I live in Woodstock, Georgia. It's about 30-45 minutes away from Atlanta, Georgia when the traffic is reasonable. My neighborhood coincides directly with the main highway for that area.
There's not a whole lot to do exactly besides go to the local Publix or McDonald's; however, we're pretty close to plenty of Home Depots and other such places if we ever need anything. There's a mall about 15 minutes away, but it's not so special unless you're looking for ugly clothes, iPods, or random knick-knacks that cost far more than they're worth
All-in-all, I don't really know many of my neighbors that well with the exception of one or two, but for the most part I don't really care to know anyone.
I live with my parents atm, but I'll be moving out next Fall when I transfer to a four-year university. But in the mean time, I'm just looking for various jobs or ways to make money.
Pictures:
Grocery stores:
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McDonald's
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The Mall:
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School:
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So that's it for me, tell us about where you currently reside
You think the only people who are people, are the people who look and think like you.
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger,
You'll learn things you never knew, you never knew.
Last edited by Adrian Ţepeş; November 26th, 2012 at 09:51 PM.
At the moment I reside in Turku, Finland Proper, Finland. I'll move in a few days, but I don't know much about my new city yet, so I'll just describe Turku, a.k.a. Åbo. It's the 5th largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Finland, and also the oldest city in the country and was the capital until the Russians invaded and felt uncomfortable with a capital just across the sea from Sweden.
There is too much to do to even start a list, but it's a pretty nice little university city (the count is down to two universities and two "universities of applied sciences") built on both sides of the river Aura, which is very nice to walk along especially in the summers. Unfortunately the city was destroyed by a fire in 1827 and local politicians since have made their best to annihilate anything pretty, but it's still not bad by Finnish standards. Of course Finnish cities can be rather dreary, but I'm genuinely happy with the place. Fortunately Vasa seems quite nice too, only a lot smaller.
Cathedral:
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Random streets:
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A view toward the harbour:
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River:
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A pedestrian street at the river:
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Castle:
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The medieval market:
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Last edited by Huffardo; November 25th, 2012 at 02:12 PM.
However, I guess I should mention there are some nice, quaint little towns in both directions, but I've never really stopped to walk through.
It's much nicer around areas like the Blue Ridge mountains, Hellen, Dahlonega, Athens, or Atlanta. Of course, Atlanta is kind of fickle. On one side (Ponce De Leon), you have upper-class, expensive neighborhoods with really nice houses and communities, but about 5-10 miles from that it's practically a ghetto
But it does have some enjoyable fine arts museums and theaters where they have regular plays and concerts, and the people aren't so bad, you'll just most likely end up shelling out some pocket-change once or twice.
Finland does look really nice though, and I've heard it's a decent vacation/tourist spot.
How's the general employment rate for your area?
You think the only people who are people, are the people who look and think like you.
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger,
You'll learn things you never knew, you never knew.
Last edited by Adrian Ţepeş; November 25th, 2012 at 02:12 PM.
But it does have some enjoyable fine arts museums and theaters where they have regular plays and concerts, and the people aren't so bad, you'll just most likely end up shelling out some pocket-change once or twice.
There are quite a few museums and theatres in Turku too if you can afford them, and the European Capital of Culture 2011-thing made art a lot more visible in the streets, parks and even in the river, but Romanian beggars are a huge nuisance here, I'm glad they don't survive the winters.
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Originally Posted by Adrian Ţepeş
Finland does look really nice though, and I've heard it's a decent vacation/tourist spot.
Yeah, it's really nice in the summers, especially if you like archipelagos and the outdoors. Not so much right now though, it's dark as hell.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adrian Ţepeş
How's the general employment rate for your area?
I believe the unemployment rate is around 13 % in Turku, but the real number is higher due to different kinds of employment support systems they shuffle people into so the figures look nicer. Vasa is around 8 %, so I'm hoping it will be easier to find a job there.
On the bright side it's not anything like it was in the 90s, or is in e.g. Spain right now.
Last edited by Huffardo; November 25th, 2012 at 02:28 PM.
