If you HAD TO leave Long Island... (New York, Boston: amusement parks, house)

[totallyfrazzled]

.... where (in the USA) would you want to move to, and why? Assume that your income would remain the same as it is now (no lottery winnings or deceased rich relatives!).

Also, where would you absolutely NEVER under any circumstances want to move to, and why?

I'd have a really tough time with the Want-To question because there really is noplace else that attracts me more than here. But the hypothetical is "have to leave" and so for me the least of all evils would end up being either of these two areas:

- somewhere in Fairfield County, CT, probably Darien. The income restriction would mean that I'd end up with far less house and property than I could have here, but it's probably the closest appealing match for me as far as weather, demographics, lifestyle, etc.

- somewhere in Massachusetts within a half hour of Boston, such as Wakefield. Ditto the matches as with Fairfield County and add the plus of having an emotional connection to Masschusetts, but I seriously doubt I could handle the New England winters and I would not be able to afford to be a "snowbird".

In either case I would probably end up annoying people no end with my whining about "when I lived on Long Island there was......." --- so in all honesty I would not actively WANT to move to either area, it would just be them as the Best of the Rest.

Making a list of "Over My Dead Body" relocation areas is much easier!

- anywhere in the South because I dislike all of the following: heat, high humidity, bugs/creepycrawlies, recurring hurricanes, Bible Belt culture, snails-pace lifestyle attitude - not to mention that annoying accent!

- the Pacific Northwest. Although I hear it's beautiful I also hear the prevailing weather pattern is rain/overcast/damp for a majority of the year and that would drive me nuts in short order. I get crabby when we have 4 or 5 days of rainy weather HERE (like we just had this week)! And when we had those 11 days of nonstop rain a couple of autumns ago, I thought I was going to start climbing the walls screaming. Plus the damp weather would be murder on my increasingly bad knee, back, elbow and wrist.

- the Southwest (Arizona, Texas). Way too desertlike hot and dry. I'm a gardener but being limited to prairie grasses and succulents is a challenge I would not want to take on. Also would not want to deal with the increasing Mexican-border problems/issues down there and local impact.

- California. Earthquakes, fires, immigration problems, and a cost of living that's even higher than here. Other than palm trees and 70 degrees year-round I can't think of anything there I'd like.

[captne76]

- anywhere in the South because I dislike all of the following: heat, high humidity, bugs/creepycrawlies, recurring hurricanes, Bible Belt culture, snails-pace lifestyle attitude - not to mention that annoying accent!

Ha, funny that y'all mention accents when people from LI & NY & LI esp have an annoying accent to the rest of the USA

[LongIslandCitizen]

Originally Posted by captne76

- anywhere in the South because I dislike all of the following: heat, high humidity, bugs/creepycrawlies, recurring hurricanes, Bible Belt culture, snails-pace lifestyle attitude - not to mention that annoying accent!

Ha, funny that y'all mention accents when people from LI & NY & LI esp have an annoying accent to the rest of the USA

I dunno. I went to Texas and the chicks dig New Yorkers and are gorgeous,hair done,nails done,designer clothing. Love Texas.Love the Texas accent I don't know what the above meant when they mentioned desert. Dallas/Ft. Worth is a playground populated with the latest hot nightclubs, sporting venues, museums, restaurants, and amusement parks. The housing market gives you brand new 5 bedroom brick homes for under 200k, taxes are minimal, no state tax and a lot of fun. The University of Texas is in Austin and there is always a party somewhere. Upon retirement it is one of my primary choices.

Least favorite: Off the top of my head I would throw minnesota out there. Never been there but...why?

[jpg71]

Probably Austin, Texas, or back to my hometown Chicago, Illinois. Both are bustling metropolitan areas with diverse cultures, affordable housing, decent school districts, and have an available pool of high-tech companies from which I could continue my career in (IT Management). They still have a "city" vibe while maintaining a "small town" feel.

If money were no object, somewhere tropical, private, and warm all year long!

[twingles]

If I HAD to leave....and I could live anywhere, money no object - I'd probably pick a suburb of Washington, DC because I love that city and a lot of the areas around it are really nice. But, it's just as expensive as here! Other than that we are most likely jumping on the NC bandwagon, we visited, it's nice, it's not too far that we can't visit when we want.

Where would I NEVER want to live? Probably California - I think the east coast mindset and the west coast mindset are just too different from each other. I am definitely an east coaster. Plus, too many potential natural disasters. I'd probably never live in Texas either, for the same main reason. Third on my list would be anywhere colder than here.

Interesting question!

[totallyfrazzled]

Originally Posted by twingles

If I HAD to leave....and I could live anywhere, money no object -

Aha, that's why I put the qualifier "assuming your income is the same as you have here" (no more/no less). Because once anyone gets into the "money no object" mindset, then the answer becomes no more than an exercise in fantasy. I'm really curious to know what areas Long Islanders would choose to go if for some reason it became impossible to remain here, and what places Long Islanders would avoid no matter what.

I don't know what the above meant when they mentioned desert.

Well, technically not "desert" as in the Kalahari, just that IMHO anyplace that regularly has summer temps over 90, humidity levels in the single digits, and average annual rainfall of less than 3" per month qualifies as "desert-like conditions" to moi!

[TheTruth08]

I would move to:
- NYC Metro Area. (CT, Westchester, NJ) They just are beautiful. When people say Long Island is beatiful I just don't see it, outside of the beach of course.
-California: Love the quality of life there. Love the endless oppertunities, even there fast food places are awesome.
-Austin: Heard it was nice, don't know about the heat though.
- Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens: I love these places
- Lehigh Valley: My mom just moved there so I could see myself living there to be around her and my little brothers.
-New England (Mostly just MASS): But I have heard there really unnaccepting of blacks for some reason up there. Prolly just a rumour.

Cant:
- North Carolina: Nothing interest me about that place besides the home's anymore.
- Florida: I just find it boring.
- Desert areas: Too hot. Too brown.
- Portland: To hipster.

[rocafeller05]

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Great little city. Cheap cost of living, good health care options, great parks, better lakes & history. And one can actually afford to live comfortably in the city!


Pittsburgh for June, Summer 2008 - PittsburghSkyline.com - Original Photography from the City of Pittsburgh by Matt Robinson

[totallyfrazzled]

Originally Posted by rocafeller05

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Great little city. Cheap cost of living, good health care options, great parks, better lakes & history.

And it also has Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and hockey icon Mario Lemieux.

[nancy thereader]

I would love to live in San Francisco.
Vancouver, BC would be nice, too.

I would not want to live in the Midwest .