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I hope I don't offend you by saying this but if I find such a place, I will probably not divulge the secret. After all, if lots of people come in, it'll no longer be the kind of place I want to call home...
Have another idea - the Mahoning Valley of Ohio. Homes their in '4 of an acre can be had for 7000 and up.
Ones that do not need much work - 25K - or less - there is a nice one that is move in for 17K/
Cities and towns to research would include Youngstown, Boardman, Warren, and Poland.
It;s not a college town, but there are colleges and universities nearby. I know that's not a plus to you, but with what you do for a living the presence of Youngstown State and nearby colleges in Cleveland and Pittsburgh might be a plus.
Smaller city in Tenessee, Alabama? Luxury service could mean different things to different people. Maybe on the outskirts of a deep southern city, an hour away, healthy enough economy (being fed by the larger area), yet cheaper prices for things and stilll enough people to spend some money (from the larger area, even travelling rurally for the "service"). It'd have to be a special service though to leave their larger area.
Granted, the crime rate is 147 - not 100 - but that's still darn good.
Mineola is a charming town with a cute downtown area that's been completely rejuvenated. No empty storefronts. Close to Tyler, TX (population about 100,000 and a very nice town), and less than two hours from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. There's also a very active arts community in Mineola - in fact in most of northeast Texas for that matter.
Granted, the crime rate is 147 - not 100 - but that's still darn good.
Mineola is a charming town with a cute downtown area that's been completely rejuvenated. No empty storefronts. Close to Tyler, TX (population about 100,000 and a very nice town), and less than two hours from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. There's also a very active arts community in Mineola - in fact in most of northeast Texas for that matter.
Looks like a nice place! Funny, there's a Mineola NY - my son was born there. A house starts at a half mil. Nice place but not worth the price.
Granted, the crime rate is 147 - not 100 - but that's still darn good.
Mineola is a charming town with a cute downtown area that's been completely rejuvenated. No empty storefronts. Close to Tyler, TX (population about 100,000 and a very nice town), and less than two hours from the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. There's also a very active arts community in Mineola - in fact in most of northeast Texas for that matter.
So kathryn, I'm liking this other Mineola! very pretty and greener than West TX.
How much is a nice 4 bedroom house? How are the schools? I'm originally from Brooklyn nY, but now I'm a Pennsylvanian. Will people dislike me?
I'm not a Yankees Fan and I like those Cowboys Cheerleaders.
So kathryn, I'm liking this other Mineola! very pretty and greener than West TX.
How much is a nice 4 bedroom house? How are the schools? I'm originally from Brooklyn nY, but now I'm a Pennsylvanian. Will people dislike me?
I'm not a Yankees Fan and I like those Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Not sure what sort of house you like, but the housing market in East Texas has weathered the storm well.
I have a brand new, fancy schmancy house with all the bells and whistles in a small east Texas town, on an acre lot. It's four bedrooms and about 2500 square feet. It was $245,000. Watch out for property taxes though - my property taxes are about $5000 a year.
But Texans don't have a state income tax! WHOOP WHOOP!
But my house is brand new and in a neighborhood of similar homes. You can buy older homes in nice neighborhoods for between $160,000 and $200,000 probably - and I'm talking about nice homes, not fixer uppers.
People in Texas are very friendly. They may joke with you about you being a Yankee, but they won't hold it against you. Word of warning - they are not as sugary sweet as people from some Southern states. They are more blunt and more fiercely independent. But they are helpful, friendly, and very funny! Humor is a very big part of life in Texas! Dry humor especially!
They won't care at all if you are a "damn Yankee" if you love, or pretend to love, the Dallas Cowboys and their cheerleaders.
You are also allowed to be a Saints fan in Texas. I would strongly recommend it - but then, I'm a Saints fan. You will be expected to support ANY southern team when they are playing a team from anywhere north of the Mason Dixon line. And you should always, always support any southern college teams - unless they are playing a Texas college.
Not sure what sort of house you like, but the housing market in East Texas has weathered the storm well.
