I need to move. Where is the best place you have ever lived and why?

[Karen sn]

Anyone have any nice rentals available?

 

Florida basically is bad karma for me.

And it's too expensive to live here.

As a nurse I can make better money and live cheaper elsewhere. So after this baby is born and a few months old - I'm outta here.

 

I loved Alaska. But I think I should try somewhere with 4 seasons.

 

I just feel like running away from this state and all the slum lords in it.

We could never afford to buy here! And renting has been a complete disaster! One would think that tenants who keep a clean house and yard and pay their rent on time would be welcome in this economy. We moved into this unfinished house ONLY because we needed the acre and a half yard for our horse, I wanted to be close to her and did not want to board her elsewhere. And the owner said he was going to finish it.

 

Our landlord will not finish anything - I have wires hanging out of walls, no sink or countertop in my bathroom, the electric switches short out and burn out. He goes off on vacation regularly and so it ain't like he's broke. And we have done soooooo much on a house that isn't ours. 3 full months we've been here.

 

Well - now our horse is dead and we don't need this yard. And it just sucks anyway to look out back and not see her this morning. It was my little morning ritual. Sit in the kitchen, watch the sun come up and the horse graze.

 

So - I am up for renting something - anywhere - just to see what is out there.

 

I can't do a big city.

 

Any suggestions?

[Closeacademy]

Madison, WI and the outlying areas is a nice place to grow up. There is a farmer's market in downtown Madison on Wed and Sat and there is a lot of organic fruit and meat. Not to mention great cheese. The small towns are nice, safe communitities. Lots of people walk/ride bikes. A very outdoorsy healthy community.

 

While visiting I really liked Huntsville, Al. The people were friendly, the town was clean and safe.

 

For homeschooling friendliness, I would pick IN or TX. Parts of TX are really nice. The hill country has nice small towns that are close to larger cities. IN is nice but we have a lot of rain and allergies here. :001_smile:

[Melissa in Australia]

come to Australia. it is beautiful here, everyone is friendly, nurses are always needed.

[TraceyS/FL]

I"m not sure where you are in FL - but we are short nurses up here the last i heard. I'm in North Lake Cnty near the Villages (retirement community), things are cheaper here than other places too. We have TONS of new retail going in - as in, more than there are probably qualified managers to run.

 

I picked FL as my place to move TO, i left CA. If you find FL expensive - i'd stay very far away from CA. It's pretty cheap here when you compare to that....

 

:grouphug: I'm sorry about your horse.

 

Melissa - Australia is my dream...... :D My next stop - since apparently FL is too close to CA and my in-laws, next stop - Oz!

[Jennifer in MI]

First of all, I'm really sorry about your horse. It must be heartbreaking. :grouphug:

 

Now, you really DO need to move to MI. We have four seasons. Rentals in my city are pretty cheap right now because the housing market is down. Works out better for you! My city has private parks for residents only. So, they are taken care of VERY well. Both are lake front. One has two pools, gym, movie theater, volleyball, basketball, tennis, fishing, and boat wells. The other park has a boardwalk along the water (gorgeous!!), playscape, splash pad, ice skating (in the winter) with a warming lodge (fireplace and food!), sledding, water access, and more. Our downtown is gorgeous. Lots of cute little shops. Plus, we have a Trader Joe's!!! Lots of activities for the kids. I've gotten NO flack for homeschooling. The schools are quite good though!

 

Plus, we're fairly close to downtown Detroit. So, in 20 minutes you can be at the opera, orchestra, art museum, science center, theater, etc. Greenfield Village is 25 minutes away.

 

Nurses are needed!! I could even recommend a wonderful family doctor for you!

 

Anyway, we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it here!!!! (Can ya' tell?!)

[Trivium Academy]

Come to Savannah, dahling! Actually if I could move anywhere, I might try North Carolina- someplace that gets snow that is in between the beach and mountains. But we drove 30 miles to the beach yesterday, it was so nice! I think you have to be a coastal person to really enjoy it though.

 

Beaufort, SC

Outskirts of Charleston, SC

Savannah, GA

 

All beautiful, full of history and plenty to do. I can't help with the rental.

[JudoMom]

Colorado (there are plenty of non-big city places). 4 seasons. No humidity. Fairly easy to homeschool. The mountains. Need I say more?

