[watsont3]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

Wouldnt be interested then. Crime is a big concern for me and one thing that makes Oil city desirable(for me) is the below average crime. What did you find in those 10 years? Which states were most affordable with least crime? How much $$$$ or how rich would I need to be?
.

I looked at Oil City on city data and Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed and it does look interesting.
From experience, I suggest a trip, maybe 2 or 3 if you can swing it preferably in different seasons, and spend a few days there. We have been to a number of places that looked good online and the weather and other statistics looked favorable but when we visited, it wasn't what we expected.
I see where you can find that there are a lot of homes under $50,000. The real estate website that I was on had a number. (Most were mobile homes but there were a few stick built homes in the price range.) During your trip, I would at least ride by these homes to see if they are what you want.
While you are there, speak to the workers at your hotel, waitresses and waiters, local cops and firefighters or anyone else local to find out what it is really like to live there. This way you will find out if your perception of Oil City agrees with the real thing. Good luck.

[MomsTn]

Sounds like where we live.
The truth is, that in the winter, besides lasting so long, doesn't give you many days of actual sunshine.
It's mostly cold, and gloomy.

All of the salt from the roads causes rust all over your cars, even if you rust proof them, they will eventually start to rust.
In the winter you don't notice as much, but, as soon as all that snow melts, all the pot holes and cracks in the roads submerge.
Then, you go through all of the road construction to fix those holes, which lasts until the next winter, and then, the process starts all over again.

Try walking out to your mailbox when the temp is below zero.... see how your lungs feel.... it hurts, and you wish you hadn't even walked out to get that mail.

If and when Spring finally comes... I say if, because sometimes, with the long winters you think Spring has come, only to have it last a few weeks and then, right into the hot muggy summers.
High humidity, and air conditioners.

Oh, and lets not forget the tornadoes.
You can always feel it in the air, the humidity goes way up, and it gets real still, and the air is so stagnant....
People have gotten so used to hearing the sirens go off, that half the time they ignore them, so, when a tornado does touch down, they are caught off guard.

Awwwwwww but, if you love winter, and winter activities, well, hey...
you would love it here.

Originally Posted by ekrz44

Need_affordable_home....you just won the......Understatment of the Day Award!

Truth:
Winters aren't 2, 3, or 4 months long. More like 6, 7, and 8 months long.
And our summers are 90+ temps with heat indexes into the 100's. We only get a small handfull of days without humidity.
We don't have temperate climate. We have really freakin hot, and really freakin cold.



Need_affordable_home:
"Ill take a little cold over the rentless heat and destructive hurricanes. Its 55 outside and I got my window open and 74 degrees inside. Tallrick would feel a little too warm even at this temperature! I checked how cold it gets up north in March and the highs are 50-60 with lows a little above freezing. Whats so bad about this? I dream of cooler weather everyday and being in a better location than miserable south FL. Soon this will be a reality"

Truth:
A "little cold"? Right now in beautiful downtown Chicago it's 17 degrees with a 4 degree windchill. Uh hem....psst...it's March 6th. But our high today is 31! Which means it will take all day to get that "warm", and then we'll stay there for about an hour, and proceed to slide right into a deep freeze again.
Where did you check about "up north"? Which up north? Tallahasee?

Oh and yes, there are no hurricanes in the midwest. Nope not one!
However, we do contend with tornadoes.....12 months a year.

Peace.

[Wisteria]

NAH, why are you only focusing on the eastern seaboard area? I know you mentioned California before, but that is out of your price range. If it is mostly the heat that is bothering you, then you, as has been said before, need to take trips to places during the middle of summer. Being from the northeast and now living in the west, I can say that the dry heat is MUCH more comfortable at 90 than anything 75 or above back east in the humidity!!

You seem to be looking for two main things: lack of high heat, and cheaper housing.

I think that Oregon would be a good bet, or maybe someplace along the front range of Colorado, or the state of Washington. It's either going to be really hot and humid most places, or very hot and dry, or too expensive. Most places do not have ideal weather, except for places like San Diego. If you are bothered by only 80 degrees there, maybe it is the humidity that is affecting you. Therefore, all the states you have talked about on the eastcoast will all have that same humidity -- and 75 - 95 degrees up northeast are horrible in the summer! If humidity is the main factor (and it will be anyplace in the summer on the eastcoast), then you should really be focusing on drier heat in the west, especially the northwest.

A higher elevation is good, too, because that allows the hot air to cool down at night. I loved living in Colorado because there wasn't that nasty humidity, it would be very comfortable during the day in the 80s, and at night, it cooled down quickly into the 50s. It was such a relief from the eastcoast to not have to try to sleep while sweating! Plus, the little snow one got (on the front range, not in the ski areas) melted very quickly, so it wasn't one long awful winter.

