EUROPE

Macedonia, Republic of

Kriva Palanka, Republic of Macedonia – January 2018 — I will write about my town and his name is Kriva Palanka, it is a small town in Republic of Macedonia, Eastern Europa. Kriva Palanka has a 16.000-17.000 population and it is border town between Macedonia and Bulgaria. I grow up here and this town totally changed on worst. This mountain town once surrounded with nature and trees clean river now become so polluted, air smells like chemicals, rivers are full with plastic trash and chemicals and there is no fish. People cut almost every tree to heat, sell etc. There are too many cars, people are so uneducated that is like primitive colony. When i grew up things were very different, not so much people, and those that were living there were polite educated they respected nature and others but now is like horror movie. This town have very old monastery called St. Joakim Osogovski located in the mountain not far from the town, and it is the only thing now that give good light to the town.

Transition, wars, poverty all this thing left marks on this place and stupidity reach maximum level. When i was kid the water was so clean and healthy, now if you drink you will became sick. There are like 100 street homeless dogs that starve and [content moderated to remove information that might identify writer]. Town is poisoning them, they mix poison with raw meat and they put it all over town, it is horror dead dogs everywhere near schools and kindergartens, they rot in alleys and dumpsters it is so so sad! I hate that all i wrote are bad things but that is the harsh reality that i’m living in, my bad luck is that i’m stuck here and all i want to do is leave this place, i tried to change it but it cannot be changed. So sad writing this but some places are good and some are like this town. Regards

 

Kriva Palanka, Republic of Macedonia – January 2018 — I will write about my town and his name is Kriva Palanka, it is a small town in Republic of Macedonia, Eastern Europa. Kriva Palanka has a 16.000-17.000 population and it is border town between Macedonia and Bulgaria. I grow up here and this town totally changed on worst. This mountain town once surrounded with nature and trees clean river now become so polluted, air smells like chemicals, rivers are full with plastic trash and chemicals and there is no fish. People cut almost every tree to heat, sell etc. There are too many cars, people are so uneducated that is like primitive colony. When i grew up things were very different, not so much people, and those that were living there were polite educated they respected nature and others but now is like horror movie. This town have very old monastery called St. Joakim Osogovski located in the mountain not far from the town, and it is the only thing now that give good light to the town.

Transition, wars, poverty all this thing left marks on this place and stupidity reach maximum level. When i was kid the water was so clean and healthy, now if you drink you will became sick. There are like 100 street homeless dogs that starve and [content moderated to remove information that might identify writer]. Town is poisoning them, they mix poison with raw meat and they put it all over town, it is horror dead dogs everywhere near schools and kindergartens, they rot in alleys and dumpsters it is so so sad! I hate that all i wrote are bad things but that is the harsh reality that i’m living in, my bad luck is that i’m stuck here and all i want to do is leave this place, i tried to change it but it cannot be changed. So sad writing this but some places are good and some are like this town. Regards

Paddock Wood, ENGLAND (UNITED KINGDOM) — January 17, 2018 — I grew up in rural South East England. I was born in 1965 in the tiny town of Paddock Wood. My father took a train to London every afternoon and worked overnight, coming home in the morning. My mother used to joke that the town looked like a wild west town. It had one main street that terminated in an ornate train station. All the shops were one story high and independent. There were few people. She said that all it was missing was the tumbleweed and the music. Beyond the town the fields stretched for miles. My mother used to push me around the countryside in a stroller. We covered miles. The first words I learned were “sheep” and “duck”. When I was a bit older I started to explore on my own. I got a bicycle when I was seven and I used to explore the meandering country roads and the big apple orchards. I attended the local elementary school and made some friends. I became obsessed with pop music by age eight and would sing hits by David Bowie and Slade on my way to school each morning.

In 1975 my parents moved to another small local town but I got to go back to Paddock Wood a lot in the eighties. When my grandfather passed away my grandmother moved into a senior home in …. Paddock Wood, and as a newly registered driver I got the job of picking her up on a Sunday morning and taking her home in the evening. When my father got a new car in 1982 that had a radio in it I was so happy because I could play loud music on the way home after dropping her off. I have only been back to Paddock Wood once or twice in the last twenty years. A lot has changed. There are a lot more people but it feels empty without my grandmother. Many of the fields are gone, given over to new development but at night it is still at heart a tiny rural town and after the last train has left the station you can almost see the tumbleweed drift past.