[Doran]

I could suggest all sorts of places. Not places I've lived, but places I've seen, or where I know people, that might be less expensive, and beautiful, and four seasoned. But, I assume you also want a reputable place to work? Are we talking hospital? Nursing home? In-home care? Hospice? What sort of nursing are you wanting to focus on?

 

And...do you love water? Mountains? City? Country?

 

What makes your heart sing slightly louder? I know, nothing does this morning. But, deep down there's a voice there. I think you should try to follow that voice.

 

Parts of eastern Virginia and Maryland are beautiful, coastal, rural and not terribly expensive. Others would blow your socks off with the price of things. I love, love, love the Blue Ridge Mountain areas of NC and VA. Dear friends recently moved to Portland and seem happy there. Cousins live in New England and love it there.

 

You see where this is going?

 

(((Karen)))

[Tabrett]

Come to Savannah, dahling! Actually if I could move anywhere, I might try North Carolina- someplace that gets snow that is in between the beach and mountains. But we drove 30 miles to the beach yesterday, it was so nice! I think you have to be a coastal person to really enjoy it though.

 

Beaufort, SC

Outskirts of Charleston, SC

Savannah, GA

 

All beautiful, full of history and plenty to do. I can't help with the rental.

 

I live in Bluffton, S.C. (same county as Beaufort) and is is WAY more expensive than when I lived in FL. Maybe it is where you live in FL? I lived in Brevard Co. FL. several years ago and miss:toetap05: not having to pay the taxes in FL (yearly taxes on car, state income taxes). I made less money teaching in Fl, but brought more money home in my paycheck than teaching in SC.

When I lived in FL I bought a new 1800sft. home w/two car garage on a lake in a nice neighborhood for 99,000. 4 or 5 year later in Bluffton SC, I bought a 1800sft townhome, no lake, little yard and no garage in a ok neighborhood for 120,000.:willy_nilly:

I would look at the taxes that states require as part of hunting a place to move.

[tinag]

First of all, I'm really sorry about your horse. It must be heartbreaking. :grouphug:

 

Now, you really DO need to move to MI. We have four seasons. Rentals in my city are pretty cheap right now because the housing market is down. Works out better for you! My city has private parks for residents only. So, they are taken care of VERY well. Both are lake front. One has two pools, gym, movie theater, volleyball, basketball, tennis, fishing, and boat wells. The other park has a boardwalk along the water (gorgeous!!), playscape, splash pad, ice skating (in the winter) with a warming lodge (fireplace and food!), sledding, water access, and more. Our downtown is gorgeous. Lots of cute little shops. Plus, we have a Trader Joe's!!! Lots of activities for the kids. I've gotten NO flack for homeschooling. The schools are quite good though!

 

Plus, we're fairly close to downtown Detroit. So, in 20 minutes you can be at the opera, orchestra, art museum, science center, theater, etc. Greenfield Village is 25 minutes away.

 

Nurses are needed!! I could even recommend a wonderful family doctor for you!

 

Anyway, we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it here!!!! (Can ya' tell?!)

OK Jennifer, I am more envious than before. I just asked my dh if he wanted to move to Grosse Pointe Park and he said no, until I read your description. Then all he could say is wow!

[elegantlion]

Ah, sweetie, my heart hurts for you right now. :grouphug: Can you just get away for a few days?

 

Nurses are always needed somewhere. No suggestions on cities, but wanted to let you know I was thinking of you.

[gamommy]

We live in east, central Georgia and find it quite inexpensive. We relocated here from New England two years ago. There are many rentals available here because we are quite close to both Ft. Gordon and the Medical College of GA.

 

There should be ample employment opportunities here in the nursing field. We have 5 decent size hospitals within 30 minutes of us. Having MCG here is also a plus. We are a medium sized city really, though I live in the suburbs.

 

Just to give you an idea a 3-4 bedroom rental home here (one in prime condition) goes for about $1000/mth. Not sure how that compares to where you are in FL.

[Remudamom]

Ha! We have an old two story farmhouse on the ranch that's for rent. You'd have to put up with chickens and Hurley the rooster. And me in the adjoining pasture training the two yr olds. There's a convenience store down the road, and a hospital 20 miles off. I'll let your kids keep one of my ponies there to ride!

