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So I still need some ideas or possibly someone to sell me on a place. Below are my desires though I know some compromises will have to be made. Below are also the places that don't work and the reasons why. Help steer me in the right direction. Would be living in the suburbs. Want to move before lease is up in December.
Wants:
400k single family home
Good schools
Not blazing hot for extended periods of time.
A place with one or more of the following - zoos/aquarium/ kids museum/ science museum/ parks
A place where I can maybe have a staycation/be a tourist in my own city kind of place
Liberal (or at least not overly conservative)
Would love to be near some kind of water doesn't matter what kind
Great variety of restaurants - not just chain of American food
Sidewalks - really dislike the rural feeling of no sidewalks
Based on research think I'm more attracted to dense cities
Some places that have been crossed off are:
Chicago - concerned about the current economic climate of the city and state
Providence RI - great city, lacks jobs and good schools. The suburbs are way too rural/sleepy feeling
Pittsburgh Pa - reading that there are a lot of overcast days - not just winter - big negative
Seattle/Portland - same as above
Chapel hill/Durham - way too woodsy feeling. Trees are nice but being within the trees not so much for me. Durham has bad schools
Charlotte - felt like Florida with more trees. Really generic feeling. Not against strip malls but would like to feel like I'm somewhere different
Kansas City - too middle of USA with no neighboring states we'd really be interested in visiting
Anywhere Ohio or Indiana - partner has this weird thing against those states - I can't explain
Boston - all the suburbs we can afford are too rural feeling, no sidewalks, no nearby restaurants that are good, boring,
Philly - partner thought it was not polished/clean enough and did not like the feel of the suburbs.
Minneapolis - heard it's colder than Chicago and Chicago cold enough
Then of course there are the too hot or too expensive options (i.e. San Diego). I feel like there is just not a city for me and my fam (or maybe I just need to make more money). Should i just settle somewhere I don't love and learn to appreciate it or are there more places I should strongly consider?
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA. Could shoot more towards Norfolk, as that's the urban core of the area, but schools are hit-or-miss. You can get a large home for 400k in the area. Gets hot June-September, though, but the spring and fall are absolutely delightful, and the winters are mild.
So I still need some ideas or possibly someone to sell me on a place. Below are my desires though I know some compromises will have to be made. Below are also the places that don't work and the reasons why. Help steer me in the right direction. Would be living in the suburbs. Want to move before lease is up in December.
Wants:
400k single family home
Good schools
Not blazing hot for extended periods of time.
A place with one or more of the following - zoos/aquarium/ kids museum/ science museum/ parks
A place where I can maybe have a staycation/be a tourist in my own city kind of place
Liberal (or at least not overly conservative)
Would love to be near some kind of water doesn't matter what kind
Great variety of restaurants - not just chain of American food
Sidewalks - really dislike the rural feeling of no sidewalks
Based on research think I'm more attracted to dense cities
Some places that have been crossed off are:
Chicago - concerned about the current economic climate of the city and state
Providence RI - great city, lacks jobs and good schools. The suburbs are way too rural/sleepy feeling
Pittsburgh Pa - reading that there are a lot of overcast days - not just winter - big negative
Seattle/Portland - same as above
Chapel hill/Durham - way too woodsy feeling. Trees are nice but being within the trees not so much for me. Durham has bad schools
Charlotte - felt like Florida with more trees. Really generic feeling. Not against strip malls but would like to feel like I'm somewhere different
Kansas City - too middle of USA with no neighboring states we'd really be interested in visiting
Anywhere Ohio or Indiana - partner has this weird thing against those states - I can't explain
Boston - all the suburbs we can afford are too rural feeling, no sidewalks, no nearby restaurants that are good, boring,
Philly - partner thought it was not polished/clean enough and did not like the feel of the suburbs.
Minneapolis - heard it's colder than Chicago and Chicago cold enough
Then of course there are the too hot or too expensive options (i.e. San Diego). I feel like there is just not a city for me and my fam (or maybe I just need to make more money). Should i just settle somewhere I don't love and learn to appreciate it or are there more places I should strongly consider?
Well your intuition is strong. There is no such place. You're going to have to remove some items from the list. Depending on the want(s) you remove Denver, Atlanta, Phoenix, or multiple cities in Texas or Florida could be a great fit. Don't move to a city that you aren't sold on. Stay where you are and travel. You might go to a city that was off the radar and fall in love with it.
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