Midmodfan, what you've written down counts for me too. And I love that everything here can be done by bicycle.
Making a three hour drive by car, I'm in any other country, with a quite different culture and language. I love that!

Location. Clean water. Clean air. We live about 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver, which is perfect for us. We have all of the benefits of being near the ocean, lakes, rivers ,mountains and beautiful walking/ biking trails, with the city being not too close, but easy enough to get to if we so choose. The gorgeous Sunshine Coast is a 45 min. ferry trip away, and you get there by driving the Sea to Sky highway to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal... and see some of the most stunning coastal views along the way. Plus, we are only a 4 hour car trip away from BC's gorgeous wineries and vineyards...We LOVE where we live!

Family!

The neighbors, everyone in our 34 home development is friendly welcoming, caring, always something going on love it!

I feel lucky every day just to have a home! I know so many people who do not. Helping the homeless is not abstract to me...I actively do something about it almost every day. Contrary to some peoples' opinions, it is not always the homeless person's fault. I feel very fortunate to be able to help people who have no means find stability and shelter and security.

A wall of floor-to-ceiling windows looking out to our incredible lake view.

Well if I got really lucky with the lottery I might live somewhere else. But for our working lives we are lucky to live where I can get to work in less then 10 minutes with traffic and hubby can catch a train to his office when the car is in the shop. Kids can walk to good schools and some shopping. Best of all is the community support of the Arts and my network of arty friends and colleagues. I'd miss them if I won the lottery and could buy a beach house or acres in the woods.

the best part of where I live is all my great neighbors...they are such a blessing

Western meadowlarks singing when I am outside.....

No traffic snarls.

What do we have in our district? Lovely hills, coast, animals to see everyday, heritage buildings, fishing, hunting, shopping, banks, and a bus to the city.

little bay, 15mins from the CBD of sydney and somehow in the middle of nowhere. look it up on google maps, you will be amazed.

Walking distance to all kinds of fun stuff--restaurants, concerts, stores, art galleries--and yet still be in a safe neighborhood and have a garden. I'm going to miss that next year.

Best part of where I live is family. Married children live less than 15 minutes away. Ten grandchildren all attend same school system. Some days I get to see everyone. Oh and they all love to come to grandma's and romp through the woods.

The Midwest people are the best in the world. Can't beat the cost of living in ohio. And our fall is bee-yoo-ti-ful!

I missed this on the 13th - but I HAVE to comment. I live on the eastern end of Long Island, NY, a place over-run by white-tailed deer who like nothing better then to devour almost everything growing in people's yards. The luckiest part of living where I do, is that my house is situated between three major arteries and the railroad tracks - this might sound awful, but out where I am, its quite bucolic, AND the deer don't venture across these boundaries - making my block a deer-free zone!

Having all four seasons! Also, Oregon is such a beautiful area with plenty of produce and great hiking trails!

So much to say about San Francisco, but to sum it up... art, culture, nightlife, people that truly inspire me and real living!

Dawson and Clinton...good to hear about San Francisco....our son is moving there soon....any reasonable places for young professional to look to live? Thanks:)

*we live in New Jersey so can't be much help to him....and we live by the beach, so we love it!!

I love just about everything about my Colorado home, but one of the best things is the pretty open space just out from our deck/backyard. The natural grasses in the fall are amazing!

The beach is only about 20 minutes away :)

There's too much to love about living in San Francisco to narrow it down to one thing!

I live in a heritage home with friendly neighbours, everything within walking distance - groceries, restaurants, coffee places, furniture and jewellery stores,etc. Close to downtown where there are even more amenities and opportunities to go to movies, plays, museums, symphony, more restaurants. I could go on and on. My home is beautiful with lovely light and good flow (no, it's not open concept). Yard upkeep keeps me exercised but not overwhelming. I even have my grandchildren in the same medium-sized city. I love where I live...can't you tell?!

Oh let me see...
Working & living in the Sacramento, CA area is such a genuine pleasure!
Knowing that I reside in close proximity to such POLITCAL & Legislative GENIUS is simply mind-boggling! NOT!

