Kathryn
It was on fire when I laid down on it.
I live in Oyster Point. Next time you visit, we should have coffee!
I PROMISE I will get in touch with you before I visit! That would be so much fun. I will probably go sometime before June.
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10 things about your city (or town)
- Thread starter robtex
- Start date
I PROMISE I will get in touch with you before I visit! That would be so much fun. I will probably go sometime before June.
Flankerl
Well-Known Member
Ok this is difficult.
1. Its located in Westphalia
2. Around 29.000 people live here
3. It had once a coal mine, but its been out of service for about 30 years
4. I guess it has 8 churches and 2 mosques.
5. Once a year there is a somewhat "big" festival at the main park of the city.
6. There are 3 so called "Schützenvereine".
7. There are also 2 ship lifts and 2 ship locks, thought only 1 ship lock is active. They are also the major attraction of this city.
8. Oh yeah no industry what so ever, the people hate industry and jobs in their own city. It could ruin their so called "Wohnstadt" which means in english that your city exists for you to live there but the work is out of town.
9. Uhm... there are also several football teams. (surprise)
10. Oh and there was a so called "Entbindungslager" or "maternity camp" nearby where female forced labourers from eastern europe had to give birth to their children or were forced to have an abortion. 1273 children were born there from which many died.
1. Its located in Westphalia
2. Around 29.000 people live here
3. It had once a coal mine, but its been out of service for about 30 years
4. I guess it has 8 churches and 2 mosques.
5. Once a year there is a somewhat "big" festival at the main park of the city.
6. There are 3 so called "Schützenvereine".
7. There are also 2 ship lifts and 2 ship locks, thought only 1 ship lock is active. They are also the major attraction of this city.
8. Oh yeah no industry what so ever, the people hate industry and jobs in their own city. It could ruin their so called "Wohnstadt" which means in english that your city exists for you to live there but the work is out of town.
9. Uhm... there are also several football teams. (surprise)
10. Oh and there was a so called "Entbindungslager" or "maternity camp" nearby where female forced labourers from eastern europe had to give birth to their children or were forced to have an abortion. 1273 children were born there from which many died.
SaintAugustine
At the Monastery
I come from a infamous city called Stockton, located in California.
Some refer to it as just the "209", the first three number of the area code.
Based on populaton, the city is famous for high murder rate, terrible housing market and unemployment that is twice the national average..
with 23 murders alredy this year..we are going for the record.
those from california who read this will say..oh yes..that place.
However, the Ivy League school you see in the Indiana Jones movies...is our own University of Pacific.
Some refer to it as just the "209", the first three number of the area code.
Based on populaton, the city is famous for high murder rate, terrible housing market and unemployment that is twice the national average..
with 23 murders alredy this year..we are going for the record.
those from california who read this will say..oh yes..that place.
However, the Ivy League school you see in the Indiana Jones movies...is our own University of Pacific.
HankHill
Indian-American Ex-Hindu
I'm from Fort Wayne, Indiana, I've lived here since I was two years old (1995-present).
1. The Detroit Pistons started here as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons and played here for their first 16 seasons of existence.
2. Like Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne is located on three rivers (St. Joseph, St. Marys, and Maumee).
3. We're located in the largest county in the state (Allen County).
4. We are less than 20 miles from the Ohio border and less than 60 miles from the Michigan border.
5. Johnny Appleseed is buried here... maybe.
6. We were the US capital of copper wire manufacturing in the 1960s.
7. Jenna Fischer (Pam from The Office) was born in Fort Wayne.
8. We have a public library which is home to the largest collection of public genealogy in the US.
9. We had a flood so bad in 1982 that President Reagan came to visit.
10. We have the highest Burmese-American population in the country.
1. The Detroit Pistons started here as the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons and played here for their first 16 seasons of existence.
2. Like Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne is located on three rivers (St. Joseph, St. Marys, and Maumee).
