Down east Maine to warmer climate

[Mike from back east]

Bonnie: Like Jbob says, please keep CO in mind. Rather than repeat all that's posted in the CO Forum, visit there and read "Why Choose Colorado Springs" and you may find it meets your needs. We discuss CO weather in detail in another thread in the CO Forum. I think we have what you're looking for.

Other aspects to consider. If you lived in NC or SC and drove to Maine to visit family, you'll probably be on the highway for two days, with a motel vist, food and gas and tolls for highways north of Baltimore (my home town). That will probably add up to about $300-400 round trip, plus two days of awful driving in each direction on the I-95 or I-81 corridors. For the same money or a few bucks more you can fly from Denver or Colorado Springs round trip and not drive 4 days.

Housing prices here are more affordable than most coastal areas. Our utility bill (gas heat/hot water/cooking; electric; water; sewer) for a 3800 sq ft home have not exceed $250 in any month, less now without heating. We are one of the lower cost states for natural gas, we have lots of it and out local utility has long term contracts at affordable rates.

We get great sunsets over the Rockies, good breezes, lots to do. No ocean but our rivers and resevoirs are popular. Tons of parks, etc.

We are a state of very healthy people, and are having a hospital building boom in Denver and Colorado Springs. Lots of good doctors here.

Most retirees in CO have up to $20,000 of their income exempted by the state, we are one of the lower-cost tax states.

Anywhere east of the Mississippi you'll get hot humid summers. Not here.

Best Wishes to You in Your Search.

s/Mike

[cinny8888]

i think it is a trade off. i have lived in both new england and texas. the people are more open to friendship i think in texas. lot more heat and a lot more bugs.
and new england is beautiful. all around i prefer the south. but i do like the winters in new england!!!
take a trip there if you can afford to do so and check the south out>

cinny

[Crackerjack]

Bonnie and others looking for better weather but the Maine feel, you might try looking down near Williamsburg, Virginia. Especially go down into Maryland from Pocomoke City on Hwy 13 down through Mappsville, Tasley, Willis Wharf, Quinby, Nassawadox, Bay View and Kiptopeke on into Virginia Beach and then up I 64 to Williamsburg. Off of Kiptopeke, there is the Cape Charles Lighthouse. You can also swing up Hwy 17 and check out all the coastal towns off of Chesapeake Bay. It has the coastal look of Maine and the historic buildings and such. It is as close as one can get to having the ocean and having better weather both. The summers are warmer but tolerable on the ocean and the winters are fine. Hope this helps!

[Crackerjack]

Also I wanted to mention that off of Hwy 13 is Cape Charles and there are some sites that will tell you more like CapeCharles org also Baydreaming com has some pics of the area. The lighthouse isn't much to look at, especially like the beautiful ones you have up in Maine, but they do have one.

[GAisGreat]

bonnie, although personally I prefer the north to the south...Having grown up in the north and lived in Texas and the South, I would say Alabama isn't going to be that much better than Texas if heat is what you are concerned about. Austin really isn't that bad, it's a dry heat vs. the South where its a combo high temps and humidity. Now as far as heat, Florida is hell on earth! If you want more of a happy medium, I would consider Tennessee or maybe even North/South Carolina. South Carolina is hotter, but more Southern. North Carolina, if you go Western Carolina, the climate is more 'northern' than Texas or Alabama. Consider Nashville, it's doesn't really get too extreme w/the heat, as cold as winter gets in the South and tons of growth.

[mookey]

Bonnie,
We moved from Mass. to Austin,TX 4 years ago and moved to Georgetown this June--- my husband lived in Mass his entire life and I'm from SE Texas. Honestly, the person that commented about the Austin traffic has never been to Houston or Dallas for that matter. The traffic getting down to Austin (we have a back road we take that Noone is ever on) takes us about 25 min. then to get into the center of downtown from there is about another 15-25 min, depending on how far S you need to go. My husband honestly feels "at home" for the first time since he moved out of his parents house 18 years ago. Our neighborhood is GREAT, the schools our kids go to are wonderful and our neighbors are fabulous. While the summers are warm, they're nothing like Houston, Baltimore (where we've lived as well) or even a humid New England day. We do have warm days that get a bit humid, but the humidity dissipates within a few days. We have beautiful big skies, wonderful for viewing sunsets, stars, etc... one of the things I missed most when I didn't live in TX. His family that has come to visit our Georgetown house loves it here and now they all want to come live in our little piece of paradise!

