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If you relocated, what was your decision-making process? What tips/advice might you offer? Was there a specific point where you knew you'd found where you wanted to live?
My husband and I are planning on relocating next year. We have it narrowed down to specific regions in 3 states, but obviously need to narrow things down a bit more. We have visited each state at least a couple of times and plan to do more specific roadtrips this year. We have found tons of information online re: housing costs, taxes, crime, employment/salary, etc. The places we are considering all sound good, but we still need to visit more before being able to make a choice. We're wondering how much time we need to spend in each region when we visit; I'm thinking 4-5 days of seriously driving around.
Christina, we did just what you're thinking of doing. The whole story of how we made our decision to leave the DC area for Colorado Springs is in the Colorado FORUM, message #1 in the thread called "Why Choose Colorado Springs." I think you can get a feel for most any area in 4-5 days, especially if you work with a realtor (I'm not one in any way shape or form, but I'd probably like doing that).
In the Other Topics FORUM are some sources, tips and techniques I listed for others.
We used vacations and business trips to check possible retirement areas. We've been to the FL Keys, Miami, Orlando, Fort Myers, Atlanta, Charleston, Savannah, Roanoke, Richmond, Newport News, Williamsburg, Philadelphia, Cumberland, Altoona, Pittsburgh, Erie, DuBois, Lancaster, Buffalo, Jersey shore, Delaware, Virginia Beach, Cleveland, Wheeling, Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati, Louisville, Lexington, Chicago, Davenport-Quad Cities, St Louis, Austin, San Antonio, Albuquerque, Phoenix, Scottsdate, Las Vegas, Reno, San Diego, LA, Van Nuys, Burbank, Pasadena, Napa, Oakland, San Francisco, Boise, Denver, Durango, Cheyenne, Hawaii, and Colorado Springs (home).
Haven't been to New England, Pacific Northwest or Canada yet, but will get to both now that we're retired and have more time to travel.
The decision point was when we found the best mix of all the variables, for us that was housing affordability, things to do, scenery, lower crime, good schools, well educated populace, hospitals, climate, etc. Put all of these together and Colorado Springs is statistically the 18th best area in the nation, but housing prices swayed us over "nicer" areas in CA where we could not afford to buy a home. My data is based on many of the Sperling publications, including "Cities Ranked and Rated." Much of the same sort of data is in the homepage of city-data, but in the book it is displayed in many ways that no website can compete with.
Wow you have been a lot of places. Thanks for posting; sounds like we are on the right track so far. I did read your thread on resources to use and made a note of the literature you recommend. I just read your Colorado posting (Colorado is gorgeous!) too.
It seems like there are a lot of people here that have relocated or are in the process, so I am hoping to learn from their experiences.
I did a lot of research before moving from Boise to Maine, but not enough...
First, let me say that Maine is beautiful. People in Maine are the nicest group of people I have ever met, and the winters aren't nearly as bad as I expected. Portland, ME comes pretty darn close to my idea of utopia. Moosehead lake is the prettiest area I have ever been to, and the quality of life here in Maine is wonderful -- virtually no traffic, short lines at the grocery store (I hate waiting in line), and the summers are terrific. Our hottest day this summer hasn't been over 85.
The problem was that I moved from an area with some of the cheapest energy in the nation to an area with some of the most expensive energy in the nation, and really wasn't prepared for the impact that would have. Our heat bills are $400 every month (you overpay in the summer to make up for underpaying in the winter), and electricity is 2x what we were paying in Idaho. (7c/kwh in Idaho, 14c/kwh in Maine.) Cost of water is 3x as expensive, as is the sewer bill. Oh, and we never thought we'd have to haul our own trash to the dump -- but that's probably more of a rural area thing than really a Maine thing.
Car registration was another nasty surprise. We went from cheap registration (maybe $80 for a new car) to expensive ($650 for our new car).
All of those costs were hard to find -- but they *were* available, if I had just dug deep enough. Can't say if it would have changed our minds, but it would have been nice to know exactly what we were getting ourselves in to.
