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So my wife and I are ready to move to the next step of our lives: have a child, buy a house, and we're considering moving away from New Orleans, as difficult as it is, since we grew up here. I'm wondering if people have some suggestions/concerns that I haven't thought about yet.
Ideally we'd like the following: Natural Disasters: Low threats from earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards. Weather: New Orleans is unbearably hot, so we'd love to escape humidity and avoid constant freezing temps during winter. Don't really want to shovel snow all winter. Geography: Would like to have some sort of geography, as New Orleans is totally flat and swampy/marshy. We like hiking, kayaking, etc, so wooded areas that can be hiked, near mountainous areas, etc...not really fans of the beach. Seasons: Actual spring and fall seasons. Not much of that down here. Would actually like to enjoy sitting outside at restaurants and bars for more than 4 weeks a year. Maybe WFH on my porch....... Nightlife: We still like to go out and people-watch, drink, eat, watch sports. Schools: Public schools in New Orleans SUCK, and we aren't sending our child to a private, Catholic school. Work: Not as big of a deal, as we can both work remotely. Architecture/Neighborhoods: Some sort of diversity in home architecture and neighborhoods. Gimme something to look at when we're walking our dog, right? Recently spent time in a Dallas suburb and it was completely lifeless, as all the homes were the same designs, barely any dogs about, no one hanging outside. Crime: We're used to high crime here, so I guess it's not that big of a concern.
Basically as close to New Orleans culture as we can get(I know, impossible) without the freaking humidity, hurricane evacuations, street flooding during every thunderstorm, conplete incompetence by local government, and still exist in 100 years, with threat of climate change.
My initial thoughts have been: Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh/Durham area, Asheville, St. Louis(?)...these are all also fairly close to home, to visit by car(< ~10 hours), minus Raleigh.
What do y'all think could be some options, and do any of the aforementioned cities make sense?
So my wife and I are ready to move to the next step of our lives: have a child, buy a house, and we're considering moving away from New Orleans, as difficult as it is, since we grew up here. I'm wondering if people have some suggestions/concerns that I haven't thought about yet.
Ideally we'd like the following: Natural Disasters: Low threats from earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards. Weather: New Orleans is unbearably hot, so we'd love to escape humidity and avoid constant freezing temps during winter. Don't really want to shovel snow all winter. Geography: Would like to have some sort of geography, as New Orleans is totally flat and swampy/marshy. We like hiking, kayaking, etc, so wooded areas that can be hiked, near mountainous areas, etc...not really fans of the beach. Seasons: Actual spring and fall seasons. Not much of that down here. Would actually like to enjoy sitting outside at restaurants and bars for more than 4 weeks a year. Maybe WFH on my porch....... Nightlife: We still like to go out and people-watch, drink, eat, watch sports. Schools: Public schools in New Orleans SUCK, and we aren't sending our child to a private, Catholic school. Work: Not as big of a deal, as we can both work remotely. Architecture/Neighborhoods: Some sort of diversity in home architecture and neighborhoods. Gimme something to look at when we're walking our dog, right? Recently spent time in a Dallas suburb and it was completely lifeless, as all the homes were the same designs, barely any dogs about, no one hanging outside. Crime: We're used to high crime here, so I guess it's not that big of a concern.
Basically as close to New Orleans culture as we can get(I know, impossible) without the freaking humidity, hurricane evacuations, street flooding during every thunderstorm, conplete incompetence by local government, and still exist in 100 years, with threat of climate change.
My initial thoughts have been: Nashville, Charlotte, Raleigh/Durham area, Asheville, St. Louis(?)...these are all also fairly close to home, to visit by car(< ~10 hours), minus Raleigh.
What do y'all think could be some options, and do any of the aforementioned cities make sense?
I moved to Denver from New Orleans, grew up in BR. You can forget about the culture part, nothing comes close. All of these cities will have cookie cutter suburbs, especially Nashville, Charlotte, and Raleigh. Although less of a problem if you live in the city. My uncles house in Charlotte is probably 120+ years old and beautiful.
I would possibly consider Knoxville as well as Richmond and possibly Little Rock.
I really like Asheville. The setting is stunning, and there is a good restaurant scene. The winters will be an adjustment for New Orleanians, although it wouldn't be like moving to Minnesota or anything. The summers would be much much nicer. I think it's pretty pricey, though, and I have no idea about the school systems. Chattanooga is also a really cool smaller city with plenty of outdoor recreation and scenic views. The winters are a little milder there than Asheville, but the summers will be hotter. Chattanooga is also very close to Atlanta if you want occasional very large city amenities.
The Mid Atlantic might work, especially Baltimore or DC. Hurricanes can be a problem but not as often as New Orleans. Winters are relatively mild. There's plenty of diverse housing and neighborhoods.
Basically, any mid-sized Southern city along the Appalachians such as Birmingham, Asheville, Raleigh, Greenville, et al, would fit your description. These places absolutely rock in terms of sheer livability.
If you're looking for someone still within the South which isn't cookie-cutter suburbia, and isn't right on the coast (you'd have some of the same issues with hurricanes and hot weather in Savannah or Charleston) I think the best suggestions are Richmond or Louisville. Both of them have an older "real city" feel to them and active street life in places, and have a milder, yet "four seasons" climate.
Check out Chattanooga TN! Good luck. (I'm from Metairie and a Saints fan by the way. I live in Tyler, TX and love it here but the summers are still a bit long and hot for my taste, though the springs and winters and falls are great!)
I feel like Louisville should be a good option. It's culture, built environment, climate, and topography hit all of the points, and would be a decent replacement for what you'd be giving up in New Orleans(understanding that you can't really replicate the Nola experience). The problem is crime and I think the public schools aren't great(not sure on that). You could look at areas across the river in New Albany Indiana, or Clarksville with better crime and schools. Also just a 5 minute drive back across the river and you're in the thick of the culture, architecture, and amenities in Louisville.
My first thought was New Mexico; but you seem to want to stay in the eastern US.
Northern NM basically meets all your criteria. It's the only place in the US with a culture as unique as New Orleans'.
Maybe I'm naive since I've never actually lived in New Orleans; but I love it so much and honestly, moving from NO to some generic inland city in the South just seems like a downgrade.
Thanks for the responses so far, everyone. We actually visited Chattanooga right after Thanksgiving last year, and we did really like the city, but it seemed like more of a college town. We stayed at a B&B basically right across the street from UT-Chattanooga. The city was nice and hilly, it was an easy drive into the mountains, there were random murals on the sides of buildings, but school was out of session, so the entire city felt dead. Maybe it was just a product of being Thanksgiving, and people went out of town?
I didn't even think of Louisville, but I'll have to start looking there, too. As well as Richmond.
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