Samokov, BULGARIA — January 16, 2018 — The name of the town I grew up in is Samokov. Samokov is a small town in Bulgaria, about 40 miles outside the capital city of Sofia. It is situated in the basin of Rila Mountain which is the highest mountain on the Balkan peninsula. We are about a 20 min drive to one of the biggest winter resorts in Bulgaria. The biggest Bulgarian river flows through our beautiful town also. But the most famous thing about our town is the potatoes. The town of Samokov is the biggest potato producer in Bulgaria.

I loved living there from the time I was born until I was 25. Oh those were the best years. Even though some of them were during turbulent times in history in other parts of the world. I lived there while Bulgaria was under the communist reign of the Soviet Union, some even considered us a part of the USSR, we technically weren’t, but we did have the same president for 45 years! I remember going on vacation to Germany when I was 10 and my dad telling me about what’s on the other side of the wall. I remember that wall falling down some years later and the new beginning for all the Eastern European countries. All of a sudden there wasn’t enough food in the stores, almost overnight. We had to get up at 5am and go line up in front of the grocery store, waiting for hours before they open, just to buy milk and bread. Rations were imposed, there wasn’t enough to go around, people that came late didn’t get any. It was hard times for a couple of years.

The weather in our town was perfect growing up, not too hot and not too cold. Summer only lasted about 2 months, and most of the time temperature didn’t go above 85 F. Winter was the longest. It started snowing in October and there was almost always snow still on the ground in April. But they were mild winters, where everything was covered in snow, looked like winter wonderland, and everyone enjoyed it. Especially kids. We went sledding and skiing every chance we got. We built snow forts and had snowball fights. But the longest season of all was Fall. With it’s many sunny days it was my favorite time of the year. And now, 20 years later, if I could I would return and raise my children there. Sadly it’s been more than 10 years since I’ve been able to visit.

Kriva Palanka, Republic of Macedonia – January 2018 — I will write about my town and his name is Kriva Palanka, it is a small town in Republic of Macedonia, Eastern Europa. Kriva Palanka has a 16.000-17.000 population and it is border town between Macedonia and Bulgaria. I grow up here and this town totally changed on worst. This mountain town once surrounded with nature and trees clean river now become so polluted, air smells like chemicals, rivers are full with plastic trash and chemicals and there is no fish. People cut almost every tree to heat, sell etc. There are too many cars, people are so uneducated that is like primitive colony. When i grew up things were very different, not so much people, and those that were living there were polite educated they respected nature and others but now is like horror movie. This town have very old monastery called St. Joakim Osogovski located in the mountain not far from the town, and it is the only thing now that give good light to the town.

Transition, wars, poverty all this thing left marks on this place and stupidity reach maximum level. When i was kid the water was so clean and healthy, now if you drink you will became sick. There are like 100 street homeless dogs that starve and [content moderated to remove information that might identify writer]. Town is poisoning them, they mix poison with raw meat and they put it all over town, it is horror dead dogs everywhere near schools and kindergartens, they rot in alleys and dumpsters it is so so sad! I hate that all i wrote are bad things but that is the harsh reality that i’m living in, my bad luck is that i’m stuck here and all i want to do is leave this place, i tried to change it but it cannot be changed. So sad writing this but some places are good and some are like this town. Regards

Paddock Wood, ENGLAND (UNITED KINGDOM) — January 17, 2018 — I grew up in rural South East England. I was born in 1965 in the tiny town of Paddock Wood. My father took a train to London every afternoon and worked overnight, coming home in the morning. My mother used to joke that the town looked like a wild west town. It had one main street that terminated in an ornate train station. All the shops were one story high and independent. There were few people. She said that all it was missing was the tumbleweed and the music. Beyond the town the fields stretched for miles. My mother used to push me around the countryside in a stroller. We covered miles. The first words I learned were “sheep” and “duck”. When I was a bit older I started to explore on my own. I got a bicycle when I was seven and I used to explore the meandering country roads and the big apple orchards. I attended the local elementary school and made some friends. I became obsessed with pop music by age eight and would sing hits by David Bowie and Slade on my way to school each morning.