Cost of living is low here.

[LauraGB]

Madison, WI and the outlying areas is a nice place to grow up. There is a farmer's market in downtown Madison on Wed and Sat and there is a lot of organic fruit and meat. Not to mention great cheese. The small towns are nice, safe communitities. Lots of people walk/ride bikes. A very outdoorsy healthy community.

 

I agree. I am more north than this, but there's something for everyone within a sizeable radius of Madison. The further out you get, the less costly it is to live (to rent/buy, but, of course food/supply wise its cheaper in/near town). From FL, you will probably be shocked at the difference. And it'll have a lovely display of all 4 season like you wanted. And, yes, there's definitely the cheese ;).

[Kelli in TN]

You could have it all! Look into travel nursing! You work here for awhile, there for a awhile. It is a gypsy lifestyle and if you are able to live that way it could be a fun adventure. My daughter in law almost went that route but she was too fresh of a nurse and they could not use her. They like nurses who have worked a variety of dept. so they can plug them in anywhere.

 

I think it would be fun to do for a year or two and the money is supposed to be very good.

[mommylawyer]

The northeast Georgia mountains! Love it here!

[OnTheBrink]

I've lived (as an adult) on the west coast and in the midwest and I vote for the midwest, hands down.

 

The cost of living is still relatively low, housing in decently priced. There are two hospitals in my town and the medical clinic just added a huge annex to their building, so medical jobs are abundant right now.

 

I think, in general, people are nicer here. At least, that's what my west coast family says when they visit. Overall, I think it's a nice place to live with a nice mellow pace of life.

 

I hope you find what you're looking for!

[Twinmom]

Ah, sweetie, my heart hurts for you right now. :grouphug: Can you just get away for a few days?

 

:iagree: I'm so sorry about your horse. I hope you can take a few days to grieve and take care of yourself.

 

That said, I think either TX or NC would be great choices for you. I've lived in both, and they are both fantastic. Both are horse country...lots of open spaces and great grazing land. If you choose to have another horse, both places will have you set up. If you don't, they are both great places to live from an economy standpoint, beauty, people, etc.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

:grouphug:Karen, I'm so sorry you are dealing with all of this.

 

As far as where to move, I loved central MN. It's really great for families and there's 4 seasons with lots to do in all of them. Not too far from Minneapolis/St. Paul so you can take advantage of the great museums and fun stuff there, and not too far from the north shore and boundary waters area to enjoy the stuff there. It's easy to homeschool in MN and, where I came from, it was extremely affordable to rent.

 

Hope you find a place to call home soon.

[Quiver0f10]

Southern NH. Beautiful land, no state income tax or sales tax and you can work in VT, NH or MA. Plus the HS laws are easy. You have mountains, lakes, the ocean, tons of history, museums, zoos, aquariums, etc. I miss New England! LOL

[Nakia]

Western NC! We love it here! Asheville is a great city-not too big, not too little! Very artsy and cool! We live in Maggie Valley, about 40 minutes from Asheville. Out in the country. I work in Asheville as a nurse. Great hospital there! PM if you want to ask me any particular questions. :grouphug:

 

ETA: Homeschooling laws in NC are great!

[sassenach]

I was going to say Florida until I opened your post. I'm not sure where you are, but Clermont is a wonderful city. It's been hit hard by the housing drop so there are tons of brand new houses for rent. I even know a few people who rent out their homes, if you wanted refrences. There is a small, fairly new hospital there (south lake hospital).

 

That said, I know a lot of people who were moving from Florida to north Carolina because the col is so cheap there.

 

I also want to tell you how sorry I am about your horse. When my son was born, he was very sick. We were living in new Orleans. After he was a few months old, and medically stable, we moved to Florida. It did help to leave. The memories in NO were so painful, it seemed like everywhere I turned, I saw something that brought me back to that time. For us, it was cleansing to be in a new place, without those memories.

[LaMere Academy]

Well I'm thinking the best place is where we are now, NE Florida close to the beach...the reason is everyone here is so nice, I love the beach and there's quite a bit of nature areas and we enjoy nature studies. It's a smaller town feel but with everything I could need close by in Jax. It's kinda pricey here, I agree. However we just spent the last 8 years in CT so this is better.

