LNC Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 I'm just dreaming but where would this be? I lived in Longmeadow Mass growing up, which met a lot but not all of these! I live in the burbs of a medium/large southern city now and I'm kind of over it! Small enough to bike to farmer's market or grocery, library, etc. Near ocean or large lake Scenic parks and trails Large, excellent, preferably teaching hospital within 30 min. Cultural opportunities within 30 min. Ballet, symphony, museums etc. Low crime Excellent schools just in case Can buy a 2000 sq ft. home for 250, 000 to 350, 000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicAnn Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Hmmm. I have a few places in mind, but neither will meet 100%. Northern Colorado has many beautiful towns that meet the description except for the water. Though a lake is possible. Western Washington, port Orchard area, is also very close. Though house price might be an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in MI Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 I'm just dreaming but where would this be? I lived in Longmeadow Mass growing up, which met a lot but not all of these! I live in the burbs of a medium/large southern city now and I'm kind of over it! Small enough to bike to farmer's market or grocery, library, etc. Near ocean or large lake Scenic parks and trails Large, excellent, preferably teaching hospital within 30 min. Cultural opportunities within 30 min. Ballet, symphony, museums etc. Low crime Excellent schools just in case Can buy a 2000 sq ft. home for 250, 000 to 350, 000 You described my town!! Grosse Pointe Park, MI. We have a couple farmer's markets within walking distance and you can always head downtown to a MUCH bigger one. We have amazing libraries. Really amazing. We are right on Lake St. Clair. It's huge - you cannot see across it. Our parks are beautiful. We do have trails, but they are short. But, you can walk along the lake for miles! Downtown Detroit is 15 minutes away. They have all the cultural activities you listed. Our art museum is truly amazing. We have excellent schools. The high school my boys would attend is always on the list of top schools in the country. We bought our 2400 sq foot house for $290,000 a few years ago. So, you could definitely find a house in your price range. And, there are LOADS of hospitals near here. Within about 5 - 7 miles, I can think of five. Crime rate is extremely low. This time of year it always goes up a bit with kids out of school being bored and breaking into cars. But, the violent crime is practically non-existant. Google search us! It's an amazing place to live. We call it Mayberry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNC Posted August 5, 2013 Author Share Posted August 5, 2013 Thanks Jennifer and NicAnn. I'll google both. Does the decline of Detroit affect your area? Port Orchard is the town the Cedar Cove books were modeled on. The show is what got us talking. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 This describes quite a few towns in Minnesota. In the town I live in, I can actually walk to the library, the farmer's market, and one of the beaches. (We have multiple lakes in town, so you can take your pick.) You can't throw a rock here without hitting paved trails and parks, and there's a theater downtown that has various performances year-round, and there's a history museum, too. (I can also walk to both of those. ;)) There's a huge county hospital in town, and you've got the Mayo Clinic in Rochester if you need really top notch care. The schools in town are fairly good, and there are several private schools, as well. And the town only has just over ten thousand people, so it's small enough to not have a huge amount of crime. The only thing is that here, you'd pay more like $150,000 for a 2000 square foot house. $250k or $350k will get you a bigger house on the lake. ETA: This is where I live: http://livability.com/top-10/top-10-best-small-towns-2013/alexandria/mn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Bloomington, Indiana meets most of your criteria. Smaller lakes. Good multi-use trails, but hikes in the woods are 20 minutes drive away. A major university with a strong music school in town means a huge number of cultural opportunities for such a small town. Homes are cheaper than you're asking for. I live a few blocks from a farmers market, 3/4 mile from a decent grocery store, a few blocks from a good natural foods co-op, 1/2 mile from the children's museum, and 3/4 mile from the library. I have a very different list of wants than you, so I will be leaving this town soon. But it does have a LOT of positives! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNC Posted August 6, 2013 Author Share Posted August 6, 2013 Bloomington, Indiana meets most of your criteria. Smaller lakes. Good multi-use trails, but hikes in the woods are 20 minutes drive away. A major university with a strong music school in town means a huge number of cultural opportunities for such a small town. Homes are cheaper than you're asking for. I live a few blocks from a farmers market, 3/4 mile from a decent grocery store, a few blocks from a good natural foods co-op, 1/2 mile from the children's museum, and 3/4 mile from the library. I have a very different list of wants than you, so I will be leaving this town soon. But it does have a LOT of positives! Thanks! That is funny, what does your ideal town look like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Davis, California has all of those except that you most likely would not be able to find a house in that price range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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