In 1975 my parents moved to another small local town but I got to go back to Paddock Wood a lot in the eighties. When my grandfather passed away my grandmother moved into a senior home in …. Paddock Wood, and as a newly registered driver I got the job of picking her up on a Sunday morning and taking her home in the evening. When my father got a new car in 1982 that had a radio in it I was so happy because I could play loud music on the way home after dropping her off. I have only been back to Paddock Wood once or twice in the last twenty years. A lot has changed. There are a lot more people but it feels empty without my grandmother. Many of the fields are gone, given over to new development but at night it is still at heart a tiny rural town and after the last train has left the station you can almost see the tumbleweed drift past.

Samokov, BULGARIA — January 16, 2018 — The name of the town I grew up in is Samokov. Samokov is a small town in Bulgaria, about 40 miles outside the capital city of Sofia. It is situated in the basin of Rila Mountain which is the highest mountain on the Balkan peninsula. We are about a 20 min drive to one of the biggest winter resorts in Bulgaria. The biggest Bulgarian river flows through our beautiful town also. But the most famous thing about our town is the potatoes. The town of Samokov is the biggest potato producer in Bulgaria.

I loved living there from the time I was born until I was 25. Oh those were the best years. Even though some of them were during turbulent times in history in other parts of the world. I lived there while Bulgaria was under the communist reign of the Soviet Union, some even considered us a part of the USSR, we technically weren’t, but we did have the same president for 45 years! I remember going on vacation to Germany when I was 10 and my dad telling me about what’s on the other side of the wall. I remember that wall falling down some years later and the new beginning for all the Eastern European countries. All of a sudden there wasn’t enough food in the stores, almost overnight. We had to get up at 5am and go line up in front of the grocery store, waiting for hours before they open, just to buy milk and bread. Rations were imposed, there wasn’t enough to go around, people that came late didn’t get any. It was hard times for a couple of years.

The weather in our town was perfect growing up, not too hot and not too cold. Summer only lasted about 2 months, and most of the time temperature didn’t go above 85 F. Winter was the longest. It started snowing in October and there was almost always snow still on the ground in April. But they were mild winters, where everything was covered in snow, looked like winter wonderland, and everyone enjoyed it. Especially kids. We went sledding and skiing every chance we got. We built snow forts and had snowball fights. But the longest season of all was Fall. With it’s many sunny days it was my favorite time of the year. And now, 20 years later, if I could I would return and raise my children there. Sadly it’s been more than 10 years since I’ve been able to visit.

West Virginia

Have you lived in or visited West Virginia? Tell us about it!

Saint Marys

Pleasants County, West Virginia, USA (North America) – July 2018 — Saint Marys, Pleasants County, West Virginia, was a wonderful place to grow up. With 3000 residents, the small town community is made up of generations of local families. Saint Marys is located along the Ohio River and was a haven for industry in the 70’s and 80’s. This translated to large amounts of money for the city being generated through taxes that funded education, sports, and the community. I never had to pay for extra-curricular activities, uniforms, books, or tuition. Folks had good paying jobs and opportunities for long term employment were available. Most families owned their homes, which set them up for greater wealth over time. Prosperity was palpable in Pleasants County.

Oregon

Have you lived in or visited Oregon? Tell us about it!

McMinnville

McMINNVILLE, Yamhill County, Oregon, USA (North America) — May 2019 — I moved to McMinnville, Oregon (zip code 97128) about 18 months ago. I moved because I wanted to be closer to my family, who lives in Newberg. Rental prices and availability are very difficult here, so I ended up here in McMinnville, about 15 miles south of my family. AT first I liked it here. It is in the middle of a vast wine country, with over 50 wineries. It is very beautiful when you drive around the outskirts. The Main Street has coffee shops, antique shops and a lot of wine tasting rooms. There is a huge Air and Space Museum. Linfield College is here, and there are many events. You could probably go to an interesting event every weekend. It could be lectures, plays, live music, book readings, and so many other fun fun things. But I need to circle back to my original problem. Housing is very expensive. I live in a very modest apartment. But it costs me 41% of my income. That is considered housing scarce. And EVERY activity costs money. The going price is $18 and up. I just can’t afford to go to these wonderful things. Even a community BBQ in the park cost $10. So though there are many good things here, I am shut out from enjoying them. There is a second serious problem here, and that is homelessness. The city has interpreted laws controlling homelessness loosely, so McMinnville is known as a place to come and live in your RV’s and tents. There are whole streets lined up with broken down RV’s surrounded by trash. The areas are unsafe to even drive through. There are tent cities that are right on the main drag, in front of city hall. The drug use is rampant. I live two blocks south of the soup kitchen, so I worry about crime. The city has shown great reluctance in doing anything at all about the problem. Week after week citizens pack the city council meetings demanding action, but the council does nothing. This homeless problem ruins any charm that McMinnville has. I will stay here, because I want to stay close to my family. I keep a small circle of things that I do with my life. But economics and the homelessness really make this an undesirable place to live.

