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Another "Where would you live?" thread...


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Hi Everyone!

 

I've been periodically asking dh to move out of southern CA for at least 5 years now and he politely gives me the brush off each time.;)

 

All of a sudden, he's really open to the idea and I'm trying to take advantage of it!:D

 

So, we are trying to make a list of potential places we would consider. When we have a list, we plan on visiting each place.

 

Here are some considerations:

 

  • I want seasons!! Yeah, yeah, So. CA is famous for its weather but I want more variety. I want somewhere where there is a definite fall! Trees changing color, crispness in the air, the need to wear a jacket, etc. I also want a place where summer is not crazy hot and doesn't last 4 or 5 months.

 

  • Medical care-we do need to be someplace with easy access to medical care as ds (6) is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts and we need to be close to emergency care in the case of a reaction.

 

  • "Slow pace"-we want someplace that doesn't have the break neck speed and competition we find here. Everyone is in a hurry here and always trying to one up each other.

 

  • Shopping, restaurants, etc.-I don't need a huge variety or anything fancy but a Target available within an hour's drive would be a big, big plus!;)

 

  • Activities-Ds (6) is really into outside activities. A place where soccer and a swim team is available would be ideal.

 

  • Cost of living-We would have about $550K to spend on a home. We'd love a lower cost of living than here so that we could save more but dh works remotely so our income would not necessarily change.

 

Dh owns his own software development company so he can work for his clients anywhere he has an internet connection.

 

Some places I've been considering: Oregon (not sure where but we've enjoyed time we've spent in that state), Colorado (I've fallen crazy in love with the Rockies! I mean I really love them!), Lake Tahoe (we've spent a huge amount of time there and love it but property is really expensive), Western Wyoming (total fantasy of mine! ;)).

 

But, we are open to looking anywhere.

 

Any suggestions?

Edited by CAMom
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Huntsville, AL. It has all that here and you would love the traffic. You get very nice homes here starting at around 300K and the taxes are low here too but the services are pretty good. Nice libraries, lots of community spirit, well educated populace, medical services available including two hospitals and a third in the next nearby town. Swim team here, soccer teams here, homeschooling is very easy, and we do have four seasons.

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North Carolina.

 

The triangle area of NC -- I am guessing that Cary is in that triangle -- that's where I would go.

 

Or, Princeton, NJ.

 

Or, Eden Prairie, MN

 

HA! I'm not allowed to go to Princeton! My dd is convinced she is going to Princeton for college and she has made it clear that I'm not allowed anywhere in the vicinity. :lol:

 

I will put NC on my list of places to look and look into Eden Prairie.

 

Thank you!

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How drastic of seasons do you want? Any natural disasters you'd like to avoid?

 

I'm willing to go drastic on the seasons other than summer. ;)

 

I'm not too worried about natural disasters. I would love getting away from earthquakes, though. I hate them!

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Oh, and to add about the summers= they normally aren't crazy hot at all here. This summer was hotter than average by quite a bit but not as bad as many, many areas. NOrmally, the summers here are from June to early September and much of that is below 90 degrees. I was worried about that myself and then I realized that the summers don't get hotter than in some other areas I have lived in (like Northern VA) and are much less hot than in Sacramento.

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You did pretty much describe the Portland area. You could get a nice house for that price. We are a little further out of town (where it is cheaper), but if you look around Multnomah Village and Sellwood, they are closer in to Portland. Further out Wilsonville and Sherwood are both really nice communities. Very laid back and out of the rat race.

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North Carolina.

 

:iagree:

 

As I was reading the list I kept thinking of Asheville, NC. Four definite seasons, but winter and summer aren't extreme. Asheville is high enough in elevation to escape the worst of the heat and humidity in the summer, but not high enough that winter is really bad. Fall is glorious.

 

I think Cary might be hotter than they'd like in the summer? Probably anywhere in the piedmont or eastern NC would be. It is for me!

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CAMom, I lived in CA until I was 20, in NH since then. I could never tolerate the humidity in the southern states. I have lived in NH for almost 29 years and the humidity is just as hard on me now, or harder.

 

We tried to move to VA before but I am glad it didn't work out for weather reasons alone.

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Slightly hijacking here, tell me more about Princeton, NJ. How is living expenses there and is the weather milder than here in NH? The heat and bugs are killing me here and the winter is too cold. I want some more civilization and easy walking access (a la Europe). Have been considering NJ for a while and got Princeton on my radar last week....

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The triangle area of NC -- I am guessing that Cary is in that triangle -- that's where I would go.

 

Or, Princeton, NJ.

 

Or, Eden Prairie, MN

 

 

She wouldn't get much of a house for $550,000 in Princeton, but it's a great place to live. I don't think it would fit her criteria for being slow-paced, though. It's definitely suburban.