A fairly large suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area. At least a 100,000 people. Appearance wise probably the textbook example of a suburban development and a handful of parks. Not too many trees, even those that grow are a bit pitiful looking.
I guess one could say that it is boring and nothing of interest happens here. But it's quiet and that's the way I roll.
I live in Saint Joseph, Missouri. It's an alright city. Around 77,000 or 78,000 people I think.
Some of you who took American History you might remember learning about the Pony Express, started in Saint Joseph, Jesse James was also killed here too.
We have a lot I think. Hardware stores, Mall, Two Movie Theaters, Two Walmarts, Two Star Bucks, Three Video Game Stores, Target, Hyvee, Mini Golf, Parks, the list goes on and on.
We have a downtown area. Mostly offices, apartments, and small businesses. But does have a lot of bars. Weekends the streets of downtown are always flooded at night with people.
We normally have horrible summers and winters. Though last years winter was amazing. Snowed once and only lasted a day. We always say Missouri has bi-polar weather. One day it's 70 degrees and the next day is snowing and 20 degrees, then 70 again.
We do have areas in my city you don't wanna go because it's dangerous. Gangs, etc. In the South End. I'm on the opposite side of the city.
Everyone always says Missouri is the Meth capital of the US. Oh yay us :/
Sometimes there are people who Vacation here. Why in the world would they.. I dunno... Well we do have a few museums I guess.
45mins away from Kansas City and five hours from Saint Louis.
[Telford Square, outside the magistrates courts. There are a lot of steps here, and as I traverse this area to get to my local pub, this is bad. Drunk + steps = ouch.
That Telford sign is routinely home to gangs of skater kids. My old school - Thomas Telford School - is a brief walk up the steps from there, and as such we used the sign to hang burning ties from on our last day.
Classy, I know.]
Telford! The back-end of the back-end of nowhere. Its one and only claim to 'fame' is written on every 'Welcome to Telford' sign - due to the presence of the Ironbridge Gorge and Coalbrookdale within its boundaries, it calls itself 'The Birthplace of the Industrial Revolution'.
That claim is disputable as well.
As a result of the 'New Town' project that dates back to the 80s, Telford is largely new, and is one of the most rapidly growing settlements in the United Kingdom. It is an amalgamation of numerous pre-existing towns and villages which have been forcibly joined together to become constituent parts of a larger settlement. Everything outside of those small towns and villages is brand spanking new, including much of the road network, many of the larger residential zones, and virtually all of the commercial zones with the exception of hold-outs like Wellington Market.
[Wellington high street, home to the medieval market that refuses to die in favour of more modern facilities. The high street itself is a bizarre mixture of traditional buildings as seen in the foreground, and god-forsaken 80s economy architecture that lends an unfortunate 'slum' atmosphere to the place. It does have a large variety of shops, but compared to the shopping centre discussed later, it really just needs to die.
It is home to pretty much the only nightlife in the town, though.]
Older residents of Telford, who lived here prior to its establishment, consider it an affront to their traditions. Those people still identify themselves with the old towns that Telford consists of, rather than Telford itself. Similar to how some people prefer to refer to themselves as English or Scottish instead of British.
The newer areas are built from scratch, on what used to be open cast coal mines - much of this area, including where my house is, used to be mined for coal to support the burgeoning 'Industrial Revolution' that purportedly started here. As a result of this modern construction, the roads are wide, linked with myriad roundabouts instead of traffic light junctions, and are almost always bordered by wide grass verges and often bands of wild forest.
[This road is the Eastern Primary, also known as the Queensway. It runs right through the heart of Telford, from Ironbridge at the bottom up to the shopping centre. But like most roads in Telford it is bordered by so much wildlife that one cannot tell one is in a town at all.]
As a result, one can drive through the heart of Telford, a town with a population of over 200,000 people, and believe oneself to be in the middle of the countryside.
There's full motorway access to the densely-populated Midlands via the M54, as well as a train service. Soon we'll have a direct link to London, again. Which will no doubt stop, again.
[Telford Central railway station is extremely popular within the town as it allows a quick and easy escape from the town. It's currently being renovated, so hopefully will look appropriately cheerful.]
