I haven't been posting too much lately because so many threads have disintegrated into conflict, hurt feelings, and general negativity. And I didn't want to get in the midst of all that. So! I thought I'd make a happy thread. There are so many positive things about living in this area and I thought I would start a list. I hope that some of you continue it, or I'll be sitting here all by my lonesome on the happy train, looking like some sort of a delusional moron.

- I love that I live five minutes away from the always tranquil C&O Canal. There's nothing like walking on the towpath at Cushwa basin early in the morning, anticipating those rare days when we see a muskrat swimming under the aqueduct, or startling a herd of deer, or seeing a beautiful blue heron take off from its hidden perch on the shore of the river.

- I love being 25 minutes away from Whitetail and within 2 hours of several other ski resorts, so I don't get bored with the same old trails.

- I love that you get a whole hour for a quarter on downtown parking meters!

- I love the eclectic architecture on the downtown Hagerstown buildings, and the fact that other people see the value in starting to preserve them.

- I love the fact that there is a sense of community between downtown businessowners, and that I rarely walk to the bank without running into a fellow businessowner for a friendly chat on the sidewalk.

- I love that we have so many dining options in this area, and that if you're willing to travel another half-hour away you have even more, especially ethnic restaurants.


There's the whistle...Happy Train's departing. Will I have the car to myself?

i love that there are so many awesome places to fish, tube and canoe...

i love that there's a huge library that has activities for toddlers...

tons of nice parks, and many free pavilions for get-togethers...

i like being in driving distance of dc and baltimore, without having to LIVE there...

i like having affordable things to be able to do as a family... like Monster Jam! , fireworks, and sun's games... ( picture me at monster jam... now stop laughing. lol)

i like having at least 5 choices for grocery shopping... sometimes one store is having a GREAT sale and it's no further than my usual trip...

Same here, CleverName. And I concur with many of the reasons that have already been posted. I've been all over the US, and in my opinion, this area has some of the most beautiful natural scenery in the country. And yes, being within driving distance of big-city amenities without having to live in the middle of it is pretty sweet too.

Two more words: cultural diversity.

Yes, yes, and yes!

If you really want to find out what you like about living here, live somewhere else for a while. When I was in my teens and early 20's, I couldn't wait to get out of here. After a few years in the DC/Baltimore area, I realized I actually missed this area! I missed waiving to neighbors driving past. I missed the sense of community we have. I missed the slower pace (Hagerstime). I missed forests, streams, fields (and yes, even the smell of cow poop in the spring). I could feel my blood pressure drop as I came up 70/270 to visit. I finally decided it was time to come back and haven't regretted it since.

I enjoy the close proximity to Johns Hopkins University Hospital. I have the specialist there to thank for the extra days, months, years, I get to spend with a beloved family member. The kind of treatment they are able to provide would not be available in most other areas of the world, much less country, and for this I am eternally thankful.

Good gravy, do you need to turn every post into a debate or argument??

Why I love living here..hmmm...

1. I live 7 hours from most of my relatives--not 2.5days anymore.
2. I live 3 hours from my father.
3. I missed the Appalachian Trail--I lived next to it when I grew up in CT also--so I feel like I am home.
4. The land is not flat--the west is flat...and beige...they call it green, but it is not verdant green like this part of the country.
5. The change in seasons.
6. I know all my neighbors & not just by their cars...I actually had alot of them in my house Sunday for Superbowl.
7. DC & Baltimore are close but not that close.

So true.....the west is flat, and very brown. One other thing y'all aren't mentioning is that you are close to the ocean! My stepkids have never seen and ocean; and the only rivers they have seen are the Potomac and the Shenandoah (yours truly made their dad take them to see a few things while they were visiting me when I lived in Paradise) I can't wait to come back and show my stepkids the beach!

ugh.

since I started this thread, may I be the one to designate "this area" as being Washington County and immediate surroundings such as the northern West Virginia panhandle, Chambersburg area, generally about a 30-mile radius from Hagersbush? DC/Baltimore most certainly have a completely different feel to them, IMHO.

sheesh.


I'd like to agree wholeheartedly w/ txex about the Appalachian Trail; not only is it in our backyard but we're ideally located halfway, so long-distance backpackers can choose to go north or south from our area.

And it's distance from the same.

Nothing, I can't actually say I love anything about Hagerstown. That's to much of a strong word for me.

I do like the fact that there's a Best Buy, Home Depot, Office Max, and Walmart all in the same shopping center.
I do like that we have a Mayor that's open minded, or at least I like to thing so.
I do like that fact that there's talk about expanding the Library.
I do like the fact that Police Officers are doing a good job.
I do like the fact that I'm less then 10 mins away from the highway.
I do like the fact I live on a quite street.

