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Before everyone shuns us for being surfers that don't shower and live off Mexican food, let me say that we dislike CA just about as much as everyone else does. For me personally, it has never felt like "home". Hopefully you guys understand what I mean by that.
To give you a little background on where we're coming from...
-Northern part of San Diego County
-Rural/unincorporated community
-3,500 people
-Primarily agriculture/ranches
-Surrounded by Tribal Land and casinos which brings TONS of out of town drunk traffic
-Schools are average/below average
-30+ minutes to a larger city (100k+ population)
-Hot summers, around 90 for several months
-Very little rain, no snow
-Average home price 450+
-Per Capita income 25k, household 60k+
-Fairly high state and income taxes
-I suppose it's pretty in the spring when a few days of rain help, but it's primarily old oak trees and sage/chaparral... Brown and dry most of the year. Very high fire risk.
-According to NeighborhoodScout it has a crime score of 30 (not good)
Sure, there's beaches and mountains and great hiking, but traffic bad is no matter where you go. The attractions in the Southern Part of San Diego and along the coast are great, but that's nearly an hour from where we are. Overall, people seem to tolerate our small town, some even like it. But just about nobody likes the surrounding towns. The whole area is growing way too fast you're paying an arm and a leg for a house with a postage stamp yard.
So now that you know a little bit about where we are maybe you can help me narrow down a place to look into.
So far New Hampshire seems to be at the top of our list. Although we are open to Colorado, Oregon, Washington, all of New England and possibly Utah.
Some of the things we are looking for -
-Typical small town feel (isn't that what everyone wants)
-Kid friendly activities like Fall festival/Christmas tree lighting/Independence Day parade
-Appreciation for local stores/restaurants/goods
-Obviously a decent cost of living
-Low crime
-Above average school
-Parks, trails, etc. during nice weather
-Library
-Seasons!!! I need something other than a week of rain and then high 80s-100 for months at a time. We spent a winter in the northern plains of Texas and while it only snowed 2 days it did get plenty icy and cold with 2 weeks on temps hovering around 20F. And the storms are no joke there. I say that to prove how tough I am with cold weather lol.
-We plan to have more children so being near a great labor and delivery hospital with midwives would be great
-We're used to driving 30ish minutes to bigger cities with all of the typical chain stores and attractions.
My husband has a great deal of experience in the operations and maintenance of city water lines and systems and he's currently enrolled in distance learning through CalState Sacramento for utility/public works management and I have background in animal care/shelter medicine, although right now I'm spending my time raising our daughter and pets.
Any help and insight would be greatly appreciated. Apologies that this type of thread is redundant but hey, no better way to learn than by asking questions right?
Last edited by Nsmancino; 08-07-2016 at 11:11 PM..
don't you think new england might be a little harsh in the winter for you? i am only saying that because we left san diego for a lot of the same reasons as you and we were kind of scared that the northern winters would run us back home haha...we ended up outside of springfield, missouri which was great, 4 seasons and in the winter we'd get a couple of snows but nothing that stuck around all winter! because of my husband's job we ended up outside of atlanta and now here in sw va...all great places we have enjoyed! good luck!
NH isn't going to give you a decent cost of living. NH has no state income tax and no sales tax. It makes up for it with the third highest property tax in the country.
Overall, NH has a higher costs of living in all categories than is typical for the county. Southern NH gets an average of 60" of snow a year- northern NH up to 100" or more. It can start snowing in October and may still be snowing in March. Not every year but it is not unusual. Heating & utility costs costs are very high, which is typical of all of New England.
Yes, you will find cute little towns, safety, lot of activities, in general a relaxed, well educated population.
But there are trade offs in regard to cost of living. The average 2 bedroom rental in NH is $1100 a month, utilities extra. You'll probably need two incomes to live comfortably there.
don't you think new england might be a little harsh in the winter for you? i am only saying that because we left san diego for a lot of the same reasons as you and we were kind of scared that the northern winters would run us back home haha...we ended up outside of springfield, missouri which was great, 4 seasons and in the winter we'd get a couple of snows but nothing that stuck around all winter! because of my husband's job we ended up outside of atlanta and now here in sw va...all great places we have enjoyed! good luck!
Possibly! But considering we really truly hate the heat, it's worth looking into.
Speaking as someone who grew up in New England and spent most of his life there until his mid 20s, I think the "small town" aspect of it is very much overblown. What is called a town in New England isn't what it means elsewhere in the country. It basically means an arbitrarily defined municipality - usually which has existed since prior to the Revolutionary War. It may have little to no definable town center, and just be a scattering of houses with no commercial activity whatsoever. Cute walkable downtown areas do exist of course, but you'll have to look around. If the towns are "gentrified" they will command a pretty big price premium over the surrounding areas, because they aren't that common.
I also think that socially New England would be a hard fit for people from most other portions of the country. New England is not an easy place to make friends, as there is a general belief that it's a bit rude to go up to a stranger and strike up a causal conversation. It seems perfectly normal to me having grown up there, but if you're more outgoing, it could be a bad experience initially.
I think you'd have more luck looking for what you are looking for in Upstate NY or Pennsylvania. There are a lot more walkable small towns, and people aren't quite so reticent.
NH isn't going to give you a decent cost of living. NH has no state income tax and no sales tax. It makes up for it with the third highest property tax in the country.
Overall, NH has a higher costs of living in all categories than is typical for the county. Southern NH gets an average of 60" of snow a year- northern NH up to 100" or more. It can start snowing in October and may still be snowing in March. Not every year but it is not unusual. Heating & utility costs costs are very high, which is typical of all of New England.
Yes, you will find cute little towns, safety, lot of activities, in general a relaxed, well educated population.
But there are trade offs in regard to cost of living. The average 2 bedroom rental in NH is $1100 a month, utilities extra. You'll probably need two incomes to live comfortably there.
I would keep exploring other options
Thanks for the input!
There are few places in the US that are more expensive than San Diego, CA. in the area we are in you see apartments (not single family home or even town homes) renting for well above $1100. Usually around $1500-1800 And that's for a very small 2 bedroom in an undesirable area with high crime and lousy schools. So while NH might not have an excellent COL, it sure beats CA.
Speaking as someone who grew up in New England and spent most of his life there until his mid 20s, I think the "small town" aspect of it is very much overblown. What is called a town in New England isn't what it means elsewhere in the country. It basically means an arbitrarily defined municipality - usually which has existed since prior to the Revolutionary War. It may have little to no definable town center, and just be a scattering of houses with no commercial activity whatsoever. Cute walkable downtown areas do exist of course, but you'll have to look around. If the towns are "gentrified" they will command a pretty big price premium over the surrounding areas, because they aren't that common.
I also think that socially New England would be a hard fit for people from most other portions of the country. New England is not an easy place to make friends, as there is a general belief that it's a bit rude to go up to a stranger and strike up a causal conversation. It seems perfectly normal to me having grown up there, but if you're more outgoing, it could be a bad experience initially.
I think you'd have more luck looking for what you are looking for in Upstate NY or Pennsylvania. There are a lot more walkable small towns, and people aren't quite so reticent.
Great info! Thanks.
Any areas in Pennsylvania you'd recommend?
Great videos! That's helpful. I hadn't thought to look up videos on towns I was interested in.
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