Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I currently live in a location I really don't like. The nearest town is a dump with very little amenities. The weather is bad 6+ months of the year but the short summers are great. We moved here for my husband's job two years ago.
Now, that said. It is dirt cheap to live here. I mean like stupid cheap. We bought a house over looking Lake Michigan on a few acres with a barn and across the street from miles and miles of Forest Service property for half of what we sold our cookie-cutter, out-of-town yet still in a subdivision on a postage stamp lot - house for in our old town. We loved the town but even with my husband and I working two professional jobs we struggled to live the life we wanted.
We like to travel. We like to experience new things. We like to be able to let our kids play hockey, take swim lessons, play soccer, etc. etc. There are kids activities here but they are limited. We are happy with what is available though. But to find anything else to do is a struggle.
Also, I like diversity. I'm liberal. I don't listen to country music and fire rifles all weekend which seems to be the pastime of choice here (no judgement, just not my idea of fun). I feel like I'm wasting away in an area where I don't fit in.
So, I've been trying to relocate to the PNW, Colorado, or back to certain towns in Montana. But I'm not sure it's worth it. I miss a larger town (30,000+) with more amenities available but is it worth it at the cost of housing?
So, long story coming to an end. Is it worth my sanity to move to a place I'm more comfortable if it means giving up traveling and other aspects of our life we feel are important or should I just suck it up and take advantage of the low cost of living here even though I get excited about traveling anywhere away from here?
If there is a compromise out there I'd love to hear it. Locations are limited to where my husband's offices are located (Forest Service). I'm not sure I would survive in the South so the low cost of living is not enough of a draw.
The amount you would be willing to spend on a house and how small you are willing to go would be essential info.
I don't need much out of a house. I'm fine with just two bedrooms for the four of us but three bedrooms is more likely. I'd rather not go much above 2000sqft but would be fine with much smaller. I wouldn't want to spend more than $325k in more expensive areas. That coupled with a roughly $80k salary for my husband for starters until I found work.
Before you mentioned anything I was thinking West Michigan. And I've been in a similar mindset. The low COL and abundant and laid-back job market is ideal for maximizing vacation time and quality, yet it's incredibly tiresome that it's only 40F or less 200+ days a year. And of course the lack of cosmopolitan culture. It's quite tribal and to some extent even anti-intellectual here. I'm not talking about Grand Rapids but the mini-bible belt west or nw of GR.
My conclusion has been to try somewhere else under the most rational and sober mindset and not put the ultimate pressure of thinking it's permanent. People also suck in different ways in more liberal places. We just might perceive them as sucking less if they suck in the same way we suck.
My two cents here. Live in SoCal, BTW. I've been to the UP and visited northern MI many times, and I hear what you're saying about the area. Yes, beautiful scenery, little crime, inexpensive, but the type of people and lack of culture and diversity ...I would shrivel up and die if I lived there, frankly. There are plenty of "stupid cheap" places in the US and there's a reason for that.
Questions to ask yourself: Is your husband behind moving? Your kids? Consider that your kids will invariably pick up some of the values and social/political awareness there. Are you ok with that?
What things are you traveling for? Would you and your family benefit and grow from being around those things in their home area?
I don't see the point of you wasting away. These years are not only your kids' prime of life, but yours as well. People move to places where they and their family can expand their horizons, and they are willing to constrict their finances to do it. And people who live in an environment that fulfills them don't feel the pressure to get away from it by traveling so much.
What about places further east that may still be affordable and at least offer things more in line with what you like? For instance, you like diversity and culture, but will the PNW, Colorado and Montana fulfill that to the same degree as say some place further east that could fit that better and still offer relative affordability?
The exact budget is irrelevant. It's just figuring out which is more important, travelling or living in a better town.
We like to travel for fun, to see and experience new things and to learn about the world first hand. My desire to travel wouldn't stop if we move but the funds would.
The hubby is up for living most anywhere and our kids are too young to care. They do love to travel though.
If there is a compromise out there I'd love to hear it. Locations are limited to where my husband's offices are located (Forest Service). I'm not sure I would survive in the South so the low cost of living is not enough of a draw.
If so, I know about East Lansing and Syracuse, as both have areas that fit what you are looking for.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 05-02-2016 at 04:48 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