That's all I can think of right now.

I love that I can get to work and back home on a country road...but the interstate is there if I'm in a hurry.
I love that when I hear a gunshot at my house, it's someone hunting in the woods.
I love that all my neighbors feel safe letting their children play outside.
I love that my family gets to watch the calves in the pasture behind us grow up.
I love that no matter where I go, I'm always happy to come home.

I liked that I grew up in Hagerstown, attended elementary, jr. high, high school and Hagerstown Junior College.

Then I moved away to Baltimore for over 2 decades.

I really liked moving back to Hagerstown. Where people wave, talk to you while standing in line, get your order right the first time at the fast food joints, smile and say thank you. And for the most part you can understand what they're saying.

Sure, Hagerstown has changed. But I still like the fact that it's still almost 50% agriculture (Washington County) and I don't have to plan my local errands around rush hour.

I have many of the same sentiments as others. I love the “country” feel and farmland and trees all around us, but I can be at a major airport or world-class hospital in under 2 hours if I need to be. Or be at the ocean in 4 hours. Or be somewhere I can hunt (when I get lucky and get permission) in minutes. I can ride my motorcycle on scenic “backroads” in minutes, or through really nice state forests in an hour or so. I can see lots of wildlife from my house. I have 4 really unique seasons to enjoy.

-Low crime rate
-Close to "Big" Cities
-Fairgrounds Park
-We are getting a Green Turtle
-We are getting a new hospital
-Some places still have $1.00 drafts
-AC&T Chicken
-Growing City
-Revitalizing Downtown
-Waffle Crab fries at The Grill at Park Circle
-Still have a sector of the community that is involved. (The entire area is not a bedroom community)
-University of Maryland downtown
-Starbucks is coming
-Many Service Organizations
-We get snow (some years)
-Robinwood Medical Center
-Hagerstown Suns
-City Park
-Diversity
-Future looks good better than the past.

NO COMMENT

I love the fact that we still live in a community. I lived is Salsibury for about 4 years, I was always an outsider. The community wasn't has close knit as ours. Probably because they have a lot of transplants. We, have citizens who have made Hagerstown and the surrounding area their home. They have become part of the community.

I love that I can make it to work in 10 minutes, because I know the lights.

I love that growing up here I had the good fortune to be raised by a loving mother and father who taught me to be open minded to all people and treat people good. So far, I have not lived to regret it.

I know I am biased, but I love the form of Govt. we are under in the city. I believe that those who live, work and travel in the community should be the ones who can make the best decisions for our communities. Vote YES on the 12th for Charter Home Rule.

I love the fact that I may not know all those who post here, but I know alot of you and you seem to follow your heart the same as you post here. Find that in a big city!

C'mon Mcgee, don't you love our golf courses?

It`s a nice course Bob to practice your Irons

Hagerstown is still a nice town in some ways. I can still get around the area faster than most people. I miss the Mom&Pop stores. The Canal and hiker biker paths are plus for exercise. At least you can still talk face to face with local government officals. I can`t think of anything nice to say. It`s hell to get old and try to keep up with change.

Hey Mcgee... some reading material....



just kidding!

Yoss,
I already have that book.

I love the fact that I can vote NO on the 12th for Charter Home Rule.

where is that?

sweets is probably referring to them in the "same shopping center" because they're so close to each other; technically they're not, but Best Buy is in the adjacent new shopping center. Where Five Below, Starbucks, Chipotle, etc. are.

Oh yeah, and another good thing about living up here is that we've finally gotten a Chipotle. Yummers!

oh and its a staples, right? not an office max?? i thought maybe there was some secret plaza i didnt know about. i got excited for a minute.

I love this place so much I have a tattoo of Little Heiskell over my heart and I'm thinking of getting a county symbol on the other side. I actually still get a little queasy the further I get away when I go on trips.

ah good call. wesel blvd.

anyway i thought of another thing about living in this area...

super close to historical sites some people drive cross-country to see. might sound dweebish, but i'm a history buff.

and you got a little queasy when you got the Tat also, so you probably will not be getting another. SISSY

I love the railroaders.

I was talkng about actual human railroaders, my passengers and friends from both Vardo, and Burhans.

I know I've said this before, in a similar thread, but it's worth repeating. When coming west on I 70 and you get to the top of the mountain where you can look down and see the Hagerstown area..... that is just one of the most beautiful scenes. I always imagine early settlers to be coming in their horse-drawn wagons and just stopping and giving thanks!! I'm sure they felt like they found the Promised Land.

