we can go anywhere...but where? Short list of "wants"...any ideas? (real estate, low crime)

[cheekypercy]

Hi. If anyone can suggest some places to check out I'd be truly grateful.
We're from Florida (me) and Dallas TX (hubby) originally. Florida is out of the question. We've lived in Denver (briefly, it was OK), No. California, and Portland OR where we are currently.

We've spent the most time in California but like many on these boards, we found we had to leave due to its crazy lifestyle. Traffic, congestion, general feeling that "this is a messed up way to live". We did own a home and decided to cash out because we basically would have been stuck in that 900 square foot house forever because trading up would have been near impossible.

Also, sprawl is completely rampant in CA as we all know.

We're in Portland now. Great culture although I pine for the smaller town feel that I had with regards to quality of life issues. Problem is so many towns around here are...what's the word...lacking in educated people, and too "RED" for us. I also miss CA's beautiful landscape, the golden hills, oaks, etc. The main problem with Portland is the gray--9 months of it. It's been very hard to take. Locals cope by taking long vacations to Hawaii or other sunny places but that seems like a luxury I'm not sure we can budget for every year (just to stay sane.)

We can go anywhere. We have an online income, though not enough to afford the expensive places.

I'd like what most people want: safety, cleanliness, mellow lifestyle, some sense of culture or creative activities happening, mix of ideologies, not strip-mall hell. Small or mid size towns are ideal.

My only climate considerations are:
1. 4 seasons...longer growing season would be nice as I garden.
2. A lovely autumn, not the drizzly mess they call "fall" here. Autumn's crisp breezy days and foliage colors are truly one of my great joys in life.

Others on my wish list:
1. Homeschooling OK or else superior public school system
2. Local produce
3. Influx/new people accepted, not stared at
4. Away from west coast prices
5. Not the south or southeast (I'll pass on the humidity and rebel flags--it's where I came from.)
6. Hills

I do have in-laws in Dallas TX I'd love to be closer to, but not sure I can get any city/town in TX that fits my criteria.

I've thought New England would fit but I'm wary of being snowed in for weeks. I'm pretty inexperienced with snow although I could see enjoying it. Also wonder how heavy the New York/Boston influence is...I mean, which parts of New England are not just suburbs of those cities?


Thank you all.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by cheekypercy

I've thought New England would fit but I'm wary of being snowed in for weeks. I'm pretty inexperienced with snow although I could see enjoying it. Also wonder how heavy the New York/Boston influence is...I mean, which parts of New England are not just suburbs of those cities?

We're considering New England as well. I've been told by locals that in Maine once you get to Bangor and north, everything is safe. In NH, Nashua is frequently rated as one of the best places to live in the US, but it is a commuter town from Boston. You might look at Burlington, VT as well. But in New England, you are definitely going to get winter. The nearer the coast, the less the snow. But no one is snowed in "for weeks." New Englanders are used to snow. A really harsh blizzard might keep you in for a couple of days, but they do their best to keep the roads clear.

You might also consider Boulder and Loveland, CO. The crime rate in Boulder is not that great, but I think it is lower than Portland. Loveland has very low crime, but at the rate the Denver/Ft. Collins metro area is growing, I don't know how long that will last.

If you are wanting out of the crime, traffic, and urban sprawl, then avoid the Puget Sound area of Washington at all costs.

[SpeedyAZ]

I have some family in Bethesda, Maryland and they love it!

Others on my wish list:
1. Homeschooling OK or else superior public school system
2. Local produce
3. Influx/new people accepted, not stared at
4. Away from west coast prices
5. Not the south or southeast (I'll pass on the humidity and rebel flags--it's where I came from.)
6. Hills

1) They were ranked #1 as being the most educated city.
2) Plenty of little markets that sell fresh fruit, vegetables, etc.
3) I'm not exactly sure but when I visited I was treated well.
4) Ehh....Bethesda isn't exactly a cheap place to live. Cheaper than D.C. and California but still not cheap...
5) ?
6) Not exactly sure how hilly you want but Maryland has a great landscape.

Bethesda really feels like a small town even though it isn't. Plenty of shopping, dining, activites in Bethesda and even more in D.C. The commute is horrendous but other than that it's a great place to call home.

Did I mention the average income for a family is around $110,000?

[dullnboring]

I love these threads. They're like word problems, but fun ones, none of that "A train leaves Boston at 6pm going 45 mph while another leaves Chicago..." crap

You may want take a look at Asheville, North Carolina. It's a mid-size city with four seasons, open-minded population, located in the mountains, a low cost of living, a sort of hip and quirky vibe to it, and a nice downtown. I'm not sure about the schools or the produce. Whoops. I guess Asheville actually is still in the south, but I wouldn't nix it just because of that. It's not your typical southern city.