3. We're located in the largest county in the state (Allen County).
4. We are less than 20 miles from the Ohio border and less than 60 miles from the Michigan border.
5. Johnny Appleseed is buried here... maybe.
6. We were the US capital of copper wire manufacturing in the 1960s.
7. Jenna Fischer (Pam from The Office) was born in Fort Wayne.
8. We have a public library which is home to the largest collection of public genealogy in the US.
9. We had a flood so bad in 1982 that President Reagan came to visit.
10. We have the highest Burmese-American population in the country.
Oh yes, that place.
I've been through Stockton on my way to the university, and I can tell you; now I know how how Frodo and the hobbits felt when they crossed the river into Rivendell.
I live in Augusta, Georgia.
1.) The Masters golf tournament is located here. During that week, as out-of-towners come in, most of the cities population either hibernates or leaves. Why? Terrible traffic.
2.) The Hindu Temple society of Augusta is one of the oldest Hindu temples in the Southeastern U.S.
3.) A major military base, Fort Gordon, is located nearby.
4.) James Brown lived here on and off, had a private funeral here when he died, has streets named after him, a statue of him and the civic center was renamed "The James Brown arena".
5.) Buttefly McQueen (Prissy from Gone With The Wind) also lived here part time in her later years and died here in 1995.
6.) We had our first Gay Pride back in 2010 and will have our 4th on June 22nd.
7.) We are about 2 1/2 hours from Atlanta and about 3 from Savannah.
8.) The city population is roughly 200,000 while the metro is about 500,000; making it the second largest city in Georgia. Despite that, a large chunk of the city is very rural.
9.) For a city our size, we have a relatively big crime rate.
10.) It rests directly on the border with South Carolina.
1.) The Masters golf tournament is located here. During that week, as out-of-towners come in, most of the cities population either hibernates or leaves. Why? Terrible traffic.
2.) The Hindu Temple society of Augusta is one of the oldest Hindu temples in the Southeastern U.S.
3.) A major military base, Fort Gordon, is located nearby.
4.) James Brown lived here on and off, had a private funeral here when he died, has streets named after him, a statue of him and the civic center was renamed "The James Brown arena".
5.) Buttefly McQueen (Prissy from Gone With The Wind) also lived here part time in her later years and died here in 1995.
6.) We had our first Gay Pride back in 2010 and will have our 4th on June 22nd.
7.) We are about 2 1/2 hours from Atlanta and about 3 from Savannah.
8.) The city population is roughly 200,000 while the metro is about 500,000; making it the second largest city in Georgia. Despite that, a large chunk of the city is very rural.
9.) For a city our size, we have a relatively big crime rate.
10.) It rests directly on the border with South Carolina.
ElizabethGould
Iik Onkaar
I'm from the Isle of Wight:
1) It's one of a couple of autonomous regions in the UK. Originally it was part of Hampshire, but now has its own council.
2) It gained its own flag in 2009, and is also used as the logo for the council.
3) It's home to the East Cowes Boat Race, one of UK sailing's most famous events.
4) The funk band Level 42 have their roots on the island, with the bassist Mark King living on the island at present.
5) The island has seen constant inhabitance since the Roman period, and also has a surviving motte and bailey castle and several manor houses.
6) There's two main ways to access the island, hovercraft and the Wightlink ferry, which is supposedly the most expensive transport system in the world in terms of price per distance travelled.
7) The IoW was popular with Queen Victoria as a holiday destination, as well as wealthy Victorians generally. Many existing houses in Ryde and Cowes date to this period.
8) The Solent is popular with swimmers who frequently attempt the route between Cowes and Portsmouth, which is approximately 3 miles wide.
9) Until 2010, the Isle of Wight educational system was three-tiered, with primary, middle and high schools, unlike the mainland UK which is divided into primary/secondary schools (for compulsory education until 16).
10) The island is one of the UK's smallest counties, measuring in at 12x22 miles.
1) It's one of a couple of autonomous regions in the UK. Originally it was part of Hampshire, but now has its own council.
2) It gained its own flag in 2009, and is also used as the logo for the council.
3) It's home to the East Cowes Boat Race, one of UK sailing's most famous events.
4) The funk band Level 42 have their roots on the island, with the bassist Mark King living on the island at present.
