Sell your state to me please! (house insurance, condos, cheap)

[ZoeBartlett]

Hello!

My husband and I are considering moving but we're not sure where yet. We live in northern New England and while we love it, we're looking for a change.

My husband was recently laid off from his job as a database administrator and data analyst. I'm an elementary teacher. We're looking for a place with the following (not in any order):

-- mild weather (we're tired of the frigid temps of winter)

-- good schools (mainly for my job but also in general, as we'd like to have kids in the near future)

-- culture (things to do and see -- museums, movies, parks, shopping, good restaurants, etc.)

-- we'd consider a larger town or city as long as it doesn't have that big city feel to it. We may need to be close to a city for commuting purposes, if my husband finds a job in a more urban area, but we'd ultimately like to live on the outskirts of a larger area.

-- relatively close to the water (lakes or ocean). We grew up and live in an area that is within 30 minutes-2 hours from the ocean, lakes, and mountains. If we had to choose the water or mountains, we'd choose to live near water.

--good job prospects of course


Here are some things that would be nice to have but are not deal breakers:

-- college town (we've lived in a college town before and have enjoyed it)

-- character, historical, and architectual details (not a place full of strip malls and condos/apt. only)

-- the closer to the water, the better (lakes or the ocean)

I hope my post wasn't too broad. I'd be happy to provide any other info. if needed.

Thank you so muchfor your help!

[ylisa7]

I live in the mountains of east TN and love it here. For you I would recommend east TN but not the mountain area.

There is no state income tax here.
Property tax is very low.
There are a lot of lakes and outdoor living in TN
We have a mild 4 season climate.
East TN is green and beautiful.

For jobs I would check into areas like Johnson City, Knoxville, Nashville area. You would need to check on jobs and schooling. Try posting on the TN forum. There are a lot of nice people there.

Good luck to you.

[ZoeBartlett]

Thank you for replying Lisa!

We're considering North Carolina and now we'll add TN to our list. What do you love about your state? I've never been there. I will definitely head over to the TN forum to find out more about the areas you mentioned.

We're from NH and we don't have any income tax either. I must admit, that's pretty nice, and it would be hard to give up. I'm glad to learn that TN doesn't have income tax either.

We're open to many areas of the country, and more ideas and suggestions are welcome!

[mawipafl]

Jacksonville, Florida

mild weather (we're tired of the frigid temps of winter)

Yes - sort of - July and August can be hot no doubt about that; we have our share of occasional freeze warnings in the winter, but heavy jackets, boots, gloves, snow shovels can be left behind in NH; the rest of the year is really nice--perhaps very warm days, but really nice mornings and nights for walking, bike riding, sitting out, etc. Just yesterday (Nov. 29th) people were out in t-shirts and shorts putting up Christmas lights, and last night we went to the annual Lighted Boat Parade and Holiday Fireworks in our shirt sleeves.

good schools (mainly for my job but also in general, as we'd like to have kids in the near future)

Yes, public and private schools; some of course, like everywhere, are better than others.

culture (things to do and see -- museums, movies, parks, shopping, good restaurants, etc.)

I say a resounding yes to that ... the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens, the Museum of Science and History, the Maritime Museum, the Jacksonville Zoo, Jacksonville Symphony, Prime Osborn Convention Center, and more; the first Wednesday Art Walk; a bazillion parks for strolling, biking, picnicing, hiking, boating, and a number of dog parks; there are movie houses; there are theaters offering performances by local troupes to Broadway national tours to celebrity shows; shopping choices range from the Walmarts and Targets to the open air mall Town Center and the Prime outlet center and the Avenues Mall and more; restaurants are many from the $$$$Capital Grille to the $corner diner.

we'd consider a larger town or city as long as it doesn't have that big city feel to it.

Land-wise, Jacksonville is huge (second largest city in the USA) and it's very spread out (Jacksonville and Duval County are one in the same). It does not have the big city feel because it isn't a big city. Downtown sidewalks roll up in early evening unless there's some event going on.

We may need to be close to a city for commuting purposes, if my husband finds a job in a more urban area, but we'd ultimately like to live on the outskirts of a larger area.

