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Not about the politicans we see on tv everyday. Nor about the News of what the US in doining in IRAQ and elsewhere. Nor about the New World Order's of the 666. But about the America we dont hear about,like your day to day America in the city,in the country back roads they we seen in the so many good old fashioned movies staring James Dean,Henry Fonda,Doris Day,Patsy Cline + many more of the 1950s/60s.

:-6 :-6 :-6

capt_buzzard wrote: Not about the politicans we see on tv everyday. Nor about the News of what the US in doining in IRAQ and elsewhere. Nor about the New World Order's of the 666. But about the America we dont hear about,like your day to day America in the city,in the country back roads they we seen in the so many good old fashioned movies staring James Dean,Henry Fonda,Doris Day,Patsy Cline + many more of the 1950s/60s.

:-6 :-6 :-6


Great question Capt. Buzzard. I'd like to expound on this, but I have to get back to work in a few minutes. I'm curious to see what the others have to say.

Much to the chagrin of the disenfranchised and cynical urbanites, many parts of the U.S. resemble the America of old. I am lucky enough to live in a part of the Country where this is true. Kind people, slower pace, respect for nature, each other, and family.

I used to live in the crowded urban areas. No more. Life is too short and the workday too long. :p

Yes you did mention this before in UKRF. Ireland before 1980s was a backward country for so many years. We did not come into the 20th Century until 1988. But I loved the old slow ways about the country then. Now since we joined the European Union (EU) Ireland is now in the Euro club and is fast catching up with other major european cities like London,Paris and Berlin. But not all for the best I might add. We also imported a high crime rate like other cities.

:-5

The nice part about living in a small town: When you don't know what you're doing, someone else always does. I live in a township that is so small, everyone knows everyone else's business. Half the time the so called facts are twisted, but you usually can guess the truth depending on who is telling the story LOL. The nice thing is, in times of crisis, everyone pulls together to help out.

jwolf7722 wrote: the part of america i live in everyday is great. older house built in the 1850's. way to big for just 2 of us. lived here for 4 years never locked a door or taken keys out of the car. we are very trusting people and so far it has never came back on us. i work with great people everyday that would most likely do anything for anyone. i feel very comfortable going out and never worring about any trouble. people are nice and just want to have a good time and go on with there lifes. the area i live in is in a small city but we live way back off the road on a gravel pit (ironically is where my office is at where i work)

from where i am at day to day life cant get any better!!!!!!!!!




Treasure that cause there is no better life. I live in Dublin city in Ireland. Ireland would fit into one of your states. An American visitor told me that he would sooner walk in the hardest and roughest city in any American state than walk in Dublin city at night.



http://www.travel.ireland.com and don't believe all you see about Ireland.

there is little question that america (or more accurately and fairly, the United States of America) is unique in human history. if i recall correctly, there's never been a free republic that has lasted as long with the same political system in place. not that we haven't had more than our share of internal strife, including a devastating civil war.



yes, we're a patriotic bunch.

jwolf,

That sounds really nice. Would you mind sharing what state you live in? (And what part of the state?)



jwolf7722 wrote: the part of america i live in everyday is great. older house built in the 1850's. way to big for just 2 of us. lived here for 4 years never locked a door or taken keys out of the car. we are very trusting people and so far it has never came back on us. i work with great people everyday that would most likely do anything for anyone. i feel very comfortable going out and never worring about any trouble. people are nice and just want to have a good time and go on with there lifes. the area i live in is in a small city but we live way back off the road on a gravel pit (ironically is where my office is at where i work)

from where i am at day to day life cant get any better!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like you are from a very small town.

Are you near the W.V. state line? My Dad is from Ohio. Long line of farmers. He was the first one to "break free". :p

My wife's Dad is from a super small town in the Colorado Rockies. So small, that you could hit a baseball from one end to the other. Talk about gossip!



Peg wrote: The nice part about living in a small town: When you don't know what you're doing, someone else always does. I live in a township that is so small, everyone knows everyone else's business. Half the time the so called facts are twisted, but you usually can guess the truth depending on who is telling the story LOL. The nice thing is, in times of crisis, everyone pulls together to help out.

