50 States and DC Ranked in Order by Livability of their Better Areas; according to crystalk

8-19-02 | crystalk

[Arioch7]

Sorry, Mr. Diet! Well, after this years INSANE budget Mass looks less appealing then ever. The taxes they imposed are nuts. They cut the personal exemption IN HALF!!! This exemption HELPS the poor, who they supposedly care about.

I wont name all of the increases but put it this way, it is the largest(Arguably,... sort of.) tax increase in Mass history!!! For this state that is nothing short of amazing and scary to.

Austingirl, yeah... it drives me crazy to. The ballot votes last election were more conservative then me! Yet, they elect people who overturn the ballot questions that THEY voted for!?!?!?

Its like merry old england here and we peasants pay for the Elites fancies. Disgusting.

[CJinVA]

but don't go more than 5 or 10 miles W or NW

What in the world are you talking about? We’re soon moving 40 miles west of I81. Highland County, Va., beautiful county, hunting, fishing, Maple sugar.

You must be city folk. lol

Highland County

Welcome to Highland County, often referred to as "Virginia's Switzerland". This land of high mountain valleys, sheep and cattle grazing farms and vast woodlands is known for its pristine scenic beauty and rural charm. It is one of the least populated counties in the east and boasts one of the highest mean elevations of any county east of the Mississippi River. Originally settled by Scotch/Irish highlanders and German immigrants, Highland is now an eclectic mix of native farm families and new residents drawn to the high quality of life.

Points of Interest McDowell Battlefield - Civil War site, Monterey - County Seat, Blue Grass Valley - Spectacular scenery in a farming environment, Virginia Trout Company, Maple Sugar Orchards, Highland Wildlife Management Area, George Washington National Forest.

Tourism Visitors come to Highland County to enjoy outdoor recreational activities. Special attractions include the Highland Maple Festival held each March, the McDowell Battlefield and peak foliage colors in autumn. The Highland Maple Festival takes visitors back to earlier days when trees where opened and sugar water was boiled down to make syrup. Maple Sugar camps throughout the county welcome visitors to view the process of syrup making.

Climate Highland County's climate consists of moderately cold winters and comfortable cool summers. The normal average temperature is 47.6 degrees fahrenheit with summer temperatures averaging 70-80 degrees. The average annual precipitation is 42 inches.

History Highland County was formed in 1847 from Bath and Pendleton counties. The county encompasses 416 square miles of spectacular mountain terrain and received its name from its prevailing high altitude. Highland County is rich in historic tradition. The Battle of McDowell was waged in Highland County during the Civil War. This was a significant battle in Stonewall Jackson's 1862 Valley Campaign. Monterey, the county seat, was established in 1848. Highland County is also rich in its natural resources. Agriculture plays a major role in Highland's economy.

Highland

[crystalk]

Well, I ranked it only #10. It has Wal Mart headquarters too. Lots of space and not too cold.

Perhaps in your case, you could stick to just #'s one through 4, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and South Carolina.

[Lady Jag]

Have you decided where you would move if you left Mass.? And what parameters would you consider as making it a desirable place? Politics is a given, okay; if i left Mass. I'd look for a more conservative place.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

30. Washington [S half and E quarter really better than popular Seattle area in NW]

LOL! There are few places in the country more depressing than eastern Washington, and southern Washington is not much better. PuhLEEZE! Puget Sound, in spite of the lefties, is one of the nicest and most beautiful places to live on the entire west coast.

[Kozak]

Well, I could live with Virginia. Always wanted to be a Virginian, certainly has blessed us with many of our greatest people, in fact I have a T shirt with a map of the US from the original Elizabethan land grant in which "Virginia" encompases almost all of the US. The caption is " In the beginning all America was Virginia...."

[crystalk]

Been there too, stayed 4 times at the Homestead, note all I said it was better FOR LIVING if one didn't go up that far and remote and too close to WVA, see #25, which is a big comedown from #3.

Beautiful, remote, unspoiled, and delightfully cool in summer, but a long way away from any really adequate town offering full services. Covington isn't much, you will find yourself going down to Staunton or even Charlottesville, Roanoke, or Lynchburg quite often.

And in WINTER! Winters are quite long at the Homestead. Cabin fever, no town near? So steep, so mountainous, so few towns to offer wrecker services, or a chance to ride the bus in snowy weather.

For instance, one could be almost as cool in summer, and live at Wytheville on both I-81 and I-77, and have large community hospital, fine community college, and instant transportation by car to anywhere in the East.

You are obviously someone whose remoteness and isolation preference exceeds mine, just as another poster has said mine exceeds hers.

[Arioch7]

I am marking this thread but it will be a long reply and I have to go so I will answer you soon

To long to do in a short time, so I will give you a good answer by tomoorow. MOO!

