Where is your most ideal place to live in the US?

[mommyoffive]

Every year around this time I get tired of the bitter cold.  I am getting old.  And I look for other places to live that are nicer year round. 

 

 

I have never been to these places mind you. 

 

North Carolina

South Carolina

Kentucky

Tenn

 

Highs of 40s and 50s in December?  I would love that.  It just seems like you would have more time to spend outside.  I think as I get older I don't want to do with the freezing temps. 

 

The only thing that keeps us here is that I love our town.  Teachers and Coaches are awesome.  

 

Where are you ideal places to live? 

 

Why?

 

Have you ever just moved?   

Did it turn out well? 

Did you visit before you moved? 

Edited December 8, 2016 by mommyoffive

[Guest]

I would like to stay in Texas but further north. Little less humidity, little more winter. Fewer mosquitoes would be nice. But we can't. At least not anytime soon. We need to stay close to our parents. They would die if we took the grandkids from daily visit range. We probably would too as they're our only babysitters!

[FaithManor]

Well, I can say that we loved our time in Newburg, Oregon outside of Portland. Unfortuntely, dh's career wasn't going anywhere. His wages were going to be stagnant for a long time, but the COL just kept going up so fast that it wasn't practical for us to stay. That was a LONG time ago. Not certain what it is like now.

 

It was just beautiful, all four seasons, but winter was just barely winter yet we could head to Mt. Hood anytime we really wanted snow, wanted to ski. Day trips to the rocky coast and to Astoria. Rose farms outside of town...we used to just drive around and admire...cheap entertainment. Close to culture. George Fox College right there. We really loved it.

[SeaConquest]

San Diego! 75 degrees year round +/- 15 degrees. All the good of LA and SF, but none of the bad. I've lived all over the world, and it's a great city. Only downside is high COL.

[PrincessMommy]

I'm feeling the same way as the cold is coming in.  My problem is that as I'm aging I find it hard to deal with both extreme heat/humidity and the cold.

 

I would love to move to the PNW, but I doubt we ever will.  We live on the East coast and I don't see any of our kids leaving this side of the US.

 

I've thought about TN or KY as well...except I don't know how bad the summers are compared to where I am now.  I love the mountains,so that is an important factor for me.

 

I do know someone how packed it all up and moved to a completely different area.  It was quite the adventure. They had 2 elementary aged kids and no job when they left.  The high COL here is what pushed them to do it.   I think it was a good choice for their family, but it was hard at times too.  They both grew up in this area, so all their long-time friends and family were here, except one brother.    I have found that it is hard to build friendships the older we get (they were in their late early 40s at that time).  I think that was the hardest part of the move.     They love where they live (north of Denver) and their kids have grown up in a great area.

[mommyoffive]

San Diego! 75 degrees year round +/- 15 degrees. All the good of LA and SF, but none of the bad. I've lived all over the world, and it's a great city. Only downside is high COL.

 

SD is so pretty, but way to expensive for me.

[Lady Florida.]

I want to stay in Florida but just a little south (like 30 miles) of where we are. To me the ideal place to live is near family and we both have family here.

[Anne in CA]

Well, I can say that we loved our time in Newburg, Oregon outside of Portland. Unfortuntely, dh's career wasn't going anywhere. His wages were going to be stagnant for a long time, but the COL just kept going up so fast that it wasn't practical for us to stay. That was a LONG time ago. Not certain what it is like now.

 

It was just beautiful, all four seasons, but winter was just barely winter yet we could head to Mt. Hood anytime we really wanted snow, wanted to ski. Day trips to the rocky coast and to Astoria. Rose farms outside of town...we used to just drive around and admire...cheap entertainment. Close to culture. George Fox College right there. We really loved it.

Newburg and Mcminnville are very lovely, but hard to make a living in. 

[regentrude]

Ideal? Too many factors.

I loved living in Santa Barbara, CA. Perfect -except for the insane COL.

I loved living in Eugene, OR and would love to move back to OR.

I would also like to live in Boulder, CO.