We have just relocated from Maine to Arizona. We spent time out here in Arizona in February, April, August and November, as much to get a feel for the extremes of the climate as well as the area. I read the local paper for the town we moved to on the internet on a fairly regular basis for at least 5 months. I talked to people online who were in my age bracket to ask about their general sense of the area. I checked out expenses re electricity, gas and other routine expenses. I checked the reputations of the health care providers and access to good quality health care. I read the crime reports, which frightened me since we came from such a low populations area. In the end, we are drawn.........drawn to this area in ways that we, ourselves don't even understand, and decided not to fight it! And here we are one whole week under our belts in Arizona!
We have just relocated from Maine to Arizona. We spent time out here in Arizona in February, April, August and November, as much to get a feel for the extremes of the climate as well as the area. I read the local paper for the town we moved to on the internet on a fairly regular basis for at least 5 months. I talked to people online who were in my age bracket to ask about their general sense of the area. I checked out expenses re electricity, gas and other routine expenses. I checked the reputations of the health care providers and access to good quality health care. I read the crime reports, which frightened me since we came from such a low populations area. In the end, we are drawn.........drawn to this area in ways that we, ourselves don't even understand, and decided not to fight it! And here we are one whole week under our belts in Arizona!
Hi Azbound..from one zoni to a new zoni Where did you end up in Arizona?
Christina, it sounds like you're doing what all of us have done to some degree or another. I moved from Henderson, Nevada (Las Vegas) to the Springfield, Missouri area in June of 2005 after two years of intensive research and only one trip! I loved Henderson, but had dreams of getting out of suburbia and finding a more rural home on land. I searched the country for affordable housing, beautiful countryside and environment, four seasons with no real extremes, low taxes, employment opportunities, far from nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons missile fields, low danger of earthquakes, no hurricanes, solid American values with a population inclined to protestant conservatism without being dogmatic, educated, fairly sophisticated without being a big city, good medical facilities, low crime, and with an airport nearby that tied into regional hubs without being a hub. That search took me all across the nation on the internet. I considered La Grande, Oregon (gorgeous area, a bit dry, freezing winters, very nice town where I'd lived from 1969-1971), northern Idaho, though I dropped that because it's far more forested than I like and too remote, Eastern Washington near Spokane, etc. But I kept being drawn to the Springfield, Missouri area because although winters can be harsh in streaks, it gets less than 18" of snow annually, has very variable weather, is far enough south to avoid the worst of the arctic blasts while far enough north to stay out of that sticky humid heat of the South. Housing is incredibly cheap. I bought a house bigger than my Henderson house on 4.3 acres that is a custom brick with soaring ceilings, real plank wood construction and solid brick exterior in a park-like setting eight miles north of Springfield and I love it! My electricity is a rural coop where I have to read my own meter and my highest bill so far is $45 last month after running the air conditioner at 75F in the house for June. My heating is propane and I only suffered in extreme cold in December and February. March had violent thunderstorms and tornadoes and was a bit scary weather-wise, other than that, I sit out on the deck and watch the wild rabbits, deer, there are turtles, and hundreds of lightning bugs that flash green lights in the evening as they twinkle in the trees and lawns. I actually have garbage service this far out, but I have my own well, so I don't pay a water bill. It's the cheapest place I've ever lived and the people are friendly and the countryside is gorgeous. I was able to pay cash for the property due to the sale in Henderson, so am mortgage-free and remain debt free here, though this move afforded me over a year off from working...I'm still not working yet..!!!! There are idiosynchrasies, like here in Missouri you have to pay a "property tax" on your vehicle, which shocked me. It's very cheap, but you have to go to the Courthouse to pay it, then get the receipt to get a vehicle safety inspection, then go back to the DMV... It's weird! Everyone has his or her own criteria for what he or she is looking for, people moving from the northeast to the southwest, from the South to the North, from the Northwest to the Midwest, from the Southwest to the Midwest, etc. But only a fool would jump without thoroughly researching what he or she is getting into, especially when property is concerned and a mistake can be very costly and hard to get out of. I've lived in San Francisco ten years, elsewhere in the Bay Area for two years, San Bernardino, CA., San Diego, CA., North Chicago, Norfolk, VA and been all over the country in my 43 years. But like all of you, I decided to take my fate into my own hands and make my own choice. And I did. I would caution about moving companies though. I used North American when I moved from the San Francisco area to Henderson, Nevada in 2000. That went pretty well actually and I stored my household while living in corporate housing looking for a house, though they kept me waiting when I was ready for my things and were not good about being on schedule. This last time I used Bekins Moving Company.. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THEM. I had my things in storage at Bekins in Las Vegas for over seven months while I searched in Missouri for a home, but when I got my things in January, they had broken many of my things, and lost all of my yard tools, broke my lawnmower, and gave me someone else's artwork. Then they tried to bill me twice (cross-country moves are EXPENSIVE!!!) and weren't nice about it. I had to get pretty mean with them and they never did reimburse me for the lost or broken items. When you do your look for movers, read the feedback in the mover forums like I did *which didn't help in my case this time*, but get ALL costs in writing and when they do an inventory of your possessions before packing you up, make sure you watch and oversee everything so it's documented. Good luck!!!!