5) The island has seen constant inhabitance since the Roman period, and also has a surviving motte and bailey castle and several manor houses.
6) There's two main ways to access the island, hovercraft and the Wightlink ferry, which is supposedly the most expensive transport system in the world in terms of price per distance travelled.
7) The IoW was popular with Queen Victoria as a holiday destination, as well as wealthy Victorians generally. Many existing houses in Ryde and Cowes date to this period.
8) The Solent is popular with swimmers who frequently attempt the route between Cowes and Portsmouth, which is approximately 3 miles wide.
9) Until 2010, the Isle of Wight educational system was three-tiered, with primary, middle and high schools, unlike the mainland UK which is divided into primary/secondary schools (for compulsory education until 16).
10) The island is one of the UK's smallest counties, measuring in at 12x22 miles.
Rakhel
Well-Known Member
10 things about New York City. It's really not as bad as people think it is....
Okay so there's
1. Drug sales on almost every corner.
2. At least 1 person dies every day.
3. There are beggers on every corner. Sometimes 2.
4. Traffic is hell.
5. If you get through one day without someone jumping in front of a subway train, it's a good day.
6. Oh. Can't forget the "massage" parlors.(They're now nail salons but you get the picture)
7. The pedestrians forget that cars are much bigger than they are. And hurt
8. Bloomberg is always trying to pass some inane law
9. The guys who dress up as Elmo, Minnie Mouse, or Winnie the Pooh in Time Square are really scam artists.
And finally,
10. We have one honest politican
Okay so there's
1. Drug sales on almost every corner.
2. At least 1 person dies every day.
3. There are beggers on every corner. Sometimes 2.
4. Traffic is hell.
5. If you get through one day without someone jumping in front of a subway train, it's a good day.
6. Oh. Can't forget the "massage" parlors.(They're now nail salons but you get the picture)
7. The pedestrians forget that cars are much bigger than they are. And hurt
8. Bloomberg is always trying to pass some inane law
9. The guys who dress up as Elmo, Minnie Mouse, or Winnie the Pooh in Time Square are really scam artists.
And finally,
10. We have one honest politican
The Sum of Awe
Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
1. As of the census of 2010, there were 269 people, 114 households, and 68 families residing in the city.
2. The city has a total area of 1.05 square miles (2.72 km2), all of it land.
3. Elevation: 1,132 ft (345 m)
4. In 2000, Luana had a median family income of $40,357.
5. In Luana, about 54% of adults are married.
6. There is a tavern in the town that REALLY knows how to make food.
7. Mostly Lutheran people, but there was a Baptist church taken down.
8. You could walk side to side of the town and return (at the most) an hour and a half.
9. Very nice people here, I guess that's the way it is in a small town.
10. I guess our town has little for business so most people travel outside of town to their job.
2. The city has a total area of 1.05 square miles (2.72 km2), all of it land.
3. Elevation: 1,132 ft (345 m)
4. In 2000, Luana had a median family income of $40,357.
5. In Luana, about 54% of adults are married.
6. There is a tavern in the town that REALLY knows how to make food.
7. Mostly Lutheran people, but there was a Baptist church taken down.
8. You could walk side to side of the town and return (at the most) an hour and a half.
9. Very nice people here, I guess that's the way it is in a small town.
10. I guess our town has little for business so most people travel outside of town to their job.
Riders
Well-Known Member
I don't know weather to do Mesquite or Dallas,I live in Mesquite its a suburb of Dallas.Ill do mesquite first then Daallas later wont be able to get 10 things from me I don't think.
1. We have Devils Bowl Speedway
2. We were started in the 1800s as a hideout for criminals like Jesse James
3.Were the Rodeo capital of the world
4. We have the Mesquite Opry House
5.We were dry but now we can buy beer and wine only
6. We have a rodeo church
7. We have a celebration Station
theres not much about Mesquite that's it.
1. We have Devils Bowl Speedway
2. We were started in the 1800s as a hideout for criminals like Jesse James
3.Were the Rodeo capital of the world
4. We have the Mesquite Opry House
5.We were dry but now we can buy beer and wine only
6. We have a rodeo church
7. We have a celebration Station
theres not much about Mesquite that's it.