We also have access to a modest indoor shopping centre, home to most of the large high street stores familiar to most large towns - HMV, Game, House of Fraser, etc. It's not a bad place at all, really, and thanks to the modern design it is extremely well-served by roads. A square ring road runs right around it, with parking lining the exterior. Much better than neighbouring Shrewsbury, whose main shopping area is virtually impossible to get to via car due to its original construction date predating the car.
[Telford Shopping Centre from above. The primary hub of the town. There's nothing to do outside of it, except catch a train out of town.]
[Due to regular expansions and renovations over the years, whichever side you choose to enter the centre from exhibits completely different architecture. The interior features similar disparity. The upper image is original architecture, and has been there since the centre was built. The lower image is part of the newest expansion.]
[For some reason, there is a bizarre frog clock that blows bubbles every hour in the heart of the shopping centre.
Right next to the shopping centre there are two large retail parks. One is newer and better, the other is older and grey and shit and nobody goes there except for Pizza Hut.
[Telford Forge Retail Park, the newer of the two neighbouring retail parks. Again, this is in the middle of town. But there are fucking trees everywhere. Seriously, you need a compass to navigate around here.]
[Telford Bridge Retail Park, the older of the two. It is so named because there is a small pedestrian bridge* that leads from the park to the courts (pictured at top). Cross the courtyard and go through an underpass and you're at the shopping centre. When I said they were all right next to each other, I wasn't kidding.
*You'll notice a trend for highly innovative naming conventions in this town as you read on.]
Growing up, I had these retail parks and the shopping centre as my local corner shop. Five minutes walk. In theory I would never have needed to learn to drive, as everywhere there is to go is next to me.
In addition to all this commerce, there is an ice rink, a bowling alley, a bingo hall (for some reason), and an Odeon cinema. All of these are positioned around the shopping centre, on the opposite side of the road that circles it. As is the train station, incidentally.
And then, taking up a large swathe of Telford is the Town Park, currently being renovated. It's huge, and there's a very long, paved foot/cycle path that leads from the town centre right down to Ironbridge.
[A small part of Telford Town Park, from overhead. There are kids play areas, a child fantasy attraction called Wonderland, and vast swathes of grass and trees. It goes on for miles.]
Ironbridge is the only reason anybody visits Telford. Positioned in a gorge (called Ironbridge Gorge, imaginatively enough) on the River Severn, it is named because it has a bridge made of cast iron. Imaginative again, I know. This is supposed to be the first bridge ever made entirely out of cast iron, and somehow isn't rusty yet.
[Ironbridge, supposedly the first bridge ever made out of cast iron, and the reason Telford claims to be the birthplace of the industrial revolution. While the town of Ironbridge is home to people, who regularly get flooded by the Severn, it also plays host to a variety of tourist attractions - such as Blist's Hill, an authentic, working Victorian village, which is actually quite good if you're into that kind of thing.
More importantly, it is home to a number of pubs that serve beer, and can be a good night out on a Friday.]
The biggest problem with Telford is the nightlife. The shopping centre is home to a single Wetherspoons pub, which is unfortunately my default local (they forgot to build pubs in any of the new residential areas here). Wellington is better, with a few pubs and bars, and also a couple of nightclubs.
[Pussycats Nightclub in Wellington. Whispers wine bar is attached to it. Only ever go here if you want underage sex or heroin.]
But for a party, you have to go on a train to Wolverhampton or Birmingham. Or even *shudder* Shrewsbury.
[Hortonwood Industrial Park, one of several sprawling industrial centres in Telford. It smells funny, and people living near to it report growing extra limbs. I blame Epson.]
And lastly, Telford continues its industrial heritage by being home to a large number of industrial parks, mostly around the outskirts. These industrial parks are the primary reason for Telford's success over the years, and are home to companies like Epson, Maxel and some others I don't care about.
There are a few classier business buildings surrounding the shopping centre, such as our token skyscaper, Telford Plaza:
Basically, everything you need to know can be found in Telford Central train station - specifically, the outbound journeys board.
