Hope in God Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 If you could move anywhere in the world where would you go? I am toying with the idea of moving. somewhere. The cost of living where we live is outrageous. A ho hum 70's house on a .13 acre lot goes for $500,000. Granted the climate is nice. We rarely get snow. Surrounded by ocean, forests and with mountain views but there is more to life than scenery. Where would you go (keeping in mind cost effectiveness)? :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deacongirl Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Haddonfield, NJ; Truckee, CA; Vina del Mar, Chile; Asheville, NC; Vancouver; Galway, Ireland...Sorry the whole cost of living thing makes it tough--when I play this game in my head we have unlimited funds! (although--you can find nice houses under 500k in some of those areas). The cost of living where I am now is decent (NE FL)--and if we were homeschooling instead of just contemplating it we would be saving loads of $ on private school. I just prefer definite seasons, more diversity, and someplace that isn't flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinannie Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Hawaii! No question! That won't help your finances though! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Almost heaven....West Virginia! We lived there for two years, and I'd go back in a heartbeat if ever I had the chance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hope in God Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 Those suggestions sound great! I was looking at real estate in Hawaii a couple months ago. Also, Chile sound FAB! Marshall Islands? I am going to google this. West Virginia has me intrigued. What are prices like? We live just across the water from Vancouver and the newest figures for housing costs in Vancouver is up to 92% of a person's income! Victoria isn't quite as bad but is still really expensive. If I could live anywhere I would live here BUT I want an acreage so my kids can run and explore nature on their own terms. I'm just a demanding kind of girl I guess.:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I'd either live further up in the mountains in CO or in a 42' sailboat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Does mine exist? I dream of a place with four true seasons, near mountains and the beach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Lee Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I have wonderful parents who are aging. I would move near them even though I don't like the climate. However, I have a friend who moved from California to Nashville a couple of years ago and her family loves it. In fact, her parents moved there recently to be near them, and at least one of her siblings is considering doing the same thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagine.more Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Those suggestions sound great! I was looking at real estate in Hawaii a couple months ago. Also, Chile sound FAB! Marshall Islands? I am going to google this. West Virginia has me intrigued. What are prices like? We live just across the water from Vancouver and the newest figures for housing costs in Vancouver is up to 92% of a person's income! Victoria isn't quite as bad but is still really expensive. If I could live anywhere I would live here BUT I want an acreage so my kids can run and explore nature on their own terms. I'm just a demanding kind of girl I guess.:confused: I am not a West Virginia fan. We've been here 1.5 years and are miserable, can't wait to get out. Housing prices are cheap because there are no jobs and tons of empty dilapidated houses, but food and gas are outrageously expensive and I can't shop sales when it's a 1 hour drive to reach just a few stores. Internet costs $97 a month for crappy satellite internet that cuts out if the wind blows. Scenery is beautiful but the people make it hard to enjoy the pretty trees, and medical care is notoriously bad, I've never experienced a place that was 20 years behind in medical advances before, it's scary! I had to drive 3 hours to find a birth center to deliver my son at because the ob-gyn nearby is nicknamed "the butcher" for his high c-section rate. It's very un-eco-friendly too, so if that's important to you you'd be appalled by a lot of the farming practices here. My kids do have room to run but with no state parks closer than 2 hours away and "no trespassing" signs everywhere we're limited to our 1 acre backyard. We were duped into moving here, thought the people were soo nice and it turns out they just put on a good front when they want to, they're mostly isolationists and rude as all get out. I've lived tons of places, MA, NH, FL, GA, AZ, MN, and WV and we're hoping to move to PA this fall so I can say with confidence this is the strangest place, it's been like living in another country. Of all those places I liked Minnesota the best. We lived in St. Paul, we had all the amenities of the city but travel just 10 minutes out of the city and it feels very suburban, within 20 minutes you are in total rural living. So we could attend a Swell Season concert one night and take our son apple picking the next morning. Housing prices are middle range, not as outrageous as California but not as cheap as the south. People are a bit standoff-ish but if you can get in with a few friends then you're good to go. I'd say Georgia (suburban Atlanta) is my second-favorite because there is just so much to do. It's a bit more urban though, you have to drive a good hour away to hit rural living at all. COL is super cheap for everything imo and because you can comparison shop that helps even more. Third would probably be NH or MA, just gorgeous up there, perfect weather. NH is more laid back, rural, MA is more solidly suburban and of course closer to the major cities like Boston. I don't care for the lack of morals and values I see though, we would be freaks being young, married homeschooling parents. Given that you are looking for affordability and acreage I'd say the midwest is probably your best bet. Maybe Wisconsin even, it's more rural/suburban than the parts of MN we were