[Brigitte]

Western NC! We love it here! Asheville is a great city-not too big, not too little! Very artsy and cool! We live in Maggie Valley, about 40 minutes from Asheville. Out in the country. I work in Asheville as a nurse. Great hospital there! PM if you want to ask me any particular questions. :grouphug:

 

ETA: Homeschooling laws in NC are great!

 

:iagree: Of course, SW Va. is great too! But, I do know that they need nurses in Asheville. Housing in Asheville is not cheap like it is here, but it is cheaper than most other places like it.

 

I know a cute townhouse for sale in South Asheville :D. If it is not sold soon, it will be rented again (probably too small for you, though). Anyway, the property management company we use to rent it has a great selection of properties and rent in Asheville is quite reasonable.

 

I hope the near future is brighter for you!

[Heather in Savannah]

the Savannah, GA area. We moved here from the southern most part of Canada, where housing costs are like California. So, we find this area very reasonable. We rent from a corporation owned by a builder....this provides us stability, no crazy landlord scenario's, grounds maintenance, and a wonderful repair man, all included for an incredibly good price. There are 3 hospitals in a city of 130,000. We have basically 2 seasons cool and hot and humid. I manage the heat and humidity by telling myself that I don't have to shovel it:thumbup:

I hope that you find what you are looking for.

Heather

[Lisa at Home]

Probably on the southern rural end, I mean.

 

Lots of jobs, especially medical related.

 

Very clean.

 

Reasonably priced.

 

Great horse country.

 

I loved living there!

 

~Lisa

[Tarheel Heather]

Want to live in Charlotte? Happily rent our house to you! Great hospitals, several smaller towns with excellent hospitals as well. I worked at a couple, and they always need nurses!

[Tarheel Heather]

Western NC! We love it here! Asheville is a great city-not too big, not too little! Very artsy and cool! We live in Maggie Valley, about 40 minutes from Asheville. Out in the country. I work in Asheville as a nurse. Great hospital there! PM if you want to ask me any particular questions. :grouphug:

 

ETA: Homeschooling laws in NC are great!

 

 

Asheville is nice, we lived in Waynesville. The hospitals there are great as well!

[Angela in GA]

Of all the places I've lived, Alaska was my favorite. We've been trying to go back there for the last 5 years, but it hasn't worked yet. We're planning to retire there. Alaska is so laid back compared to most of the lower 48, and I love that.

[milovany]

We love where we live: central Washington state. We are just over the Cascade mountains from Seattle (about 2 hours east of the big city). Ours is a community with a hugely rural history (lots of horse people here! And we're home to the county fair which is a fabulous 5-day even over Labor Day weekend), but one that is now developing a nice cultural and current scene as well. We love living "in town" and walking or biking pretty much everywhere. We only have one vehicle for a family of nine because of this. While we live in a much dryer climate than Seattle, it's also a Tree City USA (very green) with a couple of creeks meandering through town.

 

The population here is 17,000 -- about half of that is the student population at the state university (which is a great thing to live near! We go to plays, music concerts, sporting events, etc. often and it's FUN).

 

Four seasons, definitely; lots of outdoor activities. Being just east of the mountains, we are a "windy city" at times but that just keeps the bugs down!!! (Meaning we don't have much of a problem with bugs ever being a nuisance here -- nice.)

 

Housing is pretty reasonable; we're far enough from Seattle to not be having their *crazy* prices, but close enough that prices have gone up a bit in the last 10 years. You can still get a great house with 3 bedrooms for low 200s. We might have our house for rent soon ($800-$850/month), but don't know for sure. We'd prefer to sell but so far that hasn't happened.

 

And here are some other links:

Video produced by the local newspaper

Chamber of Commerce

Tourist site

One of National Trust's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" (2007)

 

Well, there you go! Enjoy. And I too am VERY sorry about your horse.

[Karen sn]

Thank you everyone. So many good recommendations.

I am going to look on a map and ask you more questions tomorrow.

It helps to plan an escape.

[Plucky]

I would only live on the west coast and not in CA (no offense). I'd look for a low cost of living area. If I could I'd move to ID. I like WA but the cost of living is crazy. I also look for a homeschool friendly state.