Oh, and I suppose I should finally mention The Wrekin. This administrative borough is called Telford and Wrekin, and this is because of the big mound of crap:
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The Wrekin can be seen from virtually anywhere in Telford, and is a popular destination for walkers. I believe there's a race to the top and back down again every year, for charity.
And there's a local fairy tale which suggests something about the Wrekin being caused by a giant digging a hole. I submit that this hole was Wellington, and it needs filling in again.
EDIT: And Wikipedia has the answer, as usual. Here's the local fairy tale surrounding the Wrekin:
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A giant called Gwendol Wrekin ap Shenkin ap Mynyddmawr with a grudge against the town of Shrewsbury decided to flood the town and kill all its inhabitants. So he collected a giant-sized spadeful of earth and set off towards the town. When in the vicinity of Wellington he met a cobbler returning from Shrewsbury market with a large sackful of shoes for repair. The giant asked him for directions, adding that he was going to dump his spadeful of earth in the River Severn and flood the town. "It's a very long way to Shrewsbury," replied the quick-thinking shoemaker. "Look at all these shoes I've worn out walking back from there!" The giant immediately decided to abandon his enterprise and dumped the earth on the ground beside him, where it became the Wrekin. The giant also scraped the mud off his boots, which became the smaller hill Ercall Hill nearby. Ironically Shrewsbury is subjected to flooding from the River Severn on frequent occasions naturally.
Telford, being a product of the 80s, obviously didn't exist when this legend was conjured up. You'll see mention of Wellington though - the constituent settlements of Telford are actually extremely old, despite Telford being considered a 'New Town'.
I live in the gap between the small light green bit (near the big green one) and the large yellow bit, which is also where the shopping centre, train station and virtually everything else of importance is. Ironbridge is the cyan bit at the bottom, and Wellington is the pink bit. The legend is described in full on the Wikipedia page.
I don't really want you all to know where I live, so, I will tell you where I lived.
Likewise.
This is one of the places I lived. Aberdeen in Scotland. In the manner of most small to medium cities, it's essentially one or two streets of shops linked together and a massive surrounding urban area.
Near enough everything's made of granite, which makes the whole place very bleak in the winter and not much nicer in the summer. Rarely a spot of green in sight.
This is a shot I took pointing out from one of the shopping centres out towards one of the poorer areas to live. I seem to recall before you get to that there's a hotel and the train station if you take the next but one on your right.
What do I think of it? Aberdeen has [an abnormally high rate of suicides] for a city its size. And I don't think that's particularly surprising. There are few places for kids to play - other than the pubs there aren't really any public places - it's grey, the weather sucks (i.e. it's in Northern Scotland) and and you're on the sea. I happen to know the doctors up there gets a large number of depression cases.
For all that, it's not an exceptionally bad place to live, if you don't mind the colour and so on. The people tend to be friendly enough. There are some nice pubs, some nice whisky and port shops. Wine Raks, in Urquhart Road does some excellent bottles of port at a reasonable price. The Old Schoolhouse in town is a decent place to go for a pub lunch. The Blue Lamp is a decent pub to go to in the evenings. And it's fairly hard to get into a fight unless you're looking for one despite the newspapers having a total tizzy about it a few years back.
I miss those things. Though not enough to make it worth moving back there.
It is a city with little enclaves of poverty, which is always interesting. Not quite in the sense of London where you can be walking a couple of streets over and you're suddenly in shitville, but certainly when you start to get out towards Torry, places like that, things start to look very stereotypically council run. If you didn't have call to go into those areas, you'd never really know they existed at all.
Honestly though, cities are often very much what you make of them. You spend so much time wrapped up in yourself - and there's rarely a reason to actually go into town unless you're going to buy something, at which point you buy the thing and go straight back home without really talking to anyone. You socialise with the people in your interest groups - the people you work with, or learn with, or play with in clubs - you might meet a couple of your neighbours. I went three years without meeting the guy who lived next door to me, though I heard his TV on at night sometimes. Supposedly Aberdeen has a decent-ish music scene, but not caring much about that....
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Where do you live and what's it like? 
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