Moving Out of Texas, Low COL, Active Lifestyle, Need More Ideas, Please Help!
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.
It may not be your first, second, or even tenth choice, but Des Moines actually fits your description very well. It has the affordability you're looking for (you could buy a brand-new 3BR house for well under $200K), it has a highly-reputable farmer's market every Saturday during the warmer months, and has a plethora of bike trails throughout the metro. The summers are very warm (usually 80+) and there is a bit of humidity, but not quite as intense as say East Texas, and not nearly as long either. As far as politics, it's a very purple city, possibly even trending slightly liberal. One possible drawback is that it's not the easiest city to live in if you don't already have friends or family there, Iowans are an aloof breed of people... it doesn't make them bad, it's just going to take a while to establish relationships. Your best bet is to join a church, gym, or some organization where you can find some common ground with the locals.
Thank you for all of the suggestions so far! Almost all of these are places that I had either eliminated very early in my search or had never even been considered. Researching these recommendations has also helped in reexamining my current shortlist.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jprice15
BosWash should be eliminated. You specified low cost of living. It would be very hard to live there especially if you have a child.
BosWash corridor isn't even a consideration, of course. The Pacific Northwest and the BosWash corridor are explicitly noted as places that embody my ideal if I had a limitless budget. This is a shorthand way to quickly communicate the type of places that I like the most so that others are better able to provide the feedback I'm requesting.