Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My husband and I are taking a roadtrip this April to look at potential cities to move to when I'm done with residency in 1.5 years. We're in our late 20s, no kids yet (but hopefully soon), and are really tired of paying $2000/mo for a one-bedroom apartment. We would like to find a nice coastal town/city, with good food, warm weather (minimal to no snow), friendly people, where we could buy a big house with a backyard for $400,000 or less. Pretentious people who flaunt their money REALLY annoy my husband, so we're looking for somewhere more down-to-earth. We're also hoping to find a place with a bit of a slower pace of life (compared to SF and LA). Size of the city doesn't matter too much, as long as I can find a job there. I'm slightly liberal, husband's slightly conservative, we're not terribly attached to finding a place with an active night life, and our hobbies mostly involve stuff at home (movies, computers, books, etc). After reading lots of threads on city-data, we're thinking the south or south east might be a good fit.
So far our plan is to start in Savannah, then drive up to Charleston, and eventually end up in New Orleans. We'll have 16 days, and would love to hear suggestions for other locations to add to our itinerary. Wilmington? Virginia Beach? Anywhere in Florida? Smaller cities that wouldn't normally be on our radar?
Savannah and Charleston are good picks. I'd recommend the St Pete/Clearwater area in Florida as well... particularly the St Pete neighborhoods of Crescent Lake, Disston Heights and Euclid/St Paul, North Bay Hills and Rainbow Farms in Safety Harbor, the Countryside area of Clearwater and the towns of Belleair/Belleair Bluffs (my faves).
I'd also like to make mention to consider the weather. The southeast is known for hurricanes. Will that be something you would consider. We just left the panhandle area. I'm from California and had never experienced the southeastern weather. I did not like the strong thunder and lightening storms. We almost had to evacuate during hurricane Isaac. The bugs were atrocious but very beautiful beaches. New Orleans is a nice place to visit but I would not want to live there. I fell in love with the culture and history but its a swamp. Very muggy during the summer.
We are in Nevada now and I'm glad. Cheaper cost of living, near a major airport with access to all the beaches of my choosing. I was born and raised in central/southern California and grew up in a popular beach town. I thought I needed to be near water. But I'm okay to save that lifestyle for weekens and vacations. Have you consider Ventura or Ojai? North Carolina is full of ex-Cali-ians as well and it gets less severe weather.
You might visit YouTube for chamber of commerce videos for prospective cities. It's going to be hard to make a good decision in 16 days.
I'd also like to make mention to consider the weather. The southeast is known for hurricanes. Will that be something you would consider.
Everyone loves to point at hurricanes as a negative to living in Florida. Worth noting with the evident changing climatology that the state hasn't had any significant hurricane exposure in nearly a decade (2004). The Northeast US and the Mid-Atlantic states on the other hand...
Everyone loves to point at hurricanes as a negative to living in Florida. Worth noting with the evident changing climatology that the state hasn't had any significant hurricane exposure in nearly a decade (2004). The Northeast US and the Mid-Atlantic states on the other hand...
Oh yeah 9 years is a long time, not. You may not like to hear it but its a fact that the gulf is known for hurricanes just as California is known for quakes. Can't change facts son. I just left there, FLORIDA. We were on the short list for evacuation due to hurricane Isaac.
This person is planning to move in the area and I'm just giving common sensible information for her to make a sound decision. OP, also if you're working healthcare (which I was) there may be a requirement to shelter in place. As in to stay in the hospital. That was more than I was comfortable with so my decision was easy peezy.
Oh yeah 9 years is a long time, not. You may not like to hear it but its a fact that the gulf is known for hurricanes just as California is known for quakes. Can't change facts son. I just left there, FLORIDA. We were on the short list for evacuation due to hurricane Isaac.
This person is planning to move in the area and I'm just giving common sensible information for her to make a sound decision. OP, also if you're working healthcare (which I was) there may be a requirement to shelter in place. As in to stay in the hospital. That was more than I was comfortable with so my decision was easy peezy.
Well, son...I'm a native Floridian (currently live in Central Florida) and in the time I lived here in the state (36 years of my 53) have been affected by hurricanes three times. None of which did any significant damage to my property. The reality is there are more disaster-prone areas than here, despite the stereotype expounded by many to make themselves feel better about where they live. Your suggestions of earthquake, wildfire and mudslide prone California over Florida is at best humorous as is North Carolina, where friends of mine have sustained significant damage in hurricane landfalls and tree damage via ice storms.
Oh yeah 9 years is a long time, not. You may not like to hear it but its a fact that the gulf is known for hurricanes just as California is known for quakes. Can't change facts son. I just left there, FLORIDA. We were on the short list for evacuation due to hurricane Isaac.
This person is planning to move in the area and I'm just giving common sensible information for her to make a sound decision. OP, also if you're working healthcare (which I was) there may be a requirement to shelter in place. As in to stay in the hospital. That was more than I was comfortable with so my decision was easy peezy.
In Florida, 9 years is a long time. The reality is all you have to do is prepare for hurricanes just like you do for earthquakes or any other natural disaster. Hurricanes are only scary when you decide to drive in 100+ mph winds, all you need is common sense.
Thanks for the suggestions, kyle and ckh - I'll read up on each of those places.
Max: Thanks for the heads up about possibly having to stay at the hospital in case of a hurricane - I hadn't thought about that. Storms I don't mind so much.
The one city that immediately came to mind was New Orleans. I know I'm biased, being a native, but warm- check. friendly people- check. good food- sometimes rated the best in the country, and we don't take kindly to people telling us otherwise. And of course the general laissez-faire attitude.
My younger sister just graduated from LSU Med- New Orleans. She's doing her residency in Houston; I can only guess that her plan is to move back "home" at some point in the future. And there's a $2.5 Billion medical center being built just blocks from where I live.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