[lisabert]

I originally come from Wisconsin and although Texas has a lot to offer in terms of plentiful jobs, great schools, dirt cheap cost of housing, the best in medicine, incredible shopping and entertainment there are numerous disadvantages.
The biggest disadvantage is the ALLERGIES!!! OMG!!! I live in Austin, Texas and absolutely cannot stand having YEAR ROUND ALLERGIES. I am constantly sick and the minute I get better, 2 days later I start the whole sick process over again. And it's not just me, every person I talk to in Austin has some kind of allergies, including my own toddler!! And this cannot be healthy over time. Anyway this has gone on ever since I moved to Texas. I have NEVER before moving to Texas had ANY allergies whatsoever. In addition, there are many poisonous critters in Texas, that a Northerner would be totally clueless of until they get here and experience it first hand. I have been bitten several times by FIRE ANTS which are extremely common here and have had severe allergic reactions / anaphalactic reactions several times. Keep in mind that I RARELY EVER go outside!!! So it's not like I am asking for it. There are also FLEAS/CHIGGERS. I don't know what to call them in Texas but they are absolutely disgusting!! And they are easy to acquire if you have youngsters or people who are outside in your yard that could bring them into your house. Once that happens, it's a nightmare to get rid of and the constant feeling of being bit even when you are sleeping is more than I could handle. And then we have the weather!! It's unpredictable and like the extreme cold in the Northern regions of the U.S., Texas is EXTREMELY HOT and HUMID (above 90 degrees EVERYDAY) from about May - October. People like myself generally stay indoors during that time, the same as people in the North would stay indoors during the winter months. So I don't see a big advantage to living here.
So I am looking for a better place to live because even though Texas has a lot of good things, MY HEALTH is the PRIORITY!!! Without your health you have nothing and you cannot enjoy all there is to offer. So I was thinking of moving either to the Carolina's, Colorado, or Oregon. Can anybody offer me any hope or suggestions??

[teatime]

Hi Bonnie,
I moved to Texas from New Hampshire more than 13 years ago and have never regretted it. I moved for health reasons -- I could not take the cold any longer and had horrible migraines so my neurologist recommended moving to a warm climate.

I spent most of this time in South Texas -- once my son started school, it was difficult to uproot him and I had bought a house. But when my son went off to college last year, I moved to West Texas and like it SO much better for a lot of reasons.

West Texas actually has seasons! It doesn't have the high humidity that much of the state suffers, and Spring and Fall are lovely. We get some snow in the winter -- enough to be pretty but not enough to be problematic -- but our winter is still reasonably mild. July and August are generally hot but without the humidity it's much easier to take. You're right -- New England is beautiful, but I find the West Texas landscape lovely, too, in a more rugged way. The plateaus and canyons are gorgeous! The sunsets are breath-taking.

There's heat, and then there's heat. Even though I'm disabled, the heat doesn't keep me locked inside in the summer because it's generally a dry heat and much more tolerable than any place with high humidity. Last summer was different because we barely and rarely got into the 90s and never came close to hitting 100. Still, at its very worst, July and August will be quite hot but by mid-September, it's ebbing.

The cost of living here is quite low. MUCH lower than other states would be. I'm in my 40s and disabled so I needed to find a place where I could retire affordably and happily. I'm content here. Tax rates are frozen in many counties here for the disabled and elderly, so I know I won't be taxed out of my home. I'm always shocked at how high food, utilities and gas are when I visit family in the Northeast and I forget how good we have it down here! West Texas is now home to the largest wind farms in the country and we have an incredible amount of choice as to our electricity suppliers. And, of course, we have oil.

Things I still miss? New England SEAFOOD! I desperately miss inexpensive lobster dinners, LOL, and all of the fresh seafood I love! Catfish doesn't cut it, you know?! The glorious fall foliage! NO place in the nation has more beautiful Fall beauty. I used to miss the quaint New England towns until I discovered that Texas also has lovely towns, particularly in the Hill Country, like Fredericksburg.

In some ways, Texans are a lot like New Englanders -- strong, independent, and practical. Politically, I'm a moderate and I don't believe I could live in a place that was overly liberal nor overly conservative. Folks decry much of Texas as overly conservative, but I don't find West Texas to be so. South Texas was too liberal for my liking. But all of Texas is friendly -- much more so than New England.

Good luck in your decision! Honestly, I wouldn't rule out Texas.

[gootziecat]

GAisgreat, I wouldn't be so quick to recommend Nashville as a great place to live. While it's true the weather is more moderate than new england, the warmer months are so humid, they are difficult to endure. Studying the humidity of both FL and TN can show the humidity is so similar it isn't worth arguing about. I'm in the middle/western part of the state and I spend a good deal of summer indoors.
TN has a real air pollution problem until you get around Clarksville or past. At least where I am, the main activity is boating, camping and fishing. This is part of the bible belt and unless you participate in church activities, you better like traveling or things you can do at home. It's forty minutes to the nearest Walmart, good restaurants far between and about anything else you can think of. We have a lot of tornado activity as well. The cost of living is very good here, but I'm dying a slow death and I'm looking to get out. Guess we all have our ideas what is a great place to live.