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Check out Kentucky. There are some very beautiful and historic towns within an easy drive of Louisville or Lexington having low crime rates, low housing costs, 4 seasons without winters having much snow on average.
Be aware that if you move to a high radon area you're going to want to get radon mitigation, which might be easier and cheaper for newer homes than older ones.
Also be aware that Las Vegas is not exactly a low crime area, even though it is a low radon area. And it gets hot as hell there but it's mitigated some by being very dry.
Holyoke, CO, has high radon and is 173 miles from Denver, which is a long drive to go to a decent hospital, when you might not be in any condition to drive. Also the weather is closer to Kansas than Colorado, or maybe a compromise between them. But it does have a very low crime rate. You could probably leave your doors unlocked and never worry about it.
One possible compromise might be Owensboro, KY. The crime rate might not be low enough to satisfy you, but it seems low to me. Families feel safe letting their kids play in their neighborhoods, e.g. riding their bicycles on nearby streets etc. Some people feel safe leaving their doors unlocked. The radon levels are moderate, so you probably don't need radon mitigation. The weather might not satisfy you, but gives me the impression of having more nice days per year than a lot of other places, even though it does have a fair number of hot and cold days. I think it has a new and moderately big hospital, replacing another moderately big one a few miles away that seemed fine to me, making me wonder why they replaced it. And I vaguely remember reading that their cardiology department won some kind of award, such as being the best in the state or something like that. But the most important factor is how many nice houses it has below 100K. When I count them on my fingers the answer I get is "zillions". And it has more shopping and restaurants than most cheap places, if that ever becomes a factor.
One thing I noticed about Owensboro is that the weather is very unpredictable. For example some years August is very nice the whole month, and some years very hot the whole month. Also some years you get many times more rain than other years. Also I noticed a huge number of rabbits and squirrels there. They're everywhere. And the rabbits are even there in the winter. Sometimes when it snows, which it usually only does about once or twice a year, and not very deep, you can see rabbits playing in the snow in the middle of the night. Another thing about Owensboro, and some of the other places mentioned, is that you can see the stars clearly at night, unlike in a big city. Owensboro is a compromise between a big city and a small town.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lockdev
Isn't Las Vegas pretty dangerous in most of the "cheap" areas?
Yes, but the nicer homes there are still cheap compared to places like here. Brand new 2,200 sf for the low 200s. I'd consider it for retirement if it wasn't so hot and dry. I go every year (late April) and have looked around a bit. In Pahrump, $150k new.
One problem with Florida is the risk that global warming is eventually going to submerge most of the state because of sea level rise. It might happen sooner than most people expect. It could make Katrina look like a picnic. Even if you're still above water, it might get high enough near you that a hurricane could flood your house and ruin everything.
I was just taking a look at a geological map of Florida yesterday and the Tampa Bay area has had a lot of sinkholes.
I live in TB and I want to leave. My budget is only 100K which rules out most everything on the gulf coast except condos. Not a fan of Pinellas county.
100K can buy something in Punta Gorda or Port Charlotte, but only every now and then I will see something and then POOF it is gone. PC has some really sketchy areas which rules out most of the cheaper homes. No jobs there, but a commute to Ft. Myers is doable.
Bayboomer is right about sinkholes. Not sure if Tampa is actually part of "sinkhole alley"? I believe that runs from Bradenton up to Spring Hill? But yeah, overall, the whole area is more prone to them.
Jacksonville has plenty of safe neighborhoods for under 100k if you're not seeking trendy or walkable. You can take your pick of any number of B class suburbs. Possibly even concrete block construction.
But it does get hot here and no 4 seasons. If you're living in TB then not sure how much better Jax would be, besides potentially nicer housing at that price range.
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