If you could live anywhere... (crime rate, to live in, restaurants)

[Baja Boomer]

Originally Posted by dc1225

hey, isn't waimea in north shore? or just the beach waimea bay is in northshore?

There's a Waimea on Kaua'i, Waimea Bay on O'ahu and Waimea on the Big Island-- lots of Waimeas in Hawai'i. To differentiate them, the official USPS name for Waimea on the Big Island is Kamuela. It's located in the north central part of the island, where the Parker Ranch is located, at about 2,600 feet (It gets "crispy" during winter nights).

Here are some pictures, though they don't do the place justice:

Approaching town





A horse on Parker Ranch near Kamuela Town



Mmmm. Wish I were there right now.

[formerlyhappenstance]

Originally Posted by itsagreatlife

Sure, Phoenix is a great place to live. But if you could live anywhere in the US, where would it be? and why? My husband & I are discussing moving away from Phx to try something new but we are finding that Scottsdale is hard to beat unless we go to Cali and pay way too much to live there...any thoughts? If you could move, where would you go?

This is an easy question if we're talking, "money is no object" because I could virtually live in several cities for various reasons and scenarios in case natural disasters arise.

Socal-Any of the areas near the action in L.A. . Also, Santa Barbara just for the experience of the weather their. (anytime I feel like being in cali for all its culture)
Phoenix( Sept-Nov)
South Beach, FL (dec-may)
New York (jun-sept)
Atlanta(jun-sept)
There you have it 6 homes,lol.

If your talking just one place in the US then right where you are in AZ. The weather aint california, but, at least you dont have to worry about an earthquake and high housing costs. The weather maybe better than anywhere else in the U.S. other than, SOCAL, and HAWAII, that has a bustling city. silver city, alberqurque, and flagstaff are smaller in size and they arent as happening. Vegas gets cold although it can match in sun intensity. IMO

P.S. I know I have just put my head on the chopping block for the weather comments. Not to mention those other comments but it is my opinion.

[Head coach]

Originally Posted by itsagreatlife

Sure, Phoenix is a great place to live. But if you could live anywhere in the US, where would it be? and why? My husband & I are discussing moving away from Phx to try something new but we are finding that Scottsdale is hard to beat unless we go to Cali and pay way too much to live there...any thoughts? If you could move, where would you go?

Seattle!

You have....
Skiing
Hiking
Bike trails
Fishing
All you can eat Dungeness Crab feeds
Fish market
Space needle
Ferries
A winning Pro Football team
Great Antique shopping
Fresh Salmon
Trees
San Juan Islands
Boating
Game Hunting (if you are into that)
1.5 hours from Canada
Majestic mountain range on both sides, east and west.
4 Seasons
Green Grass all the time. (if you are into that )

[zzlaura]

I absolutey adore D.C its a city but still a community if you have kids they have some of the best schools check it out

[borborygmi]

Vancouver BC. Hands down. Anyone who's never been there or experienced it has no idea what they're missing. Greatest and most beautiful city on earth, IMO.

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by borborygmi

Vancouver BC. Hands down. Anyone who's never been there or experienced it has no idea what they're missing. Greatest and most beautiful city on earth, IMO.

Yeah, it it wasn't for the weather I would live in Vancouver BC in a heartbeat. Too cold, gray and wet for me though (that's why we are retiring (eventually) to SE Arizona). Still, the fact remains that you are right. Vancouver BC is breathtaking. North Van literally crawls up the mountainside from the sea and there are folks in that area that can literally walk from their front door to a gondola that can take them up to a ski area (with incredible views looking down on the cities rooftops).

As it turns out, my 2 favorite cities in all of North America are both Canadian - #1 is Quebec City (specifically the old WALLED section - the only walled city in all of North America!!!) and #2 is Vancouver BC.

BOTH great cities - but neither one has the climate I desire.

Ken

[zenkonami]

If money / work were not an issue, at the top of my list :

1) Denver (for the mid-sized but still active city life, forward thinking transit system, climate, mix of regional topography, outdoor activities, parks and trails, location relative to my extended family, great higher education system)

2) Portland (all of the above reasons except the location part and including planned growth policies - and yes I know the climate is different)

I'd certainly give runners up to Pittsburgh, Austin and even Flagstaff in the spirit of throwing AZ a little respect. I do find Boston, Philly and even the triangle area in North Carolina to be fascinating, but I don't know how long I'd want to live in any of them.

Of course, if you throw it open to the world :

Edinburgh, Scotland
Dunedin, New Zealand
Vienna or Salzburg, Austria
Copenhagen, Denmark
London, England
Zurich, Switzerland

[Havikats]

Originally Posted by Head coach

Seattle!

You have....
Skiing
Hiking
Bike trails
Fishing
All you can eat Dungeness Crab feeds
Fish market
Space needle
Ferries
A winning Pro Football team
Great Antique shopping
Fresh Salmon
Trees
San Juan Islands
Boating
Game Hunting (if you are into that)
1.5 hours from Canada
Majestic mountain range on both sides, east and west.
4 Seasons
Green Grass all the time. (if you are into that )

I have to agree. I spent many of my teen years growing up in the Seattle area and still have three brothers who live there - well, one moved to Sequim (which also has fantastic antique shops), which is a beautiful place in itself.

People complain about the rain there, but I honestly never noticed it.

I do love Pike Place Market! Talk about eclectic and just plain amazing! I always make sure I go there to visit when I head back home.

[military spouse]

NYC! I'd have to have enough money to go to nice restaurants and the theater whenever I wanted. I would also want to live in a great area, maybe across from Bryant Park.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by Havikats

I have to agree. I spent many of my teen years growing up in the Seattle area and still have three brothers who live there - well, one moved to Sequim (which also has fantastic antique shops), which is a beautiful place in itself.

People complain about the rain there, but I honestly never noticed it.

I do love Pike Place Market! Talk about eclectic and just plain amazing! I always make sure I go there to visit when I head back home.

If I had to leave the Southwest: the Puget Sound area would be high on my radar as well.

What really strikes me about Washington State is the high level of common sense there on many levels. I visited it once (in December of all times) and I can understand people really liking it there