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Salt Lake....but then I guess you don't have "fresh" water exactly. lol.
Denver would be a good fit....but it's pretty expensive.
Have you thought of San Antonio? It's economy is smoking hot, it's pretty inexpensive, and if you're looking to buy real estate, San Antonio is one of the few places where you'd be making a really wise investment.
Salt Lake seemed like a decent option, but there's the lack of fresh water, plus I'm not sure I dig the whole mormon/polygamy thing...
Denver's definitely more pricey than I'm looking for, plus I'm not a big fan of snow... I've had more than my share growing up in NY.
Haven't looked at San Antonio yet, will check into it though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve-o
Thats where youre wrong. There are MANY affordable areas of Chicago, and the jobs pay very well. Dont make the assumption that all of Chicago is ridiculously expensive, its ALOT cheaper than L.A. There are TONS of neighborhoods to choose from, many of them are very exciting places to live, with endless nightlife, etc. And the nice thing is that you can easily live on the northside and commute downtown via Chicago's extensive public transportation system. It eliminates the need to own a car which can save you even more money.
And the humidity in Atlanta is very similar to Charleston, in the summer its quite appaling.
Hmm... I've had a difficult time trying to find much in the way of affordable mini-'McMansions' that you can find in the DFW area. (So sue me I'm a sucker for the suburbia lifestyle, I like nice yards and not having houses absolutely packed together). Most of the affordable housing in Chicago seems to be all in the look of the house on "Family Matters" (although if there are some affordable stereotypical suburbs, please let me know, I just haven't been able to locate them). Nor am I a fan of spending an hour commuting to and from work, or the frigid winters.
It's interesting, thinking about the humidity deal. My only real objection to the humidity is when I'd have to do yard work or other strenuous outdoor labor. So maybe the humidity isn't all that bad...
Another thing I have a strong dislike for is canopies of power lines, it just really sucks the beauty right out of an area. It seems to be a big thing in many areas of Chicago, Pittsburgh, Toronto, etc.
Last edited by RowingMunkeyCU; 02-21-2008 at 01:34 PM..
Hmm... I've had a difficult time trying to find much in the way of affordable mini-'McMansions' that you can find in the DFW area. (So sue me I'm a sucker for the suburbia lifestyle, I like nice yards and not having houses absolutely packed together). Most of the affordable housing in Chicago seems to be all in the look of the house on "Family Matters" (although if there are some affordable stereotypical suburbs, please let me know, I just haven't been able to locate them). Nor am I a fan of spending an hour commuting to and from work, or the frigid winters.
It's interesting, thinking about the humidity deal. My only real objection to the humidity is when I'd have to do yard work or other strenuous outdoor labor. So maybe the humidity isn't all that bad...
How much can you spend on a house? That would be the question to ask. There are many affordable suburbs, but many of them are growing like a weed and are mostly comprised of cookie-cutters, sadly. You can find a great older home in many towns further out west, that have access to Metra to get downtown faster, but Id need to know how much you can spend first.
As for humidity, it does more good than harm. It keeps you more hydrated, keeps the skin/hair/sinuses healthy, etc. It can and does get pretty uncomfortable on many days here, but the good thing is that it doesnt stick around for too long. It comes and goes in short/medium length spans. Its definitely not South Carolina or Florida, I can tell you that much.
How much can you spend on a house? That would be the question to ask. There are many affordable suburbs, but many of them are growing like a weed and are mostly comprised of cookie-cutters, sadly. You can find a great older home in many towns further out west, that have access to Metra to get downtown faster, but Id need to know how much you can spend first.
As for humidity, it does more good than harm. It keeps you more hydrated, keeps the skin/hair/sinuses healthy, etc. It can and does get pretty uncomfortable on many days here, but the good thing is that it doesnt stick around for too long. It comes and goes in short/medium length spans. Its definitely not South Carolina or Florida, I can tell you that much.
Since I'd be looking for a first home, preferably less than $150k, but if the job offer was right, $200k might be do-able.
I've never been to Florida, but from everything I've heard (my little brother worked for Disney in their intern program) the heat and humidity there is absolutely miserable. Charleston's humidity wasn't all that bad, as long as I wasn't working outdoors (I was on a trip similar to "Habitat for Humanity"-type stuff, doing home repairs and putting down new tin roofing in the middle of the summer). The humidity might be a nice change, I always get horribly chapped lips in the winter...
Sidewalks are nice, and the lack of powerlines is awesome! However I couldn't care less about living on a golf course. Slightly older neighborhoods are good too (for the big trees), I'm also not a big fan of the clear cutting that they do for the new subdivisions.
Dallas is not humid, but extremely hot in the summer. They also get tornadoes. Snow is not uncommon in winter. Overall, though, Dallas would be a great option. As well as Austin and San Antonio. Sacramento, CA is a good option.
Denver may get snow in the winter, but they actually some of the highest numbers of sunny days of any place in America. The winters are not brutal like in Chicago. Sometimes the snow will fall, but will melt within a week b/c temps go back in the 40's and 50's. The homes are not outrageously expensive, especially in suburbs farther out.
Well, not all year round like some other places. But yeah, the summers are pretty bad if you don't like heat. Florida would be better than Dallas because you have the same temperatures, but a beach. In the winter, if you like colder weather, go to Dallas. If you like heat like me, go to Florida.
Salt Lake....but then I guess you don't have "fresh" water exactly. lol.
Denver would be a good fit....but it's pretty expensive.
Have you thought of San Antonio? It's economy is smoking hot, it's pretty inexpensive, and if you're looking to buy real estate, San Antonio is one of the few places where you'd be making a really wise investment.
I think the COL in Denver is fairly reasoable. For example, you can get a 2 BR apt for ~$700-900/mo. The median price of a home to buy is around $250K (varies greatly from area to area).
Not near fresh water that won't dry up, but seems to have its act together regarding water, unlike Atlanta which gets about twice as much natural rainfall.
Last edited by Katarina Witt; 02-21-2008 at 08:23 PM..
Reason: addition
San Jose (silicon valley), but I'm not sure how low (or more likely, high) the cost of living is.
San Jose has some of the highest COL and real estate prices in the country. An average home there is in the upper 800k range.
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I'm a sucker for the suburbia lifestyle, I like nice yards and not having houses absolutely packed together). Most of the affordable housing in Chicago seems to be all in the look of the house on "Family Matters" (although if there are some affordable stereotypical suburbs, please let me know, I just haven't been able to locate them). Nor am I a fan of spending an hour commuting to and from work, or the frigid winters.
