Where's home for a young couple? (real estate, job market, living)

[Jttherocket]

Howdy all,
Wanted to get some opinons on a few things. First, online tools for finding a good area to settle down in. I've looked at ******. Does anyone have any opinions on this site, or ideas on similar sites?

Basically me and my wife are looking for an area with:
Outdoor recreation (namely lakes)
-A smaller, safe town
-Cheap housing (40-100k)
-A mild climate

What we've come up with so far is the Ozarks area, TN, & KY.

We're both in our early 30's, living out in Washington state, and are looking for a slower pace of life.

If anyone can interject on the above, it would be much appreciated.

[ehenningsen]

Originally Posted by Jttherocket

Howdy all,
Wanted to get some opinons on a few things. First, online tools for finding a good area to settle down in. I've looked at ******. Does anyone have any opinions on this site, or ideas on similar sites?

Basically me and my wife are looking for an area with:
Outdoor recreation (namely lakes)
-A smaller, safe town
-Cheap housing (40-100k)
-A mild climate

What we've come up with so far is the Ozarks area, TN, & KY.

We're both in our early 30's, living out in Washington state, and are looking for a slower pace of life.

If anyone can interject on the above, it would be much appreciated.

Check out the Omaha, NE forum... and see if it is a fit... the only thing that really doesn't match up is the mild climate, but I must say the winters really are not that bad here... it seems they are getting milder by the year..

[friendnc]

Some towns in NC that'd be worth a look would be Mt. Airy (west of Winston Salem and the model town for "Mayberry" on the "Andy Griffith Show"), Mars Hill (north of Asheville), and the Landis/China Grove area (NE of Charlotte).

[christina0001]

We're kind of in the same boat; I'm in my late 20s, my husband is in his 30s, and we're relocating from expensive NJ. After a lot of research and travel, we decided on the Kansas City, MO area. Cost of living is low, real estate is relatively cheap, you get to enjoy all 4 seasons, and the job market is decent, at least for what we do. We are heading out this summer. There are lots of 'burbs with plentiful housing under $150k. It's doable to stay under $100k but you'll probably either have to get a fixer-upper or just drive further (assuming you work in the city, which you may not). Springfield, MO might be another good option for you - there is plenty of info on Springfield on the Missouri board and I think it's even cheaper there. Everyone we've talked to from Missouri has been nice. I have also been to KY and TN - I liked KY a lot but TN didn't really do it for me.