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I had orginally created a perfect southeast city post about a year ago and got some great feedback! Based on the awesome feedback I got my fiancee and I were able to really narrow down exactly what we are looking for and although similar to the list presented last time, there is quite a few new requirements and others were taken off. Due to back problems I will no longer be going to Dental School but instead am looking at other options within the healthcare realm, and my fiancee will be in a healthcare field as well. I have done extensive research and visited a few cities presented to us on the last thread, but I thought perhaps given the new criteria maybe some of you would have new suggestions that we are missing! Also, feel free to give any feedback on the Cities Currently/Was On Radar. Okay, so here goes the list:
Must Haves:
Near Water (Lake or River preferably - think boat access); 1 hour max, preferably within 30 minutes; being near the ocean is no longer a concern
Near Mountains (within 3-4 hours, preferably closer)
Lots of nature/greenery: eco-friendly; think trees and forest
Great, Vibrant Downtown with lots of events/things to do
Good Economy (especially healthcare wise)
Great parks/outdoor scene for hiking, biking, and camping; waterfalls a big plus
Safe area
Family-Friendly & Low Crime Rate
Affordable
Within a 7 hour drive (distance wise) from Lake Lanier (Gainsville Area), where my parents plan on retiring. No further west than Alabama.
Less Traffic Than Atlanta (this one shouldn't be hard)
Preferred But Not Necessary
Milder temperatures than Atlanta (think Summer and even Fall sometimes; HOT! - Spring is perfect here)
Good Road Infrastructure: Traffic in desireable areas is doable
Sense of Community: Supports Small/Local Businesses (uniqueness)
Cities Currently On Our Radar:
Nashville, TN
Knoxville, TN
Chattanooga, TN
Asheville, NC
Anderson, SC - Lake Hartwell Area; Greenville downtown area is alittle small for my taste and some parts have very poor road infrastructure planning and as a result have bad traffic. I do like the many events held there and the family friendly atmosphere, as well as the "naturey" vibe. I also like the community feel. I do understand that they are building it up nicely as well; the big concern is the road infrastructure.
Everything about this just sorta screams Greenville-Clemson-Anderson, SC. Greenville is the only one that has a waterfall (and a nice one at that) right downtown, and the lakes around that area appear to be some of the best/biggest inland lakes there are. Rule out Asheville if water access is a big deal, I would say perhaps add in Charlotte, and this may be a reach, but Huntsville, AL. Don't rule out Atlanta suburbs, so long as you don't have to commute to Downtown Atlanta, I'm sure there are quieter sections of the metro. I thought Greenville's downtown was quite nice, but I don't know how recently you've seen it.
Everything about this just sorta screams Greenville-Clemson-Anderson, SC. Greenville is the only one that has a waterfall (and a nice one at that) right downtown, and the lakes around that area appear to be some of the best/biggest inland lakes there are. Rule out Asheville if water access is a big deal, I would say perhaps add in Charlotte, and this may be a reach, but Huntsville, AL. Don't rule out Atlanta suburbs, so long as you don't have to commute to Downtown Atlanta, I'm sure there are quieter sections of the metro. I thought Greenville's downtown was quite nice, but I don't know how recently you've seen it.
Thanks your your input Cavsfan! When I say waterfalls I really mean like within the area, not so much downtown, think parks within 30 minutes - hour. Georgia is OK, I grew up in the suburbs outside of Atlanta and while its nice it just doesn't bring that "This is Home" feel that we are really looking for; Same for the Suburbs of Greenville: lived in Greenville for a few years (off Woodruff road, traffic is a nightmare) but that was years ago. They have definitely built up downtown Greenville since we last have been, but we get to see Downtown again in October when we get married , so we will check it out then. I think Downtown area of Greenville is GREAT, but the suburbs of Greenville outside of Downtown is just ehhh, so thats got me on the fence. Haven't gotten to really explore Anderson much to have an opinion, but I do like the size of Lake Hartwell. If you were to plop downtown Greenville on Lake Hartwell I think it would be a perfect match.
if you think Greenville's downtown is too small, you can also rule out Anderson, it like 1/10th the size. I think it is a decent small dowtnwon and they have a new park / plaza thing.
I don't see how the burbs in Gville are different than anywhere else and there is a variety of neighborhood types and housing, and you not limited to the Woodruff road area. Powdersville / Easley has gotten a lot more stuff and not far from downtown Gville. Same with Greer, you can also look at Traveler's Rest close to the Blue Ridge mtns.
Woodruff road is not that bad outside of Saturdays and rush hour most of the time.
Knoxville and Nooga are pretty much on same level as Greenville as far as what you are looking for. I believe both are much more humid than Greenville, and more cloudy days, and more snowfall in Knoxville.
I don't see an infracture problem in Greenville, and they are now reconfiguring the 85-385 interchange which is the main problem, with flyovers rather than the clover leaf layout, adding more lanes and bridges, etc. They are also now widening Roper Mountain Road to 4 lanes which should help Woodruff traffic as well. I believe much of highway 14 and batesville road will be widened to 4 lanes in the future. I know Batesville road is on tap in next few years.
if you think Greenville's downtown is too small, you can also rule out Anderson, it like 1/10th the size. I think it is a decent small dowtnwon and they have a new park / plaza thing.
