8.05.2004

 

Jeannette has once again gotten me into trouble...

Jeannette had a post on her web site about a quiz she took that gave her a list of ideal cities in which to live, based on her answers. Since it's a summer afternoon and I had nothing better to do, I took the quiz myself. It asked questions about weather, cultural life, ideal community size, public vs. private schools, target home price, outdoor activities, etc. I loved it for its completeness before I even got my results.

My top place to live, according to this site? Charleston, WV. My grandparents live there and my mom grew up there. I've been there dozens of times. Now, Mimi, before you get all excited, I'm not packing my bags just yet. A few things would have to happen for us to come there. (1) WVU would have to be looking to hire a music theorist when I'm finishing my degree, (2) I would have to WANT to teach there, and right now, I know nothing about any music programs they might have, and (3) Jack would have to find a job there. I found it fascinating that Charleston was my top place, even if we never live there (though I could imagine it would make several members of both our families VERY excited). My other top places in order were Little Rock, AK (why??); Frederick, MD; Baltimore, MD (we LOVE Baltimore!); Hartford, CT; and Providence, RI. They give everyone 24 cities total, but some are basically out of the question, like Baton Rouge and New Orleans, which incidentally made both my and Jeannette's lists. I don't want to live here after I'm done. The public schools and politics are both crap.

Anyway, it's an interesting survey that I highly recommend if you're looking to use up ten or fifteen minutes of your day.

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Comments:

From Mom:
A correction: WVU is in Morgantown, WV (3 hr. northeast of Charleston but only 90 miles south of Pittsburgh, PA); Charleston has the University of Charleston (formerly Morris Harvey College). Nearby are WV State College and WV Tech. Marshall University is in Huntington, and there are several small, liberal arts schools elsewhere in WV.
 
Jeannette here:

Heh,heh, heh. I know, aren't those quizzes deadly?? Hey, you and I had a lot of the same. Balto, Providence, and Little Rock. What's up with Little Rock? Is there some secret there?? The thought of Arkansas makes me cringe! 'Course. Louisiana didn't do a lot for me until I moved here, either. Weird. I'm kind of intrigued. I wouldn't mind living in New Orleans for hte rest of my life, however...I would seriously have to consider Catholic school. Ain't no way I'm sending my kid to an LA public school.
 
of COURSE you love baltimore, and you always have somewhere to stay...
love ya
 
I'm not sure if my comment posted just now, because blogger made me re-login and never gave me the confirmation page. Anyway, here it is again....

What a great website! My top 5 were Portland, OR, Hartford CT, New Haven CT, Baltimore MD, Providence RI, and Little Rock AK. Maybe there is something with Little Rock, because that was one of mine too. Our lists are actually pretty similar, E! Probably because we both answered that culture & education opportunities are important. A bigger city or metropolitan area is probably best for us, realistically, since at this point Steve & I are both thinking that university research/teaching jobs are what we want. We've talked about Washington DC/Baltimore, Chicago, Raleigh, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Boston, etc. The downside of bigger cities, though, is the INSANE real estate prices. A woman who was a post-doc research associate at PSU my first year is now living in the DC area with her husband (also a psychology PhD), and they are easily making over $150,000 but couldn't buy a 700-square foot one-bedroom apartment for less than $200,000. :-O
 
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