[Blindtlk] Best places to live

[Mark Tardif]

I live in Grand Isle, Maine.  This is a very small town, with one zip code, 
one voting precinct, at the town office, no fixed route bus system. 
However, there is a bus that will take you to Presque Isle, you do have to 
call the day before to get door to door service, but you can use it to go to 
doctor's appointments, shopping, etc.  So, in this town, you do have to be 
resourceful, and it just so happens that in my building is someone who used 
to be a cab driver.  His wife drives me to shop, doctor's appointments in 
Madawaska, about 9 miles away, I pay for her lunch, etc.  Also, things like 
the general store and the post office are a stone's throw from here, which 
makes it nice.  So, I am not far from my doctor, grocery shopping, church, 
the post office, restaurants.  It is also one of the safest and most 
hospitable towns I have ever lived in.  People know how to deal with the 
severe winters we get up here and will offer you rides if you need them.  I 
didn't mind living in the big city, and probably the city that was the best 
as far as city services are concerned was Cleveland, Ohio.  It was certainly 
the best city for transportation I ever lived in, frequent buses, (some 
lines running all night), a rapid train system to the suburbs and to the 
airport, good cab service.  Like Chicago, the winters are fierce, with that 
cold wind blowing off Lake Erie, which made waiting for buses somewhat of a 
trial.  But there was also a paratransit system that I used, several good 
hospitals, lots of things to do and good places to eat.  Crime was an issue 
in some areas, however, and my recommendation was that if you went out at 
night, it was a good idea to take a cab.
Mark Tardif
Nuclear arms will not hold you.
-----Original Message----- 
From: Dave Mehtingerr
Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2013 7:18 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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