Where in the north east should I go?? (for sale, real estate)

[col]

I am looking to relocate out of NYC in a couple of years.I want to take the time to plan and save along with visiting some areas. I love new england but would like to know about areas in the north east/north east coast region including NE.
We love water/ports/lakes, it should have things to do like culture/freebies/fairs/art/festivals maybe/good libraries etc. Affordable housing or condos and lower cost of living overall than NYC with better quality of life and some friendly people. The whole reason for doing this is cost of living basically and we prefer the north east as a whole ( upstate NY is ok too).


thank you for your help.

[ColdCanadian]

I'm not sure but I think New Hampshire has no sales tax...

[sleeplessinpa]

Well I am from smalltown Pennsylvania. The lower portion of the Poconos. Lots of people are moving here from NY and NJ. But one thing to take in consideration is Taxes! They are high here in Pa mainly because of the lack of Control the State is willing to accept over Local School District Spending!

County and Town Taxes are low but it is the School District taxes that are high! Also be aware that monet straped schools are now taking NEW homeowners to Tax Appeal Court! When Real Estate People advertise a home for sale they also list the Taxes as the present Owner pays BUT they do not disclose that once the home is sold that your Taxes will go UP and many times by a HUGE Margin!( this should be LAW in Pa if it is not one and I am surprised no lawsits have been filed).

I know many school districts that are in a poor area that are doing this and people are very upset by it!


I myself am looking to relocate from Pennsylvania (because of the high Taxes)in 4.5 years when my husband retires.

We are looking into Sussex County Delaware. Low Taxes and it is a nice area with an upper class but small town feel. Lots of boating in the Bay area,there are a few boardwalks not sure about museums or any other activities.

But like you I would like to enjoy the activities youhave listed.

So I will be watching posts here to get so imput.

[dullnboring]

You may want to try Burlington, Vermont. I've never been there, or to Vermont for that matter, but hear nothing but good things about it and it seems to fit a lot of your criteria. It has loads of festivals, fairs and culture (and, well, counter-culture). I know that Lake Champlain is right there so I'd imagine there's a good amount of water sports but that's just conjecture on my part. I know that it's thought of as an expensive place to live, but if you're moving from NYC, I can't imagine it would be more than that.

[deeptrance]

Originally Posted by col

I am looking to:
relocate out of NYC
- We love water/ports/lakes
- it should have things to do like culture/freebies/fairs/art/festivals maybe/good libraries etc.
- Affordable housing or condos and lower cost of living overall than NYC
- better quality of life and some friendly people

Your requests are everyone's dream! Hence the "affordable" part goes out the window

Perhaps you can say which of those attributes are MOST important and which can you compromise? For example, in a lot of rural New England you can find very progressive towns that might lack large institutions such as major museums, libraries, etc., but you'll find many highly educated people from diverse backgrounds with great educations who will keep your life interesting but more intimate.

Case in point: My brother lives in rural Vermont, northeast of Montpelier, and on his forested ridge there is the most interesting collection of people I've ever encountered! He and his wife got a beautiful old farmhouse on 22 acres for under $300K, and they're making a good living because she does graphic design (Web based) and he's a baker who has established just the right size clientele among local towns and stores. Among their neighbors are some retired and active professors, people from various countries, and a variety of ages including children.

If you want to be in town somewhere so that you can walk to restaurants and such, then you have MANY choices in western MA, parts of NH and VT, and parts of upstate NY. My personal experience of most of upstate, however, is that it's rather backward (and I'll probably get slammed for that comment but it's just my limited experience and no, I haven't been to Ithaca!)

In any event, you'll have a lot of beautiful road trips to take as you search for the right spot. Just remember, something's gotta give in your list of requirements. You're probably not going to find ALL of that in one place unles you're OK with a city like Rochester or Buffalo, and if you're OK with those places then you should completely ignore me cuz we're not on the same page!

[exhdo1]

Newfoundland is nice.

[bigchuckie]

Try looking into midcoast ME.or Portland