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Slightly hijacking here, tell me more about Princeton, NJ. How is living expenses there and is the weather milder than here in NH? The heat and bugs are killing me here and the winter is too cold. I want some more civilization and easy walking access (a la Europe). Have been considering NJ for a while and got Princeton on my radar last week....

 

Princeton is a very nice town, but quite pricey in terms of housing and property taxes. You'd be hard-pressed to find a nice house for under $500,000, and that $500k house would probably have property taxes of at least $10,000. (And that's a conservative estimate.)

 

There are many surrounding towns that would be cheaper to live in, but they're more suburban, without walkable downtown areas. (There will be lots of shopping in big strip malls or enclosed malls, but not a "real town," which is probably Princeton's biggest selling point.)

 

Honestly, whether or not you'd want to move to Princeton all depends on your budget. It can be a great place to live if you can afford it, and you also have to understand that the general area doesn't have a small town feel. It's not a city by any means, but there's typical NJ traffic, and parking in town can be a real nuisance (and unless you can get into the parking garage, you'll be running back and forth to feed the parking meter every 2 hours.)

 

Edited to add: I just noticed that you're looking for walkability. Well... Princeton is walkable in terms of being a fun town to stroll around and go for coffee or to a restaurant, or to shop at stores like Talbot's, Polo, Lululemon, or Kate Spade, but you won't find much in terms of "practical" shopping -- as an example, you can't walk to a grocery store. It's one of those towns where the first several times you go there, it's a lot of fun and you think there's a lot to do, but when you're there frequently, you realize that while you can find things like bakeries, you can't really shop for food or everyday items (unless you count the CVS!)

Edited by Catwoman
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I'm in S.CA also, and hate the heat and boring weather. Most people I know think I'm crazy, but I grew up in W. Canada and just prefer seasons and cooler temps. I also hate, hate humidity (have lived in NC and Hawaii - both were too hot and humid for me).

 

We will be making our permanent move in the next 1-2 years and my top choices are Denver or Seattle. Both would give us access to family and all types of weather.

 

I would never, ever move somewhere permanently that was humid. I hate humidity!

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Princeton is a very nice town, but quite pricey in terms of housing and property taxes. You'd be hard-pressed to find a nice house for under $500,000, and that $500k house would probably have property taxes of at least $10,000. (And that's a conservative estimate.)

 

There are many surrounding towns that would be cheaper to live in, but they're more suburban, without walkable downtown areas. (There will be lots of shopping in big strip malls or enclosed malls, but not a "real town," which is probably Princeton's biggest selling point.)

 

Honestly, whether or not you'd want to move to Princeton all depends on your budget. It can be a great place to live if you can afford it, and you also have to understand that the general area doesn't have a small town feel. It's not a city by any means, but there's typical NJ traffic, and parking in town can be a real nuisance (and unless you can get into the parking garage, you'll be running back and forth to feed the parking meter every 2 hours.)

 

Edited to add: I just noticed that you're looking for walkability. Well... Princeton is walkable in terms of being a fun town to stroll around and go for coffee or to a restaurant, or to shop at stores like Talbot's, Polo, Lululemon, or Kate Spade, but you won't find much in terms of "practical" shopping -- as an example, you can't walk to a grocery store. It's one of those towns where the first several times you go there, it's a lot of fun and you think there's a lot to do, but when you're there frequently, you realize that while you can find things like bakeries, you can't really shop for food or everyday items (unless you count the CVS!)

 

Princeton Borough is where you get the lovely, small town feel of being able to walk into town for pancakes or Church or ice cream or shopping.

 

Princeton Township is the larger area which would require :auto:s.

 

Both are pricey.

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We are in So. CA, and are planning a move to Spring, TX, which would be too hot in the summer for you! But, the place we are hoping to move someday is the Nashville/Franklin, TN area. It seems like it fulfills a lot of your criteria. We have family in Virginia, and that is also very pretty (four seasons) and a slower pace of life. Colorado would also be nice....definitely a slower pace and beautiful surroundings.

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We want to get out of California too. We'd like to move to a state with low or no state income taxes. We also need to be within a hour or two of an airport.

 

Tops on our list:

 

  • Vancouver area in Washington

  • Gardenerville, NV

  • Tulsa, OK

  • Dallas area

 

 

http://www.city-data.com/ is a great website for fact gathering.

 

 

Shellers, have you ruled out the Houston area? The Woodlands area is gorgeous, and you get more for your money than you do in DFW. We will be about 30-40 minutes away from George Bush International Airport. The airport thing is very important for us, too.

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Shellers, have you ruled out the Houston area? The Woodlands area is gorgeous, and you get more for your money than you do in DFW. We will be about 30-40 minutes away from George Bush International Airport. The airport thing is very important for us, too.