I live in Fleming Island which is just south of Orange Park which is just south of Jacksonville downtown. I'm on the west side of the St Johns River. From here it's a 35-minute drive to downtown; 40 minutes to the beach; 40 minutes to the airport; 3 hours to Disney.

relatively close to the water (lakes or ocean). We grew up and live in an area that is within 30 minutes-2 hours from the ocean, lakes, and mountains. If we had to choose the water or mountains, we'd choose to live near water.

It's quite possible to live near the beach and commute to downtown.

good job prospects of course

Like everywhere right now, {sigh}, that's an unknown.

college town (we've lived in a college town before and have enjoyed it)

Jacksonville isn't a "college town" in that sense, but there are lots of Gator and Seminole fans here!

character, historical, and architectual details (not a place full of strip malls and condos/apt. only)

There are a lot of strip malls here sprinkled all over the place - no getting away from that. Like anywhere in the USA that experienced fast growth, those kinds of things came on the heels. There are historical areas and some pockets of architectural details, but not like you're used to in New England - it's different. However, character is quite evident. Jacksonville and the surrounding area (First Coast) has many, many areas, each with its own set of characteristics. The list is extensive, so if you'd like further info, go to this link:
Neighborhoods of Jacksonville, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

the closer to the water, the better (lakes or the ocean)

The beach experience here is extraordinary. Work your way south from Fernandina/Amelia Island to Talbot Island State Park to Neptune-Atlantic-Jacksonville Beach to Ponte Vedra to Anastastia State Park to St Augustine Beach (and I've probably left something out!) Each is different than the next.

There's also the St Johns River which cuts right through the middle of Jacksonville/Duval and has unique communities all the way up and down its banks. There are also quite a few rivers, streams, and lakes that connect to the St Johns. Additionally, there's The Ditch aka the Intracoastal Waterway.

We've lived in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania, and are now here and so glad we're here. We've been Floridians for a little more than a year, but we've been so busy that we're still not fully unpacked. Plus, there's just something about the idea of discussing whether to eat Thanksgiving dinner in the dining room or out on the patio that truly suits us :-)

[SunnyKayak]

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Click here to see which state has beautiful nature from one end to the other and mild temperatures even in the winter



Your new home is waiting for you

[ZoeBartlett]

Thanks Mawipafl, for your detailed reply. I have to admit, I had never thought of Jacksonville before, but I'll look into it. I've heard it's a beautiful place.

[ZoeBartlett]

Thanks SunnyKayak! You're right -- it's beautiful! Great pictures!

[mawipafl]

Originally Posted by ZoeBartlett

Thanks Mawipafl, for your detailed reply. I have to admit, I had never thought of Jacksonville before, but I'll look into it. I've heard it's a beautiful place.

The Jacksonville forum is a lively, friendly place. One example, there's a bunch of pizza lovers and some of us have met up in real life, and some of us have become real-life friends because of the forum.

//www.city-data.com/forum/jacksonville/

PS No state income tax here either :-)

[golfgod]

We just moved to the Front Range of Colorado, think the I25 corridor. We're about an hour north of Denver, 15 minutes from Colorado State University, 40 minutes from Colorado University (Boulder). Our town has a pretty good arts scene, great schools, golf, bicycling, hiking and other outdoor activities. We do have good lakes, one 1 miles from our house and some pretty decent size ones in the mountains 25 minutes away.

Since I moved here from TX it's hard to compare house prices (TX has cheap houses, but nothing else), but we pay $325/year for $300K house insurance and $1700 in property taxes. We do have a state income tax but our total tax burden is LESS than it was in TX.

I can be in the lift line at a couple of ski areas in 2- 2 1/2 hours.

The weather is a bit schizo though. Two days ago I played golf in 60 degree weather, yesterday it was cold and cloudy and it's been snowing since 11:00 last night. But it'll be in the high 30s, 40s and into the 50s in the next three days. We do have 300 or so days of sunshine per year.

I'd say we have all the stuff you asked about, which were also all pretty important to us. We've been to plays at our local and a couple of surrounding town's community theatres, The Lincoln Center in Ft. Collins and in Denver.

We only ran our A/C about 3 days last summer and our water/electricity (combined through the city) average less than $60/month. In TX our water was about $100/month and the electricity about $200/month.

Come on out.

golfgod

[txguy2009]

TX. Most culture out of any state, with lots of big cities to choose from.

Better weather than where you're from, except in summer.

Low COL, no state income tax. Downside: highest property taxes in country. But still, your money goes farther here than anywhere else.

Best economy in country.