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I was hoping everyone could give me some advice. My husband and I are looking to locate to a warmer, more affordable mid-sized city from the NYC area. We are looking for something near or close to the beach, with warm weather. We also would like something with some culture, some walkable areas and a city that is affordable (compared to NYC).
We both have remote jobs so we can pretty much go anywhere, and we would like to buy a single family house once we are settled in the new city. Our budget would be approx. $500,000.
Currently, we are thinking of the following cities: Tampa, Jacksonville, Charleston, San Diego, Savannah or Long Beach, although we are leaning towards Florida as our top choice. I was hoping to hear other people's thoughts and opinions though and would appreciate any insight.
Given your ability to work remotely and considering your budget I would strongly advise a close look at St Petersburg FL. Long in the shadow of Tampa though nearly as large and considered for years "God's Waiting Room" due to it's high average age, it's reinvented itself and is evolving into a real shining star in terms of cultural amenities, restaurants/food scene and it's downtown's location on Tampa Bay is beautiful. The Old Northeast neighborhood just north of downtown is amazing with gorgeous restored historic homes walking/biking distance to downtown and the extensive trails running along the western edge of Tampa Bay. Smaller bungalows in that neighborhood would fall into the sub-500K bracket. While a little bit further from downtown neighborhoods like Historic Uptown, Crescent Heights and Magnolia Heights would offer up a lot more house yet are still quite desirable neighborhoods.
Would seriously consider Orlando, yes it is inland but from parts of town only a 30 minute ride to the beach and close to Cape Canaveral for NASA and Cruise ships PLUS you are getting the parks. I know when many people think of Orlando they think of tourist but anywhere away from I-Drive and Lake Buena Vista and your good. Try looking at areas like Avalon Park and Lake Nona, great up and coming neighborhoods
I am a Jax booster and very involved with all things Jax...and while there is plenty of positive happening I have to say that in terms of culture and walkability, you'd be dropping many tiers down coming from NYC to Jax. Not that there's none whatsoever, but there are numerous other cities within that gap. But we definitely have low COL, a beach and warmer weather! Honestly though, I guess your entire list of options is going to be a drastic culture shock one way or another, so the difference is somewhat marginal.
Anyway, that said, I would think that San Diego and Tampa (St Pete as Kyle mentioned) would offer more of a balance, though from what I understand in SD's case housing is pretty steep. I would say that South FL is worth a look as well and offers the best walkability/transit in the state.
Housing-wise in Jax you'd be looking at ~200k-350k for SFH in a desirable, walkable area in-town. At the beaches you're probably gonna need most or all of the 500k to be walking distance to the beach and other amenities.
St Augustine is actually part of the Jax metro. It's a very charming tourist town with beautiful architecture and a cool old world vibe. The downtown is very walkable but probably only around .75 sq miles, and that's also where all the tourists are. The beaches in the area are pretty nice.
You'd basically have the same concerns as for Jax in general...much smaller population, slower pace, big culture change, much less density.
I do not think Long Beach is a great choice. Long Beach has a dirty beach because of the breakwater, the oil islands, and the deep water port. Try Manhattan Beach if you want an LA county beach town.
San Diego is a great option. It is my favorite city in California. However, San Diego is not cheap.
Tampa Bay is a good choice because it actually is affordable. I would focus on Pinellas County because that is where the great beaches are.
I would take a look at Miami before considering Jacksonville. South Florida is very nice. Jacksonville is cool, but it isn't nearly as interesting as Miami.
Charleston and Savannah are two other really good cities. Both have southern charm. If I were going to leave Florida, which is a big if, Charleston and Savannah would be two of my top 5 choices.
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