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How many cities??

pinto

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I currently live at my 25th address ... and I've been here almost 13 years. That is 8 states (including DC) and 14 towns .. .24 addresses in my first 30 years. I just plain ruined people's address books.
 

Magnatude

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
That got me curious -- I just counted and I've lived at 24 addresses, though some of those are within the same city/town/locality. Weirdly the name of the street I live in now is the same as the first street I ever lived in, just in a different city.

I've only lived in 10 different places (four cities in NZ, plus London, Brighton, Eastbourne, and West Sussex countryside (all UK), and St Anton, Austria, and Tignes, France). Obviously visited/stayed in a bunch more.

The UK has a slightly different take on what defines a city: if it has a (generally Anglican diocesan) cathedral, it's a city. Thus St David's in Wales, pop 1200, is a city, whereas cathedral-less Eastbourne (which would be a city here in NZ, with a population closer to 100,000) is not. Brighton and Hove, which also lacks a cathedral, but has around 500,000 people, was only recognised as a (combined) city in modern times. The cathedral thing dates from some edict of Henry VIII, around the time he set up the Church of England. Here in NZ, city definition is less formal and seems to be mainly population-based. Most urban areas are governed locally by a city council and rural areas by a district council, though there are one or two exceptions, such as Gisborne, which has a district council not a city council, but is still recognised as a city. I know, yawn ....
 

litterbug

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Here's my list of places where I've had addresses. I used a random number of 10,000 for cities; towns smaller than that are in parentheses. Of course, this doesn't include the five parks I worked at except for Assateague, where I lived in Berlin because the island was entirely undeveloped.


Bridgeport, CT
Stratford, CT
Easton, CT
(Red Hook, NY)
(Tivoli, NY)
NY, NY
Binghamton, NY
(Bluff, UT)
(Manitou Springs, CO)
(Moab, UT) (7,000 in 1985-89)
(Berlin, MD)
SLC, UT

As for cities and towns visited, I couldn't even begin to count, but I've visited (as opposed to driven through or taken a train across) at least 22 of the United States including Puerto Rico, seven European countries, and Mexico. Incredibly, I've never set foot in Canada!

If we're using addresses, I've moved five times within Salt Lake, not including three different apartments within one of those buildings, along with multiple addresses in other towns and cities--two in Red Hook, three in Binghamton, four in Moab, and four in NYC, as well as three while housed in parks. Now I've lost count, but add in the five parks and I think we're talking around 30 addresses. Whew!
 

Jenny

Angel Diva
Altagirl - The Ferns is where we stayed when we were there, too! But we had a car.

Like I said, we used that as our northern base for a few days, and ventured out on day trips to Conwy, Carnarfon, Anglesey, and Chester. Also Dolwyddelan, a must see as it features heavily in one of my favorite books. Actually, the whole north of Wales does.

I'd go back there in a heartbeat.
 

abc

Banned
I currently live at my 25th address ... and I've been here almost 13 years. That is 8 states (including DC) and 14 towns .. .24 addresses in my first 30 years. I just plain ruined people's address books.
I don't count moving around the same general area as "new experience".

New address doesn't really mean anything else other than a different roof over my head. For example, I moved from one tiny village on Long Island to another tiny village on Long Island only 5 miles away. There's nothing special about the second address. I still went back to the same grocery store even!

Never mind when I was in college, I moved just about every year, down 2 street from the previous address, and back up 3 blocks the next year...etc.

Also, living in Forest Hill, Queens is totally forgettable experience, it was merely a stepping stone to move to Manhattan. Now THAT was exciting! But now I'm living about 50 mile north of it, I still feel like I'm living in the same general area. Why? When I want good Chinese food? I go back to New York City. Classical concert? Going back to Manhattan. Broadway shows? Back to the City...

So I don't count my current address as "another city" (never mind it isn't a city by ANY definition). I'm still living in the general vicinity of the same city I've been living on and off for the past 15+ years, albeit with about 5-6 different addresses...
 

abc

Banned
I wasn't either ... just chatting. :-) I lived in a lot of houses when I was younger.
Actually, what strikes me as interesting is, when I was younger, moving to a different house WAS exciting. New room shape, new furniture... all that was "different". Looking back, it's just naivity. I hadn't seen much then so everything was "new".

Now, I don't like moving so much, because there's "nothing new" but just hassle of rearranging furniture... Unless, of course, I'm moving to some very different place like, a different country with different culture!
 