Ireland is one place that we are going to try to visit in the next few years. My parents have been there twice already in the past few years. They absolutely love it.

Not so bad being viewed as "backward". I'm not sure what that really means anymore. Are you for or against the EU movement? Where do you think it will take your country? (I guess that's another thread!)



capt_buzzard wrote: Yes you did mention this before in UKRF. Ireland before 1980s was a backward country for so many years. We did not come into the 20th Century until 1988. But I loved the old slow ways about the country then. Now since we joined the European Union (EU) Ireland is now in the Euro club and is fast catching up with other major european cities like London,Paris and Berlin. But not all for the best I might add. We also imported a high crime rate like other cities.

:-5

Great! Look forward to the posting.



jwolf7722 wrote: i am from southern ohio. about 30 min north of cin. what really makes the location special is the area or land the house in on. i will try to post of pictures on here sometime this weekend. i actually live close to a busy road but we live back a long drive way. its really nice and peaceful

Tombstone wrote: Sounds like you are from a very small town.

Are you near the W.V. state line? My Dad is from Ohio. Long line of farmers. He was the first one to "break free". :p

My wife's Dad is from a super small town in the Colorado Rockies. So small, that you could hit a baseball from one end to the other. Talk about gossip!


As a matter of fact, the only thing separating this part of Ohio and WV is the Ohio River. I can be in WV in a matter of minutes. Just a hop, skip, and small jump to the bridge. The town I'm in is much like where your father-in-law is from. It's so small it's called a township. There's 3 townships that run together and the population together would probably less than a small city.

Tombstone wrote: Are you for or against the EU movement? Where do you think it will take your country? (I guess that's another thread!)


Everyone in Ireland *loves* the EU. Everyone in Britian *loves* the EU.

Everyone in the UE *loves* the EU. No-one in the EU thinks any different.

Hello Bill Sikes,

Are from the UK and any relation to the Great Eric Sikes? :guitarist :wah:

for Tombstone Dingle, County Kerry

a t'rrible beauty

capt_buzzard wrote: for Tombstone Dingle, County Kerry


that's a pretty view!

anastrophe wrote: a t'rrible beauty


Thats brookfall in County Wicklow

I'm waiting, :-5

I grew up in Los Angeles but I left in my early 30's. I have also lived in the (San Francisco) Bay Area. The "Laid back" California image is a myth. Informal, yes, but laid-back- not really. California is a very expensive place to live, and we have to work very hard and be very ambitious to live comfortably. Wearing a Hawaiian shirt or having a hot tub doesn't mean you're laid back. We live by the clock and race everywhere in our cars while talking on our cell phones and eating burritos we bought in a drive-through fast food place that looks a like a miniature spanish mission, all the while burning oceans of gasoline. We pull up the spotless concrete driveways of our manicured, suburban homes and press a button to open our garage doors automatically- giving us no contact with our neighbors except on rare occasions. The thing we don't have is time. So we have very few friends and choose them carefully.

Anastrophe (whom I don't know) lives in Sonoma, which is a far nicer place than Tulare County where I live. He will attest that there is a lot of rivalry between Southern and Northern California. Some of this is because Northern is so much nicer, some because Southern has all the population and is stealing water from the north. Central is both deservedly and undeservedly lumped together with Southern (they're taking our water too).

After a seven and a half year stint in Africa, I moved to the Central Coast, in San Luis Obispo. The California coast is so beautiful there and the towns so quaint and arty, the people who live there think they are superior. They don't act conceited or unfriendly, but they think they are the luckiest people on the earth. Below the surface, you find many of them live in fear that their jobs will change or something will happen that will cause them to have to leave, or that their children will not find work and will have to live far away, and they are unhappy about people moving in and bringing more development and traffic. The cost of housing there has doubled in the past five years. It's a touristy paradise where there is a lot of stress boiling just under the surface.

Then I lived in Bakersfield in California's central valley, a flat, arid desert turned into an agricultural wonder by shipping water around. It produces 60% of America's agricultural output. It's cold in the winter and very hot and dry in the summer, and stays hot at night. People in L.A. and S.F. look down on Bakersfield like it's some hick cow town (In some minor ways it is- which I considered an improvement). But very unlike the bigger cities, housing in Bakersfield is very affordable, and because it's growing fast and developers are competitive, new houses are well built, well landscaped and stylish. People who move to the Central Valley from L.A. sell their little, crowded together, worn-out crackerbox houses on streets lined with cars for half a million dollars, and move into a magazine-photo-spread lifestyle for just over two hundred thousand. Meanwhile, farmland disappears. Better acquire an appetite for concrete, wood and stucco, because there will be fewer apples.

