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 grew up in the great northern tundra but my skin hates it and after a slip and fall last year on ice, I'm deathly afraid of it, had surgery for it even. I'm tired of the lack of real scenery and the (relatively) expensive housing up here in the Dakotas.
My wife and I are in our late 20s, no kids yet, and we want to move south. We are both pretty conservative politically, yet eccentric and artsy. We love supporting small local businesses, checking out local art and musicians, and dining with locally grown/caught food.
She is a medical technologist, and I do whatever makes us money, I'm kind of a chameleon and have done lots of things, though according to more than a few people, I should be brewing beer on a professional level, they say I have a gift, so I will probably try to open a business and do that but it has to be an area that isn't oversaturated with craft.
We have mainly looked at Missouri (Branson), Arkansas (Fayetteville), Mississippi (Biloxi, Bay St Louis), and Alabama (Huntsville or Orange Beach).
Weather-wise : We both love rolling thunderstorms, would love at least a couple a week year-round. We think tornadoes are fascinating but of course they are deadly too. Still, we never get any, and we like the excitement. Never been in a hurricane, I'm sure they are not fun. During the winter months, we would like the temps to be between 25 at the very lowest (like lowest day of the year) and maybe 60 at the very highest. I suppose if it snows it would be ideally less than 6 inches throughout the year and probably not more than an inch at a time. Ice sucks hardcore. In the summer, preferably not too hot as she has had heat stroke so she is a bit sensitive to oppressive humidity but for her it would be like how winter is, and she would stay inside with a tall glass and a book probably. I'd like it to be more than 70 but less than 90 on most summer days. I would also like to avoid oppressive/miserable humidity during the summer if I can but that's probably not gonna happen. Ideally Spring and Fall would be comfortable, below 70, and great relaxing outside/bonfire weather respectively.
Scenery : She loves fall colors - reds, oranges, yellows. We both love mountains, I love palm trees and beach.
Shopping : I'd like to live in an area between 50,000 and 400,000 people, or at least within 10-20 minutes driving distance of such a city. If I lived in a city of 20,000 people on the cusp of a city of 300,000 that would be sweet. She online shops so it's not a big deal for her as long as she has a Bath & Body Works.
Housing : This is a big one. Under 200k and preferably over 2,000 sq ft. Views would be nice. Stepping out the back deck and seeing a misty mountain would be fantastic. Yet I'd love a palm tree or seven in my front yard, lol. Cheap gas and groceries would be wonderful as well as cheap utilities. Growing my own fruit, yes please.
People : outgoing and friendly, easy to talk to, though not hell-bent on gossip because I don't do well with giving or receiving it. Would prefer decent drivers!
Food : We love cajun and seafood, and good old fashioned brisket and pulled pork too. Steak is great. We also like trying various cultures' foods too, but not as frequently as chowing on the stuff above.
Overall we have been looking at those cities I mentioned but if there's anything that strikes you as a great fit please don't hesitate. Branson is so exciting and beautiful, though I'm not sure it would be warm enough for us; Huntsville is further south and has great hills too but the beach is still a 5 hour drive; and on the gulf coast you have hurricanes and such and it's flat which I don't like, plus maybe more crime? We have kind of ruled out Florida, she definitely doesn't want to move there, with the hurricanes, the crime, and now the red flag laws and stuff. It would be fine to visit on occasion though.
I grew up in the great northern tundra but my skin hates it and after a slip and fall last year on ice, I'm deathly afraid of it, had surgery for it even. I'm tired of the lack of real scenery and the (relatively) expensive housing up here in the Dakotas.
My wife and I are in our late 20s, no kids yet, and we want to move south. We are both pretty conservative politically, yet eccentric and artsy. We love supporting small local businesses, checking out local art and musicians, and dining with locally grown/caught food.
She is a medical technologist, and I do whatever makes us money, I'm kind of a chameleon and have done lots of things, though according to more than a few people, I should be brewing beer on a professional level, they say I have a gift, so I will probably try to open a business and do that but it has to be an area that isn't oversaturated with craft.