Salem

Oregon, USA (North America) – December 2018 — I live in the city of Salem and the state is Oregon. The town is a great time. They have a large selection of businesses. The streets are very busy during the rush hours, mainly because they have only a couple main streets. We have a large amount of very well priced homes and the streets are very quiet. You can rest in your home without noise. We have a large concentration of skilled laborers. People that repair your car or home, do your lawn or can be great employees for your own business. The layout of the town is spread out. With three main sections. We have a good size downtown, not huge. Outside of that we have two main streets, Lancaster and Commercial, filled with a variety of businesses. In-between all that is the robust sections of small streets with plenty of homes. We also have many mobile home parks. The weather is nice to be around. The winters can be very cold and rainy. The trees drop dead leaves before and during winter and makes a beautiful landscape. During the spring and summer the weather warms up a good deal and the landscape is filled with trees and plant life. The night life is not much to write about, mainly just bars no night clubs.

Salem

Marion County, Oregon, USA (North America) — June 2018 — I was born in Salem, Oregon in 1995. I have lived there all my life. For the most part it was a pretty good place to grow up. Like most cities, it had a inner city which had more poverty and an outer layer of more rich people. I grew up in the middle of the city. Not that my family was poor but that’s just where they chose to live. Since it’s Oregon, it pretty much rained almost every day. The summers were really nice and pretty hard to beat honestly. But the rest of the time it was just a town with nothing to do besides go see a movie and go find some sort of food to eat. There weren’t any great activities and nothing super interesting ever happened. The big events that would occur were mostly in the Summer and at the riverfront park. I think most of the time people would live the city and go to nearby cities and towns for a little more fun. The total population is about 300,000 people.

Portland

Multnomah County, Oregon, USA (North America) — June 2018 — Portland, Oregon, USA 1950’s through 2000 I was born in Portland in the late 50’s and lived right in town in a working-class neighborhood. Portland in the 50’s and 60’s was a great place for the working man to live. There was lots of work and wages were climbing. Schools were plentiful and good for children. Stores were everywhere and well stocked. Rent and utilities were cheap. Gas was twenty-seven cents a gallon. People were optimistic and still believed in their government. In the early 70’s everything started to change for the worse — not all at once, but noticeable enough to a person like me paying attention. I blame the changes on many things — not one thing… (1) Escalation of the Vietnam war. (2) Racial tensions across the country. (3) The Peace Movement. (4) The threat of nuclear war — Cuban Missile Crisis and Russia’s rise as a military power. (5) Recession hits the country from 1970 through 1980. The working man and his family living in Portland turned inward to shut-out the noise of all the negative things happening in the world and in Portland. Work was harder to find. Schools and neighborhoods were in turmoil from racial tensions. Neighborhoods were not as safe as they used to be. Crime and negativity were on the rise. My close friends and I believed we would not live past 30 years of age. We all started to drink and smoke to soften the pain. Sex, drugs, rock and roll and anti-government protests were all we thought about. This was a dark period for me and my friends… Of course, for those of us who did not self-implode, the 80’s ushered in a new era of prosperity and optimism for the good people of Portland. Life goes on in Portland and we need to embrace what is good about the future…

