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Hi,
We are looking at buying an RV campground to run as a family business and to live on site.
We are trying to narrow down locations that would suit us and then search for one..We have the finances to make this move.
Initially we prefer East coast - New England down to even Florida,due to needing to return to UK once or twice a year (less jet lag, shorter flight).We love the San Francisco Bay area (but it's too far and probably to expensive!)
We like what we've read about North Carolina, Asheville area.
So other ideas?
We need to be near good public schools, no more than an hour to a city, ideally very close to a large town and public transport a bonus. Activities/community to participate in.
We enjoy people of all backgrounds who are open minded and enjoy eating out in ethnic cafes. We need an area that would accept us (we are moving from the UK, my mum and I are USA citizens but I've always lived in UK as has husband).
We want a safe, scenic area with trees that also draws campers and RVers; either near sea or lakes or near mountains (not lots of flat barren land).
We would like a decent long summer and would consider an area with snow (more for my husband than me) IF there is a good few months of warm weather, we don't want British grey weather!
Hope this gives you an idea of what we like!
Many thanks
Perhaps something near Saratoga Springs and Glens Falls in Upstate NY. Outside of Ithaca might be another option in Upstate NY. New Paltz is another Upstate NY community that would be good. Maybe something on Cape Cod due to it's proximity to Boston might interest the OP.
A sleeper could be something near Plattsburgh NY or Burlington VT, as both are about an hour south of Montreal.
Thanks for the ideas, I've checked some out. I should have also put that as well as needing an area with good schools, liberal open minded people, we also need to be within 2 hours drive to an International airport for flights to UK. Am I right in thinking the nearest to Ithaca are 4-5 hours?
Also weather - if there are cold winters we would like to enjoy this by skiing etc. Plus we'd like a guaranteed summer of warm weather, not the unpredictable summers we have in England where you can't plan anything outdoors in summer in case it rains!
We like Asheville as it has this but can't find any campgrounds suitable for sale there...there is one near Ithaca though!
Thanks for the ideas, I've checked some out. I should have also put that as well as needing an area with good schools, liberal open minded people, we also need to be within 2 hours drive to an International airport for flights to UK. Am I right in thinking the nearest to Ithaca are 4-5 hours?
Also weather - if there are cold winters we would like to enjoy this by skiing etc. Plus we'd like a guaranteed summer of warm weather, not the unpredictable summers we have in England where you can't plan anything outdoors in summer in case it rains!
We like Asheville as it has this but can't find any campgrounds suitable for sale there...there is one near Ithaca though!
Syracuse's Hancock International Airport is about an hour away and Rochester International is about an hour and a half away from Ithaca. Also Ithaca's Airport has flights to NYC, if I'm not mistaken and then you can connect from NYC to London.
There is some skiing close to Ithaca on a small scale, but if you have time, you can ski in the Adirondacks. That is about a 2 to 2 and a half hour drive, if not a bit longer depending upon where you want to go.
Ithaca is liberal and has good schools that are diverse too. There's Ivy League Cornell University and Ithaca College in the city as well.
My experience with campgrounds is that most campgrounds in the north close in the winter. If this is to be a year round business, you need to consider this.
Thanks for replies. Ithaca sounds like a really great place, however I worry about the weather. One of my motivations to move from England is the grey, unreliable summers and rain. Is the summer very short and is it rainy and grey at other times?
The other end of the extreme I suppose is Florida or Georgia. Are there areas of these states that are similar to say Ithaca, or Asheville, NC? There are many campgrounds for sale there but some I've looked at are really rural Florida and people have stated 'hillbilly' areas. I'd like an open minded, friendly, area with good schools etc....
Thanks for replies. Ithaca sounds like a really great place, however I worry about the weather. One of my motivations to move from England is the grey, unreliable summers and rain. Is the summer very short and is it rainy and grey at other times?
The other end of the extreme I suppose is Florida or Georgia. Are there areas of these states that are similar to say Ithaca, or Asheville, NC? There are many campgrounds for sale there but some I've looked at are really rural Florida and people have stated 'hillbilly' areas. I'd like an open minded, friendly, area with good schools etc....
Many thanks.
Weather can vary around here during the seasons. For instance, it hit 65 degrees here in Syracuse today. it was absolutely great outside today. So, it depends. I think you would be fine during the summer, spring and fall here. Perhaps you could build cabins for the winters, if you want to. Ithaca has it's share of hippies, but not as many as people think there is. I'd say go for it, as it is a beautiful area and many people from all over come to visit. Check out the "Visit Ithaca" website to get an idea of what is around the area.
Having grown up in an RV family I can tell you that as others have pointed out, you'll want to be in an area where you'll have substantial year-round business, unless consistent revenue isn't that important to you. You'll also need to be looking at sites in terms of geographic relevancy. If the campground isn't convenient to major interstates you had better make sure there is a "destination" nearby that people are going to drive to. Lastly, liberal and RV-ing don't go hand in hand typically here in the US. I'm not sure if you're familiar with NASCAR but the demographic would be similar. That said I think the Asheville area for the most part is probably best for you. Worth considering as well would be the New England states though you'll lose that year-round flow of traffic I mentioned. It would get the upper hand over Asheville in terms of liberal residents and quality of schools. In terms of focus, you might check out the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts which has easy access to Hartford's Bradley International Airport.
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