However, being an hour+ away from mountains, beaches, high desert, and minutes away from rivers & lakes (when the idiots downtown allow water) has it's benefit.
Also... the airport is close enough to allow prompt evacuation when you feel like your head will explode! haha

We bought into an established, older neighborhood (1980's), and got the perk of a 1/2 acre yard with all of our neighbors homes on similar sized lots. They are adding an addition to the rear of the neighborhood, and the developer is putting at least 2 (larger) houses on the same size lot that my home is built on. As an added bonus, very few homes in our neighborhood have the same floorplan. I can't stand that catalogue appearance! Our property ends a few hundred feet from a state-owned ridge, so we have no neighbors behind us and enjoy the foliage and wildlife right from our patio.

My home is within 10 minutes to two major interstate systems (which are viewed across town from each other by major roadway routes), so we are right outside two major shopping areas--but still get all the perks of rural living, and none of the city-limit taxes. Plus, this neighborhood is 45 seconds from a state highway which is becoming developed...so soon we won't even have to go that far!

It's in our home state of California..........................love being back.

I'm 20 minutes away from the city, walking distance to a stunning beach, shops, restaurants and parks, and most importantly I'm close to my family (my parents are 2 blocks away) and friends. What more could I ask for?

California sun!!!!!!

We have a view of a fourteener right around the corner -

Our view.

I know it's corny, but i'm a romantic fool, thus i can live anywhere and like it as long i have my lady clo.

Ahh...Curt, so sweet!

Gulf coast beach of pure white sand and friendly neighbors in Gulf Breeze, Florida.

We live in London, UK in the flat in an old 1790s Georgian house. We have a south facing balcony looking at the gardens and greens. We have a lucky (tricolour) cat and lucky tree (Pachira Aquatica) :)

I feel Lucky living in the heart of Antwerp city, Belgium in a very 'crowded' migrant area. Every single day I come across a new fruit or food in the market stalls. Sometimes am taken by surprise when I see my own delicacies from my country in a land so far from home. And there is a huge park where bbqs and jogging are possible. Living close to a tram line is a huge plus because one can party till late.

Having a huge garden in the city

Living in the suburbs in North Carolina, close to the city but have a horse barn across the street! Very quiet!! I am also close to my family only 10 minutes away with all the benefits a city can bring.

Nearly 360 degree panoramic view of 4th of July fireworks displays from a hilltop in our neighborhood! Must have been 20 of them at once last night. (Milwaukee suburbs)

I'm in Door County Wisconsin. I love living in Door because no matter where you are you are never more than 10 min from the water. The wonderful quaint towns and all the art culture

Chesapeake, VA/ Hampton Roads section. The accessibility. We are only a 15 drive on the hwy from my husband's work. Anything we need is right around us. Shopping, food, activities for kids and adults. The area has many options for everything. We're not military but huge supporters and it is a military centric location which is really good for our local economy. Good schools, great public areas, lots of museums of any kind. I don't really have any fault with it.

We live at a higher elevation in the Chuckanut Mountains, which are the foothills to the Cascade Mountains in south Bellingham, Washington. Beautiful area. I love our neighborhood, as it is a PUD, which tends to keep property values high. Most homes have beautiful landscaping, and show pride of ownership. I love that we are close to whale watching and the San Juan Islands, as well as the mountains. We are about 25 miles south of the Canadian border, and 80 miles north of Seattle. There is always something interesting and fun to do.

We live in Northern Norway, near Bodø, great for hiking, high mountains and deep fjords. Northern Lights (Aurora polaris) in winter and midnight sun in the summer.

It doesn't snow, bermuda

We have an indoor and outdoor pool in the neighborhood, which was a huge reason for picking this location. Having young kids, that pool keeps my youngest busy for hours. I the past year I started riding my bike almost daily and I have found miles and miles of trails around here.

We have chosen to live in the Yukon in northern Canada because of the midnight sun, the beautiful unending and unspoiled vistas and the northern lights….and of course the bears.

I live three blocks from downtown Chattanooga,I have a Publix being built right across from me,my husband is a mail carrier and walks to work two blocks,live in a safe area

Skagitnana, where are you? We live up the hill from Lake Padden. I wish when we moved to this area, we would have waited a little longer to buy a home, because I would have bought in Skagit, either at the higher elevations in Mt Vernon or Anacortes. Your area has more to offer for what used to be our lifestyle.

The weather here is beautiful for 3/4s of the year. Three of the four seasons are spectacular. Last Thanksgiving, we ate outside because it was such a lovely day!!!

The walk to my truck isn't very far, so I'm able to drive anywhere else but where I live quickly.

Sunshine State Florida!