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber
To update:
1. There is still nothing to do. The two stores I mentioned earlier are no longer here. But there is a very small venue that small bands coming through sometimes play at. The last time they had a group I wanted to see I still on crutches from my last knee surgery. There is also a venue in a park that sometimes gets a band worth watching (typically Pink Droid or Here Come the Mummies).
2. Good jobs that are full time are hard to come by. If you go to Monster, Indeed, or other job websites you'll find a bunch of jobs for medical people, a ton of trucking jobs, and a sea of food and retail jobs.
3. There have been about 50 meth lab busts in just the past few years.
4. The city put the entire state's FEMA funds in jeopardy by insisting a new ball park be built in a flood zone.
5. The Delco building is now a GM building, but there is hardly anyone ever there. One of the parking lots looks like the BMV might have people practice driving motorcylces there on what seems to be a road-cone obstacle course (or, at least, it seems to be there some times).
6. The three Rallys (called Checkers in the South) here are a million times worse than anything on that episode of Undercover Boss that featured Rallys/Checkers.
7. There are five or six McDonalds, three or four Subways, four Arbys, three Burger Kings, three Taco Bells, two Papa Johns, three Pizza Huts, two or three Pizza Kings (Indiana pizza chain), but just a few non-chain restaurants (excluding the bars, of which there are a ton of them).
8. Pinball machines are technically illegal here. It's an old law, where someone had the idea that pinball machines must not be around because the encourage gambling. Maybe they did, way back when, but it's a dumb law, especially today.
9. There was a proposed law that would have banned vaping in all public buildings, including vape shops, which have all their flavors set out in test tips.
10.Rent for apartments are expensive compared the wages, jobs, and hours that are widely offered here.
1. There is still nothing to do. The two stores I mentioned earlier are no longer here. But there is a very small venue that small bands coming through sometimes play at. The last time they had a group I wanted to see I still on crutches from my last knee surgery. There is also a venue in a park that sometimes gets a band worth watching (typically Pink Droid or Here Come the Mummies).
2. Good jobs that are full time are hard to come by. If you go to Monster, Indeed, or other job websites you'll find a bunch of jobs for medical people, a ton of trucking jobs, and a sea of food and retail jobs.
3. There have been about 50 meth lab busts in just the past few years.
4. The city put the entire state's FEMA funds in jeopardy by insisting a new ball park be built in a flood zone.
5. The Delco building is now a GM building, but there is hardly anyone ever there. One of the parking lots looks like the BMV might have people practice driving motorcylces there on what seems to be a road-cone obstacle course (or, at least, it seems to be there some times).
6. The three Rallys (called Checkers in the South) here are a million times worse than anything on that episode of Undercover Boss that featured Rallys/Checkers.
7. There are five or six McDonalds, three or four Subways, four Arbys, three Burger Kings, three Taco Bells, two Papa Johns, three Pizza Huts, two or three Pizza Kings (Indiana pizza chain), but just a few non-chain restaurants (excluding the bars, of which there are a ton of them).
8. Pinball machines are technically illegal here. It's an old law, where someone had the idea that pinball machines must not be around because the encourage gambling. Maybe they did, way back when, but it's a dumb law, especially today.
9. There was a proposed law that would have banned vaping in all public buildings, including vape shops, which have all their flavors set out in test tips.
10.Rent for apartments are expensive compared the wages, jobs, and hours that are widely offered here.
I'm currently in Indiana for grad school, so I might as well update.
1.) The town I'm in has about 35,000-ish people, but it feels (and looks) much smaller. It has a very rural feel to it and has a lot of wheat and soy farms on the out skirts.
2.) Indiana as a whole feels like the mid-west's attempt in copying the south via the 1970's. There are so many rebel flags, American flags, and "Don't tread on me" flags per square mile.
3.) Despite the fact that the state is very conservative, the town itself is relatively moderate. As far as I know, a Democratic candidate has been mayor for the past few years.
