Anyone try a custom place? (Columbia, Greenville: mortgage, travel, jobs)

[Marks]

Greetings,

Has anyone tried "****"? (google it for web address). I did sometime ago when I was deep into my states research, it gives you about 25 cities based on answers you plug into it, and then gives about 25 cities that you would be "complable" with.

The majority of cites for us were located in the south, but only one in SC of which I have no plan to move to not even on my radar, it was Aiken. It was interesting to do and see the results, which at least put us in the right area.

Thanks

Mark

[Team Mom]

Yes, we did this too--many times. It's kinda what got us started with actually taking a step of inquiry on the nudge we were feeling to find our spot!

[Disney Dreamer]

I've done **** dot com also.

Here was my list:

Myrtle Beach, SC
Oxford, MS
Paris, TN
Winterville, NC
Mount Dora, FL
Hopkinsville, KY
Conroe, TX
Fort Pierce, FL
Marble Falls, TX
Murray, KY
Kerrville, TX
Gainesville, FL
Beaufort, SC

Oddly, none of them were the upstate of SC which is where we are wanting to move.

But as you say, Marks, it was interesting to do and see the results, which at least put us in the right area.

I've actually done it a couple of times changing my answers some to see if I could "make" them give me certain results that I was looking for but still the Greenville area never came up. Do you think it's sponsor driven at all? I hope not, I thought it asked pretty indepth questions and I really had fun doing it.

ETA: Do you know of any other sites like ****? I think they're pretty neat to do and I like reading about the towns.

[anonymous]

My list was:

Hampton, VA
Greenville, NC
Rocky Mount-Stony Creek, NC
Savannah, GA
Clarksville, TN
Tulsa, OK
Hickory, NC
Chattanooga, TN
Daytona Beach, FL
Durham, NC
Gainesville, FL
Murray, KY
Clearwater, FL
Bradenton, FL
Salisbury, NC
Edenton, NC
Guthrie, OK
Greenville, SC

It seems somewhat accurate. I didn't tell it to search only the south, but based on what I gave, it seemed to 'know' what I wanted.

[KMT]

Originally Posted by Disney Dreamer

I've done **** dot com also.

Here was my list:

Myrtle Beach, SC
Oxford, MS
Paris, TN
Winterville, NC
Mount Dora, FL
Hopkinsville, KY
Conroe, TX
Fort Pierce, FL
Marble Falls, TX
Murray, KY
Kerrville, TX
Gainesville, FL
Beaufort, SC

Oddly, none of them were the upstate of SC which is where we are wanting to move.

But as you say, Marks, it was interesting to do and see the results, which at least put us in the right area.

I've actually done it a couple of times changing my answers some to see if I could "make" them give me certain results that I was looking for but still the Greenville area never came up. Do you think it's sponsor driven at all? I hope not, I thought it asked pretty indepth questions and I really had fun doing it.

ETA: Do you know of any other sites like ****? I think they're pretty neat to do and I like reading about the towns.

Hey Disney...I would be happy to comment on your Florida locations if your interested.

Keith

[KMT]

Originally Posted by Marks

Greetings,

Has anyone tried "****"? (google it for web address). I did sometime ago when I was deep into my states research, it gives you about 25 cities based on answers you plug into it, and then gives about 25 cities that you would be "complable" with.

The majority of cites for us were located in the south, but only one in SC of which I have no plan to move to not even on my radar, it was Aiken. It was interesting to do and see the results, which at least put us in the right area.

Thanks

Mark

Mark,

Great site!!! I have not had a chance to explore all the information I was given, but I am very satisfied with my list:

Chattanooga TN
Greenville SC
Clarksville TN
Tulsa OK
Jackson MS
Athens GA
Johnson City-Kingsport TN
Knoxville TN
Tulsa OK
Rosewell GA
Louisville KY
Bowling Green KY
Nashville TN
Oklahoma City OK
Palm Springs CA
Columbia SC
Lexington KY
Memphis TN
Plano TX
Hickory NC
Atlanta GA
Tallahassee FL
Gainsville FL

[Disney Dreamer]

Originally Posted by anonymous

...snipped...It seems somewhat accurate. I didn't tell it to search only the south, but based on what I gave, it seemed to 'know' what I wanted.