[crystalk]

There is a key error in your Highland Co. blurb.

It says July (midsummer) temperatures average 70 to 80 degrees. That is the MIDDAY AVERAGE HIGH, not the daily average, and it will go down and hoot at 55-60 deg every night in July up there, so the overall average July temp up there is a cool 68.9 degrees.

You are preferring cooler and more remote, nothing wrong with that. You could get that same climate at the Wintergreen townhouses high atop the Blue Ridge in Nelson County (Walton's Mtn) and have just one quick skidoo straight downhill to major towns and services on all sides, though.

Or much the same anywhere between Christiansburg and Blacksburg, and Abingdon, along I-81 in the southwest part of Va.

But there, you wouldn't get those AYCE buffets at the Homestead. Nowhere ELSE to eat in Highland Co, though, would it get old? Or fat?

[crystalk]

The very, very loveliest stretch of road in South Carolina is state highway 11. Start at Gaffney just west of Charlotte, and drive on west along the edge of the mountains for some 100 miles until the road ends near Clemson Univ. and the Georgia border near Clayton, GA and the famous Dillard House restaurant.

Be sure to stop for country buffet meals for about $5 or 6 incl sweet tea at the Gowensville crossroad, which also has two golf courses even though it is supposedly in the middle of nowhere.

Hang gliders and UFOs are both seen frequently around Glassy Bald if you know where I am talking about.

[CJinVA]

remoteness and isolation lol. Rural.

Highlands 40 miles from I-81 & Staunton. Staunton's pop is over 25,000. Nice little town. Lots to do there. The Homestead is in W.VA. Not really very close to Highland county. Highland has a medical center now, but I think if you have something serious they fly ya to the hospital in Waynesboro. We're looking for a place to retire. I couldn't think about retiring near a big city. Costs tooo much. In Highland you can get 50 acres and a nice 3 br house for under $200k.

wrecker service? What the hells that? lol

[crystalk]

No, you are mistaken. The Homestead is in Virginia, at Hot Springs in Highland County.

What you are thinking of is the more massive Greenbrier, the one with the underground bomb shelter for Congress, at White Sulphur Springs in West Va., which isn't more than some one hour's drive away from the Homestead.

Be glad it IS there, otherwise no good place to eat till Staunton at least. Golf, skiing. Bars, lovely. High tea served at 4pm, harps and pianos in grand lounge, 1900-era ambiance.

[crystalk]

Its what you need when you slide off and get stuck trying to get off that 50 acres and down that lo o ong driveway in the snowy four months of the year in Highland COunty.

Then the narrow, winding, mountain 2 lane road in the snow is not much better, with Virginians who know little about snow loose on it. Just go skiing at the Homestead.

[CJinVA]

with Virginians who know little about snow I bet ya the Virginians living in Highland county know how to drive in the snow. Virginians get a bad rap about driving poorly in the snow. It's not the Virginians who can't drive in the snow. It's all the transients from out of state who come here for jobs in D.C that cause all the problems. Every 4 or 8 years we get a new crop of them with each new adminstration. The Carter years were the worse.

[crystalk]

At Lynchburg we gathered at the windows and looked down on the city as snow fell, and it was just a screaming circus on all those steep hills, it was like bumper cars going all the way down to the bottom, just like San Francisco had snow LOL.

Police would finish their report on one accident, and the same car would budge, skid again, and hit something else, and another report would have to be filed.

Always took the city bus if snow threatened, my 64 Cad's delicately chiseled features were too precious to risk in the Hill City in the Snow.

[Libertina]

Whew! With our HUGE deficit (bond rating likely to be downgraded), high taxes and extremist liberal morons - I'm surprised that Washington registered as high as 30! Eastern part is nice though, and it is a beautiful state. Too bad the rotten "apples" don't move out. :)

[razorbak]

It suggests the Northeast part of Arkansas? I lived all but about 10 of my 47 years in Arkansas -- the Northeast and Northwest. The Northeast is flat, swampy, produces hordes of mosquitos and is ugly. The Northwest is mountainous, beautiful, cooler at night, no mosquitos, is the Conservative stronghold of the state [always votes against Slick], has far higher economic growth than the NE. I now live in Northeast Florida.

[crystalk]

As shown at top, it was NW 56% of the State of Arkansas that I recommended as better than the remainder.

You and I must think alike, though, for we are both here in NE Fla now.

[xp38]

Ah Meridian Ms. I just drove through it recently....the hometown of actress Sela Ward accoding to one of the billboards. :)

[Paulus Invictus]

And more libs per square mile than anywhere else. They have consistently voted for Kennedys forever. That plas their taxes puts them at the bottom.