4.) That could be, however, because of the close proximity of 4 colleges in the west/northwest areas of town. Once you leave the "college area", as well as the downtown area, it's an average conservative "rust-belt" city.
5.) Speaking of downtown, there's a surprisingly sizable arts scene for the town's size. Including a theatre and a few art shops.
6.) There's a huge heroin problem in town. As well as meth.
7.) Good full-time jobs are hard to come by; aside from food and costumer service. However, rent is rather cheap when compared to other areas of the country.
8.) I'm a 45-60 minutes drive from Dayton, Indianapolis, Muncie, and Cincinnati.
9.) There's a surprisingly high number of festivals that happen each year.
10.) There is no way I'm staying here beyond my grad school career. Heck, after my first years lease is over, I might even find a roommate in Dayton or Indianapolis and commute to class.
1.) The town I'm in has about 35,000-ish people, but it feels (and looks) much smaller. It has a very rural feel to it and has a lot of wheat and soy farms on the out skirts.
2.) Indiana as a whole feels like the mid-west's attempt in copying the south via the 1970's. There are so many rebel flags, American flags, and "Don't tread on me" flags per square mile.
3.) Despite the fact that the state is very conservative, the town itself is relatively moderate. As far as I know, a Democratic candidate has been mayor for the past few years.
4.) That could be, however, because of the close proximity of 4 colleges in the west/northwest areas of town. Once you leave the "college area", as well as the downtown area, it's an average conservative "rust-belt" city.
5.) Speaking of downtown, there's a surprisingly sizable arts scene for the town's size. Including a theatre and a few art shops.
6.) There's a huge heroin problem in town. As well as meth.
7.) Good full-time jobs are hard to come by; aside from food and costumer service. However, rent is rather cheap when compared to other areas of the country.
8.) I'm a 45-60 minutes drive from Dayton, Indianapolis, Muncie, and Cincinnati.
9.) There's a surprisingly high number of festivals that happen each year.
10.) There is no way I'm staying here beyond my grad school career. Heck, after my first years lease is over, I might even find a roommate in Dayton or Indianapolis and commute to class.
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Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber
At least I know it's not just me who has a list of complaints and grievances about this state.
The funny thing is: I really like the school I'm attending, and the downtown area is alright, but the rest if this town is just so meh.
Then again, so far I've only been studying, attending classes ,and staying home on days to study more. So maybe it's good that there's really nothing much to do in town.
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber
Carmel is probably the better city in the state for arts. There is also Indy, Fort Wayne, and the bigger university cities (such as West Lafayette, Muncie, or Bloomington), and outside of that, yeah, you've pretty much scene it all. Lots of farms and fields, lots of USA and CSA flags, the snake "don't tread on me" flags popped up all over the place after the Tea Party started, meth, heroine (though heroine problems are more recent), crappy job markets...there are the state parks to see, and if you like racing plenty of that, but, yeah, you've even got the idea to get out after school (which is what most college grads end up doing).
1. Much of the city is on a grid, making navigation fairly easy.
2. We have interstate highways quartering the city.
3. The Eastern border is a mountain range.
4. You can take a tram to a ski area in the morning and back down later that day.
5. Crime is a problem, but it's largely localized in certain areas.
6. We have a river bisecting the city, North to South.
7. It's sunny almost every day, but not too hot in the Summer, due to our altitude.
8. We have a Biopark, combining a zoo, aquarium and arboretum/botanic garden.
9. We have a large university, an Air Force Base and a National lab.
10. We have an "official" question: Green or red?
2. We have interstate highways quartering the city.
3. The Eastern border is a mountain range.
4. You can take a tram to a ski area in the morning and back down later that day.
5. Crime is a problem, but it's largely localized in certain areas.
6. We have a river bisecting the city, North to South.
7. It's sunny almost every day, but not too hot in the Summer, due to our altitude.
8. We have a Biopark, combining a zoo, aquarium and arboretum/botanic garden.
9. We have a large university, an Air Force Base and a National lab.
10. We have an "official" question: Green or red?
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Baladas
An Págánach
I live in Gilbert, Arizona.
