[sslainey]

Long Island NY is.....crowded, dirty and not a nice place to live any more, BUT I love the summers on the bays and ocean beaches here. I need to move for both financial and health reasons to a less expensive and significantly warmer climate. I cannot imagine living without a soft white beach and swimming in the ocean. I enjoy art classes - pottery, glasswork. I did visit Asheville and it's way too touristy for me. Heading to Hilton Head Island for a visit where I have friends but.......I don't think the beaches or the culture will be a great fit for relocation. I am a laid back person and not broke but there are better ways to spend $9K I'm now paying in property taxes. I'm not working due to chronic med. reasons but only 58 and not looking to live in an area that is a magnet to elderly (I'll be there myself at some point but not yet and not looking to speed that up) My dr. has suggested Costa Rica but....it's hard enough relocating by myself to a location I won't know a soul much less out of the country. Not looking for old small-towns where everyone has known each other their whole lives and their parents, and grandparents and so on, because those little town are not welcoming to outsiders, so I need to find a new-ish community/culture where people have relocated from all over. (and I am not looking to re-establish next to a bunch of NYers....I grew up on the east end of LI where it was quiet, somewhat rural, people were not aggressive, so at this point with the changes on LI (a hemmorhage of people from "up west" have completely ruined LI's charm.) Again, I'm on my own, so need others in that same circumstance - not a place full of elderly couples, not a town full of married with children, and close to the beach (10-20 minutes - even closer is better), ease for socializing as a single professional women (not looking to live where no one owns books and no university educated people), artsy, and I can find attractive housing (probably a house and not a condo since I have two small dogs), where I can enjoy the remaining good parts of LI (beach, bays/boating, fishing - woods/trails) all year long and not just 6 months of the year. If you can't tell, this past winter was torture and I'm determined to live somewhere else before next winter. I know I'll be visiting places but want to narrow it down - I've used the website .....where to live and.....every time comes up with super-expensive places in Califoria....that's not happening.

[sslainey]

Forgot.....inexpensive housing, well-built, attractive housing....not dumpy, not low: under @$200K (would prefer to be either the less expensive home in a better neighborhood or middle of the spectrum - not looking to have the best house in a shoddy neighborhood).

[smarino]

I'm a lot like you, and can tell you from what I have seen in Florida it doesn't exist here. Hilo, Hawaii is not THAT expensive. Beaches are not really beaches per se, but it's OK for swimming, active art community (I'm a painter/printer/photographer, and knew a ton of people in the arts there), very slow pace, generally friendly people. It's more money than we can afford these days and still have a house, but since I don't know your monthly budget you'd be smart to go to the Big Island Craigslist and have a look at the rental prices. There is occasionally some bad vibes toward white mainland people though. Or black for that matter. If it were me I would do what the guy who sold me a motorcycle in Hilo did back in 1992.... he was on his way to move to Costa Rico. There are pretty regular posts like yours here. People who are into the art scene and looking for an affordable Florida beach town minus the retirees and rude, pushy people, wanting inexpensive housing, liberal views....wrong state. I'm not sure there is a right U.S. state for all that.

I just saw your second post, and yes, you can find a good home in a good area in Hilo for that price. But I would still pick Costa Rico, from what others have told me anyway.

[EricS39]

Vilano beach near St Augustine

My Town: St. Augustine/ Vilano Beach Florida

Very artistic colonial Spanish early Florida architecture with a very unique demographic and Mam and pap italian home made restaurants from New Jersey transplants, in the warm and breezy what was once "Fountain of youth"

I am the last person who likes Florida plain sprawl but this beach is really special and unique and I highly recommend it

[Spring Hillian]

I would put Port St. Joe on my list. North west gulf coast.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by EricS39

Vilano beach near St Augustine

My Town: St. Augustine/ Vilano Beach Florida

Very artistic colonial Spanish early Florida architecture with a very unique demographic and Mam and pap italian home made restaurants from New Jersey transplants, in the warm and breezy what was once "Fountain of youth"

I am the last person who likes Florida plain sprawl but this beach is really special and unique and I highly recommend it

Vilano Beach - really <LOL>? I live about 12 miles up A1A from Vilano Beach and it's nothing like what the OP wants or what you describe. Perhaps you're thinking of St. Augustine or another place in the general area - although none fits your description IMO.

OTOH - the OP is looking for something that simply doesn't exist in Florida. Let's see. Artsy - liberal well read folk - near the ocean - relatively cheap house (under $200k) - with stuff like you'd find in New York but without New Yorkers - no tourists/newbies - but no old timers either - not a lot of old people - or married couples with kids either. Yada yada yada. He/she might find a match with a lot fewer criteria. But what he/she is looking for isn't here.

BTW - when it comes to Hawaii - I think a lot of it is gorgeous. But the problems as I see it are...

Relatively high cost of living. Very beautiful but cold Pacific waters. Most non-natives/Anglos are fish out of water (like they'd be in Miami/Dade County although Hawaii is much more insular than Miami/Dade IMO). Robyn

P.S. What does "artsy" mean? Lot of lousy galleries and wannabe artists?

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

I would put Port St. Joe on my list. North west gulf coast.

That would be my thinking as well - with about 4-5 fewer criteria on the OP's list. Robyn

[sheena12]

No. It does not. It means creative people who make or enjoy viewing art.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by sheena12

No. It does not. It means creative people who make or enjoy viewing art.

If one cares to make art - however mediocre - one can do it anywhere. In terms of viewing it - there are a few good places scattered around Florida. The best stuff in this neck of Florida IMO is the Tiffany glass/windows at places like Flagler College in St. Augustine. But one generally has to leave the state to see world class stuff (we're going to Houston this week to see the Magritte exhibit at the Menil Collection). Robyn

[CandyGal]

I would stay away from SE Florida (Dade, Broward & Palm Beach counties) because you will find a LOT of NYers and it is not laid back at all. The west coast of FL is more laid back. Tampa Bay has a lot of what you are looking for. Anything 10-20 min from the Gulf is going to be expensive. Be careful of "deals" by the water in west Pasco county because a lot of those places are "people who don't read". I think St Petersburg would be great for you. It has its bad spots (like everywhere) but it has very nice areas as well. It fits everything you are looking for...artsy, laid back, lots to do, educated people, great for singles, etc. You might have to settle with a smaller place there though since it is very close to the beach.