Relocating from CA to NY (New York, Buffalo: fit in, transplants, real estate)

[Wisteria]

I have to second that -- eastcoasters may seem a bit "cautious" at first, but once you get to know them, it's true, they really ARE friends for life!! I think it's the honesty factor -- eastcoast people tend to be more straight-forward and will honestly tell you how they feel. On the westcoast, people are more politically correct, so it seems to me, and are not very direct. My ideal would be to have the eastcoast atmosphere and friendliness but the warmth and beauty of the west!

[dullnboring]

Originally Posted by Wisteria

My ideal would be to have the eastcoast atmosphere and friendliness but the warmth and beauty of the west!

If you ever find that mix, let me know. I've always felt that the ideal place, for me at least, would be East Coast people with West Coast weather and scenery.

[winnie]

Originally Posted by dullnboring

If you ever find that mix, let me know. I've always felt that the ideal place, for me at least, would be East Coast people with West Coast weather and scenery.

Close to what you want might be Las Cruces NM (not so much for the east coasters but friendly people and magnificent scenery, absolutely awesome weather) or even Phoenix AZ where it seems like a ton of people from NY are flocking to for "cheaper" cost of living and nice scenery as well. Big military presence there too.

Out of the 6 states I have spent time living in (AZ was only a month tho) NM was by far the most friendly, had the most awesome scenery, and weather to die for. Some cities have high crime in particular areas and there are some cons but I would fly back in a moment's notice if Uncle Sam gave DH the nod.

[Wisteria]

Actually, what I've done in the past (although raising a daughter has curtailed some activities now), is to advertise for an "Eastcoast Connection," group. I've done it in California and Washington, and it seems effective.

Actually, when I lived in Boulder,Colorado, there was a contingent of eastcoasters -- including Allen Ginsberg when he was alive. We somehow just found each other (probably because we were the most outspoken people in groups), and of course, New York City accents do stand out in the west!

A friend (from NYC) and I put an ad out asking for other eastcoasters who missed the humor, honesty and talkativeness of the eastcoast but loved the weather and scenery of the west, to join us. We actually got quite a big response -- I'd suggest it to other people, too. Until I moved from that one city we did it in (Berkeley), I haven't done it elsewhere lately. The next time I move to a western city, I'll do another Eastcoast Connection and see what happens. It's really nice to gather with other eastcoasters who are not offended when we speak up!

[dullnboring]

Originally Posted by winnie

Close to what you want might be Las Cruces NM (not so much for the east coasters but friendly people and magnificent scenery, absolutely awesome weather) or even Phoenix AZ where it seems like a ton of people from NY are flocking to for "cheaper" cost of living and nice scenery as well. Big military presence there too.

Out of the 6 states I have spent time living in (AZ was only a month tho) NM was by far the most friendly, had the most awesome scenery, and weather to die for. Some cities have high crime in particular areas and there are some cons but I would fly back in a moment's notice if Uncle Sam gave DH the nod.

I actually lived briefly in both New Mexico (Albuquerque) and Arizona (Flagstaff) and didn't like either of them, particularly ABQ. Beautiful scenery but that was about the only thing I liked about it. Flagstaff was nice, but too small for me. I loathe Phoenix with a passion. It's great for a one week vacation in the middle of winter for me but that's about it. I actually however really like the Southwest portion of the country near Las Cruces. While I haven't done any intensive exploring, I loved the area around El Paso.

My thing is that I like the East Coast urban way of life with high-density, street-life, diversity (in people, architecture, restaurants, etc.), public transportation and such, and few cities outside of the East Coast are built that way. If New York had Santa Barbara's weather and scenery, it would be utopia to me, and I'm sure the rents would increase to such a level that only members of the Hilton family could afford it, and even they'd be "house poor"

I don't believe there's necessarily a perfect place for me. Well, not in this country at least. I think there are some places abroad that may offer what I'm looking for (Melbourne, Auckland, Cape Town, Barcelona, etc.); so it's mostly just trying to find the best mix and closest fit. I've only been to San Francisco once but loved it and feel like it's probably the closest match to what I'm looking for in this country. Not sure how the people are there though.

Originally Posted by Wisteria

Actually, what I've done in the past (although raising a daughter has curtailed some activities now), is to advertise for an "Eastcoast Connection," group. I've done it in California and Washington, and it seems effective.