This is good and I'm very glad to hear it. I thought it was a well thought out questionaire but I admit I was a bit thrown off when the results weren't coming back with what I thought they should be.

I know, it sounds silly. By the way, anonymous, I enjoy reading your posts. I appreciate how much thought and time you put in answering questions. Thank you.

Originally Posted by KMT

Hey Disney...I would be happy to comment on your Florida locations if your interested.

Keith

Oh Keith, I would LOVE to move to Florida. In my silly head I think it is very close to a tropical paradise. I love the steady flow of sunshine and I love that it's warm all year long and I love the laid back lifestyle that Florida seems to emanate. I just LOVE it there. Funny thing is, I was supposed to move to Florida twice but for various reasons it never happened. The first time was when my aunt and uncle, whom I had lived with for several years, moved in the middle of my 11th grade year. I was mortified to think that I couldn't finish out my senior year with my class so I stayed behind and lived with one of my teachers and sadly I did not make it down at that time.
The second time was when I was 21. Things in my life had gotten a little out of control as could be expected when you have a kid that's pretty much been on their own since they were 17. At 21 I had spent a week and a half at my aunts home in Ft. Myers and I had looked for jobs and it was settled that I was moving back in with them. I even left my cat so that I was sure to come back. I left to get my belongings but somehow (I say somehow but I know it was the Lord and Divine Intervention.) I ended up in Pickens, South Carolina on my way back down to Florida. We don't know why or how things happen when they do but now looking back I know it was the best thing that could have happened. To make a long story short. . . I found a great church where I became grounded, great friends who shared the same values and beliefs and several months later a great guy who is now my husband! We've been happily married for almost 9 years.
I fell in love with South Carolina and I was proud to call it home but alas, I *thought* I missed my family from N.J. Well we've all heard the saying that "Absence makes the heart grow fonder". I should have kept it that way. We settled on Delaware because it was close to N.J. where my family is from and closer to my DH's family and also because it was cheaper. And, I've never liked Delaware. And then some of my family migrated over here and now I get to see the drama all the time! And that's no picnic!!

DH and I started our search for a new home in Florida, actually. After a visit to my aunt and uncle's home my DH also fell in love with Florida and we go to Disney every year (sometimes more than once a year ) but that probably doesn't count. But when we started looking at home prices, they were barely any less than what they were going for up here. So basically, we would sell this house and manage to pay off this mortgage and then we'd have enough to put down on a new home but we'd still have a slightly large mortgage. And then there is the job issue. It appears that housing is going for just about the same as they are priced here in Delaware but the jobs do not pay as much. And then there was the issue with land. They aren't making any more land in Florida and it's getting more and more crowded everyday. So with all of these factors in mind DH said he no longer wants to move to Florida.
In doing our research we have discovered that homes and land in South Carolina (specifically in the Pickens area where we want to go) are still VERY much affordable. Our goal is to sell our home here which we will make a substantial profit off of it. Buy a home and a few acres of land in S.C. for cash and put the rest away in savings. These steps alone will catapault us ahead financially 15 years. Of course we'll have to work but there is something freeing in knowing that we won't have to work soul-sucking jobs for the rest of our lives just to keep a roof over our head! I want to go to school at Clemson Univ. where they offer a major in Industrial Engineering and DH would like to get into a career with something to do with Forestry.
In doing my research on Industrial Engineering I did see that several schools in Florida offer this major and that was hard but I feel more and more that S.C. is a good choice. I loved it before when I lived there and I truly felt like it was home. But, I would be fooling myself if I said that I still wasn't drawn to Florida.
I would love to hear some things about these towns though if you wouldn't mind sharing.

I apologize that this post became so long.

[mom2gurls]

did mine as well....lo and behold.....ashville, nc, charlotte, COLUMBIA,SC, research triangle park, atlanta, savannah, all came up in MY TOP 10.....I hope this is a sign that we may end up reloing to columbia...I really hope so.