[milovany]

If I may? Cost of living in Washington is only crazy in some parts of the state (basically the Seattle and surrounding areas). We live two hours east of Seattle, and there's still three hours of state to the east of *us*, and it's not that bad where we live. We love it here and don't plan to ever leave -- well, except for when our kids are all grown; then we might move to the Mediterranean coast of Spain.

 

:)

[Tutor]

So far, our favorite place has been where we are now, northern MS.

 

Pros:

-low cost of living

-high job availability (in our area, anyway)

-low housing cost

-long growing season

-friendly, helpful people

-low state and local regulations (on everything from homeschooling to auto registration to building/ zoning... from what we've experienced, anyway)

 

Cons:

-no real winter to speak of (although we do usually get a hard frost in winter); I like snow

-right at the edge of Tornado Alley/ Dixie Alley (a weather alert radio is a must-have)

[Amy loves Bud]

Texas is a great place for homeschooling. No regulations to speak of.

 

As far as the type of area, you've got big cities - Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin - each with it's own particular personality and all with great employment opportunities for you.

 

You have the Gulf coast, though it is not as nice as Florida's Gulf Coast, so I don't know about that.

 

You have the Hill Country which is beautiful! We lived on Canyon Lake for a couple of years early in our marriage and really loved it. Look at Fredericksburg, Wimberley, Kerrville for Hill Country towns.

 

You have the East Texas piney woods, if you like to be in the forest.

 

You have big, wide open West Texas, if you want to be out on the range.

 

Texas has really great housing cost pretty much anywhere you go. Like Florida there is no state income tax. Homeschooling is unregulated, so you can do what you like and not worry about reporting to anyone. Plus:

 

 

[Scarlett]

Southern NH. Beautiful land, no state income tax or sales tax and you can work in VT, NH or MA. Plus the HS laws are easy. You have mountains, lakes, the ocean, tons of history, museums, zoos, aquariums, etc. I miss New England! LOL

 

Awwww....... Jean. :grouphug:

[Scarlett]

As an adult, I've only ever lived in Arkansas. Grew up in a small isolated town of 5000 in the middle of a national forrest. No jobs there to speak of (except there is a hospital and nurses are in short supply) so dh and I moved up the road a couple of hours to 'the city'. We have trees and hills and a river, low cost of living, a couple of very big very good hospitals, and the homeschool laws are simple.

 

If *I* could decide, we would live back home. I couldn't wait to leave, but I long for it now. Dh says we will probably never go back to live there. To me, geography is secondary...I want to be where I have people I love and who love me. And I like the roots and history I have here and back home.

 

For you though...what do you want? Do you want small town? Do you want I heard an expression once....'wherever you go, there you are.' So if you want away from FL in general then I say go for it. If you are just sad because your horse died :(....maybe wait it out.

[teamturner]

Just some thoughts based on all the places I've lived or visited:

 

Texas: great cost of living, many options as to scenery, job market, economy isn't as bad as the rest of the country. One of the best homeschooling states (no government involvement at all)

 

North Carolina: beautiful place to live (I loved it there and didn't want to leave). Seasons were wonderful and we usually had one big snow a year. Just enough to really enjoy it but not have to deal with it all winter. Housing is higher (than TX probably not FL) and I thought the taxes were high!

 

TN: beautiful state, but don't they pay taxes on food there?

 

Alaska: Okay, I've never been there but they give you money to homeschool (it can't be any religious curriculum) but you can also use the money for extra curricular activites like piano, dance, etc. That is a huge plus! I don't know anything about it's cost of living.

 

Just my 2 cents. I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you can find a place that will make you happy and a house that has a sink in the bathroom. ;)

[NCMom]

After living in NH it seems SO cheap to live here in North Carolina, although actually SC is cheaper from what I've seen.

 

Western NC is gorgeous, less expensive than most other areas in the mountains (especially the super depressed places like were I live haha), has a nice pace of life (soo much more relaxed than New England), 4 seasons, and lots of fun stuff to do. In some areas real estate is very cheap and nurses are pretty much always in demand.

 

Another area I like is around Liberty, KY. Peaceful, horsey and affordable but not too many jobs, maybe.

hth,

Georgia

[brehon]

Texas is a great place for homeschooling. No regulations to speak of.

 

As far as the type of area, you've got big cities - Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin - each with it's own particular personality and all with great employment opportunities for you.