Actually, when I lived in Boulder,Colorado, there was a contingent of eastcoasters -- including Allen Ginsberg when he was alive. We somehow just found each other (probably because we were the most outspoken people in groups), and of course, New York City accents do stand out in the west!

A friend (from NYC) and I put an ad out asking for other eastcoasters who missed the humor, honesty and talkativeness of the eastcoast but loved the weather and scenery of the west, to join us. We actually got quite a big response -- I'd suggest it to other people, too. Until I moved from that one city we did it in (Berkeley), I haven't done it elsewhere lately. The next time I move to a western city, I'll do another Eastcoast Connection and see what happens. It's really nice to gather with other eastcoasters who are not offended when we speak up!

You know, that's actually a brilliant idea. I'll have to look into that when/if I move to an area where I find myself not meshing so well with the people, whether it be joining a group or starting my own.

[Wisteria]

Dullnboring, you're right about San Francisco -- it's about as close as you can get to the eastcoast lifestyle on the westcoast. Other than that, I don't know of any other city in the west that offers that. Seattle is very pretty and has cool stuff, but the people are still pretty "quiet," and "polite." Of course, the drawback to San Francisco is the high cost of living!

I haven't been to some of the cities you listed, but I'd rank Barcelona up there, too! The European lifestyle is much closer to the eastcoast lifestyle.

Have you checked out CoolTownStudios.com? It's a really interesting site that is following and building new communities around the country, focusing on lively lifestyles, entrepreneurialship, arts, music, walkability, eclectic neighborhoods, etc. -- very much urban lifestyles. They have a good search engine, too, and you can check it out for all over the country (and world). It's a good resource.

[cherianne]

I have to agree that San Francisco is a beautiful city....They call it simply "The City". I lived 20 miles south for a number of years and loved being a tourist. But the whole area seemed so much like the Balken states.. San Francisco looked down on the east bay, the easy bay hated the south bay and everyone hated the penninsula. If someone was from So CA...they were dirt. It was crazy. You are all right about the 'politeness' issue. It has changed so much and morphed into "it's a sin to judge others" and " Don't tell me what to do". Around here in Missouri, its wrong to get upset because a tanker truck ran a red light endangering everyone. I am happy to hear it's all different in New York. In a couple of weeks, we are headed there for another visit to scope out the area near Lake Ontario. Does anyone know about Lyndonville?

[Wisteria]

I don't know much about Lyndonville. I think it's pretty small. Here's a link I found: www.orleanscountytourism.com/

I have to admit, though, that the small towns are nice, however, it does seem that there are many people who were born and raised there, and they don't have that city vibe, so they won't represent so much of what happens in cities in New York State. Country areas are different than city areas.

My grandparents had a 56 acre working farm in Wyoming, County (not far from Orleans County), and they were near a little town called Marilla, New York. I recall that everyone knew everyone, and it was pretty provincial. In fact, my mother was raised in the country there and she actually moved to Buffalo so that she could raise her kids in the city!

I don't know. I'm sure it's pretty and all. Probably people are more outspoken even in the smaller towns in NYS just because it's part of the culture, but there is still a difference in tone between the country and the cities.

Not much help, I guess. Sorry.

[dullnboring]

Originally Posted by Wisteria

Have you checked out CoolTownStudios.com? It's a really interesting site that is following and building new communities around the country, focusing on lively lifestyles, entrepreneurialship, arts, music, walkability, eclectic neighborhoods, etc. -- very much urban lifestyles. They have a good search engine, too, and you can check it out for all over the country (and world). It's a good resource.

I hadn't heard of it. I'll check it out. I know that I'm not the only person out there who doesn't want to live in a homogenous strip-mall filled cookie cutter suburb (although no offense to those who do). Thanks!

[cherianne]

Thanks Wisteria for the info. Anything is helpful. It seems common to have the country people different than the city people. That's okay. I grew up in stripmall land then in the country. Having fresh air, scenery and elbow room appeals more to me. I understand the draw and the excitement of living in the city. My personality just prefers the peace with occassional trips to the theater. But no suburbs for me. Maybe I'm just getting old! The thought that the culture even in the country is outspoken is good. In a way, it's keeps people more in line than letting everyone do whatever they want no matter how it offends or steps on the toes of others. In short, it makes people more polite!