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Where We Live and Lived I am fond of thinking that where I live geographically has a great influence on my life. It is one of those intersections of life that can take you in very different directions depending on the turn made. Afterall, if I hadn't moved from the lovely Pacific Northwest I never would have met my wife nor had exactly the nice children and grandchildren I now have. In our married life we have lived in the Twin Cities, Northern Minnesota, Western Virginia, and now we are back in the Twin Cities (St. Paul to be specific. Each place has had comforts and challenges. Northern Minnesota provides the unique beauty of Lake Superior, cold and long winters, magnificent and cool as well as short summers, and wide open spaces. Western Virginia had quite reasonable weather, breathtaking views in the Appalacian Mountains, small town living with some big town events due to the presence of Virginai Tech. And now we are in St. Paul, pictured above, which is located in the 99th largest metropolitan area in the world. Not an all together pleasant winter climate for older people but many cultural events housed in a fairly attractive urban setting. The Right Moves In my life I've moved because of certain specific reasons which were then moderated by preferences of family, weather, housing, safety, etc. I've moved to attend universities which I felt were suitable but in locations that didn't strand me in some unknown land. I've moved for employment but also looking for an experience in an unknown geographic area as has my wife. One move was comanded by the military and there were no other choices in that. We've moved almost totally for jobs in the past but now, retired, we've moved to be nearer children and grand children. Weather Retired people often move to find better weather but that is not an easy case to make in this instance. If there is no inclement/unusual weather where you live then it is not even a consideration. But where weather impacts lives, it is a constant topic of conversation. If you are a farmer or do other work which is highly impacted by weather it is greatly important. If you've lived in a moderate climate you will probably find the tougher climates, well, tough. I was raised near Portland, Oregon and, as you can see in the table below, the climate is pretty moderate except for rain. When I moved to the midwest, I actually missed the rain and I was somewhat challenged by the harsh weather. Soon enough I couldn't wait for the cold so there would be hockey and cross country skiing as well as an opportunity to use the snow blower. Moving away from that, it is quite comfortable to have year around moderate weather which we found in Virginia. .
Some Demographics Because Blacksburg is primarily a college town, the age of the population reflects just that.
rom www.infoseek.com/women/business_and_finance/investing/buy_a_home A Nice Thing About Our Location in St. Paul Our home in St. Paul is very near universities and colleges. These institutions provide a venue for music, theater, sports, and a way to remember that the younger generation is made up of many outstanding people. It is also a way to meet people from other countries and various past life histories.
The other nice thing about our location in St. Paul is that we are nearer our children and grand children not to mention restaurants, shopping, various community amenities, etc. To return click below Family Room Home Library-Genealogy MusicRoom Garage-wheels Attic-Misc.
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