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A post from another thread prompted me to start this one...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thoreau424
...I made the mistake to moving to a completely different area that I was not familiar with.
Moving to an area you're not familiar with... Sounds like a catch 22.
You can't become familiar with an area until you live there for a while, so you must move there to become familiar.
I think the best you can do is research online and try different places that seem appealing. Trouble is... the grass is always greener and there is an epic amount of marketing noise that can be difficult or impossible to filter through. I think the best anyone can do is to take your best guess, go, and stay long enough to see if it's a fit
I was all set to move to Tampa Bay area, but then Changed my mind, now it's Austin Tx. Austin has been voted the pest place to live two years in a row. Who wouldn't like to live in the "Best Place"?
How does one decide where to live without actually living there?
How does one decide where to live without actually living there?
Back in my 30s when Southwest had all those cheap flights, I saved up money and visited my top 9 cities for a long weekend.
During that weekend, I drove around the neighborhoods, shopped at the stores, went to churches and local events, talked to everyone!
I quickly learned that while I loved a lot of the West, it was too pricey, and I also found that I could pretty much feel at home almost immediately anywhere in the Midwest and that the South, although pretty, was highly problematic. The only place I haven't been that I've wanted to go is New Mexico, and given some of my health problems now, I don't expect to be able to retire there.
Fast forward to now. Places change! But the basic weather and culture stays the same. I laugh at the Forbes lists sometimes and wonder how much money is changing hands.
They can renovate buildings, but if the people don't change, it's just a remodeled crap hole. LOL!
OP, honestly, there is no substitute for boots-on-the-ground research. Every place with excellent PR is going to give you endless Happy Talk, but the bottom line is are you comfortable there? About the best you can do is visit and try to live like a resident while you are there: shop, eat, drive during rush hours . . . what do you think?
Finding a city is a little like online dating: in the end, it's all about face-to-face contact. There are few shortcuts!
This sort of travel is expensive and a ton of work, and this is why a lot of people end up not far from places where they have grown up.
Added:
And sometimes there is little choice: one has to live where one has a job . . .
One further point:
It used to be possible to watch the local news and find out a lot of a place. Today, however, there is a lot of emphasis on news as entertainment and "if it bleeds, it leads." Case in point: when I was visiting Des Moines, I watched the local news, and it high-lighted several shootings, which would've made me believe that Des Moines was a dangerous city! In truth, while there are places here (and everywhere!) that a young woman should avoid at 2 am, Des Moines is fairly safe. I will drive absolutely anywhere in this city alone, during daylight hours, which says a lot because I'm on the paranoid side. (-:
But I learned that from driving around during my visit, not from TV or the Internet.
City data was very helpful when I was looking for a place to move to. I was all over the map,falling in love with places I had never been.
My first list included Maine, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Idaho & Tennessee. After a year only Tennessee, Ohio & Idaho made it. Weather, safety & cost of living were my main concerns.
Then I fell twice in the ice & snow while still in Minnesota. Both times were bad falls & I crossed off anything with snow & ice, which meant none kept on the list. Well, Tennessee stayed for quite a while. It got dropped when I heard had reports about allergies, which I also have.
Arizona wasn't even on the list but after reading Dee's blog about moving there I decided to visit. After visiting I decided to move here. Now after reading so many articles about the horrible winters everywhere, I am so glad I moved here.
I haven't experienced summer yet & I am a bit apprehensive, but, outside of a few hot days in September, the weather has been wonderful. So if it's hot for a few months I'll stay inside during the hot hours. It cools down mornings and evenings.
I still plan on visiting other places just to see them & I would like to see if Tennessee would be as bad for my allergies as I read but right now I am very content.
FYI, I was born & raised in Minnesota, which is why I was there.
Arizona wasn't on the list because I had always heard it was too brutally hot. Nice way to keep folks out, lol.