 

You have the Gulf coast, though it is not as nice as Florida's Gulf Coast, so I don't know about that.

 

You have the Hill Country which is beautiful! We lived on Canyon Lake for a couple of years early in our marriage and really loved it. Look at Fredericksburg, Wimberley, Kerrville for Hill Country towns.

 

You have the East Texas piney woods, if you like to be in the forest.

 

You have big, wide open West Texas, if you want to be out on the range.

 

Texas has really great housing cost pretty much anywhere you go. Like Florida there is no state income tax. Homeschooling is unregulated, so you can do what you like and not worry about reporting to anyone. Plus:

 

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

And we even have 4 seasons: (1)winter (usually lasting, oh, about a day or so, except in the Panhandle); (2)hot; (3)hotter; (4)July and August. :lol:

 

Seriously, where I live and work (Central Texas) we've had 6 hospitals open up in the last year and a half -- all of them hiring nurses.

 

And Texas really is the easiest state in which to homeschool.

[Tracey in TX]

I loved both Raleigh, NC and Austin, TX. They're similar cities: academic, state capitols, liberal and conservative in both towns! Austin is slightly more my style (motto is "Keep Austin Weird" :)), but allergies are wicked and it's hot and humid. Raleigh is mostly humid, but within a day's drive to both the beach and mountains.

 

I'd relocated to either city, or perhaps Naperville, IL or suburbs of Boston, MA. Or go ex-pat and find myself in almost any major European city!! Those are my votes.

 

What do you desire from a new community? Small, large? Arts, sports, politics (dem or repub), religious Bible belt or more agnostic? A few towns mentioned I wouldn't even consider moving to b/c of my preferences, but those people might give the thumbs down to Metroplex Texas, too :D It's all about your expectations and what you desire from a new hometown.

[Susan in KY]

Central Kentucky. It's sooooo beautiful!

 

Susan

[Mama Lynx]

I agree. I really liked Michigan. And there are jobs for nurses there, where there were not jobs for my DH.

 

Michigan, or Texas. Michigan is prettier. Texas housing prices are significantly better. Both places are way easy for homeschooling. Michigan is cold. Texas is hot. lol

[Jodie]

Asheville or Hendersonville NC. I have lived here for 11 years now and I love it! I don't ever want to move away! I was born and raised in south Florida and now exactly what you mean. I like to vacation there once in a while, but that's it. I have also lived in VA. Shenandoah Valley area and it beautiful there also. But I still love my area the best.

[LizzyBee]

I loved Alaska. But I think I should try somewhere with 4 seasons.

 

I can't do a big city.

 

Any suggestions?

 

I grew up in the western corner of Maryland (Garrett County). It gets MORE snow than Fairbanks or Anchorage, but winter doesn't last quite as long and the cold is not quite as extreme. I grew up outside of the whopping big town of Accident (population per 1970 census was 251, but it's grown to about 350 now :001_smile: ), but the county's only hospital is in Oakland, the county seat. Oakland is a beautiful town with big old Victorian houses and old fashioned diners. The county is the home of Maryland's biggest lake (Deep Creek Lake) and a ski resort (the Wisp). Tourism is the biggest industry. Crime is low and the people are the nicest you'd meet anywhere. Real estate is expensive near the lake, but relatively cheap further out.

 

If you don't want quite so much snow, the next county to the east has 2 hospitals and lots of doctor's offices. The county seat is Cumberland with population of about 20,000. Because the elevation is lower, the snowfall in Allegany County is dramatically less than Garrett County.

 

Both counties have 4 distinct seasons. Garrett County has an annual Autumn Glory festival that a travel magazine whose name escapes me named the best fall festival in the world 2 years ago -- it even beat Oktoberfest in Germany!

 

I am going to try to insert a picture I took last month:

 

That didn't work. Here's a link to the album:

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=234587260/a=34431644_34431644/t_=34431644

[muffinmom]

Nashville is a great place to live--most people who live here love it. We are very happy here.

 

But I will say that when I visited Portland, OR, last year, I knew I could live there happily.

 

And I also love North Carolina--Asheville is a lovely city. And I like Charlotte too. To me, North Carolina has interesting people and places. Mountains and beach. Nice variety.