 

I have never "just" moved because I wanted to move. With DH's and my jobs, we have no choice of where to live -we have to live where the job is.

We won't be able to choose a place to live until we retire.

 

Pros of our area in the Midwest are low COL, some pretty outdoors. Cons are no mountains, very conservative environment.

Edited December 8, 2016 by regentrude

[Loowit]

I love where I am living now.  We are in southwest Washington and have a lot of nature close by like mountains, ocean, the Columbia gorge, etc.  I like that we get all four seasons but none of them are extreme.  The one thing I do hear a lot of complaints about from others is the rain, but I love the rain.

[HomeAgain]

Ideal - Monterey, Ca.  Multilingual, good food, easy temps, short drive to SF, and next to the ocean.  Only thing wrong with it is the cost of living there. :lol:

[Outdoorsy Type]

I live in my number one, but if I didn't live here:

 

High, Dry, and Mountains

 

Pagosa Springs, CO

Durango, CO

Sheridan, WY

Flagstaff, AZ

Coeur D'Alene, ID

 

Puget Sound is lovely, but I'm not sure I could handle all the rain. The same goes for Portland, OR and other I-5 cities.

 

ETA: these are all very cold places, I didn't read very well. 😆 If you don't mind rain, there are a lot of temperate and beautiful cities in the PNW.

Edited December 8, 2016 by Outdoorsy Type

[Guest]

I live in my number one, but if I didn't live here:

 

High, Dry, and Mountains

 

Pagosa Springs, CO

Durango, CO

Sheridan, WY

Flagstaff, AZ

Coeur D'Alene, ID

 

Puget Sound is lovely, but I'm not sure I could handle all the rain. The same goes for Portland, OR and other I-5 cities.

If I didn't live where I do these are all high on my list of next bests as well.

[SeaConquest]

I live in my number one, but if I didn't live here:

 

High, Dry, and Mountains

 

Pagosa Springs, CO

Durango, CO

Sheridan, WY

Flagstaff, AZ

Coeur D'Alene, ID

 

Puget Sound is lovely, but I'm not sure I could handle all the rain. The same goes for Portland, OR and other I-5 cities.

Are there mosquitoes in any of these places? That's a deal-breaker for me.

 

How much snow in these places? Any skiing?

 

We've been looking at Bend OR because our COL is so high in CA.

[SeaConquest]

I live in my number one, but if I didn't live here:

 

High, Dry, and Mountains

 

Pagosa Springs, CO

Durango, CO

Sheridan, WY

Flagstaff, AZ

Coeur D'Alene, ID

 

Puget Sound is lovely, but I'm not sure I could handle all the rain. The same goes for Portland, OR and other I-5 cities.

Also, if you don't mind my asking, where is here?

[scholastica]

Every year around this time I get tired of the bitter cold. I am getting old. And I look for other places to live that are nicer year round.

 

 

I have never been to these places mind you.

 

North Carolina

South Carolina

Kentucky

Tenn

 

Highs of 40s and 50s in December? I would love that. It just seems like you would have more time to spend outside. I think as I get older I don't want to do with the freezing temps.

 

The only thing that keeps us here is that I love our town. Teachers and Coaches are awesome.

 

Where are you ideal places to live?

 

Why?

 

Have you ever just moved?

Did it turn out well?

Did you visit before you moved?

I loved the weather in North Carolina when I lived there. I lived there for eight years and would go back in a heartbeat. Alas, Dh's family is all here in the Midwest, actually all in the same city, and my kids are definitely rooted here. I hope we can move down that way again in 10 years or so. I still have family there. I am encouraging my kids who aren't yet in college to look Southeast for schools.

