I grew up with them as well but this doesn’t even go that far.

As a NC native that grew up in the sandhills (Fayetteville area) I'd be willing to live in the mountains or the coast, but not in the middle of the state. Living within driving distance of Asheville would be good, but it definitely gets mountain cold there in the winter. I love the Outer Banks but it's expensive, at least for water views.

South Carolina has lots of rural areas, and my family has (bad) history there. I'm pretty sure I'm related to about half the state.

I got the picture - :D

The middle of the state is far less expensive. I don't live in the cheapest area, but it is really inexpensive and I am 45 minutes from both Raleigh and Fayetteville.

The mountains are nice but I'm not dealing with snow. The Outer Banks is amazing but I grew up in a tourist area and living there is horrible.

Raleigh area isn't bad, although the last time I was there it was getting congested and spread out. I visit Fayetteville on occasion because I still have family there, but as I tell other folks Fayetteville is a good place to be from.

So true. Walking through the 'mall' near Fort Bragg total makes that statement. I didn't even know there were that many stores that sold men's sneakers. The entire thing was a testament to terrible decisions. Men's clothing, women's clothing, jewelry stores.

Depends on the season, of course, and access to medical facilities, but I really love Northern Italy. Rolling hills, steep ravines, rivers, forests, cereal crops, grapes, mountain villages, etc. My cousins live in Florence. Fairly relaxed for a tourist town. As soon as you get outside the city center it’s pretty quiet. Once you get outside of town it’s gorgeous. Lucca and Sienna and their surrounds were relaxing as well. Most of the family is in the south, inland from Bari, and it’s beautiful in a different way but I would rather live in the north.

Currently living in Northwestern Washington State. Love the weather. Super mild winters. Typically only goes below freezing a few days a year. A hot day in summer is about 85 F. Mountains, forests, and sea breeze. Fresh seafood. Sunrise over the mountains and sunsets over the water. I’m content right where we are.

I agree with Northern Italy. We spent 10 glorious days riding, eating, drinking and enjoying the area. Four of the worlds best known race tracks, (Imola, Monza, Misano and Mugello) are within hours of each other. If the wife and I could have we would have moved there 15 years ago. But life, (health, family and financial issues) got in the way. Gee, we'll just have to make due with living on the banks of the Trent River. ;)

Referencing post# 32, here is where I'd adopt as my home country:

http://<iframe width="560" height="3...reen></iframe>

Cool! Riding? Motorbikes?

It’s been a while for me. The last time I was there was in ‘08. I was between jobs and spent three months in Rome. I had a driving/riding permit, but after spending a few days observing the motorbikes speeding around on wet cobbles I decided I’d better not. I thought I was a badass back then but Romans are something else. Witnessed a crash between two mopeds one day. They screamed and shook their fists at each other for several minutes while riding away in stages.

They are also going through a long, protracted recession and they struggle with immigration. I was there during the Berlusconi campaign season and it was nuts. Every few minutes someone would come along and plaster their campaign poster up over the opposition’s. It was a race. It seemed like they all got plastered over before any had a chance to dry. Trucks trundling around with loudspeakers, flags, and dozens of people hanging off the top and sides. The citizens accused both candidates of being “mafioso”. Several of my friends spoke at length about out-of-control taxes that were going to cause their families to lose their ancestral homes outside the cities because the youth didn’t have the money to pay. Overall I know it’s not a very practical dream but the geographic area, history, art, and people really make it feel like a charmed place.

Yep, motorcycles thanks to Ducati. We spent a day here and a day there in places like Firenza and Modena. We started and ended in Bologna at the factory. We stayed in a historic convent near Dicomano. (sp)

Santa Barbara, CA

Years ago I lived on a hilltop overlooking Port Antonio for a few months and drove my Toyota Starlet all over the island meeting lots of friendly locals.

It's a different place now, I wouldn't feel safe there any longer.

These ads are getting smarter.