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San Francisco for me, too. I've lived here since 1974 (except for three years in "Hell" Sobrante during my first marriage. I couldn't get out of there fast enough). I'm very happy here.
Pros are mild weather, clean air, beautiful scenery, beautiful Victorian and Edwardian houses, lots of things to do, decent public transportation, many parks, world class medical, art museums, symphony and opera. Restaurants feature every type of cuisine you can imagine.
My quiet, safe neighborhood is tucked away in a little-known part of the city. We live across the street from a forested city park with hiking trails that lead to panoramic views of the city. Our shopping street is like a small town with banks, restaurants, salons, drugstores, shoe and vacuum repair shops, an upscale Goodwill thrift shop, mom and pop grocery stores, wine bars, pubs, a library and a light rail station with easy access to other parts of the city.
Real estate prices are insane here, but we were fortunate to have bought our modest 2br, 1ba house in 1986 for less than $200K. We planned it so it would be paid off by the time we retired, and that helps keep our living expenses within reason. California's Prop. 13 is another pro. Our property taxes are quite reasonable even though the house has appreciated greatly in value. Because we are seniors, if we were to move anywhere else in the state another California law would enable us to to keep our same tax rate.
Cons are the cold, foggy summers, difficult street parking, horrible rush hour and weekend traffic jams. I miss some of the big department stores like Macy's and Nordstrom that have closed. Other cons are the high cost of living and the druggies and homeless who congregate in some downtown and tourist areas. But since we're retirees we almost never need to go to those areas. We can also avoid traffic by traveling on weekdays or at off times. I am grateful every single day to live here and I hope I never have to leave.
Just googled Taos, you were right, it does look like a foreign country. Now I’m fascinated.
New Mexico is about as close to a foreign country that you can find within the US, and that appeals to me. That is one reason why I moved here when I retired. Taos is charmingly dysfunctional. You might walk into a shop and the dog is in charge because the shopkeeper went for a coffee and met a friend and fell into a conversation. They will be back in a while. Store hours are sometimes suggestions. Earthship is just across the Rio Grande Gorge and is equally interesting. Santa Fe is hyper by comparison. Also has tourist gridlock, but it is a good place to visit on occasion. It is a foodie's destination. I live halfway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque and can have the benefit of either one under an hour. I can catch the commuter train. I love the deserts, mountains, forests, the empty outback, scenery, the food, and the cultural diversity.
New Mexico is about as close to a foreign country that you can find within the US, and that appeals to me. That is one reason why I moved here when I retired. Taos is charmingly dysfunctional. You might walk into a shop and the dog is in charge because the shopkeeper went for a coffee and met a friend and fell into a conversation. They will be back in a while. Store hours are sometimes suggestions. Earthship is just across the Rio Grande Gorge and is equally interesting. Santa Fe is hyper by comparison. Also has tourist gridlock, but it is a good place to visit on occasion. It is a foodie's destination. I live halfway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque and can have the benefit of either one under an hour. I can catch the commuter train. I love the deserts, mountains, forests, the empty outback, scenery, the food, and the cultural diversity.
Thank you for the wonderful description. I’m really intrigued. We drove through New Mexico, most by Albuquerque, in 2019 when we did a Los Angeles to Cleveland trip. I remember amazed by the dramatic terrain and the combination of lushness and (it was September.) kind of desert-like ruggedness. It sort of reminds me of Peru. We were planning to drop by Santa Fe but decided not to with the logistics. Your post really inspired me to visit Albuquerque, Santa Fe (I was born on the same day as Georgia O’Keeffe.) and Taos together. Will October be a good time to visit? (I believe there’s a hot air balloon festival in October in Albuquerque, if I remember correctly. We planned to go in 2020 then Covid happened.)
Thanks again for an inspirational and fun post!
Last edited by achtung baby; 08-06-2023 at 07:30 PM..
Reason: Typo
26 years ago I moved to Reno because I had a job offer from the state. I had never been to the state and interviewed by phone. I absolutely love it here!! It has a mild 4 seasons, 45 minutes from Lake Tahoe and the mountains. I have lived in 5 states and 10 cities. It has tons of both outside and inside recreation. The cons is that it has doubled in size in 26 years so the traffic is worse, we have homeless and our crime rate has increased. All to be expected with the increase in population.
Pros: A beautiful town and area with rolling farmland. People are nice and there is virtually no crime, we have not locked our doors in the 21 years we've been here. It's a small town which we like but close enough to two major cities for medical, airports etc. Those burbs offer better food options.
