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I feel like I am writing a riddle...so riddle me this....
A city/town between 30k - 350k
Goldilocks climate (this porridge is too hot, this porridge is too cold, this porridge is just right) = Climate extremes out and CA is out (too expensive)
Historic homes, not modern cookie cutter houses
Thriving food scene - ethnic food, food trucks, independent restaurants not chains, etc. Nothing so small that it only has fast food or a diner
Cost of living = reasonable (housing for 200k or less, reasonable taxes (yes an oxymoron), etc.)
Convenient to an airport (at least a regional one, doesn't have to be international)
Crime is not extreme
Do not include places on the West Coast (too expensive and I am already there)
South is fine but nowhere on the coast/water (too much hurricane danger)
I keep making trips to places that I hoped would be 'the One' and haven't found one I felt sure about, so need some help. I don't have kids, so could care less about school districts, I enjoy quiet hobbies, so don't need a thriving nightlife, I love cultural things but can do those on vacation if necessary, etc.
The ones I have visited that are NO's:
Augusta, GA
Aiken, SC
Greensboro, NC
Winston Salem, NC
Raleigh/Durham, NC
Asheville, NC
Louisville, KY
Montgomery, AL
Birmingham, AL
Any help is welcome as someone might mention a place I haven't considered.
It would be helpful to know what places those cities on your “no” list. They are all very different, so there must be very different reasons you ruled them out. But I’ll roll the dice and suggest Nashville, TN and Greenville, SC. Also Albuquerque, although the crime stats may not be what you’re looking for and it’s difficult to find a nice historic home under 200K.
Montgomery, AL - nice historic homes but town was a bore for being the capitol of the state!
Aiken, SC - I don't own a horse, not much in the way of restaurants, too hot
Augusta, GA - downtown is depressed and needs to be revitalized, outside historic neighborhoods it's very strip mall and sprawlish
Louisville, KY - I liked many things, but market has housing market too hot and I want to fix up a historic home and flippers have bought them all and flipped very generically. Also, it's definitely in the Rust Belt as it's not a pretty city other than the homes
Asheville, NC - too hippie and liberal
Greensboro, NC - cannot explain why I didn't like it
Winston Salem - nice people, doesn't have really old homes (more 1930's/1940's), and while called the City of Arts and Innovation I didn't find that to be that true
Raleigh/Durham - too expensive, too much traffic, a bit to popular
Birmingham, AL - I liked many things, has a preppy southern feel, but it's been 'discovered' and that means all the bad things about being popular will soon follow (similar to Nashville)
P.S. I also visited Mobile, AL which remains on my possible list. LOVE the variety and amount of historic homes and many unrenovated ones available. However, might be too close to hurricane path and it's so darn hot. Thinking more of the uppers southern states such as Tennessee, Virginia, other parts of North Carolina. Even South Carolina as a possibility, yes it's extremely hot, but inland (Columbia and west of that) is away from hurricanes, has historic homes, costs of living is good, etc.
I feel like I am writing a riddle...so riddle me this....
A city/town between 30k - 350k
Goldilocks climate (this porridge is too hot, this porridge is too cold, this porridge is just right) = Climate extremes out and CA is out (too expensive)
Historic homes, not modern cookie cutter houses
Thriving food scene - ethnic food, food trucks, independent restaurants not chains, etc. Nothing so small that it only has fast food or a diner
Cost of living = reasonable (housing for 200k or less, reasonable taxes (yes an oxymoron), etc.)
Convenient to an airport (at least a regional one, doesn't have to be international)
Crime is not extreme
Do not include places on the West Coast (too expensive and I am already there)
South is fine but nowhere on the coast/water (too much hurricane danger)
I keep making trips to places that I hoped would be 'the One' and haven't found one I felt sure about, so need some help. I don't have kids, so could care less about school districts, I enjoy quiet hobbies, so don't need a thriving nightlife, I love cultural things but can do those on vacation if necessary, etc.
The ones I have visited that are NO's:
Augusta, GA
Aiken, SC
Greensboro, NC
Winston Salem, NC
Raleigh/Durham, NC
Asheville, NC
Louisville, KY
Montgomery, AL
Birmingham, AL
Any help is welcome as someone might mention a place I haven't considered.
I'm going to throw in a suggestion for a town on the small side but which meets your criteria: Cookeville, Tennessee. Pop. 35,000, an hour east of the Nashville airport, four historic districts with many homes less than $200k. Very low taxes, low cost of living, a thriving foodie scene with 100+ independently owned restaurants in town (30+ just downtown), museums, galleries, a performing arts center, outdoor performance pavilion, and a dozen food trucks in an intensely walkable and livable downtown. It has a generally mild climate although it can get pretty muggy for a couple of weeks in the summer, otherwise it enjoys four very distinct seasons. Another perk: gigabit internet in the city and in most of the rural areas outside the city. Cookeville is in a beautiful area, too: within 40 minutes of town there are 100 waterfalls, 24 state parks, and 1200 miles of lake shoreline.
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its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD
How about York or Lancaster, Pennsylvania? Small cities with decent climates. Close to Philadelphia and Baltimore. Lot's of historic homes at your price points. Lot's of history and culture and amenities.
I agree with the person who suggested Cookeville, TN.
You may also like historic Newnan, GA, 30 minutes SW of Atlanta and only 20 minutes SW of Hartsfield-Jackson.
As of the 2010 census, it had 33,000 people which has the nicknake "city of homes" for having one of the largest collection of antebullum-style architecture in the south. The town square also has a ton of independently owned restaurants and events through the years.
Last edited by citidata18; 01-17-2019 at 04:33 AM..
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