I don't see how the burbs in Gville are different than anywhere else and there is a variety of neighborhood types and housing, and you not limited to the Woodruff road area. Powdersville / Easley has gotten a lot more stuff and not far from downtown Gville. Same with Greer, you can also look at Traveler's Rest close to the Blue Ridge mtns.
Woodruff road is not that bad outside of Saturdays and rush hour most of the time.
Knoxville and Nooga are pretty much on same level as Greenville as far as what you are looking for. I believe both are much more humid than Greenville, and more cloudy days, and more snowfall in Knoxville.
I don't see an infracture problem in Greenville, and they are now reconfiguring the 85-385 interchange which is the main problem, with flyovers rather than the clover leaf layout, adding more lanes and bridges, etc. They are also now widening Roper Mountain Road to 4 lanes which should help Woodruff traffic as well. I believe much of highway 14 and batesville road will be widened to 4 lanes in the future. I know Batesville road is on tap in next few years.
Thanks for the input! Downtown Greenville has definitely grown since we have visited, and if we were to move to that area we would probably want to live very close to Downtown because we love the vibe downtown brings. I do think it is small but this is coming from someone who is used to Atlanta's size so, its not saying much. It just feels alittle sprawled I guess, or at least used to. We will be seeing Downtown again this October so we will see how the changes are.
Near Water (Lake or River preferably - think boat access); 1 hour max, preferably within 30 minutes; being near the ocean is no longer a concern
Near Mountains (within 3-4 hours, preferably closer)
Lots of nature/greenery: eco-friendly; think trees and forest
Great, Vibrant Downtown with lots of events/things to do
Good Economy (especially healthcare wise)
Great parks/outdoor scene for hiking, biking, and camping; waterfalls a big plus
Safe area
Family-Friendly & Low Crime Rate
Affordable
Within a 7 hour drive (distance wise) from Lake Lanier (Gainsville Area), where my parents plan on retiring. No further west than Alabama.
Less Traffic Than Atlanta (this one shouldn't be hard)
Preferred But Not Necessary
Milder temperatures than Atlanta (think Summer and even Fall sometimes; HOT! - Spring is perfect here)
Good Road Infrastructure: Traffic in desireable areas is doable
Sense of Community: Supports Small/Local Businesses (uniqueness)
In my opinion your criteria very clearly speaks to Columbia SC (as an option anyway). It nails all of your criteria pretty well with it's proximity to the mountains, the beautiful and desirable Lake Murray area within a fairly quick commute to the city, a vibrant and revitalized downtown in Columbia with more coming in terms of development, a thriving economy on all fronts, affordability, family-friendliness, a milder climate and very good road infrastructure.
In my opinion your criteria very clearly speaks to Columbia SC (as an option anyway).
"Low crime and eco-friendly", at least to me, makes Greenville and Columbia less-than-ideal. And Columbia in particular is not milder than Atlanta in terms of climate.
I would say Asheville, NC, but it fails in terms of affordability.
OP should maybe check out smaller towns like Brevard or Highlands, the problem is those little mountain towns have very little in the way of employment.
Clearly there's no perfect option. I think OP has a general idea where he'd like to live, somewhere in the southern appalachians or foothills, and I'd advise him to go where he can find a job.
In my opinion your criteria very clearly speaks to Columbia SC (as an option anyway). It nails all of your criteria pretty well with it's proximity to the mountains, the beautiful and desirable Lake Murray area within a fairly quick commute to the city, a vibrant and revitalized downtown in Columbia with more coming in terms of development, a thriving economy on all fronts, affordability, family-friendliness, a milder climate and very good road infrastructure.
This might be a bit of a stretch as far as the drive (quoted 7.5 hours), but how about Richmond? Anyone have any input on this? How about Charlotte or Huntsville? We haven't been to Nashville or Knoxville, but both of these areas look beautiful. I have read several people saying that Knoxville can have a very slow paced feel, which might not fit exactly what we are looking for moving from an area like Atlanta where its fast paced; What interested me about Knoxville was the abundance of outdoor activities within an hour or 2 drive. Nashville has that same appeal plus the bigger city and culture. People seem to speak very highly of Nashville except for one person who visited recently and said she thought it was "ugly"... Not exactly sure what she meant by that? Seeing all 4 seasons would be a nice change, and from what I gather to see them within the region we are in, you pretty much have to be near the Appalachian Area. I have also heard from several here and on forums that Asheville is extremely overrated...
Last edited by NomadByKnight; 05-25-2016 at 11:14 AM..
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, so we will check it out then. I think Downtown area of Greenville is GREAT, but the suburbs of Greenville outside of Downtown is just ehhh, so thats got me on the fence. Haven't gotten to really explore Anderson much to have an opinion, but I do like the size of Lake Hartwell. If you were to plop downtown Greenville on Lake Hartwell I think it would be a perfect match.
