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I am a 46 year-old disabled woman from Utah who is looking for her dream town or small city. I don't know if I am living in "the clouds" or not, as far as the place I want to find and retire to. Maybe you can help me figure this out? Any help would be appreciated greatly!
First of all, I love Utah and I actually live in a beautiful community with many of the things I am looking for already. However, the air quality/inversion problem in Utah is just killing me (as I have permanently damaged lungs from pulmonary embolisms). Also, I have had many falls on the ice in past years (shattering my hip the last time), and I cannot handle the long winter months of snow and ice anymore! If not for the air quality and snow/ice problems, I would stay here forever.
That being said, this is what I'm looking for: a large town or small city (populations from roughly 15,000 to 90,000 ideally). I have always dreamt of living in the Southern states (and I have lived in North Carolina and Virginia briefly). HOWEVER, I am terrified of snakes! I would need to find someplace where you don't regularly find snakes in your yard, porch etc... I don't hike or go deep into wooded areas, so if there are places where you only encounter snakes in the woods, I could handle that. If this is impossible to find in the South, I would be willing to move elsewhere. I don't really have a preference as to a certain state as long as it meets my criteria.
My most important needs are the following: a safe, low-crime area where a single woman doesn't have to fear for her life constantly, clean air/low allergens and clean water, good health care available, no big mold problem in homes (because of my lung problems), either no snow or light snowfall that leaves quickly, and ideally not more than moderate humidity. Oh, and I REALLY don't want to live in a major disaster zone!
I need an area where the cost of living is reasonable and not exorbitant. I can afford about $200,000 for a condo or home, and I'd like to live in a decent part of town and not a slummy area. (Who wouldn't, right?)
I'm hoping for a place with a small-town/Main Street U.S.A. feel, although it can be a bigger town or small city. I don't have a problem with some chain stores nearby, as long as there are some unique shops, restaurants and some quirky, cute or interesting architecture in town. I really love the "sitting on the front porch drinking lemonade" type of vibe -(a relaxed, homey atmosphere). I enjoy town festivals, craft fairs, pumpkin patches, neighbor kids trick-or-treating at my house, hayrides, farmer's markets, Fourth-of-July picnics and fireworks, parades, antique/craft/junk shops etc...That being said, I do tend to go a bit stir-crazy in a small area after about a week, so I would need a larger city nearby with museums, an art scene, bookstores, theaters, etc. to escape to a few times a month. I do like a bit more sophistication sometimes such as opera or a visiting Broadway show, taking art classes or other kinds of workshops. I love a college-town vibe, although I don't care about sports whatsoever. Being near a major university would be lovely, as I am always looking to improve my mind, and there are usually great cultural opportunities available. Being a former Librarian, I need a decent library in town or very nearby. It doesn't have to be huge, but I prefer that it offers thousands of book choices, not just hundreds.
It's possible that my daughters and grandchildren might move to be near me, so a decent school system nearby would be wonderful. Also, numerous job opportunities in the area or in nearby cities would be preferred. I'm hoping not to have to drive more than about 20-30 minutes to get to a job or a cultural opportunity. DOES THIS PLACE EXIST??? I sure hope so! Two of the cities that I'm interested in are Summerville, South Carolina and Asheville, North Carolina. However, I cannot handle finding snakes on my front porch and in my yard. I've read some threads here that suggest this would be the case if I moved to those places. Besides the arty/bohemian feel of Asheville, I like the fact that it is only 2 hours away from several major cities.
ANY IDEAS, FRIENDS? I apologize for the length of this post, and thanks for taking the time to read this!!
First, get rid of that idea about snakes being everywhere. I am in my 80s, lived in several different types of housing, in several places. and I think I have seen about three or four small garden snakes in my lifetime.
Being a former Librarian, I need a decent library in town or very nearby. It doesn't have to be huge, but I prefer that it offers thousands of book choices, not just hundreds.
Agree here! The thing I miss most here on my west Texas farm is a good local library for my family history. One library I always wanted to go to was the LDS Library at SLC. I've stood in front of it twice but never had the time to visit.
Ever think about Texas? Maybe the Alpine area? It's growing. Texas has more small towns than you can shake a stick at.
