Seattlite looking for a new town to move to (Seattle: insurance, how much)

[Xanathos]

I hear a lot about what *you* want, but you aren't saying much about the husband. I can tell you that most people who like the climate here hate it in Texas. Texas is miserable in the summer. You'll be on that C-D forums talking about how you want to move because it's too hot.

I'd say look at Boise since you're looking for a slower pace and different weather. Not too hot most of the time (for the husband that isn't factoring in very much), not too cold (for you), doesn't get anywhere near the cloud cover and rain, has access to some water, etc.

[evergraystate]

Originally Posted by seattlerain

Just watch out for the roads down there, SF and San Jose are tied for the 2nd worst roads in the country.

Says who?

[RustinginSeattle]

My husband is a loyal midwesterner who doesn't think about change. It will take 2 years or more of talking to him about it before he will even consider it. That's why I have to find the "just right" place before I plant the seed. :-) He grew up in Chicago and went to school in Western Michigan, so I think his biggest requirement is not a lot of snow. He loves the water and looking at the mountains (we don't spend much time in them). He would do Hawaii, but knowing how hard it is to get him to move once, I'm not sure Hawaii is a good choice because I would do it on a trial basis. I LOVE the weather, but don't love that I'm limited on an island. I think I would be ok with Texas heat, but I'm not sure he would.

He really likes to play outdoors, so I think he would enjoy a place where it's nicer more of the year, so we would want to bike, hike, swim more. I know we can do all that here, but I just struggle to make myself go outside when the weather is dreary. It just shuts me down and makes me want to spend too much time in front of the computer. I was just now trying to convince my 4 year old to go outside. Apparently I'm setting a bad example, because she won't.

My husband would never go for Arizona and I have to admit that I miss the trees when I'm in the desert. I actually prefer a more humid heat. I've actually gone running in Las Vegas in 115 degree weather (yeah, I'm no genius) and the thing that struck me most wasn't the heat, it was the fact that I couldn't keep any moisture in my mouth!

I have a good friend who moved to the Bay area right after college who says she would never move back here. She loves the weather there. I think I would really like it too. I know traffic is bad down there, but hey, it's no cakewalk around here. In fact, I find myself rarely wanting to leave Ballard. I would just love to pick Ballard up and plop it down in a warm climate!

As much as I want to move, I know it's a HUGE decision to pick up your whole family and put them in a new place, not to mention a really big financial decision. I would love to move somewhere more affordable, but worry about the environment. Would a native Seattlelite be ok in the Carolina's or would that be too much of a shock to my system. Does everyone in Florida/Texas walk around with a gun in their pocket? I just don't have enough experience with other places to figure this out.

In the meantime, I will keep researching. I love the suggestions, so keep 'em coming!

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by evergraystate

Says who?

SF should be 4th based on this list and NY should be 2nd. And we are just slightly better than Boston and Chicago.

1. Honolulu (58 hours)
2. Los Angeles (56 hours)
3. San Francisco (48 hours)
4. New York (57 hours)
5. Bridgeport, CT (42 hours)
6. Washington, D.C. (45 hours)
7. Seattle (33 hours)
8. Austin (30 hours)
9. Boston (35 hours)
10. Chicago (36 hours)

INRIX names top 10 worst traffic cities (and tells drivers how to avoid gridlock) - GeekWire

And Evergray if you've ever taken 101 South from SF at 5:00 p.m., you know it's not pretty.

[RustinginSeattle]

Inkpoe, Sorry to hear about your pregnancy keeping you down for now. I would love to hear where you end up at. Is your husband game to move, too? The places that you mentioned intrigue me. I'm brimming with envy right now when I talk to my sister-in-law in Chicago and they had a 96 degree Memorial Day weekend. They spent tons of time at the pool or on the slip and slide. I don't think they bother selling slip and slides around here! ;-)

I always hated it when I was a teenager and I would get out of school in June all ready for summer, then we wouldn't get sun for at least 3 more weeks. I even craved hot summers back then. I think I read too many books about playing in the hot sun during summer vacations, but rarely experienced it! :-)

It's also so hilarious that when the sun/heat does come out around here, people go into a panic - where are we going to go? What are we going to do? Quick take advantage of it before it's gone! We get more hyped up instead of more relaxed like places where people are accustomed to experiencing heat.

[evergraystate]

Originally Posted by Seacove

SF should be 4th based on this list and NY should be 2nd. And we are just slightly better than Boston and Chicago.

