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 am on vacation in the Cape up North. The weather has been hot muggy, which is fine love it. This week weather is 80 to 90 less humidity. Has access to the beach, biking trails, and a large running/biking community.
Look for a place similar to this year round, kind of.
I am not a cold weather person, but do enjoy the change of weather. Winter in CT was perfect last year minus 2 10 to 12 inch snowstorms. With some areas hit by 24 inches. I am okay with snow, but less than 25 inches and temperaturesee from December to January are between 30 to 60. Last winter was awesome 40 degrees most of the winter with one week in the minuses. That's okay.
Not a fan of Spring preferably less Spring more Summer. With April to June 60 to 90 with not much humidity. Then late June to September hot and muggy.
Then fall that is 40 to 80 degrees with little humidity and not a lot of rain. Plus change in color with the leaves.
Area has to be at least 30 minutes from the ocean, near areas to hike, near universities, and decent hospital systems/nursing homes.
There's plenty of very desirable 3/2 single family homes under 300K and nice topography nearby for hiking, it houses the main campus of the University of South Carolina and has a couple of major hospital systems (Palmetto Health and Lexington Health). Columbia is a surprisingly active city for it's size (135K) with a lot going on thanks to it's role as state capital and major university town. At midpoint in the state it has the Summer weather you like, and mild Winters along with fairly short Springs and longer Fall-like weather. Columbia is around 2 hours from the beaches near Charleston and about 2 hours to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in NC. It's being "discovered" and experiencing fairly significant growth so if in healthcare you should be able to find work fairly easily as demand is increasing.
I think somewhere along the coastal South in VA, NC, or SC sounds like your best option.
I think that it's important to remember that inexpensive housing oftentimes means lower wages. The OP is wise to her/his homework to determine which places will allow someone with her/his skillset to make the living necessary to afford the desired living situation. Now, if we are talking retirement, that's a totally different story.
Average wage for my job field where I currently live is $32 an hour. Anything below PA pay drops by $10 an hour excluding D.C. & NOVA. On the west coast it's slightly higher.
Charleston, SC/Columbia, SC/Wilmington, NC/Virginia Beach, VA would be worth a look. All good areas. Good that you're doing your homework. Don't look at "higher" or "lower" pay or cost of living in and of themselves. It's the "buying power" (wages vs. COL) that is the key. That's where so many Sunbelt metros do so well. Good luck in your search.
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.
