Does anyone realize yarisworld is getting 'less busy'?

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by yougojay

Will be driving up the mountain soon, last time was 4-11-13 picking up the new Yaris.

To Asheville (). I stayed there one night and day on the way back. I didn't care for the people I encountered (a bunch of glass half empty people), except for 1 person (who happened to be from Texas).

Just one city, though. I know there are a bunch of nice people in North Carolina. My godson and his parents and siblings live there, and they love it.

[yougojay]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

To Asheville (). I stayed there one night and day on the way back. I didn't care for the people I encountered (a bunch of glass half empty people), except for 1 person (who happened to be from Texas).

Just one city, though. I know there are a bunch of nice people in North Carolina. My godson and his parents and siblings live there, and they love it.

No, not to Asheville, that's West of me by about 75-90 minutes, I say up the mountains on 321 to Boone, NC. where it snows all the time & the nearest Toyota dealer to me is...
Most people around here are the same way...it's extremely depressing to work around the public here (that's another story) There are a LOT of great people here, but most (great people) are the older & the employed.
Should have moved to Texas instead. Spent the Summer of 1980 there and it was fantastic. 'Urban Cowboy', 'The Shining' & 'Who Shot J.R.'? - Those were the days...

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by yougojay

No, not to Asheville, that's West of me by about 75-90 minutes, I say up the mountains on 321 to Boone, NC. where it snows all the time & the nearest Toyota dealer to me is...
Most people around here are the same way...it's extremely depressing to work around the public here (that's another story) There are a LOT of great people here, but most (great people) are the older & the employed.
Should have moved to Texas instead. Spent the Summer of 1980 there and it was fantastic. 'Urban Cowboy', 'The Shining' & 'Who Shot J.R.'? - Those were the days...

The Texas guy I spoke with pretty much echoes your sentiments. He is only there because he has a full ride scholarship. He recently spent two weeks visiting a friend who goes to UC Berkeley. He'd never been there before. I've lived most of my life in the SF Bay Area. He was amazed at how many people (in the Bay Area who he happen to encounter) begged him to donate to causes and then got really mad when he wouldn't contribute. He said he sees a lot of well educated (but lazy) hangers on in Asheville who are getting government money (not loans for school) and noticed what seemed to be the same in pockets of the Bay Area. I noticed the converse, and other negative similarities.

I first visited Texas in 1988, but we only went to the Dallas-Fort Worth metro...crazy growth since then.

[yougojay]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

The Texas guy I spoke with pretty much echoes your sentiments. He is only there because he has a full ride scholarship. He recently spent two weeks visiting a friend who goes to UC Berkeley. He'd never been there before. I've lived most of my life in the SF Bay Area. He was amazed at how many people (in the Bay Area who he happen to encounter) begged him to donate to causes and then got really mad when he wouldn't contribute. He said he sees a lot of well educated (but lazy) hangers on in Asheville who are getting government money (not loans for school) and noticed what seemed to be the same in pockets of the Bay Area. I noticed the converse, and other negative similarities.

I first visited Texas in 1988, but we only went to the Dallas-Fort Worth metro...crazy growth since then.

Yes, it's a sad state of affairs in this country. The furniture industries in the area here went overseas, and it killed the economy. Local grocery stores base their ordering on food stamp days (EBT Cards) which load up on the 3rd, 5th, 7th... and so on through the 15th of each month.
I stayed in Arlington, TX in 1980 - I can't imagine how much it has grown in the last 30 years.
I see a lot of new or newer cars around, there IS some money here. The weather is good to all the cars, the older ones look so good, it's hard to tell they are 20 years old or more (sometimes) Some look dated, but NO rust. I think it's the 90's cars that I think are newer.
One thing I notice is there are a lot of cars with bald tires... my gosh, baby seats in the back...whatever!
There are yearly inspections, but who knows who is paying off who. I'd rather have CHEAP new tires than some of the bald ones I've seen - I don't understand it. Most would say they are spending their money on basic needs, I think that includes alcohol, smokes & drugs for a lot of them. I guess it is like riding the Metro in DC - all sorts of people from all walks of life

