[Blindtlk] Best places to live

[Steven Johnson]

The city in which I live was actually listed as one of the most accessible
cities to live in by the AFB as well around that same time frame.  The city
is La Crosse Wisconsin, and it is a city of about 51000 with our sister city
an additional 35000 which is called Onalaska.  The transportation is really
excellent with over the road bus access, Amtrak, a really excellent transit
system, 3 or 4 different taxi services, and it is a very easy city to
navigate.  There are a lot of services available here with 2 major medical
facilities including a Trauma 1 center, and we are generally #2 with
unemployment right under our State Capitol, Madison.  

Steve


-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mark Tardif
Sent: Wednesday, October 30, 2013 8:16 PM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Best places to live

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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