Arizona is brutally hot, (see todays' temps there), just not all over the state. I lived in the desert of Phoenix for 15 years, hating the brown landscape. So I made trips to places where there was green. Flew to Raleigh, also Greenville, SC and Columbia, MO. My last trip was to Fayetteville, AR. While it was green and beautiful, there were other factors that turned me away. It's difficult to find YOUR place until you do alot of research and visit it too. Also, knowing someone in the new place will definitely ease your fears.
A post from another thread prompted me to start this one...
Moving to an area you're not familiar with... Sounds like a catch 22.
You can't become familiar with an area until you live there for a while, so you must move there to become familiar.
I think the best you can do is research online and try different places that seem appealing. Trouble is... the grass is always greener and there is an epic amount of marketing noise that can be difficult or impossible to filter through. I think the best anyone can do is to take your best guess, go, and stay long enough to see if it's a fit
I was all set to move to Tampa Bay area, but then Changed my mind, now it's Austin Tx. Austin has been voted the pest place to live two years in a row. Who wouldn't like to live in the "Best Place"?
How does one decide where to live without actually living there?
IMHO, basing a move on what OTHER people rank as "best" doesn't work all that often. Many of the factors they rank mean very little to me, and might to you. They are often based on averages....how many people do you actually know who are average? Often much too general to be useful too. Use your own criteria, not someone else's.
Azgarden, I lucked out with Dee having moved here & shared on her blog. It should be cooler here because of the elevation. I have to wait & see how it is.
Tennessee was high on the list, because my brother has lived there for many years & I would have family close. It's still something I want to check out & I will at some point. Right now I am content.
My allergies got so bad in Minnesota that spring & summer were miserable. So when I heard that Tennessee was bad for allergies it came off the list. But, I have them here too, just not as bad. It may be something I have to live with no matter where I am.
And I just call that life. Always something about anywhere you go.
For me, Arizona summer may be the deciding factor. If it's not too long & not too hot, the rest of the year has been great. Really enjoyed being out of the cold, snow & ice.
I think the moving decisions get tougher as we age. There just isn't all that much time left to correct bad moving choices and try again. It's just the way life is.
I'm looking to move away from the cold and snow, so going south is obvious. Looking for a medium sized city, say one to three million people and growing. Job option... thinking of returning to work. Diverse food choices is very important, but that comes with any sizable city.
My plan to move to Florida was driven by being near the ocean for boating and scuba, but I can't really afford a boat anyway so the ocean became less important.
I guess I just have to go look and see.
How does one decide where to live without actually living there?
Online research in addition to a visit. During the visit, don't just see the touristy areas but explore different neighborhoods and things one would experience during the daily grind. CD city/region forums are a great resource to get advice on an area.
Two primarily important things to look into: cost of living and the job market. Secondary: commute times, pros/cons of an area, and amenities.
Moving to an area you're not familiar with... Sounds like a catch 22.
You can't become familiar with an area until you live there for a while, so you must move there to become familiar.
I think the best you can do is research online and try different places that seem appealing. Trouble is... the grass is always greener and there is an epic amount of marketing noise that can be difficult or impossible to filter through. I think the best anyone can do is to take your best guess, go, and stay long enough to see if it's a fit
I was all set to move to Tampa Bay area, but then Changed my mind, now it's Austin Tx. Austin has been voted the pest place to live two years in a row. Who wouldn't like to live in the "Best Place"?
How does one decide where to live without actually living there?
For me, I went to vacation here (Gettysburg) multiple times before I moved here (ended up moving to North Carolina for two years before that). I just loved it when I was visiting there. It instantly felt like home and I would visit from Las Vegas a couple times a year. Wish I hadn't taken the side-track to NC but I trust it worked out for the best.
Two years later it was the best decision I ever made to move here. Still love it here even with the winters, and I don't plan on moving again at least not for many, many years (and that would be after my husband passes, and then it will probably just be a vacation home, Lord willing, that I would stay at for a few weeks at a time. At least, that would be really nice, wouldn't it).
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