in and my DH grew up there. He said it was absolutely idyllic, the perfect place to grow up and his parents agree (they grew up there and only moved because of a job). Kind of flat though, if you like trails and hiking then you'll of course want more mountains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarymelon Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Central California Coast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Near a beach...... I find the beach to be rather therapeutic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Does mine exist? I dream of a place with four true seasons, near mountains and the beach. Massachusetts has all those :D Granted, you'd have to drive quite a distance to get to the beach if you lived near the mountains, and vise versa. I could be wrong though, I'm thinking of Mt. Greylock in Adams (3,491 ft.) but we have more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mountains_in_Massachusetts We live about 1 1/2 hours from Mt. Greylock and about 3 1/2 from Cape Cod. Middlesex County is about 2 hours and 45 minutes from both Mt. Greylock and Cape Cod :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Oh, and to answer the OP's question, I would love to live in the Colorado Mountains. Or Nova Scotia. Or Alaska. Or Germany. I love the cold, if I'm not required to shovel ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristineW Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Not that it would help with your COL, but I love the SF Bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbookbuzz Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 COLORADO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Right where I am. Or perhaps: right where I am in five years time when the garden is more sorted out. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I dream of a place with four true seasons, near mountains and the beach. I'm fifteen minutes from the beach and an hour from the Highlands. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I'd either live further up in the mountains in CO or in a 42' sailboat. Do you have your sailboat picked out? We really like the Manta Catamarans and the Ocean's Cat Catamarans. Neither of which are in business anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nono Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I am where I want to be. Cape May County, New Jersey. Luckily, it is also where my dh wants to be. Life isn't easy here, nor is it cheap. It is, however, completely worthwhile and magical. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Alfred Academy Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 However, I have a friend who moved from California to Nashville a couple of years ago and her family loves it. In fact, her parents moved there recently to be near them, and at least one of her siblings is considering doing the same thing. That's funny...I did just the opposite! I miss Nashville a lot, but love not having to deal with humidity more. For me, I'd move to Paris in a heart beat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meggie Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I am obsessed with living in Oregon. I hear it rains a lot. Which I so desperately want. I'm so sick of the desert. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Random Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Does mine exist? I dream of a place with four true seasons, near mountains and the beach. Lake Tahoe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I talk to the trees Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Those suggestions sound great! I was looking at real estate in Hawaii a couple months ago. Also, Chile sound FAB! Marshall Islands? I am going to google this. West Virginia has me intrigued. What are prices like? We live just across the water from Vancouver and the newest figures for housing costs in Vancouver is up to 92% of a person's income! Victoria isn't quite as bad but is still really expensive. If I could live anywhere I would live here BUT I want an acreage so my kids can run and explore nature on their own terms. I'm just a demanding kind of girl I guess.:confused: WV housing prices have a pretty wide span. There are some very economically depressed areas, and yes, there are still towns where coal mining is the main employment opportunity. There are also metropolitan areas like Morgantown and Charleston. We lived in Fairmont, a college town a few miles south of Morgantown. We were grad students at WVU at the time, and found that we could actually OWN a home for a mortgage payment ($298 for a 4-br 2 bath) that was less than half of what we would have paid to rent an apartment in Morgantown ($600 + pet deposits for a 2-br!) Yes, the house was old, but it was in good repair on the inside, though the outside badly needed a coat of paint- hey! No problem! If your goal is homesteading, and you don't mind a bit of a drive to get to stores, hospitals, etc... WV might be a good state to consider. The mountains are beautiful, and the people are warm and friendly. And the cost of living is about half of the cost of living in NY state. The real issue is employment. If you can *find* a decent job in WV, you're all set! It's finding that job that's difficult. To the previous poster who has had a less than rosy experience in WV- I'd like to invite you to visit NY. You'll come away with a whole new definition of rude, see what an outrageous cost of living really is, and see corruption on a larger scale than you ever thought possible! (Oh, and about those "no trespassing" signs- You might want to consider the fact that many folks in that area are avid hunters and fishers. These signs are quite necessary to let sportsmen know not to hunt or fish on that property without permission!