 

I really like that area, but DH isn't a fan of the whole Houston area. I've tried to convince him, but he's not having it. :confused:

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I really like that area, but DH isn't a fan of the whole Houston area. I've tried to convince him, but he's not having it. :confused:

 

Got it! My best friend wants to relocate there with us, but her husband feels the same way...but he is ruling out DFW, too. And, I get Houston not being his favorite! It has some down sides ( weather...bugs...lack of zoning in a lot of areas), but enough positives for us ( COL, family, and economy being the biggest!)

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We moved from SoCal (Los Angeles) to Charlotte, NC. It was a big adjustment for me, but my family loves it here and now call this home. I still miss CA many days, but I have now made friends and have a life here and it is nice.

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It depends on where. And the heat is really only 2-3 months of the year.....it isn't fantastic, but it isn't a complete deal breaker for me.

 

Florida would be too hot and humid for me though, as would TX or any of those Southern boarder states.

 

I just got back from a long weekend in San Antonio and man, it was dreadful the first day....101 and humid.

 

 

 

Way too hot.
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Oregon really does have everything on your wish list. We moved here from the bay area almost 20 years ago. There are many many CA transplants here. If you still have other family in CA, it's nice to be in driving distance. And I think if you think of yourself as a westerner (more laid back, less formal, I don't know what else), it would be easier to transfer to a western state.

 

Summer is perfect here--70's or 80's, no rain in July or August (usually). Fall is absolutely beautiful, and the rains don't really begin until November (you'll have occasional rainfall before then, but not the constant gray mist). Then it's pretty wet from November until (I hate to say it but it's been true the last three years) June. If you can't handle gray and wet, not usually hard rain, but precipitation most days, Colorado might be a better choice than OR.

 

I would think that peanut allergies don't require highly specialized care, but if you do feel that you need a top-notch children's hospital, you would want to be in a Portland suburb with access to Doernbecher at OHSU. Eugene also has a good hospital (Sacred Heart). If you just need access to doctors and regular hospitals/ERs, any reasonable size town would do. I like the I-5 corridor--easy to get to other places (WA, CA, Portland or Eugene). Many people who prefer more sun like Bend. It's more of a high desert environment than a rainforest!

 

OR has no sales tax, WA has no state income tax. I always thought you could have the best of both worlds living in Vancouver WA but doing major shopping trips in Portland. If you need easy access to a major airport, you need to be around Portland. Soccer is very popular here; I think swimming works well too. If your heart is set on baseball, weather works against you here.

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Wow! You guys are awesome! You've given me some great leads!

 

Asheville is another place I thought of some time ago. My dd caught me looking at a house in Asheville on realtor.com this morning and said, "Oh my gosh! Can we move there right now?!?":) Plus, it's only about 600 miles from Princeton.;)

 

So many great places to investigate! My dd also said, "Mom, I think your heart is in the Rockies." But, I think I would do well in a number of these places.

 

I'm looking forward to the search! I've been in So CA my whole life and in the same house since I was 10 years old. I just feel like I need a change of scenery-and weather!

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Not Asheville. Ds lives there now, and I'm not impressed at all with either downtown (too New Age/artsy/occult) or outside of it (too rural/nothing to do except outdoors). Sorry Tammy and Oak Knoll Mom! :D

 

Northern VA is too expensive and rat-racey, but more in the middle is nice. Coast is humid, but the Northern Neck area is ok--too rural for me, tho.

 

Do you like farmland? Rolling hills? Mountains? (Mountains have snow unless you are in the S.)

 

Do you want a multicultural feel?

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Do you like farmland? Rolling hills? Mountains? (Mountains have snow unless you are in the S.)

 

Do you want a multicultural feel?

 

Mountains! I love the ocean, too, but am ready to sacrifice it for mountains. And, yes, I know there are mountains in So. CA. There are about 2 1/2 days in February where the smog clears enough that I can actually see them from the end of my street.;)

 

Mulitcultural feel is fine. I can't say that I have a strong opinion either way on that.

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That is why Huntsville isn't as hot, it is elevated and we have very pretty mountains here ( though small ones) but the east side of town is where the mountains are. Because of the mountains, and I live on a small one, the summers are milder than in the flatter areas (and hence our temperatures are usually cooler than in many areas of the South) but while it does get cold in the winter, it rarely goes below 20F so you can grow a wide variety of plants.

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Oregon gals, isn't Portland hot in the summer? I started looking at Sherwood since a pp recommended that. I do like that it's only and hour and a half or so to the coast. I love the Oregon Coast!

 

I'm not actually in Portland, but as a general rule, no there isn't that much hot weather. We'll get a couple of days over 90 each year. May hit 100 every couple of years. I would say the summer average is upper 70's. Plenty of days in the 80's too. I should mention the blueberries too--best part of summer! Pick your own at a local farm. Most population centers are relatively close to ocean and mountains.