Another possibility is Columbia, Missouri or Pittsburgh (not sure if that's too snowy for you though).

[HDL]

Small or mid size towns are ideal.

My only climate considerations are:
1. 4 seasons...longer growing season would be nice as I garden.
2. A lovely autumn, not the drizzly mess they call "fall" here. Autumn's crisp breezy days and foliage colors are truly one of my great joys in life.

Others on my wish list:
1. Homeschooling OK or else superior public school system
2. Local produce
3. Influx/new people accepted, not stared at
4. Away from west coast prices
5. Not the south or southeast (I'll pass on the humidity and rebel flags--it's where I came from.)
6. Hills

I've got a great idea I live in Boise and think it might be a fit. It's definitely easy to drive over here and see for yourself as we are approx an 8 hr drive away. And we meet every criteria on your list!

I absolutely love it here and I'm a recent transplant from No CA. I live right at the foothills and not only is our housing more affordable than Portland, but we have better looking homes with more land to boot IMHO

Check out the ID forum and / or PM me for more info. Best wishes in your search!

[MagpiesMagpiesMagpies]

Originally Posted by cheekypercy

My only climate considerations are:
1. 4 seasons...longer growing season would be nice as I garden.
2. A lovely autumn, not the drizzly mess they call "fall" here. Autumn's crisp breezy days and foliage colors are truly one of my great joys in life.

Others on my wish list:
1. Homeschooling OK or else superior public school system
2. Local produce
3. Influx/new people accepted, not stared at
4. Away from west coast prices
5. Not the south or southeast (I'll pass on the humidity and rebel flags--it's where I came from.)
6. Hills

You might do OK with Wisconsin. Good scores on all those points, although the property taxes are a negative. But overall it's still miles cheaper than the Left Coast.

And then there's the snow. Gotta learn to love it.

Magpies

[UB50]

You might check the area around Louisville Kentucky. I understand there are at least a couple of "blue" areas around there. Southern Indiana is loaded with hills and greenery. I know there is local produce.

I don't know about the snow situation though...

[momof2dfw]

Come check out Austin, Texas. Take a peep at the Austin board under Texas. It may be what you are looking for. Austin is VERY liberal and has lots to offer. Great outdoors town/city. There are some great school systems in the area. Home of Dell Computers so the "out of the box" thinkers are there. Overall I would call Austin "funky", like the saying says, "Keep Austin Weird". But to see for yourself you might want to look over on the Austin board and then go check it out personally.

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by cheekypercy

Hi. If anyone can suggest some places to check out I'd be truly grateful.
I'd like what most people want: safety, cleanliness, mellow lifestyle, some sense of culture or creative activities happening, mix of ideologies, not strip-mall hell. Small or mid size towns are ideal.
My only climate considerations are:
1. 4 seasons...longer growing season would be nice as I garden.
2. A lovely autumn, not the drizzly mess they call "fall" here. Autumn's crisp breezy days and foliage colors are truly one of my great joys in life.
Others on my wish list:
1. Homeschooling OK or else superior public school system
2. Local produce
3. Influx/new people accepted, not stared at
4. Away from west coast prices
5. Not the south or southeast (I'll pass on the humidity and rebel flags--it's where I came from.)
6. Hills

I realize my opinion is biased as I absolutely love where I live, but I have some experience with the areas you've lived in. I grew up in California, raised in the Central Valley, lived ten years in San Francisco and then the East Bay, also lived in Canyonville, Oregon in the wet overcast belt. I wonder if the Springfield, Missouri area might not have much of what you're looking for. Four starkly contrasting seasons, probably the most colorful autumn/Fall leaf color change outside of New England and the far northern Midwest, a good school system, pretty cosmopolitan town for being in the Baptist heartland, extremely cheap real estate (I mean..."cheap"), but quality housing and very low taxes. It's close to the South as the Arkansas line is about 50 miles south of here, but it's a solidly Midwest city with a very Midwest Americana feel to it. People are friendly and open and the countryside is gorgeous with a mix of forest and open fields. Not much open agriculture here as the area lies on the Ozark Plateau which is pretty rocky, but there're lots of cattle and horses and grazing herds. Snowfall isn't usually too bad and summer humidity is tolerable. One of the other selling points is how cheap utilities are. My highest power bill for cooling a 2300 sq. ft. house was $84 last month with $5.95 being my monthly yardlight fee. Now that it's cooled off and the trees are beginning to show signs of Fall, my air conditioner is running only intermittently. Just my two cents

[Need_affordable_home]

Dallas sounds good and you have in-laws that live there too! House prices in much of Texas is very reasonable and what used to be the case in Florida many years ago. I am considering Houston Texas as house prices are a third of what they are here in s. Florida!