Cons: As mentioned the restaurant options are limited to burgers, pizza and a few Chinese or a chain Japanese hibachi place. I like ethnic food and it's not here but it is available in Ellicott City (also mentioned in this thread) or other areas which are not too far away. Having spent the first 1/3 of my life in the DC burbs I was used to a more diverse population, up here there are few people of color and 95% of the residents look like me.
I have enough horrifying memories of where I grew up (in terms of the cost of living being insane) that when I get upset at my new home, I quickly remind myself what I have already experienced.
Pros: Beautiful safe, clean, and fun city. Lots to see and do. We keep finding interesting new places and businesses. Great food scene with a wide variety of options and diversity of ethnic foods. Strong sense of community, friendly people that say "hi" and stop to chat while walking the neighborhood. Great schools. Kids roam freely, walk/bike to friends houses and parks. Farmer's markets, street fairs, art shows, festivals. Extensive network of mountain biking and hiking trails a few blocks from our house. Very little snow in town, but in about 30 minutes we can be on the ski slopes. Fishing on the Boise River in town is great, but in around 1 hr I can be on beautiful wild remote mountain rivers with great fishing, swimming holes, and hot springs. Easy access to some of the best most scenic camping, backpacking, and hiking I've experienced in the Western US. True four season climate, with true but mild winters and hot summers, green rainy spring and amazing fall colors.
Cons: We get smoke from wildfires when the West is burning, especially summer fires in central CA where prevailing winds push the smoke in our direction. This year has been great with almost no smoke, but there have been other bad years. Popular outdoor places near the city can get busy on weekends/holidays, though I'm retired so we mostly avoid this issue by doing stuff mid-week. Or, we head to some nondescript unknown random area (tons of wilderness here) to avoid crowds. July is our hottest month and the heat can be a tad more than I prefer with heat waves in the low triple digits. It's a dry heat and great for playing in the cold rivers and lakes, and evenings are amazing, so not all bad. And it cools off overnight so during the hot months I mountain bike in the early morning, or we head up into the mountains for lower temps.
Pros: Vibrant waterfront neighborhood with low crime/quality of life issues... I live in an affordable housing lottery luxury building and pay well below market rate for more than enough space for my family of 3 (plus a small dog)... The neighborhood is very family-friendly with a wealth of playgrounds and amenities geared towards young families... Everything I need is within a 5-10 minute walk (my son's K-8 school, pharmacies, grocery stores, restaurants, delis, food trucks, bars, breweries, large park, live music spaces, train station, ferry stops, doctor's office)... Within a 30-minute train/bike/Uber commute of a good chunk of Manhattan, LaGuardia Airport, and a several other desirable areas in Brooklyn/Queens... Neighborhood provides a good dose of energy/activity without being too over the top like most of Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn... Lots of solid Asian food options...
Cons: Goods/services are generally expensive with a few exceptions... While my affordable housing building is pretty racially/socio-economically diverse, the rest of the neighborhood is much wealthier and there is a large degree of snobbery/smugness prevalent... I wish I were closer to more natural green spaces... We live comfortably day-to-day without a car but it limits our ability to travel outside of the city and the degree of activities that we are able to do within the city... The neighborhood is generally composed of new construction glass luxury towers which limits its charm/character... It's an extremely transient neighborhood which can affect the ability to maintain friendships; people come and go within the blink of an eye... We will never be able to buy in this neighborhood or anywhere remotely close to it...
I don't put much stock in "Best places to --" polls because different people have different ideas as far as what is a good place to live. So, this post is just to get an idea of how people who actually live in a place feel/think about that place.
So, for anyone who wants to chime in --
Where do you live -- and are you: Very Happy, Mostly Happy, Mostly Unhappy, Very Unhappy, or 'Half and Half'? If you want to offer any explanation for your answer, please do so -- but please remember that these are all nothing but opinions, and that what one person finds to be a definite plus, someone else might consider that to be a definite minus.
I will start:
Door County, Wisconsin -- Very Happy
Beautiful scenery, four seasons climate, many walking trails, mostly affluent rural community, and clean (virtually no trash or graffiti)
Next?
I am very happy living in Albuquerque, NM. Long summers, short winters. Beautiful hiking areas with easy access. The climate suits me best, high desert, usually low humidity, lots of sunshine. I live close to my daughter and grandson, my brother and my nephew and his family. I grew up here, then joined the army and came back home a few times leaving for a decent job 3 times, now I am back for good and getting ready to retire. The people are friendly and helpful for the most part. There are a few cons, the biggest being access to healthcare, and certain types of jobs are scarce.
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