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I have been doing a lot of thinking lately and am trying to find the next town/state that I could relocate to and eventually retire in. A little information about me:
My plans to move are not immediate and the move won't happen for a few more years, but I want visit different towns/states to get a feel for what I like before I decide where to focus my efforts. I've lived in the Northeast my whole life (still have family and friends there), excluding these last two years where I now live in Florida. I moved here to be closer to my parents and help them as they age. I am currently employed and am also working on my Master's Degree. I do enjoy the heat and haven’t missed the bitter cold and snow, but I know that Florida is not the place I want to spend the remainder of my life! I would prefer to stay on the East Coast for easy access to family and friends but would consider looking a bit west (not too far though).
I would love to live/near a small town with a cute little downtown that has some shops and restaurants (nothing fancy, I am very low maintenance - diners work for me). Safety is my first concern and second on the list is COL. It would be nice to afford a safe place to live and still have money to go out for dinner at least once a week. As I said, I am not a high maintenance person, I can live on a shoestring budget and love to save rather than spend, but it would be refreshing to have a little extra money to have some fun once in a while.
Sorry this is so long. Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks.
Last edited by Swimmer52; 02-08-2013 at 07:47 PM..
Thanks, it looks nice. I never thought of SC but have considered NC. Even though I don't plan on moving for a few more years, do you know anything about the economy?
I see you are from Syracuse - I lived in Ithaca for 15 years before moving to FL. I miss Ithaca Fall/Summers
Aiken County borders Augusta, GA and is included in the metro area. In terms of the local economy, Savannah River Site is a big employer--maybe the largest. There's also a rather large Bridgestone tire plant that recently underwent an expansion. A list of sizable local employers can be found here. The latest unemployment rate for the county is 7.5%, just 0.1% below the national rate.
It's a beautiful small town with a vibrant downtown and the intellectual stimulus of a major university (U Of Arkansas). The unemployment rate is quite low (right at 5%) and has a low cost of living.
How about Savannah, GA? Not a small town, but not huge by any stretch of the imagination either.
The downtown is very quaint and COL is relatively low. Not far from Florida either.
Thank you everyone, I am adding all of the above mentioned towns to my vacation list.
Aiken, SC looks exactly like a town I could fall in love with.
I have thought about Savannah GA, don't know much about it though. Is the traffic in Savannah as horrendous as Atlanta? Never actually been to GA except driving through to get to FL. My company has a small office in Savannah and it may be possible to transfer to their Savannah office.
I never really thought about AR because I have heard that the summers are hotter than Florida summers. Is that true? I know this sounds crazy but I am afraid of Tornados. I know they can happen anywhere and yes I live in FL where hurricanes are prevalent, but the mid-west scares me a bit. I am not ruling it out, I would have to do more research.
Thank you everyone, I am adding all of the above mentioned towns to my vacation list.
Aiken, SC looks exactly like a town I could fall in love with.
I have thought about Savannah GA, don't know much about it though. Is the traffic in Savannah as horrendous as Atlanta? Never actually been to GA except driving through to get to FL. My company has a small office in Savannah and it may be possible to transfer to their Savannah office.
I never really thought about AR because I have heard that the summers are hotter than Florida summers. Is that true? I know this sounds crazy but I am afraid of Tornados. I know they can happen anywhere and yes I live in FL where hurricanes are prevalent, but the mid-west scares me a bit. I am not ruling it out, I would have to do more research.
theres 2 parts of the midwest. one has a high chance of Tornados which would be the great plains like Kansas/Nebraska even Texas and Oklahoma are part of Tornado Alley.
The other part of the midwest the great lakes like Indiana and Michigan dont have nearly as high of a tornado risk and its noticable. Severe weather like Straight line winds are alot more common here in Indiana than a Tornado. Although they can happen but as we saw with Henryville last year Hoosiers were the first ones to step up and send money/food/aid to Henryville to help the victims. The response time was almost immediate. What also helps is most decent quality homes are built with basements.
If you have a basement i wouldnt worry to much about Tornados cause they can happen anywhere.
However if you dont have a basement thats when trouble can begin.
I personally have never had a tornado hit my house but ive been through my fair share of severe weather and it doesnt bother me when im down in the basement.
I never really thought about AR because I have heard that the summers are hotter than Florida summers. Is that true? I know this sounds crazy but I am afraid of Tornados. I know they can happen anywhere and yes I live in FL where hurricanes are prevalent, but the mid-west scares me a bit. I am not ruling it out, I would have to do more research.
Actually, that's not true. Other parts of the state perhaps but Fayetteville is in the NW corner in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains. The Fayetteville area last had a tornado in 1960.
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