Possibly southern Utah (St. George area), Texas, parts of New Mexico and AZ (kingman, Page, flagstaff), possibly parts of southern Colorado, maybe even parts of NV (Laughlin, Pahrump). Any further east and you will start getting humid very quickly, and further north and you will get snow, further west and you get expensive (Cali). Unless you want to consider the northwest, where it doesn't snow much but it does get cold (Oregon coast).
Two of the cities that I'm interested in are Summerville, South Carolina and Asheville, North Carolina.
I think you might like either of these. They fit your criterion except that you will still deal with ice, freezing rain, some snow in Asheville, but not in Summerville. Also the landscape is very different with Summerville being flat and Asheville in the mountains so depends on your preference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Padgett2
First, get rid of that idea about snakes being everywhere. I am in my 80s, lived in several different types of housing, in several places. and I think I have seen about three or four small garden snakes in my lifetime.
This^. If they were like you have been told, OP, I wouldn't be living in the South.
Summerville ,South Carolina is a beautiful town and area ( lived there as a child) . It is very humid though.
An area I would look into is the Chattanooga area of Tennessee , especially the area around Mont Eagle ( sp ?) ,The University of The South area .It is an absolutely beautiful area and you have the closeness of the college for things that go on culturally there and Chatanooga for other things .
Possibly southern Utah (St. George area), Texas, parts of New Mexico and AZ (kingman, Page, flagstaff), possibly parts of southern Colorado, maybe even parts of NV (Laughlin, Pahrump). Any further east and you will start getting humid very quickly, and further north and you will get snow, further west and you get expensive (Cali). Unless you want to consider the northwest, where it doesn't snow much but it does get cold (Oregon coast).
Flagstaff gets over 100" of snow
Page is pretty isolated, not much by the way of schools or cultural activity .... it exists because of the Glen Canyon dam and it's lifeblood is still the Glen Canyon Recreation Area and Lake Powell
Kingman could fit on some parts - but it's a bit love it/hate it
Other spots in AZ that could work are Prescott or a place like Sierra Vista
I like the suggestions about TN ..... issue that the OP may run into though would be humidity tolerance
a large town or small city (populations from roughly 15,000 to 90,000 ideally).
My most important needs are the following: a safe, low-crime area where a single woman doesn't have to fear for her life constantly, clean air/low allergens and clean water, good health care available, no big mold problem in homes (because of my lung problems), either no snow or light snowfall that leaves quickly, and ideally not more than moderate humidity. Oh, and I REALLY don't want to live in a major disaster zone!
I need an area where the cost of living is reasonable and not exorbitant. I can afford about $200,000 for a condo or home, and I'd like to live in a decent part of town and not a slummy area. (Who wouldn't, right?)
It's possible that my daughters and grandchildren might move to be near me, so a decent school system nearby would be wonderful. Also, numerous job opportunities in the area or in nearby cities would be preferred. I'm hoping not to have to drive more than about 20-30 minutes to get to a job or a cultural opportunity.
Northern California seems to fit the bill for much of this. There are plenty of towns where you can find houses (and certainly condos) for around $200,000. The sun if usually out, and if you stay out of the mountains, there's almost never any snow. Additionally, cities in California often top the lists of best places for allergy sufferers. However, I could understand if you're worried about the cost of living and don't want to head out there. But if you want to look into it, check out the areas around Redding, or Chico.
Since you mentioned lung problems, I'm just assuming you mean allergies. I looked around at where the best places for allergies are, and found a website you can check for what the "Allergy Capitals" of the US are. These are cities that are very problematic to allergy sufferers: AAFA 2013 Allergy Capitals Most of the best cities tend to be in the West, with the worst being in the South.
Boise, ID is surprisingly not bad for allergy sufferers. It obviously gets some snow, though - though I don't think nearly as much as Northern Utah. It also wouldn't be too bad of a move, since you wouldn't be going too far.
Here's a website where you can see what are the best and worst states for various allergies (just click the drop down menu to change the image): Current U.S. Allergy Maps - Mold Spores
I was going to suggest parts of TN but the areas I'm familiar with have the allergy issue, at least for me :-)
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