[Lanny]

Well, if we had to live in the USA, we would probably go to TX, for various reasons. There is *no* place that is perfect. Everywhere one might live, there are "pros" and there are "cons".  I worked on temporary job assignments and had a chance to see and live in other states.   You included TN and I have pleasant memories driving thru there, especially "Middle Tennessee" (Nashville) and Knoxville.  Just South of there is Huntsville AL.  I think that would be my pick, outside of TX. A smaller city, but with everything one might need (hospitals, airline service, lots of job possibilities, etc.)  However, to my absolute astonishment, I was in Huntsville one December when the actual temperature (not wind chill) went down to minus 13 F.     Oh, I was also in Nashville once when the actual temperature went down to minus 3 F.  However, normally, those places get milder Winters and that's quite unusual.  I think if you are interested in Public universities, AL has several excellent ones.

[Selkie]

I'd love to live in Wyoming.  Beautiful land, wintry weather, and a conservative bent - it'd be a perfect fit for us.

[Zinnia]

We lived in Asheville for 2 years for grad school.  We would go back in a hot minute if a job showed up.  Anywhere in that western North Carolina/eastern TN region.....Bristol, Johnson City, Boone, Asheville, Sevier County, TN, even as far over as Knoxville or Charlotte.  There is just something about the mountains. When you are there, the world is better, and it's like you are closer to knowing what created you or something. Sappy, but true.

[Alicia64]

Well, I can't agree w/ SeaConquest. I lived in No. Cal forever and had family in San Diego. Both areas are totally crazy expensive -- and the expense is only second to insane traffic.

 

Say you were to move to San Diego -- living near the beach sounds nice, right? Try being 45 mins. away and that's if you're lucky.

 

I'd move back to Richmond, VA in a heartbeat. Loved that big town -- but it snows in the winter. Usually it's just light snow, but it has gotten big snow about every eight years. Still not big compared to northern states.

 

Atlanta is warm pretty much April through October. I don't recommend it though. Terrible sprawl, terrible traffic.

 

I'd go for Bluffton, South Carolina. I've never been but have only heard raves and the weather would be warm. I've also heard great things about the suburbs of Nashville.

 

Good luck!

 

Alley

[Arctic Bunny]

It's going to be very cold this weekend, and I think they all sound lovely.

[Guest]

Yeah San Diego sucks and I can't recommend it for anything but consistently warm to hot weather, but I do have family who loves it and refuses to move. I'd choose a mountainous zone - Flagstaff and Durango are both really great intersections on cost of living indexes for their amenities and weather. I have friends and family living in both. Idaho is lovely too, but not as consistently warm - it really has four seasons.

[Outdoorsy Type]

Also, if you don't mind my asking, where is here?

Sent you a PM

[rebcoola]

I love living in the Inland Northwest.   Sunny most of the time.  No humidity, temps stay pretty moderate, short trek to mountains & skiing.  Easy trip to bigger cities when we get the itch.

Edited December 8, 2016 by rebcoola

[RioSamba]

We live on the front range of Colorado, very close to our hometown. Mostly we are very happy here. We love the mountains, find Denver to be a great city, it's easy to eat well and be fit. We love the sunshine, and that snow comes but doesn't stick around all winter. It feels less and less like home because it has changed so much!

 

Sometimes I long for Vermont (deep roots there) or California (Orange County, SLO, or Marin). I think our ideal retirement would be to snowbird with a home in VT or CO, and a warm getaway. We have family in all three places. Grandchildren could change things too.

[whitestavern]

I can't imagine ever leaving New England because I truly love everything about it. It's old and full of history, tons of gorgeous quaint towns, has ocean beaches and mountains (lots of lakes too) and easy access to great cities like Boston and New York. That said, the winters are starting to get to me.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I've only lived in New England and New York.  The weather is kinda cruddy in a way.  It's either too cold or too humid.  BUT I really can't imagine living anywhere else.  I think I'd miss the contrast. 

 

 

[Liz CA]

Without a doubt the best place is the CA north coast where winter temps are around F40-50. Only now and then, it dips into the thirties. :)

Summers can get to F90 but if you are at the coast, it tops out at about F 80.

