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.
Hi friendly folks,
We're blessed to have the ability to move anywhere as early 50s retirees. We have no kids and no constraints on location. Portland OR no longer holds the appeal that it did for us even 5 years ago. Too much rampant homelessness, and questionable city management practices...our opinion only of course.
Would you be kind enough to offer suggestions so we can start the search? We've lived and traveled in various places and have some ideas, but wanted to leave it completely open for suggestions.
We've characterized the IDEAL place below...knowing full well that is likely does not exist. However, we'd start making compromises once we have a short list.
Housing budget - max $750K 3 bdr/2 bath, ~1600 sq ft. (preferably lower cost, but this is max)
Charming (maybe historic) main street/downtown. Bistros, shops, wine bars/brewpubs, live music venues. But not constantly over-run by tourists.
Clean, safe streets.
Political climate that is mixed. OK to lean left or right, but tolerance/acceptance key.
Some aspect(s) of Nature nearby (river, lake, mountain, forest, etc...). Active/outdoorsy. Clean air.
Organic grocery.
Access to good medical facilities within ~40 miles or so, including naturopath/holistic.
Music jam circles (old timey, bluegrass, or folk, etc.)
Good gardening opportunities.
At least 1 golf course within ~25 miles.
Nearby University would be a bonus.
Again, this is the "wish list" - fully aware we likely will not check all the boxes with any particular location, but we wanted to start with an ideal in mind.
Chattanooga, Asheville, maybe Knoxville (I'd recommend the other two first though), fayetteville (I actually think this may be the best fit for y'all). I think these would all be great places and are pretty close to checking all of your boxes.
The outside burbs of PHX may be a good fit but it doesn't really have a historic downtown with big music pull that I'm aware of.
I've heard good things about Sacramento, but I've only been once.
Best of luck.
If you want to consider Maryland, my first thought is Annapolis. However, it may be too over-touristed for your liking, especially in the very charming historic district. Also, your budget might not make it if you want to be right on the water. My second thought would be Frederick. If you don't care about being on or near the water, move Frederick up to first choice.
In either place, you're likely to find your perfect weather in May and October. Otherwise, it can get fairly hot and humid in the summer, and fairly cold in the winter. Snowfall will be more of an issue in Frederick than it will in Annapolis. Both cities have small colleges; larger universities may be found in the Washington and Baltimore areas.
Is there a minimum or maximum population you're looking for? Looking for urban? Suburban? Rural? Any of the above as long as they meet your stated criteria?
Thank you thank you thank you to all!! There are lots of gems here, and we appreciate it. We are open to any sized city that checks the most boxes. I should add clarity on the weather criteria. High temps (say, above 90) with intense sun like PHX or Sac won’t work too well for my wife. Nor would a high heat index (temp combined with high humidity). A few days here and there, no biggie, but weeks or months on end would be a no go. We are OK with some cold or snow Dec/Jan or thereabouts if a whole bunch of other criteria are met. So when deviating from our “perfect” 66-72 degree day, cooler is better than hotter for us. Sorry for not being specific in my original post.
For that reason the coastal/bay options look really appealing (esp WA) as do the more moderate / elevated spots like Asheville (visited there and loved it).
Thanks again, and please keep any additional ideas coming!!
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.
Sorry for not being specific in my original post.
