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I definitely like living in Monterey County and have the convenience of being reasonably close to family and many friends here, but when I retire in 7-10 years I may move 3-4 hours south to the more affordable cities of Santa Maria or Lompoc. Don't ever want to be too far from the Pacific Coast if I can help it and admit to being spoiled by the weather here!
Even closer to Monterey County, I've seen ads along 101 as recently as last year for new homes and condos priced $200k+, in San Luis Obispo County towns like Arroyo Grande and Atascadero. Maybe they've changed, though, as California housing values are like a never ending roller coaster.
Sure, those cities are a little more inland and not as moderated climatically by the coast, but then again the same can be said for Santa Maria and Lompoc. The SLO County towns also have lower crime rates than SM and Lompoc.
Even closer to Monterey County, I've seen ads along 101 as recently as last year for new homes and condos priced $200k+, in San Luis Obispo County towns like Arroyo Grande and Atascadero. Maybe they've changed, though, as California housing values are like a never ending roller coaster.
Sure, those cities are a little more inland and not as moderated climatically by the coast, but then again the same can be said for Santa Maria and Lompoc. The SLO County towns also have lower crime rates than SM and Lompoc.
I am not surprised at that price for Arroyo Grande, but maybe just a little for Atascadero. SLO County is certainly gorgeous and appealing, but you pay more for it these days. There is wine country at the north end especially (Paso Robles area w/at least 100 wineries), the coastal area with San Simeon/Cambria/Cayucos/Morro Bay/Baywood Park-Los Osos, Avila,Shell, Pismo & Grover Beach and there is the signature tourist attraction of Hearst Castle I have been to twice now (went there in 1995 and 2011). The college town of San Luis Obispo is very nice, too, especially its downtown area. I think there is a small zoo in Atascadero. The only thing you are far from in SLO is major league sports, but they have the SLO Blues minor league baseball team and Cal Poly sports. The majors want too much $$$ to pay those salaries these days and I have seen my share of pro games, anyways. LOL.
I'll probably end up settling for being reasonably close to SLO in Santa Maria or Lompoc 7 or so years from now, but will definitely check for possible deals in SLO County too. Lompoc is only an hour north of Santa Barbara, too. Like you said, it can be a roller coaster. May just decide to rent.
For the time being I want to stay about an hour from family (south San Jose). As far as climate, the only one that I would struggle with is Paso Robles which gets serious heat in the summer. The others seem to at least cool down in the evening. Thanks for the input and letting me vent with perhaps too much info! LOL.
Last edited by chessgeek; 08-02-2014 at 03:25 PM..
I currently live in the distant suburbs of Seattle, and plan to get a place in the city when I can afford it. That being said, Oregon and Washington are the only two states I really care to live in. I enjoy travelling to other places, but no matter where I go, the Northwest will always be my true home.
God I hope so. Went from living in a ghetto part of South Atlanta for 19 years to living in a small upstate NY town that gets 170-200 inches of snow a year, with a few stops on the way (Iraq,Korea) Would like to make it somewhere between the two in the next few years. Preferably Richmond, Raleigh, or Columbus.
I'll probably live in the city of Detroit until I have a child and I'm ready to start a family. If the schools ever get any better I would consider just living in one of the affluent neighborhoods in the city. Eventually I will want to live in a lake house in one of the Grosse Pointes or somewhere in the Bloomfield/Birmingham area.
Tbh, I just don't see any reason to leave Metro Detroit unless I have a great opportunity that comes along elsewhere. I am not missing out on anything by being in some other state (and I have been to many other places) I have every thing that I need and 95% of everything I want. It's fun, not too expensive, and there are many affluent areas with no crime and great schools which makes it a great place for a family as well. It's not perfect by any means but most can find an area that they will enjoy living in.
I lived in Louisville, KY and Cincinnati. Yeah, the Midwest wasn't for me, either. (And Louisville is not only a Midwestern city in demeanor for the most part, many of its residents would rather not claim Kentucky as their home.)
Kentucky isn't part of the Midwest.
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