"Your Hometown!"

[ira]

Over 25 years ago I settled in Edison N.J.

I wanted to be at least not TOO far from my daughter from marriage #1 and done in Philadelphia...yet I needed to be commutable to NYC.

I gotta tell you...Jersey's fascinating.

The Northern part is a bedroom community to New York...it has FEW TV and Radio stations of it's own...it roots for New York teams...2 of which (Giants and Jets) oddly enough PLAY in N.J.

Southern N.J. is dominated by Philadelphia...it's media...it's culture and those Jerseyites are mostly "Iggles" (Philadelphia Eagles) and Phillies fans.

And then you have TRUE Jerseyites..born and bred here...hunters...fishermen...Rutgers grads...with little affinity for identifying as Philadelphians or Greater New Yorkers.

It is a densely poulated state...yet except for a few cities...It's made up of MANY beautiful towns...some like Clinton N.J. and areas like Hunterdon County can be rustic and beautiful.

And then there's the Jersey Shore...What a treat to have something like that so close by.

What I LOVE about travelling across the U.S.A. ...is that EVERY area has something unique and very special about it.

What's special about where you live?

[GMan]

Hey Ira...you forgot to mention Hudson County....the corruption capital of this wonderful state....where we are all taxed out of our kazoos!! lol

[Shelley]

My Hometown is Warwick R.I, I spent the first 21 years of my life there....lets see

We have Johnson and Wales university, one of the best culinary arts schools in america...Chef Emeril Lagasse is a graduate

Dells Lemonade...its frozen lemonade, the best lemonade anywhere.

Walts Roast beef....Forget Arby's or Lions Choice...this is a super roast beef sandwich.

GhostHunters the SyFi ghost hunting team are based in Warwick, R.I....that huge old building they always show on camera is Warwick City Hall.

We use to have Rocky Point...A big amusement park, it was awesome...but its closed now...they had some great Clamcakes and Chowder

In Newport we have the old Mansions...its a beautiful city, alot of history in R.I. Its one of the original 13 colonies, and I'm a decendent of the founder Roger Williams...

Alot of other stuff too.

[rockynrobyn1977]

My town of Andover,Mass. is very townie and they try to keep it that way. Main Street has little stores,restaurants, and shops, and they don't change the basic look of the storefronts. They have lots of activities for kids, so it's a nice place to raise a young family. Everything is in the center of town, so you can walk to everything, very few places to park. Phillips Academy,Andover, and Brooks in near by No.Andover, are amongst the best schools in the country, and boast some famous alumni.George Bush Sr. & Jr. went to PA., as well as a few Kennedys. Good public school system. Jay Leno is from here. Industry is on the outskirts of town. Not a bad place to live, kinda expensive though, we live close to the Lawrence city line. We are about 25 miles from Boston and the beaches. We are densely populated, and then there lots of great open spaces where you can commune with nature. We have lots of history and attractions close by. We have four seasons so everything changes. I love it here!

[ira]

As I said before...I LOVE America...Every town and every city has some unique character...Pull-eaze!..Let's have some more stories about your hometowns.

[ira]

Sorry..I missed your post GMan...But I gotta still say...Bayonne with it's neighborhoody atmosphere and views of Manhattan and it's beautiful parks has always impressed me when we've gotten together in "Your Hometown".

[boopell]

My hometown is Morristown, TN. I've lived here all my life. We call it the Morristown Trap.

I've seen a lot of changes over the years.

When I was very young there were cow pastures inside the city limits, but they've been replaced by shopping centers. We were surrounded by farms, but now we have subdivisions and industrial parks.

Main Street is our "downtown". There we have overhead sidewalks. I remember when they were built back in the 60's the big deal was that us and a town in England were the only ones to have them.

We have Crockett's Tavern. Some people say it's actually Davy Crockett's cabin relocated and some say it's a replica. And then there's Crockett's Ridge where Davy supposedly killed a bear when he was a boy.

We have lakes and lots of woods and mountains all around us. Several parks, LOTS of churches, a decent school system, but homeschooling is very popular.

And then there's "Hometown Radio WCRK". Since 1947 with Ed--the morning announcer since before I was born. I think they play the same music, too. You can send letters to Santa to the radio station and they read them on air. We had the same Santa for nearly 60 years. They tried to change their format once and we almost had riots in the streets so they changed everything back!

It's not so bad, I guess. Boring sometimes, but low crime overall and the people are friendly.

[Laura]

My hometown is Beloit,Wisconsin. Also known as "The Gateway to Wisconsin" because it is on the Wisconsin/Ilinois border along I-90/I-39. The population is about 36,000 people. It's the home of Beloit College, The Angel Museum (Oprah had hers on display here for awhile.) It's a racially diverse town. Fairbanks Morse (part of Goodyear now), brought many African Americans to work in the factory in the 20's and 30s. We've also seen increasing numbers of Mexicans. We have had more problems with violence as gangs and drugs make their way here. (Because we are on the interstate, things filter through here going north.) The town just to the north of us tends to look down for the problems we have.

There is a lot of good things in Beloit, not just bad. We have a Class A minor league team for the Minnesota Twins. (Used to be for the Brewers). We have a rejuvinated riverfront where there are concerts, and our annual music festival, Riverfest. We are within 2 hours of Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison.

