[Blindtlk] Best places to live

[justin williams]

I've seen that study; I'm disappointed that there hasn't been another study.
Remember, they are also looking at a combination of employment, weather, and
other factors.  From what I know of charlotte, the public transit is pretty
good.  While it is not the very best by any means, it is far and away better
than my own city of Columbia, as well as other mid sized cities.  However, I
don't live in charlotte, but in Columbia.  Columbia is terrible for the
Blind; manageable if you were born here, but not at all a place to move to
unles you have a specific reason to do so, or you come from a rural area.
It is cheap, but remember, between bad transit, and the inability to drive,
our standard of living in Columbia is usually lower.  

-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dave
Mehtingerr
Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2013 7:19 PM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: [Blindtlk] Best places to live

I've lived in at least 9 different cities, and some have been much more
challenging than others. I did a search trying to get an idea of the best
places to live if one is visually impaired. I found a study done by the AFB
in 2003 that proclaimed Charlotte, NC as the best place to live if one is
blind. I also found a discussion where many were surprised by this result,
most claiming Charlotte has a poor public transit system. Of course one of
the biggest concerns for most of us is access to good transportation. 

So I figured I'd ask the folks who know best. How do you like the city in
which you live as far as the services you need as a visually impaired
person? Would you recommend it to other blind people? What are the best
services? What are the worst? 

I live in Charlottesville, VA and I have to say it's hands down the best
place I've lived. I normally use a door to door para transit service that
takes me anywhere in the county I wish to go. I use it daily for trips to
and from work, as well as to go to the gym, shopping, doc appts, etc. this
is the first city I've lived in that's had such a service and it's
wonderful, except for some occaissional minor hiccups. Charlottesville also
has a fixed route bus system, but that is certainly much less convenient for
me. Charlottesville is a small town which I like; I'm not much for big city
life. On the down side, access to medical specialists to treat my glaucoma
and related issues is limited, but fortunately that is not a big issue since
my eyes have been stable for many years. 

Of other places I've lived, Pasadena/LA, CA was a nightmare to get around
in. Chicago was a bit better transportation wise, but waiting for
buses/trains outside in the winter was truly unpleasant, and I sometimes
didn't feel very safe on the trains at night. I've vowed never to live in
Chicago again because of the winters. 

Champaign-Urbana, IL has a pretty good bus system, but like Chicago, waiting
on buses in the winter isn't nice. 

So, tell me about where you live and how you find your city does in meeting
your needs as visually impaired individual.
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