Gresham

Multnomah County, Oregon, USA (North America) — April 2018 — Gresham is not a bad area to live. I like the selection of stores and foods available in the area. It is a relatively calm place to live. It’s clean with a nice variety of plants and trees. It is fairly easy to get around Gresham because of Trimet, which is Portland’s public transit system. Trimet’s territory is quite vast, reaching the populated areas of Gresham and extending to the Expo Center, Clackamas Town Center and the airport. I dislike that public transit in this area are frequently late, which makes getting places on time a challenge. Gresham is a suburb in the east section of Portland. It is a nicer part of Portland than other areas with higher quality homes and schools. Crime in Gresham is slightly lower than the rougher sections of Portland. The housing market in Gresham is very limited and highly competitive. Renters have great difficulty securing housing at a reasonable price but also keeping it. If a property owner feels they can get more money from someone else, either they raise the rent prohibitively high or they serve a 30 day no cause notice. Mt. Hood Community College is also located in Gresham which is very well respected. College kids attending are very respectful of the surrounding residents and never cause a problem. The college offers a wide variety of programs such as dental hygienist, mental health, business and environmental sciences. The college also has its own radio and TV broadcasting channels to support students studying those disciplines. There are the common food places to eat in Gresham such as fast food locations, Red Lobster, Olive Garden etc. To enjoy more local and unique cuisine one must go to downtown Gresham. There are plentiful locations offering farm to table meals and shops with handmade gifts.

Gresham is not a bad area to live. I like the selection of stores and foods available in the area. It is a relatively calm place to live. It’s clean with a nice variety of plants and trees. It is fairly easy to get around Gresham because of Trimet, which is Portland’s public transit system. Trimet’s territory is quite vast, reaching the populated areas of Gresham and extending to the Expo Center, Clackamas Town Center and the airport. I dislike that public transit in this area are frequently late, which makes getting places on time a challenge. Gresham is a suburb in the east section of Portland. It is a nicer part of Portland than other areas with higher quality homes and schools. Crime in Gresham is slightly lower than the rougher sections of Portland. The housing market in Gresham is very limited and highly competitive. Renters have great difficulty securing housing at a reasonable price but also keeping it. If a property owner feels they can get more money from someone else, either they raise the rent prohibitively high or they serve a 30 day no cause notice. Mt. Hood Community College is also located in Gresham which is very well respected. College kids attending are very respectful of the surrounding residents and never cause a problem. The college offers a wide variety of programs such as dental hygienist, mental health, business and environmental sciences. The college also has its own radio and TV broadcasting channels to support students studying those disciplines. There are the common food places to eat in Gresham such as fast food locations, Red Lobster, Olive Garden etc. To enjoy more local and unique cuisine one must go to downtown Gresham. There are plentiful locations offering farm to table meals and shops with handmade gifts.

North Dakota

Have you lived in or visited North Dakota? Tell us about it!

FARGO, Cass County, North Dakota, USA (North America) — July 2019 — I love Fargo, ND. I have only lived here for a year, but I have been so amazed at the growth of the city in that year. It is a vibrant city with lots of opportunities for good jobs. There are several technology companies and healthcare systems in the city which is leading to an influx of people. There are so many new apartments and homes being built. And along with that, there are new restaurants and small businesses. I consider Fargo to be a place where the “American Dream” is still flourishing. The cost of living is low, and your dollar goes far here. You still see children playing freely in their neighborhoods with the other kids, and people leave their belongings out. People are friendly and the pace of life is comfortable. One of my favorite things to do here is spend time downtown and brewery hop. The craft beer scene is wonderful and really integrated in the community. And the infrastructure is second to none because of all the new development happening. The only really negative is the brutal and long winters.

FARGO, Cass County, North Dakota, USA (North America) — May 2019 — The city I currently live in is Fargo, which is located in North Dakota (zip code 58104). Overall, I would say that I enjoy living here. The biggest downside is the cruel winters, which you come to acclimate to once you’ve been here over 10 years as I have. The wind is biting, especially when the temperature drops below -20 degrees in the coldest months of the year. You do get used to it, but it never truly loses its shock factor. Once you reach the spring months, the weather here is great and perfect for those that love outdoor activities. The wind is always a factor, but unless you’re worried about your hair it usually isn’t a big deal. There are plenty of parks and other outdoor places to visit in the summer, and there is an abundance of bars and restaurants if you feel like going out and having a good time. Since I moved here over 10 years ago, it feels as though the city has grown quite a bit. There are constantly new housing and apartment developments popping up in the ever-expanding western portion of the city, and that doesn’t look to change anytime soon. There is also a good state college (NDSU) here, which brings a lot of people to the city. I think Fargo isn’t necessarily a good representation of the state of North Dakota, which tends to be more rural and conservative overall, while Fargo is more liberal and urban.