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Mountains! I love the ocean, too, but am ready to sacrifice it for mountains.

 

Central Oregon is high desert --- lots of sun with gorgeous mountain views, and only 3-4 hours to the coast. We don't have four seasons though ... we're missing a true spring. Spring here is chilly and windy.

 

Western and southern Oregon have true seasons, but winter is rainy rather than snowy.

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You want seasons without a crazy hot summer?

 

Minnesota!

 

Grew up there in a little town called Meadowlands. I would suggest Duluth as that has two hospitals and many different medical practices. If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it'll change. They just changed their hsing laws to be more friendly. And if you live in the city, they've got decent bus service in the event of vehicle malfunctions.

 

Oh, and you'll learn a new move called the "Minnesota stomp".

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Oh, and to add about the summers= they normally aren't crazy hot at all here. This summer was hotter than average by quite a bit but not as bad as many, many areas. NOrmally, the summers here are from June to early September and much of that is below 90 degrees. I was worried about that myself and then I realized that the summers don't get hotter than in some other areas I have lived in (like Northern VA) and are much less hot than in Sacramento.

 

But that's my point. 90 with humidity is horrendous. I can't stand it! I have been to NY, NJ, VA, MD, NC, GA and FL. I never lived in any of those states but all but TN and NC have been visited in different seasons. I found every single state to be much more unbearable than NH, and I have a tough tme with the heat and humidity here. I would imagine the heat and humidity would be unbearable to someone who dislikes summer. Allof those would much harder to tolerate than CA. even Nh summers are!

 

IMO 90 woth humidity is unbearable. 90 in CA? Nice. 90 in AZ? Nice. :001_smile:

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You want seasons without a crazy hot summer?

 

Minnesota!

 

Grew up there in a little town called Meadowlands. I would suggest Duluth as that has two hospitals and many different medical practices. If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it'll change. They just changed their hsing laws to be more friendly. And if you live in the city, they've got decent bus service in the event of vehicle malfunctions.

 

Oh, and you'll learn a new move called the "Minnesota stomp".

 

:iagree: Twin Cities Suburbs are great too. Eden Prairie (about 30 minutes south west of Minneapolis is #3 on that money magazine list above

 

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/best-places/2012/snapshots/PL2718116.html?iid=spltop

 

And many twin cities suburbs are similar to this in feel. I live in the city. Duluth and Rochester are very nice for smaller metro areas that still have very nice amenities and an educated population.

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Newport and Burlington, lovely towns. Burlington might be a bit cold, though!!

 

Anyways, thanks for the feedback on Princeton. I feel all electric thinking of moving to an area where people walk, with safety and with cultural and academic offerings and with a milder climate. One can dream, right.... Dd got a job there so we have the opportunity to check it out and see if it would work or the area there in general.

 

OP, good luck to you. How exciting to finally be moving if you have lived in the same house forever!! We have lived here 7 years and I am beyond bored (lived in MA for 4 years, so going into 12 years in the same vicinity yet we don't have roots or great friends here and need a change).

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We moved from Orange County, CA to NoCal about 2 years ago and are LOVING the wine country area. We're in Sonoma County and just north of Santa Rosa...we have seasons, vineyards, beaches, hiking, close enough to a small city for nice events or go to SF for the museums, good CC and CSU in the area, travel options available, and a lovely homeschool group as well. DH loves his 20 min., no-traffic commute (vs. 1-1.5 hours of traffic) and is much less stressed. There are plenty of activity choices available: sports, scouts, 4-H, community choir. Even in the summer the evenings usually cool off; we don't get snow but we can *see* snow in winter from where we are (fine by me), but it's cold and the trees AND the vineyards change color for sure.

 

Of course, you still have the tax structure and the state regulation and fees issues of a budget-strickened state to deal with.

 

I grew up in the area. Those aren't seasons.;). Not REAL ones.:001_smile:

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But that's my point. 90 with humidity is horrendous. I can't stand it! I have been to NY, NJ, VA, MD, NC, GA and FL. I never lived in any of those states but all but TN and NC have been visited in different seasons. I found every single state to be much more unbearable than NH, and I have a tough tme with the heat and humidity here.

 

In North Carolina it very much depends on elevation. Our mountains are the highest on the east coast. The elevation means summer is much more pleasant than it is in the piedmont or eastern part of the state. Both the temperature and humidity are much lower.

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In North Carolina it very much depends on elevation. Our mountains are the highest on the east coast. The elevation means summer is much more pleasant than it is in the piedmont or eastern part of the state. Both the temperature and humidity are much lower.

 

I don't remember which area of NC I visited but I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was staying with my friend in Ga and we did some travelling. She planned everything out.

 

The heat and humidity in GA in October was a killer.

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