Magnatude

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I must be naive then, because I have always found shifting to a new house exciting, even as an adult and even in the same city! I quite enjoy rearranging furniture, art, etc. We haven't moved for a few years, but will have to find another place to live soon (I hope) while this one is being repaired (whenever that might be :rolleyes:).
 

abc

Banned
I quite enjoy rearranging furniture, art, etc.
Different stroke for different folks then.

I found rearranging furniture mind-numbingly boring and waste of my free time, especially when it gets in the way of time for skiing and biking! I spend the minimal time required to re-acquire a reasonably comfortable working/living environment, and resume with my life at the earliest momet!

Needless to say, I don't like to move and only do so when it's really neccesary.
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
Altagirl - The Ferns is where we stayed when we were there, too! But we had a car.

Like I said, we used that as our northern base for a few days, and ventured out on day trips to Conwy, Carnarfon, Anglesey, and Chester. Also Dolwyddelan, a must see as it features heavily in one of my favorite books. Actually, the whole north of Wales does.

I'd go back there in a heartbeat.

Oh we had a car... we just decided it would be nice to get out of the car and walk and thought it was way closer. Haha or maybe I was sick of driving - the girls I was with didn't mention to me that they were not willing to try driving on the "wrong" side of the road, so despite it being their car, I drove the entire trip after we got off the ferry. I will say, driving an American car on the left side of the road makes it extra weird.... I digress... even further! But we also went to Carnarfon, Canterbury, Aberystwythe, Bibury, saw Stonehenge and.... can't quite remember where else, but it was a lot of fun. I think we only stayed in most places one or two nights.
 

Mom of Redheads

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Well, I find this kind of interesting, if for no other reason than I seem to have traveled and lived in more areas than MOST people I know, but not as many as some of you ladies!

*I've been to (at least spent the night) 38 states; I've traveled to maybe a dozen other countries for short trips/vacations.

*I've lived in Oregon, Washington, Illinois, New Hampshire, Virginia, Massachusetts, Maryland, Delaware and NJ, and also Holland, Scotland, France, and Japan for shorter periods of time!

Compared to some of my college classmates who traveled around Europe on a Eurail pass for a month, I haven't been to many countries at all. Compared to military families, I haven't lived in many states at all.

I currently live in a town where people say "I didn't grow up near here" if they grew up in the nearby town where the nearest McDonalds is. My street, maybe 2 miles long, passes through - albeit barely - 4 different towns. Many people here grew up here and went to high school here. thy're not interested in widening their circle of friends for someone like me. I'm a real fish out of water in this town. Just the fact that my kids were born in a different state (two of them actually) is enough to mark me as an outsider!

When I recruited for a law school, I once met someone from NJ who couldn't properly place all three states on the West Coast. Hello? There are 13 states on the Eastern seaboard and I can list those in order... I also ran into an MBA who told me in all seriousness that if it was west of Chicago (geographically), he didn't feel the need to know anything about it.

Anyway, I'm guessing it all depends on your point of view. I'm thinking that on THIS list, I show much more impressively than the one where we list places we've skied! Boy am I a homebody on that one by Diva standards!
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
When I recruited for a law school, I once met someone from NJ who couldn't properly place all three states on the West Coast. Hello? There are 13 states on the Eastern seaboard and I can list those in order... I also ran into an MBA who told me in all seriousness that if it was west of Chicago (geographically), he didn't feel the need to know anything about it.

I hope you don't paint all us easterners with the same brush! These are just plain dumb people.

I'm sure there are people in the west who are likewise "geographically challenged." :smile:
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
I hope you don't paint all us easterners with the same brush! These are just plain dumb people.

I'm sure there are people in the west who are likewise "geographically challenged." :smile:

I was just in Michigan and had someone ask me where Utah is. I misunderstood and thought they meant "where in Utah (are you from)", and they went no, "Where is Utah? like, is it on the West Coast?"

I think the geographically challenged issue is pretty widespread across the country, unfortunately.
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
I think the geographically challenged issue is pretty widespread across the country, unfortunately.

Yes, as are people who live in the same place they grew up. I found that quite common where I lived in PA, and find it here in Vermont, as well.
 

Mom of Redheads

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
^^ No, not really (I mean painting all with the same brush). But having lived on both coasts, I'd say westerners are more likely to be geocentric as a function of less traveling (bigger states means you don't get as far unless you get on a plane, LOL), and Easterners - the ones who are geocentric - are split between being that in a snobby way and a provincial way. Where I live now seems particularly bad and I have no idea why.

It's all in what's normal for you. Head west from Seattle, and it'll take you 5 hours to get out of the state. In 5 hours, you could probably drive through half of New England if you plan your route carefully! Also, I think cities draw in people from all over - so you're more likely to meet people with a variety of interests and experiences. Living in a small town, you're not drawing in an enormous crowd of people from "outside," and I think the general feel can sometimes reflect that...

