If you live in the northeastern United States, I’d like to hear from you.
I have just moved to Hartford, Connecticut — lured north from Washington by Peterson Toscano, Six Flags New England, Rhode Island’s beaches, a regional appreciation for parks and wilderness, affordable housing, and proximity to my hometown in upstate New York.
I would be interested to know whether there is a critical mass in the region of regular readers or other people (of any religion, political persuasion, or marital status) who seek ethical and spiritual reform in the exgay movement. Plus, heck, it might be just super to socialize.
If you live in the region or pass through periodically, then please post a comment and share your reasons for liking New England.
New England has the lowest concentration of megachurches of any region in the United States. Also, according to the United Health Foundation, New England is by far the healthiest region in the country.
Health rank of NE states according to NHF, among ranking of all 50 US states ( lower = better health rating )
RI #12 ( 2004 rank : #14 )
ME #8 ( 2004 rank : #12 )
MA #9 ( 2004 rank : #6 )
VT #2 ( 2004 rank : #3 )
NH #3 ( 2004 rank : #2 )
CT #7 ( 2004 rank : #8 )
Here’s the UHF writeup on Rhode Island’s health profile :
“Ranking:
Rhode Island is 12th this year; it was 14th in 2004.
Strengths:
Strengths include ready access to adequate prenatal care with 86.4 percent of pregnant women receiving adequate prenatal care, high immunization coverage with 86.7 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months receiving complete immunizations, a low prevalence of obesity at 18.9 percent of the population, a low infant mortality rate at 5.2 deaths per 1,000 live births, a low rate of motor vehicle deaths at 1.0 deaths per 100,000,000 miles driven and a low rate of uninsured population at 11.4 percent.
Challenges:
Challenges include a high percentage of children in poverty at 18.3 percent of persons under 18 and a high rate of cancer deaths at 206.5 deaths per 100,000 population.
Significant Changes:
↓ In the past year, the infant mortality rate decreased from 5.9 to 5.2 deaths per 1,000 live births.
↓ In the past year, the rate of motor vehicle deaths declined from 1.3 to 1.0 deaths per 100,000,000 miles driven.
↓ Since 1990, the prevalence of smoking decreased from 34.4 percent to 21.3 percent of the population.
↑ Since 1990, the percentage of children in poverty increased from 11.7 percent to 18.3 percent of persons under age 18.
Health Disparities:
In Rhode Island, the infant mortality rate varies from a low of 5.3 deaths per 1,000 live births for non-Hispanic whites to a high of 8.0 deaths for Hispanics. Cholesterol screening within the past five years is more extensive for American Indians, at 85.6 percent of the population age 18 and older, and less extensive for Hispanics, at 66.2 percent.
Teen Pregnancy:
Births per 1,000 teenage females decreased 20.4 percent from 44.7 births in 1991 to 35.6 births in 2002. If this decline hadn’t occurred, there would be an additional 11.4 percent of children under age 6 in poverty in 2002.”
Welcome to politically liberal, healthy, puritannical New England. A friend of my wife’s was just telling me yesterday that she couldn’t get a piece of sculpture of hers displayed in MA at one venue (that otherwise would have done so) because the sculpture depicted ( gasp ) breasts with…. nipples!
That’s NE.
Best, BW
Good thing you don’t have to worry about teen pregnancy, Mike. Also I’ve heard that MA has the lowest divorce rate in the nation. So much for same-sex unions undermining the sanctity of marriage.
Great to have you in New England. Can’t wait to show you all my haunts. Do you like vegan rastafarian cuisine? Oh and a new Ethiopian restaurant just opened on Farmington Ave and then Alchemy Cafe has a whole new raw food menu. So much good food. Let’s meet for a meal soon!
Hi Mike –
Welcome to the northeast! I’m technically not a New Englander (over the line in NY State) but lived in Maine for awhile and just returned from a fantastic vacation in MA, NH, and ME with my partner. Living in western NY (Buffalo) which has got to have the lowest housing costs in the U.S., I choked when you said CT has affordable housing. But I guess after DC, anything would seem inexpensive.