- It's very wealthy town overall. The average income is over $100,000 per yer, I believe. I do not fall into this majority.
- Being near Mesa, AZ, it has a very large concentration of LDS Christians, and we actually have temple here.
- It has a pretty nice little downtown area with various historic buildings.
- Like elsewhere in the Phoenix area, it gets hotter than most people can imagine. Our record high is 122 degrees F (50 C).
- We have a low crime rate.
- Gilbert is sister cities with Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland (where I spent some time several years ago without knowing this). It was a very cool thing to find out .
- Being in a "Red" state, almost everyone is politically Republican.
- There really isn't a whole lot to do in Gilbert for entertainment unless you are imaginative.
- Gilbert was originally a farm town, and remained one foe a long time. It was even known as the "Hay Capital of the World". Even today, we have a fair bit of farmland.
- We had a massive population boom between 1980 and 2005, with our population jumping from 5,717 to 208,453.
MARCELLO
Transitioning from male to female
Here comes Djibouti from where I have living and working permit and have already spent 16 months so far :
There are Sheraton and Kempinski with both having casinos. There are many discos and bars ,liquor is available everywhere though this is an islamic state and leftist party is ruling . The fish is excellent,lots of chinese ,thai and vietnamese restaurants. There is no middle class here ,either houses with 12 rooms or tin and broken timber houses. There is only Benetton where you can buy some standard quality clothes and it is soo expensive. There are a few churches and many mosques though most of the educational institutes are secular,there is no hatred produced in these schools.
It is very safe here,no shootings or terror,cops do not carry guns. The streets and roads are in poorest condition,filthy,stinky .Everywhere there is a construction running. Prostitution is rampant and everywhere.
Djiboutian people are peaceful and friendly ,the city is full of expats and military from USA,Japan,China,France,Spain,Germany,Turkey,Canada,Italy.
Of course you have to pay triple for everything because you are white but also as you are paid triple by salaries,it is not a big issue.
There are Sheraton and Kempinski with both having casinos. There are many discos and bars ,liquor is available everywhere though this is an islamic state and leftist party is ruling . The fish is excellent,lots of chinese ,thai and vietnamese restaurants. There is no middle class here ,either houses with 12 rooms or tin and broken timber houses. There is only Benetton where you can buy some standard quality clothes and it is soo expensive. There are a few churches and many mosques though most of the educational institutes are secular,there is no hatred produced in these schools.
It is very safe here,no shootings or terror,cops do not carry guns. The streets and roads are in poorest condition,filthy,stinky .Everywhere there is a construction running. Prostitution is rampant and everywhere.
Djiboutian people are peaceful and friendly ,the city is full of expats and military from USA,Japan,China,France,Spain,Germany,Turkey,Canada,Italy.
Of course you have to pay triple for everything because you are white but also as you are paid triple by salaries,it is not a big issue.
Politesse
Amor Vincit Omnia
I've been around the block a bit, but recently moved back to the city where I grew up. It's been fun getting to know it again.
1. Forbes magazine has it in for my hometown for some reason- we've been rated the worst place in the country to live twice. It's okay, most of us don't like Forbes either. Notwithstanding the many troubles brought on by the financial collapse, I have certainly lived in worse places.
2. We are most known to the rest of the country for a string of high-profile disappearances/murders. I wouldn't say we're proud of this, but Modestans do like to gossip about the latest grisly case as much as everyone else seems to, so I reckon we can't really complain about the attention.
3. We do more than just murder each other, though; we have a fancy opera house, one of the oldest civic orchestras in the West, festivals and events every weekend...
4. The city was built over abandoned village sites belonging to two indigenous nations, the Yokuts and Mi-wok. Both were hit very hard by the Gold Rush and a genocide by raiding posses from the Anglo towns that people still don't like to talk about.
5. One of the best known Yokuts men was General Estanislao, who in the late 18th century fought a fierce (and strategically successful) war against the invading Spanish empire. We've got a statue of him in front of the courthouse, and as a kid I heard a lot of stories about him, mostly exaggerated and some imported from old race jokes rather than history.
