I love the proximity to the mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway. I adore going to the coast. We have big cities and we have quiet rural areas. We have amazing arts and NASCAR. *grin* There are wineries and boutiques. There are farms and open spaces.

I can't imagine that we'd ever leave here. But I'll still visit NY for several weeks every year. =)

SaraLou

I live in the Milwaukee area. The weather and the festivals are fabulous in the summer. It really is a great smaller metro area. The winters do me in however. I have always to move to a warmer climate but the opportunity just never came. I'm probably stuck here until retirement so I'll just hope that we don't have any more winters like last winter in the next 20 yrs.

LoveItaly

Born, raised and have lived all of my life in N CA. It is OK but I don't like it as much as I use to. The traffic, the politics, N CA has become a "nanny state" also, lol. Expensive too. But I probably will be here the rest of my life I imagine and that is fine with me.

CIB

I live near Houston, Texas, and I love it.
I have traveled a little in the U.S. and few countries in Europe, but home is home and I don't think I could live without the heat and humidity!

luvtravl

From Michigan but have lived in Tennessee for about 30 years. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! I have lots of favorite travel spots but always glad to come back to my home in the Upper Cumberland with mild seasons, beautiful scenery and southern hospitality. There may be another place I would rather live but I haven't found it yet.