My work took me from Bakersfield to an even smaller town, population about ten thousand. I'm surrounded, not by urban crowding, but by hundreds of thousands of acres of orange, nut tree and olive orchards, dairies, farms and ranches. I'm 45 minutes from the gate of one of Amerca's most beautiful national parks, Sequoia, in the Sierra Nevada mountains. But my life is not very different from what it was in L.A. :driving: Ha ha. I doubt California is the real America.

The real America? Wow...tall order there



I grew up in a small agricultural town in Georgia. The whole small town hype is very true...more churches than gas stations, but also more churches than prisons. At least so far! Everybody does know everyone else's business but they also help each other out when times get tough. Family life, hard work, good manners, and respect for the elderly was what I brought with me when I left...plus a secret family recipe for the best iced tea.



My next stop was Chicago. Interesting place. I hated it. (I'm laughing but it's true.) Noisy, dirty, fast, and incredibly rude. More bars than churches. Lots of experiences, though. The food was awesome and I still miss it. There was always something happening from theatre to art exhibits to the best live blues I've ever heard. Sports addicts would love Chicago. The whole mafia thing still goes on - it's easy enough to live with, you just don't let anyone do favors for you. The city is very much alive. I just had a lot of trouble adjusting from the quiet south to the busy in-your-face midwest.



I now live in Oregon. It is some of the most gorgeous country I've ever seen. The people are laid-back in that they are truly ok with you doing your own thing. The food is not very good, but they have some awesome beer here. The people don't hold the same work ethic that Georgia and Chicago holds. Oddly, I find myself being scolded for working too hard. I get annoyed from time to time with the casual pace, but overall I really love the people and the place. Also, the population seems very concerned with politics, and Oregonians are up-to-date on current events (on the whole).



My next stop is unknown - perhaps Vermont.



Not sure if that helps paint any kind of picture for you.

Hi Angie

Welcome



That is a most difficult request. Imagine yourself trying to describe the real England.

I can contribute this much :

I think its fair to say that what is shown on US TV is mostly rubbish and is largely crafted keep you watching long enough to expose you to the commercial drival

that they hope will get you to part with your money. In the end, I am not sure anyone can adequately describe the "real America " because it is made up of so many different life styles and diverse people. Many of us have an idea of what we like to believe is the real America and hopefully some of that will be posted to you here. Good luck with your request.

Its very interesting reading your posts. Real Americans are not really bad guys at all Thanks, :guitarist :-6

We puts on our trousers one leg at a time, just like you

Some folk here believe that there are still the old Western America, like Walton's Mountain and Willow Creek? :guitarist

capt_buzzard wrote: Some folk here believe that there are still the old Western America, like Walton's Mountain and Willow Creek? :guitarist


You won't be disappointed - these places still exist. Everyone has cars and Internet now - but the old fashioned values and the use of one's feet to walk into town is still real.

Many places all over the Country. In the South, Mid-West, Mountain States, NorthEast, West and Northwest. Thank goodness for small towns!

I love the small towns. More stories written about local towns, than any other place. The local church and churchyards, local courthouse, local bar,local cafe/restuarants, bank, and schools/college. There is a story in every town. Yes, that's where all life started from.

Having recently retired to the Coast of Maine after living in a relatively large city

in central Massachusetts - I am discovering what the real America is here vs there. Its as different as night and day.

I left a place where new immagrants it seemed were arriving every month. I watched a nice middle class neighborhood evolve into a multy-ethinic tangle of noise , crime and litter in a period of 4 to 5 years. I watched new people from other cultures readily assume that they were intitled to do just about anything they wanted regardless of how much they disturbed people nearby. To them this was the land of freedom and plenty and they showed no reluctance to take every advantage they could.