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hope in God Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 Oh, and to answer the OP's question, I would love to live in the Colorado Mountains. Or Nova Scotia. Or Alaska. Or Germany. I love the cold, if I'm not required to shovel ;) ACK not the cold!! How can you love the cold? It is just so, well, cold.:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hope in God Posted September 3, 2011 Author Share Posted September 3, 2011 WV housing prices have a pretty wide span. There are some very economically depressed areas, and yes, there are still towns where coal mining is the main employment opportunity. There are also metropolitan areas like Morgantown and Charleston. We lived in Fairmont, a college town a few miles south of Morgantown. We were grad students at WVU at the time, and found that we could actually OWN a home for a mortgage payment ($298 for a 4-br 2 bath) that was less than half of what we would have paid to rent an apartment in Morgantown ($600 + pet deposits for a 2-br!) Yes, the house was old, but it was in good repair on the inside, though the outside badly needed a coat of paint- hey! No problem! If your goal is homesteading, and you don't mind a bit of a drive to get to stores, hospitals, etc... WV might be a good state to consider. The mountains are beautiful, and the people are warm and friendly. And the cost of living is about half of the cost of living in NY state. The real issue is employment. If you can *find* a decent job in WV, you're all set! It's finding that job that's difficult. To the previous poster who has had a less than rosy experience in WV- I'd like to invite you to visit NY. You'll come away with a whole new definition of rude, see what an outrageous cost of living really is, and see corruption on a larger scale than you ever thought possible! (Oh, and about those "no trespassing" signs- You might want to consider the fact that many folks in that area are avid hunters and fishers. These signs are quite necessary to let sportsmen know not to hunt or fish on that property without permission!) I guess there is quite a range of prices anywhere you go. My daughter desperately wants to move to North Carolina because that is where her best friend moved 2 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 La Grande, Oregon. Now, if I was filthy rich, I'd re-think it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Perth, Australia. Oh wait, I already live here :) It's a great city- most isolated city on the planet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deacongirl Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Lake Tahoe? Not really four true seasons--but otherwise just about perfect, imo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 As long as I can get some sun in winter, I live exactly where I want to live. We've lived various places and with dh's job, we could pretty much live anywhere in the US. I do wish I had more money to travel more frequently to dh's home country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Williamsburg, VA. Loved everything about it. And my skin and hair were fabulous. I wish I has some humidity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Didn't we just have a thread like this? I would move to the Mayfair section of London, Monaco (I ♥ Monaco!), Malta (Valletta), or (if I could kick that other chick out and move in) Plan-de-la-Tour, France with my beloved (Johnny Depp). :001_wub: If I had to choose somewhere in the US though, I'd go with Colorado Springs, CO, Evanston, IL (though they have wicked winters), or maybe I'd just become a Cullen and move to Forks, OR. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb in NZ Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 (edited) Kwajalein, in the Marshall Islands Came up randomly the other day, but a year away from it all on the ocean would do me good.. I lived on Majuro, Marshall Islands for over 3 years. Have you been to Kwaj.? Kwajalein atoll is the target for the US military's Star Wars missile program. I really enjoyed my time in the Marshalls. Maybe the fact I met dh there & got married there has something to do with it. Life on Kwaj. I have heard described as like living on a country club, but to live on Kwaj. you must work for the US military & have security clearance. The locals (who own Kwaj.) live on Ebeye, another island in the atoll. You do NOT want to live on Ebeye. And living in the middle of the Pacific where it's a 6 hour flight to any bigger city does get old fast. We moved off-island when I was expecting ds#1. There's not much for teens to do in the Marshalls & educational opportunities for highschool & beyond are very limited. Most families for whom education is a priority send their children to Hawaii, Fiji, New Zealand, etc. for highschool. If we won a big Lotto win, I would love to take the family to the Marshalls for a extended visit. The diving is GREAT! The WW2 ruins are really interesting. The people are very friendly. But to move there to live...no way. Foreigners can't own land. The hospitals are OK but not great & it's a 6 hour medivac to Hawaii for emergencies. If the 1 daily flight has just left, then you have a 24 hour wait for the next plane, providing they still have daily flights. 90%+ of the food is imported & having 24hr water isn't the norm. JMHO, Edited September 3, 2011 by Deb in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyJudyJudy Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 My dream place would have wonderful air and water quality. Also, it would have mild temperatures and moisture levels (not too hot, not too cold, not too humid, and not too dry). I'd be in the middle of at least 20 acres so that I wouldn't have to smell the neighbors' laundry and, thus, could enjoy being outdoors. On top of all of this, I'd either need to win the lottery first, or my husband would have to be able to find a job in the area that would pay for all of this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 I absolutely love our area of PA (south central, just east of Gettysburg and west of York). We're semi-rural, so have both land and civilization close to us. $500,000 here would get you a nice farmette with a house, barn, etc, or somewhere between 15 - 20 acres of land with money left over to build your own. We do have four seasons including snow, but I consider that a plus, not a negative. When money allows, we do enjoy a nice winter vacation in Feb though. ;) Ideally, I'd love to live here for 10 months of the year and in Hawaii for mid Jan to mid March (enjoying a bit of winter here first, then there, then back in time for the flowers/spring here). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 (edited) Well, I would move back to the West Coast, anywhere really. DH has a less than zero desire to move back to Southern California, partly because of the sheer numbers of people, but mostly because of the cost. Dh's job requires him to be in a decent sized city, so we can't move too far out to small town. We are here in Charlotte, NC, which is a much lower cost of living, particularly housing wise. I doubt we will move anywhere now. The boys feel like this is home and have made friends and like it. DH likes it. I don't hate it, it just doesn't feel like "home" to me. But, weather is mild (compared to the NE! It isn't as mild as Southern California) and one could get a nice sized acreage in the country and still be close enough to the city. We have 2.5 acres and could have horses. Other properties near us have full farms with cows and goats. Dawn Edited September 3, 2011 by DawnM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TammyinTN Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Flaggstaff, Arizona. We drove through that town many times and just really love the area and people. :auto: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 WHAT????? This is what I DON'T LIKE! Humidity does horrible things to my hair. My hair hasn't ever looked good in the summer since I moved to NC! And I feel like I can barely walk outside without dripping within minutes and needing another shower. Dawn Williamsburg, VA. Loved everything about it. And my skin and hair were fabulous. I wish I has some humidity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie in NE Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Central California Coast. I second this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Lee Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 WHAT????? This is what I DON'T LIKE! Humidity does horrible things to my hair. My hair hasn't ever looked good in the summer since I moved to NC! And I feel like I can barely walk outside without dripping within minutes and needing another shower. Dawn But, humidity is FABULOUS for your skin. I spent two months living in a really dry climate on a work-related thing with XH. I found out that people were younger than they looked, but the climate was really aging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 WHAT????? This is what I DON'T LIKE! Humidity does horrible things to my hair. My hair hasn't ever looked good in the summer since I moved to NC! And I feel like I can barely walk outside without dripping within minutes and needing another shower. Dawn Really? I got so many compliments on my hair. My friends were back there with us and many of them had no idea my hair was curly. It rocked. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 If money were no object I'd like to live on a secluded sandy beach somewhere. In reality I'd love anywhere not humid and hot. I am so sick of this weather. I hope to move back to New England someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 ACK not the cold!! How can you love the cold? It is just so, well, cold.:) I hate heat and humidity, those are my downfall! It is so much easier to cover up when it is cold than it is to cool off when it is hot :001_smile: Plus, I love my jeans and sweaters ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Does mine exist? I dream of a place with four true seasons, near mountains and the beach. Southern NH. Absolutely beautiful! You are an within an hour from mountains, lakes and the ocean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 I'm fifteen minutes from the beach and an hour from the Highlands. Laura Would love this! Really? I got so many compliments on my hair. My friends were back there with us and many of them had no idea my hair was curly. It rocked. :lol: I spent 5 years in El Paso before going away to college in Fort Worth. The first week in Fort Worth, I was in love with my hair! I mean, what had happened? It was just there before but one short move and vavoom! :lol: It lasted a week. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Southern NH. Absolutely beautiful! You are an within an hour from mountains, lakes and the ocean. This would be lovely too. DH can retire in 3 years. Will dream... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quiver0f10 Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 WHAT????? This is what I DON'T LIKE! Humidity does horrible things to my hair. My hair hasn't ever looked good in the summer since I moved to NC! And I feel like I can barely walk outside without dripping within minutes and needing another shower. Dawn :iagree: I hate humidity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Mine is nicely naturally wavy....until humidity....then it looks like I stuck my finger in an electrical socket. Dawn Really? I got so many compliments on my hair. My friends were back there with us and many of them had no idea my hair was curly. It rocked. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 I didn't find that at all. I have heard it, but actually I find that anyone who spends a lot of time in the sun ages no matter where they are. Dawn But, humidity is FABULOUS for your skin. I spent two months living in a really dry climate on a work-related thing with XH. I found out that people were younger than they looked, but the climate was really aging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liza Lee Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 I didn't find that at all. I have heard it, but actually I find that anyone who spends a lot of time in the sun ages no matter where they are. Dawn That's certainly true. Perhaps people who live in a dry climate just end up with more sun exposure over a lifetime than people who live in a wet climate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMe Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 Texas. I'm from Wisconsin and it was too cold, short summers. I've lived in AZ for the last 22 years and it's too dang hot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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