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I live here

For 25 years, they've found their place in paradise.

ST. PETE BEACH - After my parents retired to St. Pete Beach in the early 1960s, my husband and I would bring the kids here for vacations from Chicago.

After the kids started school, I worked in the office of a local car dealership, and my husband was in the transportation industry.

In January of '77, my husband and I vacationed here without the kids, staying at the Sandpiper on St. Pete Beach.

It was during that vacation that we stopped by an open house for a condo and liked it so much, we immediately made an offer.

My husband and I have lived in this condo for 25 years and have enjoyed every minute of it.

Having visited the area often when our children were young, we felt it was the ideal place to spend our later years, away from the snow and ice of Chicago.

St. Pete Beach, with its population of 10,000, which doubles in winter, is a small town where one meets neighbors and friends almost daily.

Over the years, my husband has played bridge with the boys and we have been active members of St. John's Catholic Church. My husband also served as a commissioner in St. Pete Beach from 1993-97. He was also active with our condo association.

The city is friendly and interesting. I can walk to the beach, work, stores, the local movie house and the St. Pete Beach Library.

Automobiles are convenient but not necessary, having PSTA and a local dependable taxi company available.

When people refer to our area as "paradise," I have to agree.

Occasionally, we have had to evacuate when hurricanes threaten, and this year the odor of dead fish from Red Tide is not pleasant, but, overall, St. Pete Beach is a great place to live.

We're looking for readers to tell us, in 400 or fewer words, why you live where you live. Please include your likes and dislikes. Send essays to gadsden@sptimes.com and please include a daytime phone number.