The America I live in now is quiet, peacefull, clean and safe. Like some other places in these posts , many people dont lock their doors. In this small town there is a lot of community spirit. There are only small businesses and the "old" ways are still followed in many things. People are respectful of each other and the land

they live on. I feel fortunate to be able to live here. This is the kind of America often portrayed in stories about the rock bound coast and the hard working people who make living here as good as it is. Its not exactly a Norman Rockwell

folio but its pretty darn close.

Hopalong

Jack Sprat wrote: >>This is the kind of America often portrayed in stories about the rock bound coast and the hard working people who make living here as good as it is. Its not exactly a Norman Rockwell folio but its pretty darn close.

Then why does Stephen King make Maine the setting of so many of his horror stories? Yeah, I know he lives there.

Maine is a delightful, relaxed place. I have noticed, though, that the local cops in many of Maine's small towns seem uptight, as if they had to enforce every rule, some of which are only in their minds. A friend of mine was involved with a Maine Judge who said he had to throw out almost half the traffic citations he received bacause the cops made up speed limits, stop signs, and parking rules that did not really exist.


_______________________________________________________________

As you may know Maine is a fairly large and diverse state. Steven King knows there are a lot of remote homesteads inland and especially in the interior northern part of the state. Lots of lakes and privacy and rather strange looking older homes can be found on the seemingly endless back roads. If your around long enough you may find that many of the small towns have there own local spook stories the old timers seem to keep alive. If they know your a tourist or suspect that your a "rich southerner"you could be fresh meat for some of the local tales. True enough , Mr. King has found lots of fodder for his stories in these invirons. He has also contributed a lot to his home state .

There could be some truth in your obsevations about some of the small town police tactics . However I suspect much of it is out of bordom or being a little drunk with power now and again. Keep in mind that those little towns have few revenue sources outside of property taxes and there could be a certain amount of motivation to help the town payroll with traffic fines. Personally I haven't experienced this but I must admit they do try to appear as imposing as they can.

I have lived in a lot of places including Europe for almost three years and I still

wouldn't trade this location for any other.

Hopalong

Jack

Am in a sort of similar situatuation but can still do light work (if I want to)

After your last reply - had a thought to pass along.

Lots of folks around here go south in the winter. Mostly because they can afford it .

Before I retired I investigated Costa Rica as a retirement venue. There are more than 60 thousand Americans living there at least part of the year. Cost of living is approx 60% of what it is in US (average cost)

The requirements to become a part time resident are very reasonable.

You can rent a house with lots of room for gardening for a lot less than a summer home in the US. Needless to say , the weather is some of the best in the western Hemisphere. They have a conservitive but very stable govt and great affordable health care . Lots of Americans go there for cosmetic surgery since most MD's are US trained. If I could , I would spend the winters there myself . As you can imagine the winter here is long if not as bad as it is away from the coast. Its really great for 8 months but the winter can be difficult.

Sounds like you have a good spot where you are. As I recall its pretty nice country . Have traveled some to upstae NY and found it attractive - especially the wine country.

Hopalong

"backward". LOL if it means no running water I'll pass. If it means you don't have to lock your doors I'm all for it.

I grew up in a small town but it has grown so much I only see people I know every now and then.

__________________

Lotto

http://www.flalottomagic.net/cgi-lo...cgi?welcome-344

Magic

Whoa! wrote: I live in Georgia, yes the great heart of the south. We have atlanta, one of the largest and busiest metropolitan areas in the world and we have some places where you could toss a rock from one side of town to the other side (underhanded in a lot of cases). I live in a neighborhood area of a small town. My house dates back to 1906, everybody knows and speaks to their neighbors, you hold doors open for the strangers, we say please, thank you, and you're welcome, we go to church on sundays, we use the word "y'all", we have sunday dinners at gramma's house (fried chicken, greens, mac and cheese, cornbread, the works!). We are southern but not hillbillies. We are proud of our heritage and our homes. We love our country (although maybe not person in charge of running it on some occasions). I wish everyone could know first-hand the joy of a small southern town the way I do. Anyway I've rambled on long enough thanks for listening.