And anyplace will have its pros and cons. If you are truly serious about moving, then I highly suggest you take a trip all around the country during the summer and check out various places. I know you mentioned a tour bus once for Wyoming, and if you don't want to drive all over the country, there is the Greyhound Discovery pass, which is a way to travel for 15 or 30 days and get on and off the bus at various cities, maybe stay a night there, and then get back on and go to someplace else. I know a number of people who have done this before, and it's worked out well. You don't have to do the driving, you get to see the scenery, you pay one flat fee, and you can get on and off at any Greyhound station in the country. I think it is usually advertised for foreign visitors, but it is also available to Americans. Here is the link:

http://www.discoverypass.com/

It sounds like you're driving yourself crazy trying to figure this out -- just randomly taking "facts" and then choosing a place based on that. Going to a place and feeling it for yourself is the best way. As has been said before, some places look good on paper but not in person.

I highly suggest getting out there and doing a cross-country bus tour and see what's available. You need to see these places for yourself, and during the middle of the summer!!

[Figment 07]

Originally Posted by Wisteria

If you are truly serious about moving, then I highly suggest you take a trip all around the country during the summer and check out various places. I know you mentioned a tour bus once for Wyoming, and if you don't want to drive all over the country, there is the Greyhound Discovery pass, which is a way to travel for 15 or 30 days and get on and off the bus at various cities, maybe stay a night there, and then get back on and go to someplace else. I know a number of people who have done this before, and it's worked out well. You don't have to do the driving, you get to see the scenery, you pay one flat fee, and you can get on and off at any Greyhound station in the country.

http://www.discoverypass.com

I highly suggest getting out there and doing a cross-country bus tour and see what's available. You need to see these places for yourself, and during the middle of the summer!!

That is a fantastic suggestion, Wisteria!

I'd actually subscribe and pay to read the journal/blog from that trip: "In Seach of Affordable America"!

Do it, Need_affordable_home!

[Wisteria]

Figment 07 That is a fantastic suggestion, Wisteria!

I'd actually subscribe and pay to read the journal/blog from that trip: "In Seach of Affordable America"!

Do it, Need_affordable_home!

Thanks! It's really a cool deal, but most people are unaware of it. I found out about it years ago from a journalist (speaking of blogs) friend of mine who did it across the country. Then I used it when looking for places, and other people I know have done it. What I did was to rent a car when I got to certain cities, and then drove around the areas. I ended up out here in California because I had a place to stay, but I got to see a lot of other places on the cheap!

This would be a good way -- like you said -- for NAH to make some extra money with his computer!!! Not only could it be an on-line diary/blog, but he could also do a U-tube thing, too!! It could be the "Sweat Factor," and he could film how he felt sweat-wise in each city!!

Hey, NAH, here's a great opportunity to both make money and find a new home!! I can see it now - there's a movie in the works!!

[Need_affordable_home]

A 30 day grayhound pass is $522 but the cost of renting a car, hotel, eating out, gas, etc is around $150 a day times 30 plus $522 is over $5000 for a month trip! Thats expensive and money I dont have! Even if I did, theres better things to spend it on. I can afford the trip to Oil city however, still saving for it.

As for heat index, the difference is about 10 degrees at most, for instance 103 degrees in Las Vegas made me as miserable as 93 degrees in south FL. 75 degrees is very tolerable anywhere. The midwest actually gets hotter than the northeast but its a dry heat so its equally miserable. I checked the temperatures in the northeast and it gets nowhere near as hot and humid as south FL. Oil city has many days that dont even reach 80 for a high and it very rarely gets to 90 and if it does, the a/c at home or shopping will take care of that, I wont be caught outdoors! Oil city nights cool down to 60 which means I can open the window and go ahhhhhh

The only better climate really is the maritime west and its expensive everywhere. Nice houses can go for half a million whereas I can get one in the northeast for under $100k, possible as low as $50k!

How much do 2000 square feet houses with basements go in your desirable Colorado area you speak highly of weatherwise? I can get a 2000 square feet house in the northeast for(already mentioned above)

It doesnt matter, almost anywhere is better than this miserable south FL location that I reside. Theres not much I like about my location and I cant wait to get out.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

How much do 2000 square feet houses with basements go in your desirable Colorado area you speak highly of weatherwise? I can get a 2000 square feet house in the northeast for(already mentioned above)

Maybe the next question is.... why do you NEED a huge 2000 square foot house for one person? Especially when that space will more than likely be functionally obsolete?

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

It doesnt matter, almost anywhere is better than this miserable south FL location that I reside. Theres not much I like about my location and I cant wait to get out.

