> Average summer temperature 72.6 degrees Fahrenheit
Must be different, out there. I lived in MD for over ten years, and the average was ... slightly higher ...
It is real purdy, out there, though.
A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD
111–120 of 181 posts
Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
How good is internet access there?
70% of households in the county have internet speeds >25 Mbps. Is that metric meaningful to you? What would ideally mean "good internet access?" I'm working on a project[0] where I sourced this from the FCC Broadband data and am curious about what people are looking for in that respect. [0] https://www.exoroad.com/us/Maryland/Allegany-County/housing
First, if you aren't already, look into what the FCC is doing with BEAD funding, and consequently what all the states are doing with mapping broadband provision to try and capture some of that money. Tennesee for example.
More generally, there is a little funkiness with the exoroad site. I guess this project is still in the assembly stage?
- When I search for a US county, say Culpeper or Fairfax in Virginia, I get the map and then some very stock images. The images are on things that don't exist in the specific county. E.g. Fairfax doesn't have a cathedral and a giant stately home.
- The crime stats are also a bit weirdly presented. If a county is "9 of 10" for crime that makes it sound terrible...but I think you render it in green to show that it's good? And what does the statistic actually mean? "out of 10 equivalently populated counties?" say, or something else?
Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD
#113I just got back from a visit with family in Cumberland. It's the epitome of rust belt. What used to be a thriving manufacturing area has become an abandoned service-sector economy with low-wage jobs. Property values are dirt cheap, even for nice houses. There isn't much nearby, you have to travel hours from Pittsburgh to even get there by plane. Tales of theft of items like power tools from relatively remote farms ar…
The area around Cumberland, mostly to the south towards Moorefield and Petersburg, WV, has a somewhat similar climate to the Tokaj region of Hungary, known for growing rare botrytized wines that sell for a fortune. I found this one day when I looked at the map of precipitation activity the US and saw an unexpected dry(ish) spot in northeastern West Virginia.
There's a decently sized saffron industry in that general region of the Appalachia and southern PA for the same reason.
Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD
#114Earlier quoted context omitted.
If there was an economy worth building for, the geography wouldn't be a blocker. Look at Seattle, Oakland, or the Hollywood hills. They're all built on rugged, mountainous terrain just as difficult as the Appalachians, but they don't suffer the same issues attracting wealth because their economic situation is so different. In fact, each of them has the opposite problem of demand to build vastly outstripping permissio…
>Look at Seattle, Oakland, or the Hollywood hills. They're all built on rugged, mountainous terrain just as difficult as the Appalachians, but they don't suffer the same issues attracting wealth because their economic situation is so different. Wrong. Seattle, Oakland and Los Angeles are mostly built on much flatter parts of those areas. California entire geography is about "Hey, check out these massive valleys or co…
> built on much flatter parts of those areas
Seattle was MADE flat by literally using fire hoses to flatten hills and mountains [0].
That said, I disagree with the role geography has with developing a tech industry - most of it can be directly related to investment put during WW2 and the 1950s into innovation clusters.
For example, Seattle and aerospace (Boeing), Bay Area and computers+electronics+nukes (HP, IBM Almaden, LLNL, LLBL, Los Alamos managed by UCB), San Diego and Biotech+Defense Tech (Salk Lab, Navy), Portland and electronics (INL, PNNL, Tektronics, Intel), etc
Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD
#115I just got back from a visit with family in Cumberland. It's the epitome of rust belt. What used to be a thriving manufacturing area has become an abandoned service-sector economy with low-wage jobs. Property values are dirt cheap, even for nice houses. There isn't much nearby, you have to travel hours from Pittsburgh to even get there by plane. Tales of theft of items like power tools from relatively remote farms ar…
How good is internet access there?
You can get always get starlink if the fiber/cable is bad.
Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD
#116Most significant for being the home of Dr. McNinja
Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD
#117Earlier quoted context omitted.
At some point, many people start thinking about things like access to good healthcare, various types of trades, ability to travel without it being a huge hassle, etc. Doesn't mean you need to live right around a big city but I doubt I would want every task or appointment to be a big undertaking.
Healthcare is huge. It's amazing how terrible access to good care is in many rural areas. It's something people often overlook but it's just so important.
Here in Australia people retire ‘down the coast’. For us that’s the stunning south of NSW. Look up Eden (yes, really, Eden).
And then … they come back to the city. Because the older you are the more medical care you need, and there just aren’t enough doctors down there, or in any other regional area.
Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD
#118I just got back from a visit with family in Cumberland. It's the epitome of rust belt. What used to be a thriving manufacturing area has become an abandoned service-sector economy with low-wage jobs. Property values are dirt cheap, even for nice houses. There isn't much nearby, you have to travel hours from Pittsburgh to even get there by plane. Tales of theft of items like power tools from relatively remote farms ar…
Cumberland is equidistant (~2 hours) between Pittsburgh airport and Dulles.
2 hours from a central hub I'd actually consider a plus. If you travel for work it's bad, but for any personal trip, skipping a connection is pretty valuable. Not just in time, but generally international / longer flights are higher priority, and are less likely to be randomly delayed or canceled.
Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD
#119Great camping in this area, and it's a stop on the 300 some mile trail between DC and Pittsburgh (being extended to Erie, eventually).
Re: A $10k stipend is available for anyone moving to Cumberland, MD
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
Healthcare is huge. It's amazing how terrible access to good care is in many rural areas. It's something people often overlook but it's just so important.
Here in Australia people retire ‘down the coast’. For us that’s the stunning south of NSW. Look up Eden (yes, really, Eden). And then … they come back to the city. Because the older you are the more medical care you need, and there just aren’t enough doctors down there, or in any other regional area.
My parents are going to retire on the Gold coast for this reason. Quieter life but several big hospitals and Brisbane nearby