6. Another story people like to tell is how the town was going to be named for a certain distinguished gentleman, but he was embarrassed by the attention and refused the honor - it got named "Modesto" instead - "modest".
7. After a newspaper campaign to come up with an idea for a city motto, the people voted for the new motto to be "Nobody Got Our Goat". The Chamber of commerce overruled the decision, worried that it might somehow give the wrong impression.
8. My employer, the junior college in town, has been growing like crazy and is arguably one of the better schools in the whole community college system, especially considering the desperate circumstances of most of our students. We also built one of the finest science centers in the state, with a great big museum and state of the art planetarium. Recently joined by a Center for Advanced Technology which opened just two weeks ago. I've never been prouder of anywhere I've worked.
9. When I was a kid, a lot of rail lines cut right through downtown - one freight line was built in the street, and would cause epic traffic jams as nervous drivers tried to merge out of the middle lane in order to not get hit. Those downtown lines are all gone now, and the former railways have mostly been turned into rather fetching jogging and biking paths. My mum is good friends with one of the parks gardeners and regularly updates me on the flower situation in town.
10. If anyone outside of the state knows anything about the city aside from the murders, it's usually because George Lucas grew up here and made his debut film on youth culture of his generation. But the man himself seems a bit ... ambivalent about maintaining the connection. We built this weird car statue thing downtown partly in his honor and he infamously skipped the dedication ceremony.
I think it's funny there's so many Valley towns in this thread!
1. Forbes magazine has it in for my hometown for some reason- we've been rated the worst place in the country to live twice. It's okay, most of us don't like Forbes either. Notwithstanding the many troubles brought on by the financial collapse, I have certainly lived in worse places.
2. We are most known to the rest of the country for a string of high-profile disappearances/murders. I wouldn't say we're proud of this, but Modestans do like to gossip about the latest grisly case as much as everyone else seems to, so I reckon we can't really complain about the attention.
3. We do more than just murder each other, though; we have a fancy opera house, one of the oldest civic orchestras in the West, festivals and events every weekend...
4. The city was built over abandoned village sites belonging to two indigenous nations, the Yokuts and Mi-wok. Both were hit very hard by the Gold Rush and a genocide by raiding posses from the Anglo towns that people still don't like to talk about.
5. One of the best known Yokuts men was General Estanislao, who in the late 18th century fought a fierce (and strategically successful) war against the invading Spanish empire. We've got a statue of him in front of the courthouse, and as a kid I heard a lot of stories about him, mostly exaggerated and some imported from old race jokes rather than history.
6. Another story people like to tell is how the town was going to be named for a certain distinguished gentleman, but he was embarrassed by the attention and refused the honor - it got named "Modesto" instead - "modest".
7. After a newspaper campaign to come up with an idea for a city motto, the people voted for the new motto to be "Nobody Got Our Goat". The Chamber of commerce overruled the decision, worried that it might somehow give the wrong impression.
8. My employer, the junior college in town, has been growing like crazy and is arguably one of the better schools in the whole community college system, especially considering the desperate circumstances of most of our students. We also built one of the finest science centers in the state, with a great big museum and state of the art planetarium. Recently joined by a Center for Advanced Technology which opened just two weeks ago. I've never been prouder of anywhere I've worked.
9. When I was a kid, a lot of rail lines cut right through downtown - one freight line was built in the street, and would cause epic traffic jams as nervous drivers tried to merge out of the middle lane in order to not get hit. Those downtown lines are all gone now, and the former railways have mostly been turned into rather fetching jogging and biking paths. My mum is good friends with one of the parks gardeners and regularly updates me on the flower situation in town.
10. If anyone outside of the state knows anything about the city aside from the murders, it's usually because George Lucas grew up here and made his debut film on youth culture of his generation. But the man himself seems a bit ... ambivalent about maintaining the connection. We built this weird car statue thing downtown partly in his honor and he infamously skipped the dedication ceremony.
I think it's funny there's so many Valley towns in this thread!
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