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We want to move to or near a smallish city--say 150,000-300,000--that has seasons (but not extreme seasonal changes), that's progressive, has excellent medical (one of us is retired, the other not, and can work anywhere, but there are health issues), is beautiful (at least in the vicinity) and interesting for all ages. (We may, likely will, have a younger person with us, at least for a few years.)
You're thinking that you know just such a place? Will the following statement cause you to change your mind? We'd like a 3 bedroom house, with an office, and don't want to spend more than $300,000.
Impossible?
(Thanks!)
Last edited by Bo; 02-06-2009 at 09:31 AM..
Reason: Updated thread title to make thread easier to find with search.
Little Rock might be a decent enough fit for you to look into. Actual city limit pop is 186k, metro area is about 600k. 4 distinct seasons but they can be pretty extreme, summers routinely in the upper 90's with several days over 100 and fairly high humidity. Winters with quite a few nights with nightly lows below 30. A good thing about our winters though is that we do get quite a few sunny days with temps in the upper 40's and 50's and the extra sunshine does wonders for the psyche vs. cloudier climes. Might be a bit extreme for you. Progressiveness...well it's not nearly as bad as some people might think but it's certainly not Portland! We do have top notch medical facilities here though with UAMS being the highlight: UAMS Medical Center - Arkansas Hospital - Little Rock Hospital - UAMS Health - University of Arkansas Medical Sciences
We have natural beauty in abundance. Sandwiched between two small "mountain" chains, the Ozarks and the Ouachitas, we have LOTS of rolling hills, forests, and natural streams giving you plenty of outdoor activities such as hiking, boating, fishing, plenty of golf, canoeing, kayaking, mountain biking...you name it. If this area can fulfill the entertainment needs of your particular younger person, well I think that would depend on what the younger person's interests are.
Now the kicker, you can easily get a new 4bdr 2.5 or 3 bath all brick home (use the 4th br as an office) and maybe even a "bonus room" for right around that $300k mark. Homes usually sell for around $90 - 110/sq ft range here depending on specific location, amenities, etc.
Beautiful mid-sized mountain city, with a stronger than average arts scene for a town it's size. In the mountains and draws lots of people in the Autumn for it's well known leaf changing scenes. Lots to do there, but it's also only 1.5 hours from Charlotte and 3.5 hours from Atlanta in case you need larger city stuff.
I think you'd like Plano, TX. Population near 300,000. Near a big city (it takes me less than 20 minutes to get to downtown Dallas), but parts of it seem very removed. You can get a smaller house for your price range. There are 3 major hospitals within 10 minutes of each other. The healthcare is awesome (every specialist available 24/7). There are young families and retirement housing. Golf courses and parks abound. Rec center (which is amazing) is 50 bucks a year for anyone over 55. The schools are top-rated, and there are lots of programs and sports/etc for youngsters. For someone on fixed income, please note the lack of income tax. Boutique shopping, all the great grocery stores and restaurants within reach, and lots of personal services available on demand.
Drawbacks include varying winter climates (you might get 20 degrees and snow or you might get 70 degrees...all winter long). Hot summer. Very pleasant fall and spring, but the spring tends to be rainy. Property taxes are fairly high.
Please note: Ebby Halliday REALTORS | | Dallas Real Estate | DFW Homes | Fort Worth Real Estate (http://www.ebby.com/cgi-bin/search?street=&mlsnum=&city=&zip=75093&proptype=SI NGLE&minprice=250000&maxprice=300000&minbeds=3&bat hrooms=1&sort=DESC&pool=%22%22&garage=0&stories=&a creage=&feat_specialty_rooms=03&dayold=&Input=&las trecord=0 - broken link)
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by anniebleu
Impossible question, I'm guessing.
We want to move to or near a smallish city--say 150,000-300,000--that has seasons (but not extreme seasonal changes), that's progressive, has excellent medical (one of us is retired, the other not, and can work anywhere, but there are health issues), is beautiful (at least in the vicinity) and interesting for all ages. (We may, likely will, have a younger person with us, at least for a few years.)
You're thinking that you know just such a place? Will the following statement cause you to change your mind? We'd like a 3 bedroom house, with an office, and don't want to spend more than $300,000.
Just visited Asheville, NC and personally didn't like it. It looks great on paper, but it felt dingy, shut down, and as liberal as I am, too hippy for me. Might be your cup of tea, but I went into it with higher expectations. The scenery was phenomenal, but the rest didn't do it for me personally. It is good suggestion though- does fit your criteria.
Similar in size to Asheville is Greenville, SC. Beautiful little city I thought. Check out the Greenville forum and take a look at some of the downtown pictures. It's a really great little city- especially the downtown. Inexpensive to live, nice climate, and seems like good people. Feels like a utopia in a way- the truman show.
Another one is Charleston, SC. I've never been, but i believe it fits a lot of your criteria.
Chapel Hill, NC? A bit more expensive, but quite a sweet town.
I'd definitely check out the carolinas. They seem to fit your climate and financial preferences, and have a lot of good midsized cities.
Did you really just mention Greenville SC? They are the home of Bob Jones University and are constantly on the list of most conservative metro areas in the country (Only voted 34% Democrat in the last election). Not the most Progressive place.
I wanna say Sacramento because its very progressive and fits alot of your other criteria but its out of the price range.
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