I have a brand new, fancy schmancy house with all the bells and whistles in a small east Texas town, on an acre lot. It's four bedrooms and about 2500 square feet. It was $245,000. Watch out for property taxes though - my property taxes are about $5000 a year.
But Texans don't have a state income tax! WHOOP WHOOP!
But my house is brand new and in a neighborhood of similar homes. You can buy older homes in nice neighborhoods for between $160,000 and $200,000 probably - and I'm talking about nice homes, not fixer uppers.
People in Texas are very friendly. They may joke with you about you being a Yankee, but they won't hold it against you. Word of warning - they are not as sugary sweet as people from some Southern states. They are more blunt and more fiercely independent. But they are helpful, friendly, and very funny! Humor is a very big part of life in Texas! Dry humor especially!
They won't care at all if you are a "damn Yankee" if you love, or pretend to love, the Dallas Cowboys and their cheerleaders.
You are also allowed to be a Saints fan in Texas. I would strongly recommend it - but then, I'm a Saints fan. You will be expected to support ANY southern team when they are playing a team from anywhere north of the Mason Dixon line. And you should always, always support any southern college teams - unless they are playing a Texas college.
Without going into boring details, I checked into Mineola and discovered that there are some statistics and trends which make it seem as though Mineola won't be a nice town for very much longer even if it is nice right now.
I live in Texas. Texas may not have a state income tax but they make it up in many other ways. Property taxes are a killer from what I hear... I wouldn't know - I rent. However, I had to pay a year's worth of property tax on 17 old singlewide trailers that I managed for a while... they weren't worth much in terms of assessed value, and the property tax was still almost $500 total. That was several percent if I remember correctly.
Also, Texas has a 6.25% state sales tax with options allowed for municipalities / counties to add up to 2% more to that. I have yet to meet an area in Texas with less than an 8.25% sales tax.
When you buy a used vehicle in Texas from any private party, you get charged state sales tax on its "standard presumptive value" unless you get it appraised by some professional appraiser. Often, the "standard presumptive value" is a heck of a lot higher than what you'd honestly sell the vehicle for. (For example, when we bought our 2006 Honda Odyssey, its book value was around $12,500. The "standard presumptive value" was over $16,000 and ran the tax bill into the stratosphere. I didn't know, at that time, that you could get a vehicle appraised so that it would cost less. Naturally they don't TELL you this right away!)
To move to Texas, you have to be prepared to pony up $90 (they call it a "new resident fee") when you register your vehicle. That's Texan hospitality for you. "Welcome to Texas, y'all! Here's your first bill for $90, to get you started here." Multiply that by the hundreds of thousands of people who are moving to Texas every year... it quickly reaches tens of millions of dollars for the state.
Vehicle registrations cost almost $60 per year for a regular vehicle, and around $76 per year for a truck.
There is an annual state inspection with a "sticker fee". Don't tell me that freaking sticker costs two bucks. Y'all got it printed at a print shop for ten cents. Multiply that by every vehicle in the state having to get inspected every year, and you see what I mean.
And yes, that awful football thing....... I wish football would just disappear. We don't need it. Humanity lived perfectly well for thousands of years before the 1879 (or so) advent of what we know as American football.
Last edited by RomaniGypsy; 08-10-2012 at 08:29 PM..
Reason: edit
Have another idea - the Mahoning Valley of Ohio. Homes their in '4 of an acre can be had for 7000 and up.
Ones that do not need much work - 25K - or less - there is a nice one that is move in for 17K/
Cities and towns to research would include Youngstown, Boardman, Warren, and Poland.
It;s not a college town, but there are colleges and universities nearby. I know that's not a plus to you, but with what you do for a living the presence of Youngstown State and nearby colleges in Cleveland and Pittsburgh might be a plus.
Just a thought.
Have YOU ever researched Youngstown? The poverty rate is near 49% and the crime is out of control.
Sure the homes are cheap, but there is a definite definite reason.
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You will be expected to support ANY southern team when they are playing a team from anywhere north of the Mason Dixon line. And you should always, always support any southern college teams - unless they are playing a Texas college. 
