Do you love where you live...
or is it simply a way station to your preferred domicile ?
I can say that I do love where I live. Yes, the mountains, beach, San Francisco, riverfront, etc would all be better, but for my own reasons, this suits me and my budget. I'm quite content here, and hopefully will stay that way.
Do you love where you live ? 
eta: I guess I should provide a few details. I'm near Orlando. Condo overlooking a pond, nice trees, nice neighborhood, good neighbors, almost everything within walking distance.
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it's still much more satisfying on the return flight
I'm stuck a mere 45 miles -- but 2 1/2 hours by transit! 
-- from paydirt. 
Robert Heinlein, who lived over the hill in Santa Cruz, described San Jose as "a collection of villages in search of a city". He nailed it. 
Especially the area that looks like JAPAN!
one of only three authentic ones remaining, along with SF and LA, although the Mo'ili'ili neighborhood of Honolulu comes close.
edit: Also, San Jose Taiko rules!
Southern Maryland, 60 miles from DC.
Western PA is beautiful and the weather is usually moderate. We are in a rural (red) area, but not very far from the cultural attractions and sports in the city.
Call me Steve, please
Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia - I felt very much at home there
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Arcata: I like how the whole town is slow-paced and quiet. I like HSU, as well. I like the climate up here, where it almost never gets too hot and it rains frequently during the fall and winter. The rent up here for apartments is cheap, and it's easier to learn how to drive since there's less traffic. My only real complaints about Arcata are the humidity and the local Safeway. Many times when I walk around, the weather feels so humid that I sweat even when the temperature is cool. As far as the Safeway goes, it isn't that big, so they don't have everything I want. In fact, I'm not even sure if it has a bakery...
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Oakland: I have a love/hate relationship with it. I don't like the amount of crime here and our crooked police force. I want it to be safe enough here to where I can walk around at night and not be bothered. I also wish there were more things to do here, like in SF. I wish that both the Raiders and A's were better and could go back to their glory days. At the same time, however, I'll always be proud to be from here and am proud of this city's history.
crime is down, and the many, many people priced out of SF are flooding in and providing things to do, like the First Friday Art Murmur.
As for the A's, they were getting it done, right up until last month. 
I don't. I returned to Lexington, KY after living in Miami for ten years, to take care of my elderly parents. As an only child, I had no choice and they wouldn't move to Miami. My mother is gone now and my father in fairly decent health. I hope he lives for many years but once he's no longer here... it's back to the coast for me, somewhere between Charleston, SC and New Orleans.
Lexington is a lovely city, but while I graduated from UK and loved it, the city is very one dimensional... just not for me.
A friend of mine who lives here and LOVES Lexington tells me you can make anywhere a home and be happy if you try. I tried... doesn't work.
To all of you who are happy where you live... that's wonderful! Very glad you've found your place in the sun. 
I live in a cozy little college town with lots of interesting people. I love it here in western Nebraska even more than I did in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and that’s saying a lot.
Aerial view of my town: (I can see my house from here!)
A few miles south of town:
photo is my back acreage... and I usually love where I am working, as I live on the road for the most part... but I love my Vermont home best of all!!
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It had to be done.
I am the fourth generation of my family to live here. It IS the most beautiful place in and the center of the universe. 
i still live where i grew up in northern colorado and love being close to the mountains. it's also pretty liberal here, a wonderful bonus. that said, we are damn near priced out of town. college town, plenty of tech jobs and on every damn top ten list. average rent is close to half our monthly income. we could move to one of the surrounding towns, but the rent savings would be eaten up by gas for the commute.
This is a special place. I would never expect anyone else to understand.
in Santa Monica.
He got divorced from Roswitha in 1985 and moved.
We got married in 1985, sold the house in 1988 and moved.
I don't know where Randy is now...but when we left L.A. we never looked back!
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These days, I'm in a small medieval (around 1000 years old) town outside of Düsseldorf.
The weather often sucks, and the bureaucracy and corruption always suck.
On the other hand, we have some great friends, the food is amazing, the public transportation goes everywhere (when there are no strikes), and it's an hour's flight to London, Paris, Copenhagen, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Zürich, Warsaw and Geneva. Three hours by train to Amsterdam, Brussels, Hamburg, you get the idea. A LOT of culture, and only 2 hours by train to Frankfurt, where our younger daughter lives (or 8 hours by plane to New York City, where our other daughter lives).
And not a Republican in sight!
but when I did my around-the-world tour in 1997, jet lag was really bad, so I can relate. Hope your family is great !
Only been here for 2 months and I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But, I had to move somewhere and there's family close by so I decided to give Southern Idaho a chance. I'm in a very small town where I can walk to library, bank, grocery. It's very quiet here and people are super friendly. It's the kind of place you say "hi" to people on the street. And I love the weather.