Beside our beloved Peterson, CT is the home of ex-gay ‘national speaker, evangelist, and recording artist’ Stephen Bennett. Maybe you can keep an eye on him for us.
CT really is a great state. Hope the change is a good one for you.
I have lived in RI for over ten years. There are no ex-gay ministries in RI. THis was one of the first states to do away with sodomy laws. People here are very liberal.
I love the fall in New England.
I love the beaches, but Mass beaches are nicer.
Providence is a great city with so much cultural stuff happening like Waterfire.
If you plan on coming though RI anytime, let me know. It would be great to do coffee.
J
I want to add my welcome to you Mike. CT is a great state. This is my first comment here though I’m a long time lurker. I’m also a life long Rhode Islander, and I couldn’t imagine living in any other part of the country. The overall ‘live and let live’ attitude here is nice. Joe’s post pretty much sums up my feelings concerning RI life. And Joe, I wouldn’t mind meeting you one of these days. In a state this small it’s a miracle our paths haven’t crossed already.
Dave
Perhaps we have met and don’t know it. I use to be much more active in the community beyond my computer but have become to busy. I have been asked to start writing for Options about gays and nonviolence. I am still pondering if I will do it since I have yet to consider myself a writer.
My partner and I often take our dogs to Reflections if you ever go there, we are the ones with the two white dogsm usually reading books or the paper.
I love Rhode Island, but my partner and I are considering moving with in the next year. I love th cultural aspects, I love the people, I love the blue state thing, I am starting to hate winters in Rhode Island since they are long and cold.
Hi and welcome to Connecticut (NOT Rhode Island. I know they’re both little, blue and in the northeast, but they still aren’t the same state…).
I’ll tell you why I LOVE Connecticut – some stuff is even specific to Hartford.
1. Love Makes a Family, THE coolest organization going, is HQ’ed in Hartford.
2. Notwitstanding its editorial page, the Courant is actually a pretty good paper – especially the architecture, land use and environmental coverage in the Sunday section.
3. Connecticut has “the” hot political race of the year … Lamont v. Lieberman, of course.
4. The blue-blazed trail system rocks. Get a copy of the Connecticut Forest and Park Association guide and get out there, now.
5. In a similar vein, the 51 miles of the Appalachian Trail that run through northwestern CT are truly outstanding.
6. Downtown New Haven has LOTS to offer, as do downtown Norwalk, West Hartford, Westport, and most of Litchfield County. If you enjoy cozy country inns and beautiful fall scenery, well grab your sweetie and get going!
7. The Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford, the Peabody Museum in New Haven, the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, White Flower Farm in Litchfield, the Lockwood-Matthews Mansion in Norwalk (where they filmed the remake of Stepford Wives!).
8. The Pequot Book Sale in Southport. Beyond wonderful.
9. County and country fairs, all around the state, all starting right around now!
10. Saving the best for last… CT is the only state that has civil union as a result of legislative action, not a court-imposed mandate. And (ssssshhh) good chance that they will be going for full civil marriage come 2007.
Do we have our share of bigots and know-nothings? Google on Brian Brown and the Connecticut Family Insititute to find out the answer… but per capita we have many, many fewer than most other states out there. My gay friends and relatives just don’t seem to have such a hideous time as GLBT people elsewhere. Plus, we are richer, better educated and thinner than almost every other state.
Welcome again to you! I think you’ll find we Nutmeggers a congenial, broad-minded yet fun-loving lot.
Jane in Guilford
“My partner and I often take our dogs to Reflections if you ever go there…”
I’m there quite often, in fact I was there yesterday afternoon with some friends. I’ll keep an eye out. I know what you mean about the winters here, but I just tell myself that there are lots of places where the winters are even colder and longer. My fathers’ side of the family is in northwestern North Dakota and they know what a real winter is(brrrrr!). Besides, the other three seasons more than make up for the winters for me. Whether you stay here or not, don’t lose that activist streak of yours and keep blogging. That’s an order!
Dave
Don’t worry, my activism came with a travel case and a portable mouse.