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We are having a hard time figuring out where would be a good fit for us. We home school some of our children. We have a child with Aspergers. We would like good schools, not high crime, and maybe even, not sports obsessed. It would be nice to have tier one universities and great colleges in the area, within a few hours. Decent weather is a must. We have lived in MN and TX. TX is too hot and MN has too long of winters. The culture of MPLS fits us, the weather was too harsh. We are getting used to TX, but the heat is too much. Plus, we would prefer a culture a little less like Texas. We do not live in Austin though, which I hear is very different from where we are now, so I cannot comment if we would like Austin or not.
We will spend about $350,000 on a home, maybe a little more. So expensive places will not work for us, and we cannot afford private school. Thank you!
Perhaps a bit under the radar but a city like Greensboro NC would be a good choice. It's a progressive city with a population around 275K and metro area population (including nearby Winston Salem and High Point, around 1.6 million). Homes around 300K are well above most other cities in terms of quality/cost per square feet, the crime rate is low in areas you would choose to live in (pretty much all of the N/NW side), the schools are very good in those areas, it's a beautiful city with lots of trees/greenspace and part of a large metro area with two major colleges (Wake Forest U and UNC-Greensboro), a couple of higher end small colleges (Guilford and Elon) and within 90 minutes of Duke, UNC and NC State. The weather tends milder with four distinct seasons, all lasting about the classic three months each. Winters feature little if any snow/ice and Summers extremes last around a month (mid-July through mid-August usually).
I think you should figure out the climate thing first. That seems to be important to you. Greensboro, NC was suggested, but if you find Texas too hot, you will not like NC. The only place in NC that wouldn't be too hot would be Boone, and it's expensive.
Colorado, maybe? Or could you take the gray winters of Western Oregon or Washington in exchange for the cooler summers? In Minnesota was it the dark of the winter, or the cold, or the amount of snow that you didn't like?
Have you looked into San Francisco? or Northern California? Also i was going to recommend MN but being that you're from there you should know there isn't any other place like the Twin Cities, Trust me i've tried looking for something that comes a bit close to it but most of the other states fall short. However have you looked into North Carolina? I'm not sure how it is now but prior to MN i did my research to move to NC specifically Charlotte and the cost of living there was rather low as well as the food & housing was rather inexpensive, You could easily get an 4br home for under 120k however im aware things change and it may be so different now.
I think you should figure out the climate thing first. That seems to be important to you. Greensboro, NC was suggested, but if you find Texas too hot, you will not like NC. The only place in NC that wouldn't be too hot would be Boone, and it's expensive.
It's warm/hot in NC for around three months, which is standard for anywhere outside of the Pacific Northwest, parts of California and Alaska. The point from the OP seemed to be about "too hot" which NC is typically not confused with.
It's warm/hot in NC for around three months, which is standard for anywhere outside of the Pacific Northwest, parts of California and Alaska. The point from the OP seemed to be about "too hot" which NC is typically not confused with.
hot: May, June, July, August, September
warm: most of April and October
I spent many years in Southern California (near Los Angeles) and five in North Carolina (in the foothills, which are not as hot as Greensboro). NC was much worse because of the humidity and because during the summer it does not cool off at night.
Many people do just fine in NC, but I would never recommend it to someone who has expressed concern about heat.
I agree that housing is inexpensive, and that NC has some fine universities.
When we moved there food was more than what I was used to paying in California. Last year we moved to the NW, where some things are less and some more than NC. Also, I think every county has a 2% tax on food.
I never spent winters in MN, just summers. I grew up in Iowa. As a child of course, and in college, I always wanted warmer weather. It has not been uncommon for me to hear about snow storms in May now, from family who still live there. I am unsure how I would take to that much cold. But I love the culture. I went from there to Southern California, which I loved. I loved the people, the climate, everything. After only a year, I left Southern California (I was north of LA, near Ventura County) and moved to TX. It took years to adjust. I am conservative, but in S. California, I never felt judged. Here in TX, I often felt judged for stuff. As far as the heat goes, it is the sun burns that bother me. I am fair skinned. No matter how much sun block I cover myself and my children in, there are burns every year. I often feel like we cannot even swim because the burns are so bad. And now, this past week, someone where my daughter works (she works at a camp, so this was in the woods and shade) had a heat stroke. Then the lack of trees and growing stuff. I grew up outside. It was the 70's and 80's of course, but we would head out with the first sign of light, and not come home until after dark. I used to camp and hike and play tennis. In the winters, we built snow forts and sled, and summers, swim. Now, in Dallas, TX, our idea of getting out for the day is shopping.
Seattle is on our list. We have MPLS on the list too.
Do you need a big city? If not, what about somewhere in Southern Oregon, like Grants Pass? You'd get the mild winters and some of the summer warmth (not as extreme as Texas), but without the very-short winter days and lack of winter sunshine that you'd have in Seattle.
As you look at Seattle, you'll also find that some of the nearby areas have more affordable housing, so don't get scared away if you initially see high home prices.
I would like to know those nearby areas. I remember researching for my next relocation and Seattle was at the top of the list. However, I quickly dismissed it because the cost of living was too high.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sll3454
Do you need a big city? If not, what about somewhere in Southern Oregon, like Grants Pass? You'd get the mild winters and some of the summer warmth (not as extreme as Texas), but without the very-short winter days and lack of winter sunshine that you'd have in Seattle.
As you look at Seattle, you'll also find that some of the nearby areas have more affordable housing, so don't get scared away if you initially see high home prices.
I would like to know those nearby areas. I remember researching for my next relocation and Seattle was at the top of the list. However, I quickly dismissed it because the cost of living was too high.
South of Seattle you can find lots of houses for sale for way under OP's limit in Orting, Puyallup, Auburn, Tacoma, Federal Way, and others. Orting has decent schools; I've heard that Puyallup has good schools. I don't know about the rest.
North of Seattle you can try Marysville, Stanwood, Arlington, Mount Vernon, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley, and others. (Some of these are getting pretty far away.)
I did a real estate search (map view) for homes with 3+ bedrooms for under $350,000, and so many came up I could hardly see the map under them. So I changed it to 3+ br and 2+ bath, over 1750 ft, lot over 7500 ft, and kept lowering the price. I lowered it to $200,000 and still saw a few decent-looking houses in Orting and other places, though in some areas at that price you'd just see mobile homes. (But those are okay, here, too.)
Prices have gotten a lot lower since their high in 2006-2007.
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However have you looked into North Carolina? I'm not sure how it is now but prior to MN i did my research to move to NC specifically Charlotte and the cost of living there was rather low as well as the food & housing was rather inexpensive, You could easily get an 4br home for under 120k however im aware things change and it may be so different now. 