When I was in college, in Towson, I had a friend up at Frederick. Bunch of us would get in a car a drive out 70 and we would all marvel at the beauty of the hills and greenery. But, then my sister moved to Hagerstown and I couldn't believe that it could get any prettier than the Frederick area. But, it sure did. So beautiful. I think, sometimes, we all take the hills for granted.

That s a pretty scene but I would prefer the farmlands and rolling hills of carroll county

I actually miss it. I miss City Park, I really miss Sharpsburg & Boonsboro. I was a lifelong Maryland resident up til a year ago when I moved to WV. I love the area I'm in but I still miss my old stompin grounds!

I like living here because it reminds me of living/growing up on the Eastern Shore....only with a higher paying job.

As soon as I can find something down there or have a chance to set up my own business...I'll likely go back down there.

Wow reading this thread has made me more homesick than ever
Living in a big city is great but you become spoiled by the convenience of having so many choices & all so close by.
I miss the Mom & Pop stores of Washington Co., especially Nutter's & Krumpee's! I also loved how you were just a short trip away from the mountains & a few hours from the ocean. The plethera of parks & beautiful countryside was top notch. Things just seem to move on a slower pace, people take the time to talk to you at the checkout, hold the door open for you, offer a helping hand if needed. Neighbors are there for one another & come over to visit without needing an invite. I hate that everyone here is in such a hurry, always too busy to be friendly. Of course if you get away from the big city & even go 45 minutes north up into southern IN it's completely different. Anyway, I miss so many things about MD I could go on & on..It's like that line from Gone With the Wind " It will come to you, this love of the land."

All great comments. This area is definately not one of those "nice place to visit, wouldnt want to live there" places. I love the soil. I guess because I have always had my hands in it. The feel and smell of "Hagerstown loam" is pure. A neat twist to this thread would be to list something you think would / could improve the area?? I would like to get on board with a crew and get a "Hooters" into this area. Plenty of $ could be made and a wonderful supply of available staff....

A Barnes & Nobles bookstore..

AN INDIAN RESTAURANT! Please oh pretty please?

A NASCAR Track, 1 race 100,000 people for 4 days = over 17 million dollars into the local economy.

I second that motion! And a good Thai place too!

I third that! And a Vietnamese Pho place would be good, too!

A great public transportation system. That way I can leave my car and run my errands that way.

I love the blossoming arts community in PA, WVa, & MD. Neat things are slated for Hagerstown. But for the here and now, I love nearby towns for their creativity, arts, and recreation. Sheperdstown, Berkley Springs, Cumberland MD and Franklin County Pa are all unique. Many parts of PA, WVa, & Allegany/Garret County MD have a lot to offer.

In Washington County I love the mom & pop stores, walkability, biking, Hager House, Art Museum & family activities. I also appreciate the combination of old & new. Not so much those new apartments/houses between the YMCA & new post office but other new things are great. Or the townhouses that had to go up in the forest across from North High, and are still vacant. Both bad ideas. But it helps the tax base so what do I know.

An Indian restaurant is on my wish list. There is plenty of room downtown and it would compliment or strengthen what is there. Customers are ready to support an Indian place downtown. That is why Lalias, the Afghan place downtown, appeals to me, a nice variation. Downtown is looking better and better. Empty buildings are fuller, that is good for all. But my favorite things are the natural resources that surround us, the treasures out and about..........I also like Channel 6, the council meetings, not sure why, but thank you.

Whats not to love about this area? We have city life, if you must. Even better is the countryside. There are a range of special places: swimming holes, older buildings w/ cool architecture, C&O Canal, Appalachian Trail & Parks are all keepers.
My favorite thing are my wonderful neighbors, some built their homes in the 40s & 50s, & still live here. Others have just moved in, it is a great neighborhood. I love the people living around me, sometimes it is comedy or just daily routines, but for the most part just nice people doing what they got to do.

So... what y'all are saying is ... Let's change the character and nature of Washington County and make it more like Prince George's, Montgomery, Howard, and Baltimore County?

::long sigh::

Yoss,
That`s what I said over a year ago. They moved here and knew things were different. But ooohh lets bring it with us. Now look at the mess the people brought. Now its a cooky cutter town.

You give "them" way too much credit.....

I like the fact that this area has 4 seasons. I lived south and actually got tired of it being warm all the time. Fall in Washington County is absolutely beautiful. I wish we had some more snow this year but I guess just North they are tired of it.

Aye Crumba, I love Hagerstown because it has two crossing freeways. You can quickly leave here in any direction. In my country this is a good thing

BTW, it's "carumba", not "crumba".