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New to the forums. Have been lurking for a while. Truly enjoying most of the threads. This is my first post.
My wife and I are ready to move from Florida.... we just don't have a clue to where.
We are a newly married couple, no children (though we want to adopt or be foster parents in the future), one cat and one dog. She's a school teacher of 15 years who is willing to sub or work any job until a full-time teaching positions opens up. I work from home as a Shamanic Practitioner and Life Coach and teach a variety of class from various "new age" style location. Due to the fact that I have a large nice existing client base, there is no worry about lack of work for myself. I.E. we're more worried about her when it comes to work than me - but even that's not a major concern since I do okay on my own.
We are having a very difficult time even figuring out which state we want to move to. Once we have a good idea of the state that seems best for us, we can then work on where in the state. Of course, if anyone thinks of a good city/town to check out we won't pass up the opportunity to explore the option.
It's so nice to be at a point in life where we have the ability and option to basically move to any state in the U.S. It's like a once in a life time opportunity for us.... and we want to make it a good transition. We will, of course, visit the locations that become our finalist - but right now it's more about information gathering.
So we invite everyone to put on their thinking caps, share their experiences and let us know what state (or if you happen to think of a city/town we should research that's awesome too) you think would be best for us. We know there is no "perfect" place, but that won't stop us from trying to come as close as possible.
Desires
Weather We both agree that we want four seasons. Well, as close to four seasons as we can get. I mean four perfect seasons is not mandatory, but having some form of spring, summer, winter, and fall is important to us as here it seems like there are only two seasons. Snow is not a problem and would welcome a place that gets snow during the winter. In fact, according to my wife, we must have snow and leaves must change colors during fall. Some rain is also not a problem and in fact would welcome a good old fashioned thunder storm, but we would likely fall into a depression if it was gloomy consistently for more than half the year.
Culture I am a cultural person. I need the theater, orchestras, museums, and all that jazz. She's a baseball fan and loves both professional baseball and little league baseball. We don't have to have any of this right in our backyard, but we want to have it within our reaches (we've been known to travel up to 3 hours in a day to go do something we like and this doesn't bother us.)
Outdoors
This is an important one for both of us. We love nature. I have a fetish for waterfalls and trees and she enjoys mountains and/or beaches. We both enjoy seeing wildlife and love lakes/ponds/streams. We also both love gardens and flowers. She has a dislike for desert and flat land.
Fun
We love theme parks and restaurants. We also enjoy camping and hiking. We enjoy drive in movie theaters. We also like festivals and fairs and have enjoyed the Renaissance festival here yearly. We would prefer to be within the reaches of a town/city that is alive at night. We need a place that feels youthful - as here it's like heaven's waiting room.
I enjoy role playing games and live action or larp games. Yes, I'm a big geek.
Misc
I have a fantasy about living in a small town very Mayberryish in nature. I doubt the reality would live up to the fantasy, but even so we both have a family member that lives in a small town in Virgina and she loves it! Likewise, I'm sadly mentally stuck in the 1950s (even though I'm 33) - and anything that would evoke that feel would appease me. In other words, I desire a slower pace.
The thing is, my wife loves the feel of the big city. Trying to mitigate this seems almost impossible.... so we've come to the conclusion that we either need to live in a medium size charming town or we need to live in a small town that is within a 3 hour driving distance to a big city.
So.... just from this rambling anyone have any idea of states that we should explore or stay away from or do any towns/cities come to mind?
You may want to put Greenville, SC on your list. It's located in the Appalachian foothills, has a nice, quaint downtown with an awesome downtown park with falls, has the cultural amenities you're looking for, has a very popular minor league baseball team, and has a lot of festivals (like Artisphere and Fall For Greenville) and restaurants. It can have the feel of a smaller town (at least in downtown), but it's the center of a metro area of close to 700K and a larger region of 1.2 million. While it seems to have most of what you want, you can travel to Atlanta or Charlotte (1.5-2 hours away for each) for your bigger city amenities.
You may want to put Greenville, SC on your list. It's located in the Appalachian foothills, has a nice, quaint downtown with an awesome downtown park with falls, has the cultural amenities you're looking for, has a very popular minor league baseball team, and has a lot of festivals (like Artisphere and Fall For Greenville) and restaurants. It can have the feel of a smaller town (at least in downtown), but it's the center of a metro area of close to 700K and a larger region of 1.2 million. While it seems to have most of what you want, you can travel to Atlanta or Charlotte (1.5-2 hours away for each) for your bigger city amenities.
Check out Boulder, CO and the surrounding towns. Four seasons and close to Denver for sporting events, museums, etc. Boulder is a college town that leans to the liberal side of things and I think you'd enjoy it.
My sister, also a teacher, relocated to Colorado in 2010 and initially took a librarian job when the options for teaching positions were limited. Within a week or two, a teacher at her school resigned and she was hired as her replacement and makes a salary comparable to what she made in AZ.
I think Boulder also fits the bill for your love of the outdoors. My only concern is that Boulder is a little larger than you're looking for (at 100K population) and the cost of living is probably higher. But check in to some of the surrounding towns, like Lafayette and Louisville.
More specifically in that area, I'd say that Clemson would probably be a good choice. Maybe places like Johnson City TN or Blacksburg VA may work.
If you can find a teaching job, Upstate NY could work.
Nah, I think Greenville would be a much better choice over Clemson. They can get most of what they need within Greenville itself, plus get the small town feel depending on where they live in the city.
It sounds like you were made for New England, which has four seasons, fall foliage colors, plenty of outdoor activity available, and rarely more that a few hours drive to the beach or to the cities -- Providence, Boston, Portland, Burlington, even Montreal or Quebec -- for your culture fix.
Maybe someone else can provide specific spots, but Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont are full of the New England equivalent of "Mayberry" towns, ranging from trailer-park trashy to if-you-have-to-ask-how-much-it-costs-you-can't-afford-it, with a lot in between. I know many folks like southern New Hampshire as a refuge from Boston's high costs and intensity, Burlington and environs are a very neat place with a college vibe because of the university, and if you can find work, the Portland area of Maine is nice too.
There are places like Geneva, ithaca, Auburn, Canandaigua, Batavia, Corning, Geneseo, Brockport, Fairport, East Aurora, Lockport, Baldwinsville and many others in Upstate NY.
There are places like Geneva, ithaca, Auburn, Canandaigua, Batavia, Corning, Geneseo, Brockport, Fairport, East Aurora, Lockport, Baldwinsville and many others in Upstate NY.
Once again, you beat me to it, lol! I thought of upstate NY immediately while reading the OP.
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Some rain is also not a problem and in fact would welcome a good old fashioned thunder storm, but we would likely fall into a depression if it was gloomy consistently for more than half the year.
I thought of upstate NY immediately while reading the OP.