[fairfarmhand]

I do like Tennessee. I don't mind the summer heat, but I did live in Florida before I lived here, so heat is relative. And I'll take the hot summers over brutal cold any day. I hate winter.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Alicia64]

Yeah San Diego sucks and I can't recommend it for anything but consistently warm to hot weather, but I do have family who loves it and refuses to move. I'd choose a mountainous zone - Flagstaff and Durango are both really great intersections on cost of living indexes for their amenities and weather. I have friends and family living in both. Idaho is lovely too, but not as consistently warm - it really has four seasons.

 

I've heard great things about Flagstaff and Prescott, AZ.

[Pawz4me]

We lived in Asheville for 2 years for grad school.  We would go back in a hot minute if a job showed up.  Anywhere in that western North Carolina/eastern TN region.....Bristol, Johnson City, Boone, Asheville, Sevier County, TN, even as far over as Knoxville or Charlotte.  There is just something about the mountains. When you are there, the world is better, and it's like you are closer to knowing what created you or something. Sappy, but true.

 

Sappy or not, I totally agree with you. There's something about the mountains in that area (their ancientness, I think) that speaks to my soul. I'd move anywhere in that area (including southwest Virginia, too) if DH were willing. But since it's only an hour or two from where we live now, I might have trouble convincing him that moving would be worth it when we can make a day trip any time we want.

[tammyw]

We live in San Diego and I do think it's a pretty great place to live (we are having a cold snap and temps have been 60-65 during the day). It is REALLY expensive though. And just continuing to go up, so that's the worst. I'm thankful we bought a house 2.5 years ago so that those payments are consistent.

 

I'd consider a move to Denver, Seattle, or Portland.

[ktgrok]

No idea, but I'm hoping to try out the Raleigh/Durham area of NC. I might like just a BIT more snow, but it seems about right for us. 

 

(we are looking at that area because low cost of living, city type stuff for DH, suburb stuff for me, sunshine, and 4 seasons but I won't freeze)

Edited December 9, 2016 by ktgrok

[Mergath]

If I was rich I'd love to move to Hawaii. :P

 

Otherwise, I'm pretty happy here in MN. I'd also enjoy living in the PNW, if the cost of living was lower.

[Janeway]

Before my husband started interviewing in the PNW, I thought it would be great up there. But then we started looking at cost of living and it turned in to something awful and anxiety inducing. Add in the fact that I like warm rain, but not cold rain. I guess I had not realized it was so cold there.

 

Where we live now, we are far enough out from the city that we do not deal with tons of traffic, we know people and they know us, and the cost of living is not too horrible. That being said, I would like to try maybe a suburb of Chicago? Again, something I know nothing about. Or perhaps Colorado? Another place I know nothing about. I loved SoCal when I lived there, but I was young and single and career focused and in to having a very active young social life. Now I am just family oriented.

[foxbridgeacademy]

We're in Middle TN and it has finally started to get cold.

I liked Charlotte NC, long summer and fall weather, short and mild winter.

I never want to live in Kentuckiana again. Miserable, wet, cold, long, winters, followed by a wet, cold, Spring then a hot with heavy humidity, summer.  Fall, is short but pretty.

[Mabelen]

We are also in San Diego. My husband and I are pretty happy with the weather but our youngest misses having actual weather and snow like we had in Maryland. Of course she didn't have to deal with the downsides, just the fun and games! Cost of living is high but not as crazy as San Francisco and Silicon Valley. When my husband was considering job offers there I wanted to cry! Traffic is not bad either, definitely not L.A. crazy. We have only been here for 8 years. We made friends through my husband's work, my daughters' schools and the neighborhood. There are tons of military families, who I usually find friendly and open to new faces.

 

I don't think I would like the PNW. We lived in England for many years and we ha enough rain and cold for a lifetime!

[Slartibartfast]

Every year around this time I get tired of the bitter cold.  I am getting old.  And I look for other places to live that are nicer year round. 

 

 

I have never been to these places mind you. 

 

North Carolina

South Carolina

Kentucky

Tenn

 

Highs of 40s and 50s in December?  I would love that.  It just seems like you would have more time to spend outside.  I think as I get older I don't want to do with the freezing temps. 