1. Honolulu (58 hours)
2. Los Angeles (56 hours)
3. San Francisco (48 hours)
4. New York (57 hours)
5. Bridgeport, CT (42 hours)
6. Washington, D.C. (45 hours)
7. Seattle (33 hours)
8. Austin (30 hours)
9. Boston (35 hours)
10. Chicago (36 hours)

INRIX names top 10 worst traffic cities (and tells drivers how to avoid gridlock) - GeekWire

Oh IC, so you're talking about people living inside the CITY of San Francisco, not San Jose as you previously stated and not the peninsula as you implied. Thanks for clearing that up.

Originally Posted by Seacove

And Evergray if you've ever taken 101 South from SF at 5:00 p.m., you know it's not pretty.

Ever heard of a little freeway called the 280? If you're going from SF to SJ theres absolutely no reason to be on the 101. I'm surprised you didn't know that. The only people using the 101 are San Mateo county commuters and most of those have the option of using Cal Train.

[Seacove]

1. 280 is not that much better.
2. Depending on where you get on 280, it may not take you where you want to go since it starts East of 101 and crosses West of 101.
3. I'm not the one who cited the initial comment, seattlerain did, but they were not exactly wrong about the traffic being bad. I was just surprised you challenged it.

You are very defensive about the Bay Area, not sure why. It's a great area, much too populated, but still great. Calm down and move back so you can be happy again. Your attitude is not healthy.

OP if you are considering the Bay Area, you should consider South Bay where it's really sunny and nice. There's the pricey areas like Los Gatos but there's also less expensive areas further south from there like Morgan Hill which I think got hit by the recession or South on 17 toward Santa Cruz is town called Scotts Valley, just minutes to the (warm) ocean but the commute on 17 isn't fun.

[Xanathos]

Originally Posted by RustinginSeattle

My husband is a loyal midwesterner who doesn't think about change. It will take 2 years or more of talking to him about it before he will even consider it. That's why I have to find the "just right" place before I plant the seed. :-) He grew up in Chicago and went to school in Western Michigan, so I think his biggest requirement is not a lot of snow. He loves the water and looking at the mountains (we don't spend much time in them). He would do Hawaii, but knowing how hard it is to get him to move once, I'm not sure Hawaii is a good choice because I would do it on a trial basis. I LOVE the weather, but don't love that I'm limited on an island. I think I would be ok with Texas heat, but I'm not sure he would.

He really likes to play outdoors, so I think he would enjoy a place where it's nicer more of the year, so we would want to bike, hike, swim more. I know we can do all that here, but I just struggle to make myself go outside when the weather is dreary. It just shuts me down and makes me want to spend too much time in front of the computer. I was just now trying to convince my 4 year old to go outside. Apparently I'm setting a bad example, because she won't.

My husband would never go for Arizona and I have to admit that I miss the trees when I'm in the desert. I actually prefer a more humid heat. I've actually gone running in Las Vegas in 115 degree weather (yeah, I'm no genius) and the thing that struck me most wasn't the heat, it was the fact that I couldn't keep any moisture in my mouth!

I have a good friend who moved to the Bay area right after college who says she would never move back here. She loves the weather there. I think I would really like it too. I know traffic is bad down there, but hey, it's no cakewalk around here. In fact, I find myself rarely wanting to leave Ballard. I would just love to pick Ballard up and plop it down in a warm climate!

As much as I want to move, I know it's a HUGE decision to pick up your whole family and put them in a new place, not to mention a really big financial decision. I would love to move somewhere more affordable, but worry about the environment. Would a native Seattlelite be ok in the Carolina's or would that be too much of a shock to my system. Does everyone in Florida/Texas walk around with a gun in their pocket? I just don't have enough experience with other places to figure this out.

In the meantime, I will keep researching. I love the suggestions, so keep 'em coming!

I stand by my original listing of Boise after reading that. It's a highly underrated city. I've long been surprised that it's never become more popular, aside from the obvious reaction people make of "What? Boise?!"

[StealthRabbit]

1) San Diego
2) Austin, TX
3) Birmingham, AL (if you must go south... not high on my list)

Maui might work, my S-i-L has lived there (virtually for free) for 30 yrs by 'House-sitting'

[Seacove]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

I stand by my original listing of Boise after reading that. It's a highly underrated city. I've long been surprised that it's never become more popular, aside from the obvious reaction people make of "What? Boise?!"

Boise? I had to go there once years ago. I missed the turn returning to the airport but had no problem turning around, it was a dirt road at the end. Too small unless OP likes that sort of thing. I still think the South Bay Area.