We have mainly looked at Missouri (Branson), Arkansas (Fayetteville), Mississippi (Biloxi, Bay St Louis), and Alabama (Huntsville or Orange Beach).
Weather-wise : We both love rolling thunderstorms, would love at least a couple a week year-round. We think tornadoes are fascinating but of course they are deadly too. Still, we never get any, and we like the excitement. Never been in a hurricane, I'm sure they are not fun. During the winter months, we would like the temps to be between 25 at the very lowest (like lowest day of the year) and maybe 60 at the very highest. I suppose if it snows it would be ideally less than 6 inches throughout the year and probably not more than an inch at a time. Ice sucks hardcore. In the summer, preferably not too hot as she has had heat stroke so she is a bit sensitive to oppressive humidity but for her it would be like how winter is, and she would stay inside with a tall glass and a book probably. I'd like it to be more than 70 but less than 90 on most summer days. I would also like to avoid oppressive/miserable humidity during the summer if I can but that's probably not gonna happen. Ideally Spring and Fall would be comfortable, below 70, and great relaxing outside/bonfire weather respectively.
Scenery : She loves fall colors - reds, oranges, yellows. We both love mountains, I love palm trees and beach.
Shopping : I'd like to live in an area between 50,000 and 400,000 people, or at least within 10-20 minutes driving distance of such a city. If I lived in a city of 20,000 people on the cusp of a city of 300,000 that would be sweet. She online shops so it's not a big deal for her as long as she has a Bath & Body Works.
Housing : This is a big one. Under 200k and preferably over 2,000 sq ft. Views would be nice. Stepping out the back deck and seeing a misty mountain would be fantastic. Yet I'd love a palm tree or seven in my front yard, lol. Cheap gas and groceries would be wonderful as well as cheap utilities. Growing my own fruit, yes please.
People : outgoing and friendly, easy to talk to, though not hell-bent on gossip because I don't do well with giving or receiving it. Would prefer decent drivers!
Food : We love cajun and seafood, and good old fashioned brisket and pulled pork too. Steak is great. We also like trying various cultures' foods too, but not as frequently as chowing on the stuff above.
Overall we have been looking at those cities I mentioned but if there's anything that strikes you as a great fit please don't hesitate. Branson is so exciting and beautiful, though I'm not sure it would be warm enough for us; Huntsville is further south and has great hills too but the beach is still a 5 hour drive; and on the gulf coast you have hurricanes and such and it's flat which I don't like, plus maybe more crime? We have kind of ruled out Florida, she definitely doesn't want to move there, with the hurricanes, the crime, and now the red flag laws and stuff. It would be fine to visit on occasion though.
Thanks for the responses!
Check out Cookeville, Tennessee. Winters are a tad warmer than Branson with less snow. Tennessee is a very low tax state (no state income tax, for example), and the cost of living in Cookeville is very reasonable. It's in a beautiful area with 100 waterfalls and 1200 miles of lakeshore within 40 minutes of town. The economy in Cookeville is booming with several thousand new jobs in the last few years. It's a town of 35,000 with an urbanized population of 50,000 that's the center of a trade area of 300,000 and is an hour east of Nashville. Being the center of the area means Cookeville has a large, regional hospital with lots of medical jobs. Plus there are farmers markets, farm-to-table restaurants, local shops, galleries, museums, excellent schools, performing arts (outdoor symphony concert last night, for example). And a Bath & Body Works. Cookeville averages 7 inches of snow per year with rarely more than an inch or two at a time, and it's almost always melted within a couple of days. In addition, not only does Cookeville have gigabit internet, so does the countryside around Cookeville, so you could live way out in the country and still have fiber internet.
Here are some homes at least 2,000 square feet and less than $200k that have recently sold, to give you an idea what you can get for your money:
---
its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD
Columbia SC would be a good fit in terms of climate, home prices, geography/proximity to coast and mountains, friendly people, good food and job availability for each of you.
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.
Cookeville averages 7 inches of snow per year with rarely more than an inch or two at a time, and it's almost always melted within a couple of days. In addition, not only does Cookeville have gigabit internet, so does the countryside around Cookeville, so you could live way out in the country and still have fiber internet.