I spent my Spring Break in Downtown West Palm Beach (cityplace), and am unfortunately back in North Florida looking at the dead grass. Already I wish I were back down there! Went to the beach to see the blue waters (still too cold to swim in the water this time of year... I only swim when the water temp is 77+ degrees), went strolling through the old historic neighborhoods, went shopping at stores I can't find around here unless I drive hours and hours ... had the opportunity to go to a cocktail party on Palm Beach at an estate house directly on the ocean and watched the lunar eclipse over the calm waters as the ships went by... the zoo, the fast paced development and redevelopment of downtown, temperatures in the 70s (this is the best time of year for South Florida), sunshine, crazy New Yorkers, South Americans and Europeans everywhere with exotic accents, old ladies in pink and lime green clothes sporting handbags that equal my monthly mortgage payment, PALM TREES................. all the weird and the good and the bad and the unique... I can't wait to move down there permanently!!


I guess what I'm saying is that your perspective is not the only one when it comes to the desirability of "your location"... and indeed, yours might be more skewed than most.

[Wisteria]

A 30 day grayhound pass is $522 but the cost of renting a car, hotel, eating out, gas, etc is around $150 a day times 30 plus $522 is over $5000 for a month trip! Thats expensive and money I dont have! Even if I did, theres better things to spend it on. I can afford the trip to Oil city however, still saving for it.

Well, I guess you live a lot more expensively than I do. First of all, you don't stop at every single place in the U.S., you just target maybe 5-8 of your serious choices. Now, if you have friends elsewhere, you can stay with them (which is what I did -- I doubled up visiting with staying someplace). Also, remember, many times you can be on the bus overnight, thus not spending money on hotels, and your food can easily be purchased cheaply -- for me, I bought fruit, and nuts, and juices. It's only a short trip - it's not meant to be a lifestyle. Car rentals can be cheap, too -- $28/day, and often gas is included. You figure out the schedule, you sleep on the bus, you get off during the daylight hours, you tool around and check things out. You meet with realtors, you check out the universities, stuff like that. There are also youth hostels in the U.S.

I would never spend $5,000 on a trip like that. It's merely to explore, to get a feel for things, hopefully, you would have friends or relatives in other places, and you have a place to stay. If not, those good ol' Motel 8s are cheap enough. This is not meant to be a vacation.

There are many ways to do it for a whole lot less! If your heart is set on Oil City, then go there. It just seems like a lot of money to spend on one trip to one city, and then if that isn't "the" city, you lose out. Take that same money, look at the trip as an exploration trip, eat cheap, sleep at night on the bus, and voila, you have all the places checked out! It just doesn't sound like you're that interested in exploring in person, but would rather just look at stats and on-line stuff instead of the real place.

I hope you love Oil City when you get there, because then you may be forced to stay in Florida because your money will be gone and you'll have to start saving over again. And I notice that many times you have contradicted people who actually live in a particular place, but you have never been there! That is why it is only logical that you actually BE in a place you are commenting on.

Your posts are fun to read, but they're just not realistic. NAH, lots of people are really trying to help you out, however, it sounds like you're not that open to hearing suggestions back. A reality check is in order -- that means BEING in the places you are either criticizing or praising. I think you will be surprised when you see just how different reality is from fantasy.

Fortunately, you're still young, so if you make a bunch of mistakes moving to and from places, you have time to correct them. Good luck!

[Jammie]

Originally Posted by TNBound

Sounds like where we live.
The truth is, that in the winter, besides lasting so long, doesn't give you many days of actual sunshine.
It's mostly cold, and gloomy.

All of the salt from the roads causes rust all over your cars, even if you rust proof them, they will eventually start to rust.
In the winter you don't notice as much, but, as soon as all that snow melts, all the pot holes and cracks in the roads submerge.
Then, you go through all of the road construction to fix those holes, which lasts until the next winter, and then, the process starts all over again.

Try walking out to your mailbox when the temp is below zero.... see how your lungs feel.... it hurts, and you wish you hadn't even walked out to get that mail.

If and when Spring finally comes... I say if, because sometimes, with the long winters you think Spring has come, only to have it last a few weeks and then, right into the hot muggy summers.
High humidity, and air conditioners.

Oh, and lets not forget the tornadoes.
You can always feel it in the air, the humidity goes way up, and it gets real still, and the air is so stagnant....
People have gotten so used to hearing the sirens go off, that half the time they ignore them, so, when a tornado does touch down, they are caught off guard.

Awwwwwww but, if you love winter, and winter activities, well, hey...
you would love it here.

Hi neighbor, yup I hear you about all of the above problems. I just posted today about another problem that you can have in the northern states. Natural gas line freeze and thaw and on like that for years. We had an explosion in town last week because of this. There are several homes that are actually totaled, but thank Heaven no one was killed.

Something that's minor that one needs to consider is the impact that snow and ice have on your home. We had an ice buildup on our screen door and the outside track of our deck door and it looks like we'll end up having to replace both of them cause they don't seem to work well anymore. And our screen door will be exactly one year old this spring. I just never think of all these things because they're just a fact of life, but several people don't realize that there are many problems up north, just different ones then there are in Florida.

[hiknapster]

"This is why I am dying(literally) to get outta here!"

NAH, I want to know what you mean by this statement. Literally.