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I agree on Charleston, but maybe a nicer inexpensive suburb like Mt. Pleasant since downtown Charleston is way over budget.
I’m not a big fan of Savannah, but St. Simmons wouldn’t be a bad fit actually.
Jacksonville doesn’t have a sense of community, or any of the east coast of Florida for that matter.
Some of Pinellas County is a pretty good fit, like Safety Harbor or even St. Pete if you’re open to a city that big. You’re right that it’s strip mall heavy in parts, but the right sections aren’t.
We spent some time in St. Pete and it was nice, but it felt like an isolated bubble from the rest of that area -- like someone put Williamsburg, Brooklyn in the middle of a retiree reunion.
Charleston is on our list to visit. Savannah looks beautiful but I don't know much about it. Jacksonville leans conservative and has that "strip mall" feeling according to a few friends of ours, but we haven't been, so perhaps it's not the case.
Well, the cities that I suggested upthread do not have tons of "strip malls" and, honestly, feeling nothing like Jacksonville, Orlando or Tampa.
Lambertville NJ, New Hope PA, Doylestown PA and Frenchville NJ?
Super Crunchy, Verrry liberal, very progressive, lots of millenials, very colonial.
You can snag good property on the PA side for good money. 1 hour to the beach. Way more than drinking. Lots, I mean LOTS of outdoor recreation. History. Mountains. Rivers. Also, great schools. The people are very friendly and the community is great.
The only thing is weather... but the area keeps super vibrant in the winter. But its certainly more mild than New England, they got 3 inches of snow this year and 20 inches last year. Nearly 1/2 as much as Boston and temperatures are about 6-10 degree warmer than Boston. I spent a very cold winter in NJ last year and it was significantly better than Boston's. You get way less wind.
Charleston is on our list to visit. Savannah looks beautiful but I don't know much about it. Jacksonville leans conservative and has that "strip mall" feeling according to a few friends of ours, but we haven't been, so perhaps it's not the case.
Don't look at Jacksonville proper. Go southeast to Nocatee which has a very family friendly feel with easy access to beach or further south to St Augustine.
I wouldn't bother looking in eastern Washington or eastern Oregon much, given your criteria: the climate is more of a traditional "interior US" climate with cold winters and snow; and it's more conservative without much of a "crunchy" element. Even the college towns like Ellensburg have more of a rodeo, country music, "meat and potatoes" type vibe.
The exception to this would be Bend, OR. Very crunchy. It's interior PNW, so sunnier and drier than the coastal cities, not dreary. Lots of trustafarians. The catch: Finding decent housing for under $600k may be a stretch.
ETA: OP, I would also consider Wenachee,, Ellensburg, and Walla Walla Washington. These cities are moderately conservative, don't think you'd have difficulty fitting in and finding your people. Sunny and mostly dry, mild winters.
Last edited by AnythingOutdoors; 03-30-2023 at 08:59 AM..
Seems like Asheville, NC does well with this type of criteria. Would be a milder (though still 4-season) climate, relatively liberal/crunchy (probably on par with parts of Western MA, for example), and I'm assuming a bit friendlier, though have zero experience to back that statement up.
Seems like Asheville, NC does well with this type of criteria. Would be a milder (though still 4-season) climate, relatively liberal/crunchy (probably on par with parts of Western MA, for example), and I'm assuming a bit friendlier, though have zero experience to back that statement up.
I'm astounded given the OP's criteria that Asheville didn't show up until the 16th post. It nails all of their criteria and the usual dissent of cost/lack of employment is well-countered by their housing budget and work from home status/salary. West Asheville and Montford would be recommendations for neighborhoods.
Hello everyone — my husband and I are hoping to relocate and we are hoping for suggestions. We are in our early 30s, college-educated, homeschool, are moderately crunchy, and have a combined salary of approximately 160k. We work remotely, so finding employment where we move is not an issue. We currently live in the New England area and it’s not a good fit for us because of the weather and the keep-to-yourself culture that makes a sense of community difficult (among other reasons.)
Some of our hopes:
- Sunny
- Milder winters than the Northeast (ideally, VERY mild winters)
- Near a body of water, ideally ocean
- Lots of hikes and nature nearby
- Few, if any, strip malls / chain restaurants — access to shopping is not important to us
- Community that is fine with us not being religious. We are fine with others being religious; we just don’t want to live somewhere where the only place to meet people is through church.
- A sense of community where people stop to have a conversation and say hi when walking the dog. General friendliness and openness.
- Lots of millennials.
- Things to do that don’t involve bars / drinking. Happy to go there with friends occasionally, but not constantly.
- Good schools are a plus, but we homeschool so we wouldn't need them for academics.
- Nice scenery, trees in neighborhoods, etc.
- Healthy culture, farmer’s markets, CSAs, yoga, a great YMCA or gym, healthy eateries, people out rollerblading, running, etc.
- Artsy, pottery studios, thrift stores, dance studios for classes (swing dance scene is a big plus!)
Obviously, no place is perfect, but we are wondering if there are any places that hit most of our list and are doable on a 160k remote salary. We would like to be able to have a 3bed/2bath on maybe ¼ acre with room for a garden and a nice neighborhood to walk the dogs. We would prefer the house purchase price to be less than 600k, and ideally under 400k.
Open to any and all suggestions! Happy to provide more info too. Thanks in advance.
I'm surprised that Carrboro NC next to Chapel Hill hasn't been mentioned yet, as it has a lake nearby and would fit pretty much the rest of the criteria.
I'm surprised that Carrboro NC next to Chapel Hill hasn't been mentioned yet, as it has a lake nearby and would fit pretty much the rest of the criteria.
I absolutely LOVE Carrboro having lived there for several years but it does lack the scenery component (not ugly, but not anything special) and as such not a ton of hiking opportunity nearby. Jordan Lake is nearby but much is inaccessible due to private property or government-owned tracts.
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