I guess that all. Hope that gives you an idea about my hometown

[Wendy-Ann]

Well, I now consider my home to be in South Orange County, California. But I've lived in Warminster, PA, San Antonio, TX, and Haddon Twp., NJ...before officially becoming a "California girl" at the age of 16.

Here are 2 of our tourism commercials. I love 'em!

[Kirk]

I guess I'll always be a SoCal kinda guy. Within a couple of hours of L.A. you can find anything you want from secluded mountain retreats to beaches. And, don't get me started on the weather. I've always felt if you lived to be 50 here in SoCal, you've been able to do as much stuff as someone who's lived to 75 in other parts of the country- where it gets too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. I'll bet that's a strange perception to most.

Granted, there are many areas of L.A. that I would not choose to live in or even visit. However, the west side of L.A. where I grew up- I called all of the beach towns from Palos Verdes to Malibu home- was great! The mountains I lived in a couple of hours from L.A. were great! The part of Ventura county I live in currently is great! Like I said, I'm just a SoCal kinda guy.

But, more than the weather and fun stuff to do, there is the cultural side of growing up in L.A. I'm not talking about Revolutionary war or Civil war kind of culture, I'm talking about movies and television. Growing up in and around the great studios. MGM and their backlots- then, scattered around Culver City, that we explored as teens. Watching t.v. shows and movies- nudging the person next to you and saying, "I know where they shot that", or "That's right down the street from me". Having neighbors and relatives working in the industry. It's hard to explain, but it permeates the culture and the landscape when you've been raised around here. Once again, probably a strange perception to most.

There's a bunch of other reasons "I Love L.A." (to quote Randy Newman), but that's a start. I guess I just feel blessed to have lived around here. Did I mention I love L.A.?

[rockynrobyn1977]

Laura, that's funny how you say the neighboring town looks down their noses on another town. The Andovers tend to do the same thing to the city of Lawrence, and the Lawrence people think the Andovers are rich snobs. Not everyone in the Andovers is wealthy and there are pockets of Lawrence that boarder Andover, and you would never know where the town line was. Some places it is obvious. You have a nice ranch or split in Lawrence, then a fence and a McMansion on the Andover side.

[Kirk]

Odd coincidence- I typed my post before I saw Wendy's- it's the perfect tie-in. Thanks, Wendy!

[Shelley]

Kirk,I lived in Oxnard, and worked in Camarillo....I have to agree with you its a beautiful place, Hubby still has relatives in Ventura...He would move back there in a heartbeat....but I won't go, because my 2 boys and Grandkids are here.

California is AWESOME...everyone should visit it at least once in their lifetime

[Kirk]

Shelley, one of the things I like about living in Camarillo that's a rarity this close to L.A.- it's surrounded by greenbelt. There are farms, orchards and the Santa Monica mountains on the outskirts of the city. Even though it's not really a small town (65,000 people), the fact that it doesn't touch another city adds to the small town feel. The ocean breezes off of the Oxnard plain are the icing on the cake.

[ira]

I love hearing about the character and attraction of different American cities and towns.

BTW.."I Love L.A." too and visit Santa Monica 2-3 times a year.

[James]

"Home...is your state of mind."

James, 2010

:-)

[LobsterLvr]

Ira and Robyn...

I've got the same home towns as both you guys. My 1st 19 years were in Andover, Mass, too (just like Robyn). Jay Leno grew up around the block from me (when I lived in 'the vale' section). Later I moved to 'the village' where the Shawsheen River loves to flood (just like it did two weeks ago!). It was the best place in the world to grow up. (No McMansion for our family. Simple 4 bedroom saltbox along the RR tracks.) I'm still a Sox fan. My New England accent comes thru aftah a few beahs. These days I'm a Jersey boy. Been here since 1981. Spent 13 years in Highland Park (around the corner from you Ira). These days I am in Princeton, the most Andover-like town in all of NJ. It's beautiful. (Watch 'IQ' or 'A Beautiful Mind' and you'll see what I see every day!) They say you can never go home again...but I found the perfect town that makes it all possible.

Dave

[hollies65]

This is the best song I have ever heard...for those of us who no longer live in our hometowns...make sure you check out the lyrics...

[Reid C.]

OK, name droppers. I may not have grown up in the same town as Jay Leno, but he works twenty minutes from my house!

[Kirk]

Reid, did you know the first sports car Jay Leno bought was a Sunbeam Tiger? I have our club newsletter back when he was a 'new member'. He finally 'made it' in Hollywood!

[rockynrobyn1977]

Hey, I live here and I have never met him. I have seen him in town when he visits.

[Kirk]

You can count on Jay to be at the Woodley Park British car show in the San Fernando valley. He always brings a different car. He's very approachable, and loves to talk cars. I've seen him at the Rock Store above Malibu, also. Come west, Robyn, come west.

[LobsterLvr]

OK, name droppers. I may not have grown up in the same town as Jay Leno, but he works twenty minutes from my house!

lol !

[Reid C.]

What can I say, the man has taste. Ever get your u-joint fixed?

[Kirk]

Reid, check you mailbox.