If you HAD TO leave Long Island...

[thebobs]

Originally Posted by dman72

Same here. I'd live in Sweden

Admit it, you'd go there for the Sweedish ladies.

[dman72]

Originally Posted by thebobs

Admit it, you'd go there for the Sweedish ladies.

Well, it helps when you don't have 2/3rds of the population being obese like we have here in the states. A lot of would-be good looking women can't put the Big Mac down, apparently. It's amazing how skinny people are in Europe compared to the US. So many fat high school kids...video games .

Not that that's why I like Sweden.... They are extremely tolerant and easy going. The cities are really clean...and everybody speaks English!!

[DKVA]

We had to move in 2004- DH job relocation to Glen Allen, Va. In 2004 no financial jobs on LI and absolutely nothing in NYC. A good thing in Va travel time for my DH was 10 minutes 1 way not the 2 1/2 hours from LI to NYC.

Would not move to the midwest-IL-where we are now. Commute not bad 25 minutes to St Louis. We are East Coast people No beaches in a reasonable driving distance and our kids are not here.

Looking to move back to Va! No Florida-would have considered coastal North Carolina but now since our kids are in Va that's where we want to be-eventually.

[IMISSNY]

I am from LI lived in Florida and now in Atlanta Ga. I absolutely hate the South, and cannot wait to get home, I dont think there is any other place I would want to live either, but if I have to I would guess it would be maybe CT, as well no place too far of course (LOL)

[totallyfrazzled]

Originally Posted by TristansMommy

I used to feel like you. That I wouldn't want to live anywhere else, as LI was my home my entire life. I loved it. As an adult, I hate it. .... I absolutely LOVE where I am living now. I live in Carbon County Pa near Jim Thorpe. There are many more fabulous places to live than LI that do not carry such a high price tag.. I'm extremely happy!

I'm glad that PA worked out for you, although to be honest an area like that would be way too rural/not suburban enough for me... I insist on having my public water supply, highspeed cable internet service, and preferably sewers instead of septic! We're not "outdoorsy" types (other than gardening) and so none of the activities/attractions you mentioned would be a draw for us. I don't recall Whitehall but I do know Allentown somewhat (from visiting relatives on my mom's side during the 1980s) and unless it's changed very drastically during the past 20 years it just wasn't my cup of tea. My overall impression was that it was a somewhat dreary/depressing industrial city.

You didn't mention which places you would absolutely not have wanted to move to when leaving Long Island; which would they be?

[TristansMommy]

Originally Posted by totallyfrazzled

I'm glad that PA worked out for you, although to be honest an area like that would be way too rural/not suburban enough for me. And we're not "outdoorsy" types (other than gardening) and so none of the activities/attractions you mentioned would be a draw for us. I don't recall Whitehall but I do know Allentown somewhat (from visiting relatives on my mom's side during the 1980s) and unless it's changed very drastically during the past 20 years it just wasn't my cup of tea. My overall impression was that it was a somewhat dreary/depressing industrial city.

You didn't mention which places you would absolutely not have wanted to move to when leaving Long Island; which would they be?

Well... I don't have an ABSOLUTE.. I would NOT live in the Poconos.. Monroe county. . it has a bad reputation.

Believe me when I tell you that it is NOT too rural. If it were, I wouldn't be here.

Allentown is not that great. Bethlehem, however, is very nice and historic. Whitehall is REALLY REALLY nice and reminds me of LI. The mall that I frequent (because it's the only one I know exactly where it is.. still new) is really great with lots of shops. There is money in Whitehall and surrounding areas and I know this from the stores they have in the mall.. William & Sanoma, Anne Taylor (loft and regular Ann Taylor) among some other higher end clothing stores. That entire strip that that mall is on has everything all in that one place (TJ MAX , Kohls, Home Depot, etc). And the town I live .. the Walmart is moving to a super walmart that is being built and a Lowes is coming in. Across from that there is Giant Foods (has a gas station with it.. for every $100 in groceries you spend you get .10 off a gallon..LOL.. its great).

I did look to live in Andres and they were a little too rural for me. In addition, we are close to Jim Thorpe with lots of very touristy areas. I'm not big on the outdoors either, to be honest with you. Although I can take hiking a little through pretty trails and to the beautiful waterfall . Whitewater rafting I did once a long time ago and may try again. It's very scenic here and that is what I appreciate most about the "outdoorsey" of the place.. I like to LOOk at hte outdoors.. but I hate bugs..LOL.. I also appreciate the open space more. I could move even further away and up the mountain or hill more.. but that is too far from things.

I probably wouldn't move to MT. It's beautiful, but too slow for me. My mom moved to a very small town by her side of the family there. I do love to visit though. Here , it's not slow at all. It's slower than LI and NY, but not so slow where I"m like ripping my hair out. It's a nice "medium" between being "too small" and "too big". At least it is for me.

I'd stay away from moving any further North and i wouldn't live in Florida. CA would be nice, but just as pricey as NY so I wouldn't go there. I don't want to run a rat race anymore. I want to enjoy my husband and kids without the stress the financial weight LI put on us.

For me, I found the right combination . .. it feels somewhat country without being too country or too rural.

[ResearchMom]

Since a few people mentioned other countries, my favorite, the one I fell in love with is the english speaking Singapore. However, the average temperature there is 92F all year long. So now I dream of China, or Japan ... while knowing all too well that Germany or Norway would do just fine