I'm a big fan of traveling and change. But I've had it both ways. Lived in 3 states by the age of 10, but then didn't move again until the college years. Then more recently DH and I have followed the jobs... and at his level, up until now, that normally meant a switch. Maybe now we're so near NYC we wouldn't have to move if he changed jobs.

After 6 years in NJ I'm actually feeling some wanderlust. But I think part of that is a function of how few people I've met in my town whom I seem to have something in common with! That, and the fact, that it's hard for me to imagine my boys saying "I'm from NJ" down the road...:pound:
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
After 6 years in NJ I'm actually feeling some wanderlust. But I think part of that is a function of how few people I've met in my town whom I seem to have something in common with! That, and the fact, that it's hard for me to imagine my boys saying "I'm from NJ" down the road...:pound:

Hey, watch it :wink:....I'M from NJ (originally, anyway. I lived there until I was 17).

Now I'm from Vermont. :smile:
 

abc

Banned
I currently live in a town where people say "I didn't grow up near here" if they grew up in the nearby town where the nearest McDonalds is. My street, maybe 2 miles long, passes through - albeit barely - 4 different towns. Many people here grew up here and went to high school here. thy're not interested in widening their circle of friends for someone like me. I'm a real fish out of water in this town.
In northern NJ? I bet there're plenty of fishes who are as "out of water" as y0u, that you could hang out with! But you may feel just as "out of water" in their company if some of kids were born locally! :smile:
 

Mom of Redheads

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
abc, you would think! But Park Ridge seems to be an anomaly, even in Bergen County. I've met a handful from Brooklyn, Long Island, maybe Rockland County in NY - but from over 50 miles away? Pretty much nada.

But enough hijacking!:focus:

Back to the cities - maybe the idea was major and well-known metropolitan areas that would be considered a true "destination" by the majority of people. Cities where you don't have to specify a state or country for people to know exactly where they are... If that were the case, here's my list:

1) Seattle
2) Vancouver
3) San Francisco
4) Los Angeles (but only for a law school fair)
5) Las Vegas
6) Chicago
7) Boston
8) New York
9) Montreal
10) London (but only overnight so barely counts)
11) Edinburgh
12) Paris
13) Barcelona
14) Madrid
15) Munich (maybe too small?)
16) Amsterdam
17) Vienna
18) Washington, DC
19) Florence
20) Venice
21) Tokyo
22) Hong Kong
23) New Orleans

This is a pretty exhaustive list of what I'd consider "top tier" cities in that I think most people would want to visit them given an opportunity. I've a host of next tier cities that I don't think would have*quite* as broad appeal (Portland, Denver, Dallas, San Diego, etc) - and several others I've visited only from a cruise ship!

Over 17, which sounds great, but most of these cities have so much to offer, that just spending a long weekend there barely scratches the surface!
 

MaineSkiLady

Angel Diva
But I think part of that is a function of how few people I've met in my town whom I seem to have something in common with!
I live within an hour of 3 major ski resorts, 2 good size ski mountains (1k+ vertical), 2 local ski hills -- and I know very few skiers from this immediate region. Maybe 1 in 10 (max) I've met (and I've been here 11+ years) has ever skied or had any interest. <sigh>

Hey, watch it :wink:....I'M from NJ (originally, anyway. I lived there until I was 17).

Now I'm from Vermont. :smile:
Can't do/say that in Maine. If you weren't born and raised here, you're "from away." Always and forever! People are pretty good-natured, though, about this silly expression. It doesn't mean they aren't friendly and nice. But if we live here the rest of our lives (:help::doh:), DH will always be immediately identifiable at his workplace by his HAHD CO-WAH accent (Midwest). :becky:
 

snow addict

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I am living in my forth country now and I think I'll stay here. Being slapped in the middle between Verbier and Chamonix and within easy reach of tons of other big and small resorts - what I else could I wish for? Though if it wasn't for skiing I would much prefer living in London - my favourite city in the world probably and I consider myself lucky having lived there for few years. Altogether I've been to some 35 countries in Europe, Americas, Africa and Asia and many cities. But these days I don't travel the world extensively, though I travel for work occasionally and it's usually far. If I do travel for pleasure it's mostly for weekends/long weekends and it's mostly to London and Paris for my annual fix, or shopping in Milan. I'll try to get to Japan too one day (skiing), also Oz or NZ would be nice (though if I take a sabbatical I would rather spend it skiing, so I understand it's not likely I ever go there), and in Europe I want to visit Sweden and Norway.
 

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