What's it like where you live?

Okay, this is actually the first topic I have started here, and it's not even anything to do with music!!

I was just wondering where people come from here, I mean so many of you have just a state name or country but not much else... call me curious

I'll start ok?

Lighting Ridge, Australia is a little opal mining town with anywhere between 2500 and 9000 people living in it (hard to tell because of a transient population and many, MANY people hiding here from the law/family/ex-wives etc.) Most of them spend their time down a hole, on a farm or at the pub/bowling club.
For those who know the layout of Aus, the Ridge is in the centre of the Queensland/New South Wales border. Consequently we are hot and dry most of the year round, it is coming into winter now and we have only just dipped below 30 degrees celcius ... we only get 2 weeks tops of 'winter'.
The land is flat.... we have one hill... for a radius of about 30 minutes to an hours drive in any direction (and thats at 140km/h!. There is not much in the way of grass surrounding the town but somehow the townsfolk manage to keep their lawns green (I guess it's a perk of bore water) and we get maybe three good rains a year (last week was the first one for the year) leaving the place full of dust and flies (and sweat) for most of the year.
there's not much else to say about my little town so...

now it's your turn.

Thanks for starting a topic, and such a good one!

I can't say much about where I live that hasn't already been said. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I hope you find these images interesting (just things I found on the internet):

(warning, these are huge files)

Panoramic view from Twin Peaks (mov file)
Natural Summer Air Conditioning
Bay Bridge and downtown from space

I live in a gold rush era Italianate cottage; here is a particularly ornate example:

We live in Wichita Falls, TX which is a modern small city of 100,000+ people. It is in far N. Texas and next to Oklahoma. We get 30 inches of rain a year so we are green. Southern US city with a mild climate. We get to 10 degrees F in the winter and 100 degrees in the summer. Dallas and Ft Worth and Oklahoma City are each 2 hours drive away. We are a mixed culture of Western US, Mexican Americans, Southern US ideas, and big Texas pride and ideas. However it is NOT like movie presentations of such. It never was like John Wayne, Dallas, or such portrays.

We have a big Air Force base and all of the modern university and culture events. One can major in piano at the local university.

I live up in Haverhill, Massachusetts, which is about 55 minutes north of Boston. The city was once one of the largest shoe manufacturing centers in the world. There are no longer any shoe manufacturers in the city at this time. Sadly this industry has off-shored first to Brazil and now Asia so there are many empty mills that are becoming condominiums and small offices. The only active real factory left in the city is the new Mason & Hamlin operation.

We have a very varied climate here that ranges from cold, and I mean down right cold in the winters (-10F/-23C) to sweltering steamy hot summers with 96% humidity (95F/35C). The weather can also change from extremely humid to extremely dry in the same day, and the temperature can vary as much as 20 degrees up or down within a 24 hour period or even sometimes less.

The terrain is very hilly, and the soil is fertile, but rocky. These particular hills are unique to New England, and are called drumlins. They are very steep on one side, and smooth on the other. They range in height from 268 feet (79 meters) to over 300 feet (100 m) in height, and were formed during the ice age. The steepest hills in the city have railings on the buildings so people can climb up during the winter.

Haverhill used to have a college, but it closed about 5 years ago. We do, however, have plenty of other universities nearby and in Boston and Cambridge are the 3 conservatories, New England, Boston, and Longy as well as the Berklee School of Music.

John

Long Island is famous for its beaches. I live on the south shore of Long Island in a hamlet called Oakdale, in the township of Islip. Oakdale is known for its summer residences of the Vanderbilts and Roosevelts. Now colleges or parks, these beautiful homes still welcome visitors during all seasons. The summers on LI are hot and humid. The north shore is warmer than the south shore as the ocean breezes keep us cooler. The north shore is also very rocky where the south shore is sandy and considered an outwash plain, a gift of the glaciers. Beaches on the south shore are white and sandy, where on the north shore they are rocky and boast many clifs. Located on the Great South Bay, Oakdale is close to Fire Island a barrier beach which runs the length of the Island. About 160 miles long, LOng Island is famous also for its twin forks. The north fork is very much like New England with its tiny, quaint towns. The south shore is know for the Hamptons, the playground for many celebrities. Billy Joel just purchased a new home in there in one of the small towns located around the Hamptons. His 18 million dollar home is much smaller than his 32 million home he just sold.

Long Island has many colleges and universities. SUNY at Stony Brook is located on the campus with its teaching hospital. St. John's University is now located on the Borne Mansion grounds on the south shore.

Close to Manhattan, Just about one hour away on a good day, Long Islanders have the benifits of a suburban lifestyle and the energy of a major city. Oakdale has a rich history which dates back to the early 1700's where the first Caroline Church still stands dating back to 1765. St. John's was a meeting place during the civil war where run away slaves were held captive.

Oakdale has many cultural events includiing Bay Arts, Symphony and Creative Ministries for live theater. Sayville, Oakdale's neighboring town is the gateway to Fire Island's Cherry Grove, and Sunken Forest at Sailor's Haven. All points along the south shore have ferry service to various parts of Fire Island.

Oakdale is a small, quiet town with a varied popoulation. Its residents take pride in their community and enjoy the easy lifestyle of a seashore community.

Why not pay us a visit? Just 50 min. East from Penn Station in NYC via the Long Island Rail Road.

Thanks for replying guys.. this is most interesting for me, the only states I've been to there are California and Hawaii... this is fun

Love to but..... I'm in Australia.... and don't get a long break until summer.... and this summer I promised to stay at home and soak up the rays with my friends... and I spent all my money on international travelling the past 2 years

Maybe one day I will do a tour of the U.S.A and come visit all of these interesting places!