I spent months online doing research, and looked at several different areas. I chose Aiken, SC. There were a few reasons. One, I am an animal massage therapist and Aiken is a huge horse community (horses have the right of way at all times, and there are even a few traffic lights that riders can trip that will stop cars in all directions so that the horses can cross the street).
Housing is still affordable here, as is homeowner's insurance. We were in so far over our heads in Florida that we were about to drown. When we sold our house we were able to pay off our credit cards (and cut them into tiny little pieces), and pay cash for our house here. New construction starts around $110,000 for a 3/2.
There are 4 very distinct seasons. We made a couple of trips up here looking at property. Even when it is hot the humidity is low. I have not turned the A/C on in my car once this summer. Spring was absolutely breathtaking. There was not one flake of snow over the winter, but they tell me we do get an odd ice storm here & there (glad I kept my generator!). I can't wait for fall.
We are 20 minutes from Augusta, GA and 3 hours from the beach. There is so much history here. I just love the South!
We used PODS for our move. Nothing could have been easier. They bring it to your house & you take your time loading it. You lock it. You call them to come pick it up. If you need to have it stored for a month (or several months) they will do that. When you are ready they will bring it to your new house and put it in your driveway. You take your time unloading it. They pick it up when you are ready. No climbing up & down a ramp in & out of a truck. No worries about a rental truck that might break down on your trip.
I researched locations until my mind was dumb. Best housing prices, lowest taxes, weather, and everything else I could think of. After all that research there are so many people unhappy with their new location, including myself. The best research one can do is to experience the new location first hand. I recommend than anyone considering a new locations get a short term rental and find out what that area is really like. I have my house on the market and I researched a new location, but this time I will spend a week a month at the new location and if I am still not sure when I sell my house I will get a short term rental until I am.
Don
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Been There - Done That - Loved the Trip!
Where did you end up in Arizona?
Relocation experience
There are idiosynchrasies, like here in Missouri you have to pay a "property tax" on your vehicle, which shocked me. It's very cheap, but you have to go to the Courthouse to pay it, then get the receipt to get a vehicle safety inspection, then go back to the DMV... It's weird! Everyone has his or her own criteria for what he or she is looking for, people moving from the northeast to the southwest, from the South to the North, from the Northwest to the Midwest, from the Southwest to the Midwest, etc. But only a fool would jump without thoroughly researching what he or she is getting into, especially when property is concerned and a mistake can be very costly and hard to get out of. I've lived in San Francisco ten years, elsewhere in the Bay Area for two years, San Bernardino, CA., San Diego, CA., North Chicago, Norfolk, VA and been all over the country in my 43 years. But like all of you, I decided to take my fate into my own hands and make my own choice. And I did. I would caution about moving companies though. I used North American when I moved from the San Francisco area to Henderson, Nevada in 2000. That went pretty well actually and I stored my household while living in corporate housing looking for a house, though they kept me waiting when I was ready for my things and were not good about being on schedule. This last time I used Bekins Moving Company.. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THEM. I had my things in storage at Bekins in Las Vegas for over seven months while I searched in Missouri for a home, but when I got my things in January, they had broken many of my things, and lost all of my yard tools, broke my lawnmower, and gave me someone else's artwork. Then they tried to bill me twice (cross-country moves are EXPENSIVE!!!) and weren't nice about it. I had to get pretty mean with them and they never did reimburse me for the lost or broken items.
When you do your look for movers, read the feedback in the mover forums like I did *which didn't help in my case this time*, but get ALL costs in writing and when they do an inventory of your possessions before packing you up, make sure you watch and oversee everything so it's documented. Good luck!!!!
