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A little about us:
We are a youngish (mid to late 30s) couple with 4 children. Three will be out of the house when we move and one will be 7 years old. I own a bakery/ gift shop, degree in Business, and a substitute teaching certificate. Husband is an auto technician with a degree in automotive technology. Through the military he has also learned electronics, heating and air, and a few other things. I can honestly say he can master anything he tries (sorry proud wife moment). I grew up in Va Beach and he spent a lot of time in Pheonix. Right now we live in Missouri. We dream of one day opening a business we can run together. We are thinking something along the lines of another bakery, neighborhood pub, restaurant, or retail storefront.
What we are looking for:
A small town with under 5000 population. Community feel is extremely important. I would love to find a place that has no chain stores. I don't mind making a weekly trip for supplies. I would gladly trade convenience for safety and low traffic. Somewhere we can get a decent 3 bedroom home for under $200,000. Mild winter with plenty of snow during the winter. I love scenic views but would rather live in town.
We are both drawn to the New England area (especially Vermont) but are open to other options. This may sound odd... but I have an extreme fear of heights so mountain top locations with narrow winding roads would probably be a bad idea. lol
As for communities that come to mind, maybe Skaneateles, Cazenovia, Marcellus, Hamilton, Clinton, Homer, Watkins Glen, Owego, Lewiston and Youngstown, among others.
Any of the small towns south of Rochester, Minnesota fit your criteria perfectly: Chatfield, Houston, Lanesboro, Spring Valley, Eyota, Harmony, Mabel, Caledonia, etc.
Or think about SW Wisconsin: Viroqua, Soldier's Grove, Boscobel, Prairie du Chien
Or NE Iowa (much more picturesque than you might think - part of the same geography as above): Decorah, Elkader, Spillville, Waukon, McGregor
any meth problems in the areas you mentioned (MN and Or IA) I was just reading on small mid-west towns..we are looking at the same areas to move, so I wondered if anyone had any knowledge of a drug problem, I definitely don't want to move my four kids to a dangerous area. thanks
Thanks everyone. I am making a list so I can research all of these towns.
Kbug3- that is one of the reasons we want to move. We live in SE Missouri and the meth problem here is out of control. I think I have seen more druggies since moving here than I ever did growing up in Va Beach/Norfolk
A little about us:
We are a youngish (mid to late 30s) couple with 4 children. Three will be out of the house when we move and one will be 7 years old. I own a bakery/ gift shop, degree in Business, and a substitute teaching certificate. Husband is an auto technician with a degree in automotive technology. Through the military he has also learned electronics, heating and air, and a few other things. I can honestly say he can master anything he tries (sorry proud wife moment). I grew up in Va Beach and he spent a lot of time in Pheonix. Right now we live in Missouri. We dream of one day opening a business we can run together. We are thinking something along the lines of another bakery, neighborhood pub, restaurant, or retail storefront.
What we are looking for:
A small town with under 5000 population. Community feel is extremely important. I would love to find a place that has no chain stores. I don't mind making a weekly trip for supplies. I would gladly trade convenience for safety and low traffic. Somewhere we can get a decent 3 bedroom home for under $200,000. Mild winter with plenty of snow during the winter. I love scenic views but would rather live in town.
We are both drawn to the New England area (especially Vermont) but are open to other options. This may sound odd... but I have an extreme fear of heights so mountain top locations with narrow winding roads would probably be a bad idea. lol
I have highlighted two areas I would encourage you to research in terms of choosing your new city. In terms of finding a job you'll want to move to an area with a low unemployment rate and not land someplace where it's one dimensional in terms of the type of work available. The Metro Are Unemployment Rate report is a good tool to use for finding cities with decent job availability.
Secondly in the current (and likely near future) US economy one needs to consider heavily finding a location where the average resident has some disposable income to deal with when opening a new business,versus many areas that are cash-strapped and unable to support many businesses beyond what are considered necessities. The chart in this article is a little hard to read (you have to mouse over the dots to see city names and numbers) but it outlines cities with the most monthly disposable income remaining after housing is paid for. Towns of population 5000 aren't among the options, but you'll get a good idea of what larger cities you would want to be in proximity to.
Any of the small towns south of Rochester, Minnesota fit your criteria perfectly: Chatfield, Houston, Lanesboro, Spring Valley, Eyota, Harmony, Mabel, Caledonia, etc.
Or think about SW Wisconsin: Viroqua, Soldier's Grove, Boscobel, Prairie du Chien
Or NE Iowa (much more picturesque than you might think - part of the same geography as above): Decorah, Elkader, Spillville, Waukon, McGregor
Western Iowa isn't exactly flat and dreary either (Loess hills). It's a bit drier (somewhat less rain and humidity) than the central and eastern parts of the state. Maybe Onawa or Missouri Valley would be worth checking out. As for the the meth thing, it's sort of overblown IMHO. It's a big deal EVERYWHERE, it's hardly limited to the Midwest, but as long as you're neither operating a lab nor actively looking for meth, you'll be fine. I promise. I used to live in central IA and never once had a problem with it.
Also, check out Berthoud, Colorado. It's right by Fort Collins, so all your shopping needs are just a few short minutes away.
I have highlighted two areas I would encourage you to research in terms of choosing your new city. In terms of finding a job you'll want to move to an area with a low unemployment rate and not land someplace where it's one dimensional in terms of the type of work available. The Metro Are Unemployment Rate report is a good tool to use for finding cities with decent job availability.
Secondly in the current (and likely near future) US economy one needs to consider heavily finding a location where the average resident has some disposable income to deal with when opening a new business,versus many areas that are cash-strapped and unable to support many businesses beyond what are considered necessities. The chart in this article is a little hard to read (you have to mouse over the dots to see city names and numbers) but it outlines cities with the most monthly disposable income remaining after housing is paid for. Towns of population 5000 aren't among the options, but you'll get a good idea of what larger cities you would want to be in proximity to.
This line in that article I found to be very interesting:
Then, there are some surprises. People in greater Detroit, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Syracuse, Buffalo, and Rochester have a substantial amount of money left over after their housing is paid for; more than their counterparts in San Diego or Raleigh.
As was this one:
College towns like Boulder, Corvallis, Ann Arbor, Champaign-Urbana, and Ithaca also do quite well, although it's worth noting that one college town, State College, Pa., is near the very bottom of the list.
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