What you have just described is the type of America I would love to see. We're doing the Disneyland thing with the kids in August but me and hubby have always spoken about travelling around the 'Real America'. I've only ever seen it in films. We'd love to pack up and travel round for a couple of years. Wonder how far we'd get ?! :driving:

smithy87 wrote: What you have just described is the type of America I would love to see. We're doing the Disneyland thing with the kids in August but me and hubby have always spoken about traveling around the 'Real America'. I've only ever seen it in films. We'd love to pack up and travel round for a couple of years. Wonder how far we'd get ?! :driving:


Do it! Sounds wonderful and would be fun. The MEDIA usually only reports on the big cities where all the action is...errr....crime. Hollywood loves to film in these large decayed urban areas as well. The vast majority of this Country is wonderful and scenic.

Disneyland will be great fun. Don't forget to go to Universal Studios if you have the time. You'll really love that as well.

Just remember: Southern California reflects the rest of this country as much as a dim flashlight shining on a chunk of black coal.

This is a really interesting thread. I've enjoyed reading all of it.

I live in Missouri and pretty much the same area all my life. The little town I grew up in (Billings) had a population of 911, which I jokingly tell people is why I became a paramedic. Its not grown much either as I found a great site on the internet that showed its 2000 pop. at 1,091.

Billings is not even a mile wide. Growing up, we never locked our doors or cars, usually even leaving the keys in them at night. Windows were always open as we didn't have air conditioning growing up. Seemed everyone had a garden and the older generations seem to always can everything they grew---then shared with the entire family. Lots of walkers too, who seemed to always stop and visit with people who were outside. A lot of porch sitters too, always welcoming a visit as well.

I remember gossip was rampant and everyone knew everyone else's business, which I hated.

Area business's were a Dairy Queen, 2-3 "mom and pop" diners (one which I held my first job as a dishwasher), a caseys, a "mom and pop" car wash, a few "mom and pop" convience stores, feed store, small engine repair, car repair shop, 2 real small factories....and thats about it. Last time I was there, there wasn't much added either.

Fun growing up included sitting at the "4-way stop" in the middle of town and watching traffic, driving back roads and doing wild things or sitting in the parking lot of the latest hang-out, usually one of the convienence stores. Oh yea, and trying to get one of the older people to buy beer

Oh yea, and my graduating class had 23.

Now (16 years later) I live in Nixa, just south of Springfield ( and just barely south, some say we'll be suburb of Springfield someday). Population here is 12, 124 and just over 6 miles wide, whoa. I've lived in Springfield and it was just too "busy" for me. I like Nixa because its not small town like Billings, but not huge and crazy like Springfield. A lot more to choose from here as far as things to do. A small bowling alley, several places to eat (Applebees, Backyard Burgers, Ruby Tuesdays, Wendy's, McDonalds, Burger King, Braums, Pizza Hut, Godfathers, couple of Chinese joints, just to name a few. No 'mom and pop' diners, I think all the franchises ran them ot of business, which is kind of sad. Have to go back to small town if you want those.

Walmart is less than a mile away, almost walking distance, but I never walk.

1 High School, I think 1 Jr High, and 5 or 6 elementary schools.....as opposed to all grades being at one location in Billings.

Here, I lock my doors and secure my vehicles in the garage. Not that there is a ton of crime here like in St Louis or KC, but enough TV shows that pertain to the nuts out there who prey on small towns or come from smaller towns. So, I'm the nervous type. Anytime there is a murder or something of the like, people are surprised. Whereas in larger cities, I think the thought is, "oh well, another one".

Another thing I like is the malls, colleges, activities of all kinds, are only about 15-20 minutes away in Springfield. So still close to the action but not right in it.

Tombstone wrote: Do it! Sounds wonderful and would be fun. The MEDIA usually only reports on the big cities where all the action is...errr....crime. Hollywood loves to film in these large decayed urban areas as well. The vast majority of this Country is wonderful and scenic.

Disneyland will be great fun. Don't forget to go to Universal Studios if you have the time. You'll really love that as well.

Just remember: Southern California reflects the rest of this country as much as a dim flashlight shining on a chunk of black coal.


We'd love to and will probably talk about it seriously when the kids leave school in a couple of years. We'd have to sort the boring stuff out first like our jobs!

Wonder where the best place is to start? Any suggestions...? :rolleyes:

An educative thread. I like it.