 

The only thing that keeps us here is that I love our town.  Teachers and Coaches are awesome.  

 

Where are you ideal places to live? 

 

Why?

 

Have you ever just moved?   

Did it turn out well? 

Did you visit before you moved? 

 

I am in SC, we had a high of 49 today.

 

It's quite pretty here, it is probably the prettiest area I have ever lived. I am in the mountains of SC rather than the coast and I think I prefer it.

[bettyandbob]

I want to live somewhere I can wear shorts and flip flops daily. This needs a diversity of population (socioeconomic, race, religion, ect). It needs to have options for my ds with intellectual disabilities. And near ocean is a must.

 

I think south Florida might fit. However, I don't want to deal with Hurricanes. I think Hawaii might fit, but I would feel trapped because once I got there I probably wouldn't be able to afford getting off the islands. I feel worse about drought than I do Hurricanes, although San Diego is beautiful.

 

Dh would hate living with that much sun, so we aren't moving.

[DawnM]

I would move back to Southern California in a HEARTBEAT if the rest of the family would agree to it. I left 11 years ago now and I still miss it.

[Joyofsixreboot]

As crazy as it sounds, though I don't like the cold I would miss Midwestern summers. I'd love to be those people who spend 4-5 months where it is warm and then " come back home. We are considering NC or mountain AZ for winters. We don't need warm just not 15 and snowy. Worse yet is gray. I despise gray weather.

[J-rap]

My dh would say San Diego because of the weather, and I like a lot of things about it!

 

I've lived on the West Coast, the East Coast, and currently in-between, and I don't think I really have an ideal place.  I do love the state I'm in now in the Midwest.  It has a lot of good, healthy attitudes for living and raising a family, lots of outdoor stuff, has a good academic and creative atmosphere and is actually not very conservative.  

 

But these winters...

 

 

[happypamama]

I love where I live. Enough snow and cold to appreciate the summer, and enough heat in the summer to appreciate the cold. Drought and major blizzards are pretty rare. Spring and fall are generally amazing, and most years, we have a pretty equal four seasons.

 

We had visited this area several times over the years, traveling through en route to and from college, some short term trips, etc. It wasn't completely unfamiliar. So when DH got a job offer that let us leave the DC suburbs for rural/small town life, we packed up and jumped. Didn't know anyone, but people here are nice. They like kids, like families, support homeschooling. We've got libraries and parks and state parks and historic stuff and cultural things. Great local food, top notch medical care, and gorgeous views. It's been just about a decade, and some days I still can't believe I get to look out my window and see the sun rising over the mountains.

[FaithManor]

For what it is worth, our current plan is when dh leaves the rat race to spend mid October to the beginning of March in Aswan on the Nile and the rest of the year stateside somewhere near one of grown children. Temps on the Nile in that part of Egypt.for those months run 55-85 sometimes 90. Dry heat so 90 doesn't feel quite so hot. Sunny skies always. Just gorgeous.

 

If youngest is successful in his dream of aerospace engineering and working in Huntsville, I could easily see us landing there for the other months. Rocket City! What's not to love!!

[gardenmom5]

I like where I live - Puget sound region.

salt water, fresh water, mts.  lots of recreational options.  temperate year round. not too hot in the summer, and not too cold in the winter.  as dh said (he's lived all over) -you don't have to shovel rain.

[creekland]

Where are you ideal places to live? 

 

Why?

 

Have you ever just moved?   

Did it turn out well? 

Did you visit before you moved? 

 

Ideal with money no object?  Hawaii - absolutely love the beauty and diversity of the state, along with being able to get any sort of weather if one goes to the right areas in the right season.  It has a high COL though (sigh) and is so far away from everything that those who love traveling have that to think about too.

 

Ideal within a budget - we love south central PA where we currently live.  Lower COL, close to a ton of things, three nice seasons (most years) and winter isn't too bad or long compared to what I grew up with as "normal."  We're in rolling hills with mountains nearby and the coast not that much farther - just the other direction.  Because it matches our ideal (within a budget), we're living here.  It's been a great place to raise our boys.