Plus, just a few miles away are places like this...
I guess I'll stay for a while.
but let's just say our Big Fair starts on October 1st. neighbor (I think).
With friends last Monday. The Miss's and me are in the background.
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but ever since the Republicans took over the state government two years ago, I haven't been
too happy with the rest of the state.
Still, Chapel Hill is an oasis of blue in an otherwise purple state that has been driven red
by low Dem turnout in 2010 and over the top $$$ poured in by our very own Koch brother--Art Pope--
and his like. Republicans hadn't controlled the state for 100 years. What was once considered a
progressive southern state has been driven decades backwards by these Republicans. Hopefully, the Moral
Monday protests over the last year will raise enough awareness to get people to come out in the next several
elections and VOTE the Repubs out.
Chapel Hill, home to the flagship campus of the University of North Carolina--also under attack by the Republicans--
is a sleepy town of 50,000 when the students aren't in residence. But, oh, my, the advantages of
living near excellent medical care, world class entertainment that is booked in to Memorial Hall on campus,
a vibrant Repertory Company on campus, college basketball, baseball, football, soccer games to attend...lots of walking/bike trails, excellent restaurants...I could go on and on. Only 25 minutes to an international airport (Raleigh/Durham) which will take you
non-stop to New York or London or Toronto...or anywhere else. And the entire Research Triangle area is loaded with science/technology companies offering good paying jobs.
So...here are a couple views of "the southern part of heaven" as Chapel Hill is called:
A winter sunrise view from the back deck of our house:
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Azaleas in bloom in spring on the steps down to our house:
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Only a 3 1/2 hour drive to the beach for this view on a morning walk:
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The Old Well on the UNC campus with the azaleas in bloom:
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The Kenan Bell Tower on the way to Kenan Stadium:
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I have a great view of Mt. Monadnock from my deck and take a beautiful winding back country road to work while listening to the WBZ Boston traffic reports.
I can see the Washington Monument by walking up the hill on my Street. Love living in this city and love the the other city (DC) is a minute ride on the Metro.
After leaving my home state of NY to Atlanta I always felt that I was missing NY, for all of it's rivers, parks oceanfronts Mountains and country -- and true City -- I stopped missing that when I moved to Del Ray.
Everything is good. Neighbors, transportation, culture, family proximity -- all good.
The last flood was 1996. That's my only worry.
And I have lived in other beautiful places! Northern Virginia, Rocky Mountains, Sonoma County, etc.
But this is my home turf. The best.
P.S. that's an early summer view out my LR window.
Lots of guns and churches and Abbott for Governor signs (put up by the sore losers who didn't take down their Romney/Whoever that was sign for MONTHS after our President was re-elected. Lots of conformist people who are terrified of anyone who is not exactly like them. They don't want anyone to have any fun. The only allowed form of spirituality is certain flavors of Protestantism, mainly Baptist and Methodist and Church of Christ or similar Bible-thumpers.
Nobody to talk to and no culture. Have to go to the city to feel like I'm alive.
I like having some peace and quiet even though I had to put a fence around the place to get some peace and quiet. Too many people bothering me wanting money or work for money when they won't even show up. Or they want me to give them an old car. ARGGHH!
I like my gardening and my cats and my two acres. BOOM-THUMPY-THUMPY cars go by the house at all hours and I am waiting for them to shake the engine off the motor mounts in their beaters with subwoofers. I call them thunderfuckers. Because they make me mad.
I'm taking a night class. The teacher has a baby about a year and a half old. I asked him how the house ape was doing and he said, "She's learned her momma's favorite word--shit. Drops a toy, she says 'shit'". 
Sounds like she'll be a true Texan. Molly Ivins said that the goal of a Texas public school education was to teach children how to write a simple declarative sentence without the word "bullshit" in it. That sounds about right.
Even though a huge portion of DU would never willingly set foot here (Houston)
because I'm moving into a house I'm buying! 
Yeah, I love my home town. That's why I moved back here. It's not for everyone, but it's home.
I can't give away the precise location for obvious reasons, but it is my dream come true.
It came into my life after years of saving and shopping, and I could only afford it because I bought at auction.
But before this place, I also loved my little 1000 sf place that, for similar reasons, I won't describe.
It's a shame that people at other sites, and a handful of members here, would love to be able to identify some of us for nefarious purposes.
Suffice it to say that I worked hard and earned the place I have, and it wasn't easy.
One of my bucket list items is a little DU meetup at my place, but I need about a year before I can make that happen!
I have a very good friend who got her Master's at the Div School...she's brilliant so I have a favorable view of that school...
It has some very definite quirks, but it is a great city.
ETA who could possibly not love a view like this?
