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All I am going to say is "Move West, my friend." just like generations of Americans before you who tire of the cramped and expensive East Coast. (Moving East is obviously counterproductive.)
mmm. All of the areas you listed are very, very
suburban areas heavily surrounded by almost nothing. To many of the southern posters on this board, those areas really are very urban.
You say that you're looking for this or that, but frankly I'm more curious whether or not you're able to live without many of the things you take for granted in NYC. They are too numerous to list, but the common element is the ability to just leave home, wander around and find somethng to do. Other than Chicago or San Francisco, you really aren't going to find anything like that anywhere else. When you get bored at 9pm south of NYC, the game's over. You're going to be staying in.
I currently live in NYC with my husband and almost 16 month old son. My husband and I really want to leave the city and find a place to settle down with a lower cost of living and a higher quality of life. We also want to buy a home, probably in the 200k range or less.
What we are looking for:
-affordable real estate
-low crime
-good schools
-access to organic/natural groceries and produce
-a moderate climate(no brutal winters please!), plenty of sunshine
-access to arts and culture, i.e. museums, theatre, libraries, etc...
-nice restaurants(vegetarian friendly is a plus) and a cool nightlife
-scenic nature(we would love being near mountains, a lake, the beach/ocean)
-culture of health and fitness
-ethnic and cultural diversity
-friendly and vibrant atmosphere
-family friendly
About us:
I grew up in suburban Connecticut, in a pretty homogeneous area. I want my son to experience some level of diversity like he does here in NYC. My husband grew up in Massachusetts. We started looking at condos here in NYC but we soon realized that we rather have a nice size house with a big yard somewhere else. We don't want to share a wall or a ceiling/floor with anyone anymore. My mom suggested North Carolina but I really have no idea where to begin to look. So far from talking to people and doing my own research, I have come up with:
Knoxville, TN
Raleigh, NC
Charleston, SC
Charlotte, NC
Virginia Beach, VA
These all happen to be in the south by coincidence but we are really open to any part of the country that meets our needs. I also thought about Portland, OR and Seattle, WA but reconsidered due to the climate.
Thanks in advance!
Sounds like Flagstaff, AZ would be perfect for you. Also look into St. George, UT and Santa Fe, NM.
Some posts above were deleted. Folks, this is a relocation thread. The most important thing a reply in a relocation thread needs to be is HELPFUL. If the most important thing to you is to be right and make sure your opinion is heard, the best place for that kind of post is in the City vs. City forum. It's not considered helpful in this forum to tell a member who's relocating that their choices/reasons/etc. are all bad.
The motto of City-Data, expressed in the Terms of Service is "We are here to help each other." Make sure your posts in General US are helpful.
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