Communities to avoid

[desert_sailing]

Given the hostility " outsiders" receive from various communities,  I think it would be useful to know where our business is not appreciated.

Any specific communities that you will avoid or refuse to spend your money... PLEASE list it here.

In todays perilous economy..every dollar matters..to nomads, to small business and various govt budgets. Id prefer my dollars go someplace they are appreciated. I am sure you do too.

 

[ByeBye]

Never had an issue with it. But I'm remote/rural 99% time.

 

[crofter]

Gresham OR has no on street parking. Very difficult to do business there. The neighboring towns and Portland do not have this problem.
-crofter

 

[rvwandering]

Careful here folks. No bashing entire areas or groups of people. Be specific as requested by the OP. Crofter's post is a good example.
Most of the posts already up will most likely be deleted.

 

[Freelander]

I would think San Francisco would be a good example of a city to stay out of, when the BIL was there it was costing $30 a day to take the ferry across the Bay, and then had to pay another Toll, then you have to pay for a secure parking garage. You can't park your car out on the street because it will get broken into. They tried using Public Translation, by that is even worse, not the mention all of the poop and needles laying on the sidewalk. He found a way to work from home and goes to California then he needs to.

 

[desert_sailing]

Well now..
I was hoping, that while indeed the whole debate about the " why" could be avoided and have just a list of " where" nomads have been made to feel unwelcome.

Ive seen the posts about a bad experience but rarely see where it happened.

instead of list of poor service restaurants..I thought a list of poor service towns would be beneficial.

Some communities are open and friendly and others are suspicious and distant.

I have not been able to experience any of these as a nomad yet... I am hoping to avoid the red zones ...

 

[bullfrog]

Years ago in the area around Sleeping Bear sand dunes in Michigan in summer the tourist towns had “no overnight parking” signs everywhere, campgrounds were all full and they were using a lottery system to get in when a site came open. It was raining and after driving several miles in a leaking old VW bus looking for a place to park around midnight my wife and I with 3 kids parked in front of the office to a full campground and slept until 6 AM when we drove back to a state park and luckily got a site. Never went back again.

 

[desert_sailing]

Thanks bullfrog!

sounds like that is a good place to strike off as well.

Ive got a friend that does coding and app design... im wondering how difficult it would be and how much he would charge to design an app that allowed adventurers to identify unfriendly locales and blacklist certain communities.

Users could give a thumbs up or down and a "heat map" could be generated.

 

[Freelander]

There a few websites out there now that already do that.

 

[rvwandering]

I have removed all of the posts that were not specific to one community as requested by the OP.

 

[nature lover]

I don’t know why I’m tempted to even talk but I have a big mouth. Stay away from the Outer Banks of the Carolinas very rich snobs even if you’re driving through it an older rig they look at you funny.

 

[VanForNow]

Driving through Albuquerque, NM, makes me uneasy. Some parts of town have a sinister atmosphere. Sorry if this offends folks in that town. I like the rest of NM, at least the areas I have visited.

 

[desert_sailing]

Thanks Vanfornow.

Its all about feeling welcomed and safe.

 

[Sofisintown]

Milwaukee is one of the cities where you CAN NOT park overnight ANYWHERE on the street within city limits.

However:

The police will give you a permit to park overnight for up to 3 nights if you ask on a city street.
Suburbs will let you to park for up to 5 days (with permit).
You have to give your license #, the address you want to park, and your email address, because they email you the permit.
Condition: You must not have more that 2 unpaid traffic tickets.

But I have seen a step van (house van) parked for week or 10 days at the parking lot of Shultz Aquatic park this past summer.

Also,  Park&Ride parking lots of train stations are free to park, and  have spaces for overnight parking, free of charge, but only in designated spaces.

Just in case anybody drops by this way...

 

[crofter]

Milwaukee is one of the cities where you CAN NOT park overnight ANYWHERE on the street ....

Where do people park who live in houses there? Sounds like it would be a difficult place to live.  -crofter

 

[Freelander]

How is El Paso TX?

I have to spend at least 1 night on my way to Quartszite.

 

[DLTooley]

I had a bad experience in Sedona last year, returning home with a dog that had its foot run over. A local called the sheriff with an animal abuse complaint.

That’s sick stuff, rationalizing human abuse under color of state law, as protecting an animal. I was a bit freaked out by the injury myself and was trying to find some calm before the long push back home in SW Colorado.

This spot wasn’t FR 525, but that last dispersed spot on the right as you head into town on 89.

I’m sure that’s not a universal extreme there, but it does represent a very inappropriate attitude in a place that calls itself progressive.

 

[rvwandering]

Off topic posts have been deleted.

 

[Sofisintown]

Where do people park who live in houses there? Sounds like it would be a difficult place to live.  -crofter

Garages and driveways in residential areas, parking lots in apartment complexes, and street parking with yearly permits.

 

[MG1912]

I set out on my journey with same question in mind, and I came to the conclusion that truck stops, Wal-Marts, casinos, camping and RV stores, and public land would be my best friends on the road. I still always called ahead to make sure. Some local and state parks don't allow overnight parking or require a permit. I was never turned away by a truck stop, Wal-Mart, Camping World, or casino. I liked staying at casinos because they had good restaurants and interesting things to look at. Wal-Marts sometimes felt sketchy, but there was always good lighting and plenty of room around my rig. Truck stops were loud and busy, but they felt very safe because of the 24-hour activity. I just put my earplugs in and went to sleep. I spent the vast majority of my time on the road (90%+) on public land. I was never bothered, and boondocking is normal on public land (where allowed).

I specifically avoided locations or businesses that I had read were hostile to nomads. I never went into a California coastal city, for example, as I had heard that local governments were being hostile to people in converted vans and RVs. When I was traveling cross country, I tried my best to avoid cities and never slept in them.

I never even attempted to stay somewhere that might be hostile to a nomad. I avoided such places like the plague and spent 100% of my time in nomad-friendly places.