[Marks]

Originally Posted by Disney Dreamer

...I left to get my belongings but somehow (I say somehow but I know it was the Lord and Divine Intervention.) I ended up in Pickens, South Carolina on my way back down to Florida. We don't know why or how things happen when they do but now looking back I know it was the best thing that could have happened. To make a long story short. . . I found a great church where I became grounded, great friends who shared the same values and beliefs...

In doing our research we have discovered that homes and land in South Carolina (specifically in the Pickens area where we want to go) are still VERY much affordable. Our goal is to sell our home here which we will make a substantial profit off of it. Buy a home and a few acres of land in S.C. for cash and put the rest away in savings. These steps alone will catapault us ahead financially 15 years...and DH would like to get into a career with something to do with Forestry.

Good morning Disney,

You and I have talked about the Pickens area before. I keep coming back to this area in my quest maybe the Lord? could be I liked your story about moving to Pickens. When you and your husband get there and my wife and I get there we should meet up for coffee As a matter of fact I've been thinking that we should put together some kind of contact list so when us regulars to this list finally get there we can all meet for a reunion

I was thinking just what your husband was about the forestry job! tell him we should network and share information about job in that field when we get there. Also, your description about the financial part is the very same with us. If we sell our land here we will buy land, build our home, put the rest in the bank, and live for God without $$ worries.

Thanks,

Mark

[KMT]

I apologize that this post became so long. [/quote]

Long posts are fine with me...you really speak from your heart. Florida is a melting pot of various value systems and beliefs. If you are looking for people who are "cut from the same cloth" you will not find them in the fastest growing areas of the state. The more rural ones you will however. North Florida and many of the sentral counties resemble this statement. The coastal communities (as you would imagine) are the fastest growing.

Florida is also a recreation state and a retirement state. Living here amongst tourism and the elderly makes younger, working residents somewhat intolerant to the recreational and retired lifestyle, if you know what I mean.

Ft. Pierce is just south of me and is the county seat for St. Lucie County. It is just North of Port St. Lucie,which is one of the fastest growing communities in the United States.

Ft. Pierce is not exempt from the congestion such growth creates. Ft. Pierce is the home of the Indian River Community College, probibly the finest CC in the State. It is currently trying to become a four year university through a partnership with Florida Atlantic University.

Ft. Pierce is also a working class town with much crime and racial divisions. There are many nice areas there, but it generally has a negative reputation from a crime and race standpoint. I also wonder about the economy if Ft. Pierce. The mal and the outlet mall there both died a slow death several years ago and now shoppers must travel to Jensen Beach to the South of Vero Beach to the North for those type of shopping needs.

It has a port, beaches, and many inland waterway recreational activities.

Mt. Dora is a beautiful community. It is located just north and west of Orlando in Lake County. Being that it is located in the center of the State, it is along "Florida's Ridge" and therefore enjoys some elevation. I remember a trip there once when we parked on the brick streets of the downtown area to go shopping. We had to set the parking brake because of the incline!

Mt. Dora is very clean and is a nice place to live and raise a family. I understand many people tired of the congestion of Orlando live there and commute or just moved there from Orlando all together.

Lake County is probibly one of the prettiest counties in the State with many nice, clean cities. Taveres and Euestus (SP), and Howney-in-the Hills come to mind. If you like Disney, this is as good as it gets near there.

Gainesville is the home of the University of Florida. If I were a Gator fan, I would have nothing but great things to say! Seriously, I have been through there but never spent enough time to give you an informed opinion. It too is located in a beautiful part of the state along "Florida's Ridge" (much more north however).

If I were to give anyone advice about moving to Florida, I would say this:

Unless you REALLY REALLY REALLY want to live by the beach, live somewhere in the center to north central counties along the ridge, i.e., Lake, Alaucha, Suwannee, or up toward the capital in Leon or Jefferson county.

Temperatures are still hot and humid (and probibly lack the coastal breeze), but winters are also cooler and there is more of a seasonal feel.

With the influx of countless new coastal residents from all over the country, these counties still resemble much of what natives here remember as "old Florida."

No discussion about Florida would be complete without mentioning hurricanes. No part of Florida is safe. While these areas are as far inland as you can go, they are not exempt from category force winds as the 2004 season demonstrated!

Just my two cents Hope it was helpful.

Keith