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by yougojay

Yes, it's a sad state of affairs in this country. The furniture industries in the area here went overseas, and it killed the economy. Local grocery stores base their ordering on food stamp days (EBT Cards) which load up on the 3rd, 5th, 7th... and so on through the 15th of each month.
I stayed in Arlington, TX in 1980 - I can't imagine how much it has grown in the last 30 years.
I see a lot of new or newer cars around, there IS some money here. The weather is good to all the cars, the older ones look so good, it's hard to tell they are 20 years old or more (sometimes) Some look dated, but NO rust. I think it's the 90's cars that I think are newer.
One thing I notice is there are a lot of cars with bald tires... my gosh, baby seats in the back...whatever!
There are yearly inspections, but who knows who is paying off who. I'd rather have CHEAP new tires than some of the bald ones I've seen - I don't understand it. Most would say they are spending their money on basic needs, I think that includes alcohol, smokes & drugs for a lot of them. I guess it is like riding the Metro in DC - all sorts of people from all walks of life

It's just the opposite here. From the 2000 Census to the 2010 Census, Montgomery County grew 55.14 % (population wise), making it the 24th fastest growing county in the U.S. The county seat is Conroe and for the last 12 months measured ( calendar year 2012 I believe), Conroe was the 10th fastest growing city in the country. From 2000-2011 Montgomery County was either 4th or 5th (of counties) re job growth in the country. Outside the county (but literally on the border) Exxon Mobil is building its North American (Office) Headquarters and between that EM Campus and I-45, Southwestern Gas is building its World Headquarters. From what I understand, many related companies that didn't have a nearby presence are now making that commitment. There are people from all over in the country (and a fair number of wealthy Mexican nationals). Of all the Census Designated Places (as well as Towns and Cities) in the U.S., only Alpharetta, Georgia (where I have relatives) has a higher percentage of residents born out of state than The Woodlands does. Montgomery County is one of the most (if not THE most) heavily Republican counties in Texas. The last Democrat to carry the county in an election for the POTUS was LBJ. Herman Cain and Gingrich had their debates here leading up to the 2012 Election. Roads, subdivisions, and commercial properties are being built at a fairly dizzying rate. The Exxon Mobil commitment (and others) hinged on the state government guaranteeing completion (even if they can't secure private investment) of The Grand Parkway (a beltway toll road that will be the outer ring beltway encircling the Houston metro area and will be the longest beltway encircling a metro area anywhere in the world). Some of this was in the works when I moved here, but I'm not sure I like all of it. As a whole though, I quite like the county. If I moved to another part of the county it would be the northernmost part, to Panaorama Village or the part of Willis between I-45 and Lake Conroe (or on Lake Conroe).

Fort Bend County (on the other side of the Houston metro, and where Yarisworld member esse10 lives) is, by most criteria, growing even faster than Montgomery County.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by yougojay

Yes, it's a sad state of affairs in this country. The furniture industries in the area here went overseas, and it killed the economy. Local grocery stores base their ordering on food stamp days (EBT Cards) which load up on the 3rd, 5th, 7th... and so on through the 15th of each month.
I stayed in Arlington, TX in 1980 - I can't imagine how much it has grown in the last 30 years.
I see a lot of new or newer cars around, there IS some money here. The weather is good to all the cars, the older ones look so good, it's hard to tell they are 20 years old or more (sometimes) Some look dated, but NO rust. I think it's the 90's cars that I think are newer.
One thing I notice is there are a lot of cars with bald tires... my gosh, baby seats in the back...whatever!
There are yearly inspections, but who knows who is paying off who. I'd rather have CHEAP new tires than some of the bald ones I've seen - I don't understand it. Most would say they are spending their money on basic needs, I think that includes alcohol, smokes & drugs for a lot of them. I guess it is like riding the Metro in DC - all sorts of people from all walks of life

Arlington..the largest city in the Mid-Cities area! I could live in some of the Mid-Cities cities or parts of Fort Worth. I wouldn't want to live closer to Dallas though in the Park Cities, Uptown, or most places in Colin County (too similar to aspects of California that I don't like).

Sad that some think of alcohol and smokes as basic needs. The alcohol part is more understandable, but....ask some people why they started smoking and they'll say 'Because my friends were doing it'. As my mother would say when i tried to pull that line with something (not smoking...I never picked up the habit)..'If your friends told you to go jump off a bridge, would you do it?'. My mother smoked, but she started trying to quit when the Surgeon General's report came out. It took her 4 years, but she did it. My dad's attitude was that life wasn't worth living without smoking . Let anyone who reads this take this as a scary warning to try to stop. My dad smoked 4 packs of unfiltered Pall Malls a day (started when he was in the Army) for over 35 years. During the last year of his life, after walking half a block he'd have to stop and rest. He died 2 days after his 62nd birthday. His grandmother (who didn't smoke) lived to be over 100 years old.

I don't understand the smoking/oarenting/bald tires scenario any better than you do.

From what I've heard, your general neck of the woods draws well heeled retirees from out of the area, so that might explain some of the money to buy new cars.