 

That said, we like an even shorter winter so usually take off for more southern locations in Feb.  Soon (2 years and counting) we expect to be moving to the Caribbean to try to mesh our ideal of HI in a closer to civilization area.  Time will tell how that works out.  To start I expect to rent there and spend our summers here (most likely).  Once we get a longer feel for the area, we'll know if we truly like it or not - or like the mix of locations.  (We can do this because hubby can work remotely to keep our income steady.)

 

Have we ever just moved?

 

Yes!  

 

I opted to go to VA to college (to get away from home).

We lived in RI (though that was due to a job).

We moved back to VA on purpose (enjoyed our college town - hubby got his first engineering job there).

We moved to FL on purpose (we were young, it was winter in the VA mountains, need we say more?  The beach called).

We moved to PA on purpose (wanted four seasons and a more rural area to raise our boys - a place where they could grow up roaming and being boys safely).

 

All of these have been different phases of our lives.

 

With each move we visited first to see that we liked it, then rented for a while to feel out the area.  We've enjoyed every place we've chosen to live.  I expect we'll love our next spot too.  I'd be ready to go NOW, but we have to finish paying for college for our youngest first.   :coolgleamA:

[FaithManor]

I'd be ready to go NOW, but we have to finish paying for college for our youngest first. :coolgleamA:

This! Youngest has three semesters of homeschooling left then four years of college. College graduation = let the adventure begin.

 

I have appreciated the places we have lived, and Oregon was very special. But my wandering feet need somewhere new!

[leeannpal]

I love central Florida. As I get older, the mild winters are important to me. Although the summers can be hard to take at first, I have adjusted to the heat and humidity. To me, the weather is just about perfect from November-May.

 

COL is on the high side for housing but not bad for utilities and insurance.

[teachermom2834]

I am in TN.  After 20 years I still find myself a fish out of water many days as I grew up in NY state.  I would not have dreamed of TN as my ideal place to live but now I find myself hoping we never have to leave.  

 

The pros:

mild weather- so much more time outdoors in the fall and even winter.  It gets cold in the winter but there are always stretches of nice days sprinkled in that I have found really help get through the cold snaps.

 

Low COL- this is huge for us.  I cannot imagine ever leaving for this reason alone. Very hard to move anywhere and not feel the sting of COL increase.

 

Mountains and cities- I am twenty minutes from mountain recreation and 30 minutes to one medium sized city and an hour to another.  Two hours from big city of Atlanta.

 

homeschool opportunities/dual enrollment options

 

The cons:

 

Bible belt living- this can be hard even though I consider myself pretty conservative. Difficult to describe if you aren't used to it.  Lots of Christians even struggle with this.

 

public schools- some good ones, most not so good, some terrible

 

tornadoes- don't get alot of them but the threat looms and they do strike

 

That said, I hope to never leave TN!  I guess it has become the ideal location for this Yankee!

 

 

 

[JulieA97]

We are in NC, not far from Charlotte. I love that we are 90 minutes to he mountains and just a few hours to the beach. Summers are hot and humid but fall is lovely and winters very mild. We have had temps in the 60s and 70s this "winter" so far. One dusting of snow a year that shuts down everything.

 

If money was no object at all, I fell in love with Alaska. The mountains called my name ;) I know that Alaska is not doable for winter for us but if money was unlimited, we could have a vacation home here in NC :) I also know how much more expensive groceries and things are in Alaska but again, unlimited funds lol. It just seemed to fit us.

 

A more doable option for us would be Colorado. I loved it there when I visited years ago on a business trip. Winters are more than we could handle probably but I felt at home there. I could definitely see us living there except for the cold winters.

 

Realistically we stay here. Our families are all within an hours drive and we have deep deep roots here. Plus apparently everyone wants to live in NC so why would we move? ;) Now if ds moves somewhere else when he is an adult, we plan to follow. I am not getting on a plane to see my grandchildren once a year!