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.
We're looking to move in the next 18 months or so and are trying to decide which areas I should focus on based on our wants as well as our don't wants--would appreciate any help on the matter!
What we want:
1) Weather! This is one of the biggest reasons we're looking to move. I can live with rare light snow but I have had my fill (for a few years at least) of winter! Ideally it will rarely if ever drop below 40 degrees (warmer is better). However, it can't get too hot either with rarely if ever going over 95. My perfect temp is upper 70's to low 80's during the day and low to mid 60's at night. I would love to only have to deal with heating or cooling bills rather than both! Sunshine matters (like it) as does humidity (do not like, particularly when paired with heat) and daily rain is just wrong.
2) Activities! Currently live in a small city (<35,000 pop) and there isn't much to do for the 25-50 crowd who don't have kids. Would love to be close to some major attractions like zoos, aquariums, pro sports and museums. Local festivals and fairs would also be lovely. Hiking and camping areas as well as beaches, lakes and parks in general would be great too. Mostly we just want options for things to do in the evenings (and on weekends) aside from the standard dinner and a movie. We both hate shopping so as long as grocery stores are close we're good on that front!
3) Cost of living. I realize reasonable is relative which makes this hard to factor but basically, we want to be comfortable and not scraping by paycheck to paycheck. We're fully prepared to take a dip in lifestyle but nowhere is worth living if you have to choose between rent and groceries. Jobs are nursing (RN, BSN) and food services (cook).
4) Housing. We're not interested in buying. If we found the perfect area, maybe (big maybe) but we'd rent for several years before considering a purchase. High rent is fine provided it balances with other costs (increased pay, lower utilities, cheaper groceries, whatever). Would really prefer a 2 bedroom but could survive on one. We have 2 cats (indoor) and 1 dog (<5 lbs) so pet friendly areas are important to us.
5) Location. Coastal would be my preference but we aren't set on that. I feel urban areas are what will fit our needs best right now but will happily look elsewhere. We've lived in Pittsburgh and D.C. so we have some experience with urban life on the smaller scale. That said, just as we wouldn't rule out a big city we don't require a large city, a small town in close proximity to most of what we're looking for would be great too. Crappy school systems are fine as we don't have children. We have ruled out Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Obviously the weather requirements rule out many other states but we really aren't concerned about where we live in terms of staying in a specific region.
6) Transportation. Would love to be in an area that didn't require a car daily even if it meant a bit longer commute. Walking would be preferred but biking, trains, trolleys, subways, etc. are all acceptable. We do have a car but to date have chosen housing that allows at least one of us to walk to work as we don't want to get a second car if we can avoid it.
Hopefully that gives a pretty good indication of what we're after and will help narrow things down a bit.
Sounds a lot like the place I am moving...Las Cruces, New Mexico.
1) Average high in January is 57, with a low of 26. Summers aren't as hot as you might expect in the Southwest...July is 94/67. Lots of sunshine too. Low humidity, obviously. The monsoon season (late June through early September) is more humid, but nothing like the humidity in the east. Only 9 inches of rain and 20 rainy days a year on average.
2) Las Cruces is a small city, but bigger than where you're from (90,000). It is also a college town so it has more than you might expect for a city its size. No pro sports, but the college has sports. Museums...yes. I don't think they have a zoo or aquarium. They have an enchilada festival and the Southern New Mexico State Fair. The Organ Mountains provide hiking and camping. Plenty of state parks and forests nearby. No coastline, obviously, but Elephant Butte Lake is about an hour north of Las Cruces. Like I said, Las Cruces is a college town. Perfect for people without kids. Don't worry about running out of stuff to do.
3) Las Cruces offers a low cost of living.
4) Since Las Cruces is a college town, there are plenty of places to rent.
5) Not coastal. Small city but has a lot to offer since it is a college town. Meets the weather requirements.
6) Las Cruces has a bus system.
Other places to look into:
Los Angeles
San Diego
Albuquerque
Last edited by city_data91; 07-29-2009 at 09:34 AM..
Thanks for the info on Las Cruces--it's definitely somewhere we wouldn't have thought to look! I've been looking at San Diego since our climate prefences coupled with coastline definitely fit with CA. Just for the coastline I'm going to start looking at NC, SC and perhaps VA as well.
I know there are bound to be lots of great places that will provide most of what we want but figuring out where they are, particularly options not on the coast, is challenging!
Chicago has plenty to do, good transportation, and ample opportunities for a cook. The drawback is that it gets cold and it isn't coastal.
San Francisco has a large population in your age demographic who have no children, which might be worth looking into. Good transportation, relatively decent weather, and another good food city. Drawback is the expenses but the beauty of having good transit is that you don't have to live in the city proper.
Portland has walkable neighbourhoods, is probably the most pedestrian friendly city in the nation, good transportation, is only moderately expensive. Drawbacks are unemployment and weather that some may not like.
Seattle is roughly the same as Portland only with lower unemployment, more to do, and less developed transit.
Boston has good food, transportation, best city in America to walk around, plenty to do. Drawback is the weather and the expense.
Overall, I would say lean towards the coastal Western cities, especially from SF on up. They have fewer weather extremes, good transit or are bike/pedestrian friendly.
We're looking to move in the next 18 months or so and are trying to decide which areas I should focus on based on our wants as well as our don't wants--would appreciate any help on the matter!
