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Hello readers,
I'm new here and looking for some suggestions. I am early 30s, single, no kids, female who is graduating in the spring with my doctorate in nursing. I am currently in the Midwest and eager for a change of scenery. I'm more or an introvert and like to go out for dinner or drinks with small groups of people on occasion. Clubbing sounds like my idea of hell. In my free time I like to silversmith, be outdoors, read, go on walks, try new food, and explore.
Here is what I am looking for:
Things I would like
* Beautiful scenery - trees, hills, mountains, the ocean, beaches, valleys (I don't care as long as it isn't the plains or cornfields)
*Walkable areas
* Size doesn't matter but I'd prefer to use my car over public transit
*Can drive to the beach OR drive to the mountains (extra bonus points for having the option to do both)
*Outdoor activities - hiking, biking, trails, beaches, camping
*Good local food - I love trying new things. I especially love seafood and Mexican food
*All seasons
*Average to high sunshine
* I'd like to be able to afford a house or townhome
* Cute shops, restaurants
* Historical sites
Things I'd like to avoid
* High humidity
* High crime
So far I've created a list of places that I *think* I am interested in. The list includes Flagstaff, AZ for the scenery, 4 seasons, high sunshine, and outdoor activities. I also am interested in a few spots in New England (Portsmouth, Portland, Kennebunkport, New Haven, Providence) for the 4 seasons, seafood, rich history, cute shops/restaurants, and proximity to outdoor activities. I've been to Flagstaff, Portland, and Portsmouth all for only a day.
What areas do you think sound like they'd fit the bill? I'd appreciate any feedback on the areas I mentioned above, as well as new areas that I possibly haven't considered. Thank you in advance for your comments.
Cons for New England: humid, generally expensive, and New Haven and Providence have some crime.
If you wanted to go the southern New England route, I might recommend looking at southern RI between Westerly and Narragansett. However, these towns are kind of a drive to the mountains. Portland and Portsmouth check a lot of your boxes, but they aren’t very diverse. So while they have great seafood, you might need to drive to MA for authentic Latin food.
You could also look at Boston’s north shore. Towns like Beverly, Marblehead, Newburyport, and Rockport might appeal to you, but they’re probably pretty expensive.
I don’t know much about AZ, but I think the biggest drawback there would be beach access.
Last edited by Boston Shudra; 09-10-2020 at 12:23 PM..
Boston Shudra thank you so much for your input. I will look into Boston's north shore and southern RI. This is super helpful and I appreciate your response!
Overall, I think New Haven fits very well. There's a "mountain" within city limits and there's beach. Vermont and the Berkshires are an easy and quick drive. It's diverse and relatively affordable. It's easy to drive, has history, and good food. The only draw back is crime, but it's only high in small portions of the city that you'll likely never go to.
Portland and Providence are also good options, but Providence is further from mountains and Portland is smaller.
One other city that you should consider is Burlington, VT. It's just minutes to mountains and has beaches if you don't mind Lake Champlain in place of the ocean. Housing prices tend to be higher, but you can probably find something. Look into it. It seems like an ideal place from what you're looking for.
One other city that you should consider is Burlington, VT.
I was also thinking of recommending Middletown or Northampton.
The Pioneer Valley (region of MA where Northampton is) is very pretty, but you’d be relatively far from the ocean there. Not as far as in Burlington, VT but the mountains and lake that Burlington has quick access to might make up for not having the ocean. Iirc, though, Vermont is an expensive place to live. I could be wrong.
I'm surprised at some of the suggestions. Flagstaff and the Boston area are some of the most expensive areas in the entire nation. The rest of the NE areas mentioned are better, but still have costs of living noticeably above the national average and harsh Winters to boot. I've lived in the Boston/Cape Cod area and know firsthand.
I'd suggest Albuquerque or Asheville.
Albuquerque's crime rate is a bit high, but, as with most cities, crime is isolated to certain pockets and most incidents involve people who know one another. If you are aware of your surroundings and know where to stay out of, you'll be fine. Albuquerque has a huge upside, IMO.
The city of Asheville itself has a higher than average COL, but it's better than NE overall. Once you get outside of the city, things get WAY more affordable.
Both have very nice, balanced 4-season climates, really beautiful natural surroundings (especially Asheville), rank well nationally for quality of life, lots of outdoor activities, and have great restaurants. You'll get way more bang for your buck in either area compared to Flagstaff or NE in general. We take day trips to Asheville regularly and love the area.
It's just a thought. No matter where you end up, hope you find the place that's right for you.
March2 I always assumed it didn't snow in Albuquerque. I had to Google and see my assumption was wrong! It does get some, although not very much. It certainly is sunny though. I have been to Asheville but it was a long time ago and don't remember much about it. Thank you for your input - I greatly appreciate your suggestions.
I like a snowy winter, I just don't like the gray skies all winter long. I'd happily take snow as long as the sun popped out some of the time. I put Flagstaff on there because although they get 80 inches of snow a year it's very sunny.
I am okay with higher COL as long as I can buy a small house with a yard for around $400,000.
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