What we want:
1) Weather! This is one of the biggest reasons we're looking to move. I can live with rare light snow but I have had my fill (for a few years at least) of winter! Ideally it will rarely if ever drop below 40 degrees (warmer is better). However, it can't get too hot either with rarely if ever going over 95. My perfect temp is upper 70's to low 80's during the day and low to mid 60's at night. I would love to only have to deal with heating or cooling bills rather than both! Sunshine matters (like it) as does humidity (do not like, particularly when paired with heat) and daily rain is just wrong.
2) Activities! Currently live in a small city (<35,000 pop) and there isn't much to do for the 25-50 crowd who don't have kids. Would love to be close to some major attractions like zoos, aquariums, pro sports and museums. Local festivals and fairs would also be lovely. Hiking and camping areas as well as beaches, lakes and parks in general would be great too. Mostly we just want options for things to do in the evenings (and on weekends) aside from the standard dinner and a movie. We both hate shopping so as long as grocery stores are close we're good on that front!
3) Cost of living. I realize reasonable is relative which makes this hard to factor but basically, we want to be comfortable and not scraping by paycheck to paycheck. We're fully prepared to take a dip in lifestyle but nowhere is worth living if you have to choose between rent and groceries. Jobs are nursing (RN, BSN) and food services (cook).
4) Housing. We're not interested in buying. If we found the perfect area, maybe (big maybe) but we'd rent for several years before considering a purchase. High rent is fine provided it balances with other costs (increased pay, lower utilities, cheaper groceries, whatever). Would really prefer a 2 bedroom but could survive on one. We have 2 cats (indoor) and 1 dog (<5 lbs) so pet friendly areas are important to us.
5) Location. Coastal would be my preference but we aren't set on that. I feel urban areas are what will fit our needs best right now but will happily look elsewhere. We've lived in Pittsburgh and D.C. so we have some experience with urban life on the smaller scale. That said, just as we wouldn't rule out a big city we don't require a large city, a small town in close proximity to most of what we're looking for would be great too. Crappy school systems are fine as we don't have children. We have ruled out Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Obviously the weather requirements rule out many other states but we really aren't concerned about where we live in terms of staying in a specific region.
6) Transportation. Would love to be in an area that didn't require a car daily even if it meant a bit longer commute. Walking would be preferred but biking, trains, trolleys, subways, etc. are all acceptable. We do have a car but to date have chosen housing that allows at least one of us to walk to work as we don't want to get a second car if we can avoid it.
Hopefully that gives a pretty good indication of what we're after and will help narrow things down a bit.
Since you're already considering NC, you may have already taken a look at Wilmington. It's a growing coastal city with easy access to beaches, a nice historic/walkable downtown, overall walkability and public transit, plenty to do, good work options for you, it's fairly inexpensive and a pretty place to live.
We're looking to move in the next 18 months or so and are trying to decide which areas I should focus on based on our wants as well as our don't wants--would appreciate any help on the matter!
What we want:
1) Weather! This is one of the biggest reasons we're looking to move. I can live with rare light snow but I have had my fill (for a few years at least) of winter! Ideally it will rarely if ever drop below 40 degrees (warmer is better). However, it can't get too hot either with rarely if ever going over 95. My perfect temp is upper 70's to low 80's during the day and low to mid 60's at night. I would love to only have to deal with heating or cooling bills rather than both! Sunshine matters (like it) as does humidity (do not like, particularly when paired with heat) and daily rain is just wrong.
2) Activities! Currently live in a small city (<35,000 pop) and there isn't much to do for the 25-50 crowd who don't have kids. Would love to be close to some major attractions like zoos, aquariums, pro sports and museums. Local festivals and fairs would also be lovely. Hiking and camping areas as well as beaches, lakes and parks in general would be great too. Mostly we just want options for things to do in the evenings (and on weekends) aside from the standard dinner and a movie. We both hate shopping so as long as grocery stores are close we're good on that front!
3) Cost of living. I realize reasonable is relative which makes this hard to factor but basically, we want to be comfortable and not scraping by paycheck to paycheck. We're fully prepared to take a dip in lifestyle but nowhere is worth living if you have to choose between rent and groceries. Jobs are nursing (RN, BSN) and food services (cook).
4) Housing. We're not interested in buying. If we found the perfect area, maybe (big maybe) but we'd rent for several years before considering a purchase. High rent is fine provided it balances with other costs (increased pay, lower utilities, cheaper groceries, whatever). Would really prefer a 2 bedroom but could survive on one. We have 2 cats (indoor) and 1 dog (<5 lbs) so pet friendly areas are important to us.
5) Location. Coastal would be my preference but we aren't set on that. I feel urban areas are what will fit our needs best right now but will happily look elsewhere. We've lived in Pittsburgh and D.C. so we have some experience with urban life on the smaller scale. That said, just as we wouldn't rule out a big city we don't require a large city, a small town in close proximity to most of what we're looking for would be great too. Crappy school systems are fine as we don't have children. We have ruled out Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Obviously the weather requirements rule out many other states but we really aren't concerned about where we live in terms of staying in a specific region.
6) Transportation. Would love to be in an area that didn't require a car daily even if it meant a bit longer commute. Walking would be preferred but biking, trains, trolleys, subways, etc. are all acceptable. We do have a car but to date have chosen housing that allows at least one of us to walk to work as we don't want to get a second car if we can avoid it.
Hopefully that gives a pretty good indication of what we're after and will help narrow things down a bit.
I have some dimwit following me from thread to thread telling me people dont move because they dont like the local weather.
Check out Harpers Ferry WV, Edgewood MD or any of the towns located on Marylands Marc Line train, you can live in a smaller town but have access to one of the best job markets in the USA.
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.
