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3. A decent climate is a plus. The warmer, the better (I like to run outside every day).
On that basis alone, I would not recommend Iowa. It is hot and humid in the summer, very cold in the winter. You may be able to find a few IT jobs in the suburbs of Denver, you could then live further out in a rural area. You could go running about 330+ days a year.
Last edited by Katarina Witt; 11-05-2007 at 09:47 AM..
Reason: addition
I think your best bet is to look for a small to mid-size city that has a pretty strong tech/corporate job market and see if the outer suburbs of that city fit your requirement. I'm thinking of cities like Boise, Spokane, Austin, Colorado Spings, Raleigh, etc. If you have a million dollars to spend, I would think you could get a few acres of land in an area that feels rural, yet is a 45 minute commute to the city. If you go to a larger city, it would probably take you a longer time to get out into the rural area that you seek.
While I don't necessarily think Atlanta is your ideal city, I was suprised when I moved here to find that South Fulton County has a very rural area that is called Chattahoochie Hill Country. I had been living here a year before I discovered it...it's only about 20 miles from downtown Atlanta, but it feels like you are a hundred of miles away in the Real Georgia. Atlanta traffic would likely still be an aggravation if you had to commute into downtown every day. That said, if you were even thinking of Atlanta (due to the very strong job market), you might find the rural lifestyle you are looking for in Chattahoochie Hill Country.
Ok, I think we need to redefine our definitions of "rural."
To me, living in the D.C. area for most of my life, almost anything is rural. The capital metro region of any mid-Western state other than Chicago is what I call "rural." If you look at a population density map of the East coast you have what is essentially a giant series of connected cities and suburbs stretching from Boston to D.C.
45 minutes away from anywhere in the Mid-West is rural by comparison.
Beyond that, 45 minutes commuting is fine. Commuting is a way of life here in D.C. because there are so many jobs in the city but very few people can actually afford to live there (many government workers commute in from as far away as West Virginia). 45 minutes-90 minutes (metro line changes slow you down significantly) is the standard commute into D.C. for most people.
I'm not saying that I want to live 5 hours from the nearest city and work in a town of 1,000 people. I want to live 30 minutes to an hour away from a big city and commute in. 30 minutes away from D.C. is about 10 miles because of traffic.
Sigh, I think most of you missed the point entirely . Moderator cut: edit
Last edited by christina0001; 02-24-2008 at 11:41 AM..
Reason: personal attacks are not permitted, as per City-Data.com's Terms of Service
Ok, I think we need to redefine our definitions of "rural."
To me, living in the D.C. area for most of my life, almost anything is rural. The capital metro region of any mid-Western state other than Chicago is what I call "rural." If you look at a population density map of the East coast you have what is essentially a giant series of connected cities and suburbs stretching from Boston to D.C.
45 minutes away from anywhere in the Mid-West is rural by comparison.
Beyond that, 45 minutes commuting is fine. Commuting is a way of life here in D.C. because there are so many jobs in the city but very few people can actually afford to live there (many government workers commute in from as far away as West Virginia). 45 minutes-90 minutes (metro line changes slow you down significantly) is the standard commute into D.C. for most people.
I'm not saying that I want to live 5 hours from the nearest city and work in a town of 1,000 people. I want to live 30 minutes to an hour away from a big city and commute in. 30 minutes away from D.C. is about 10 miles because of traffic.
Sigh, I think most of you missed the point entirely . Moderator cut: edit
Just because you may see a place as rural doesn't mean it actually is. A town of 1,000 5 hours away from the nearest city is the definition of rural. Moderator cut: edit
In your context, "rural" can mean many places that do not have the congestion that major metropolitan areas have, but close enough to access a smaller metropolitan area.
Have you thought of areas outside of Raleigh, North Carolina? You mentioned North Carolina, and Raleigh is a small sized city with a great IT industry. There are places outside of Raleigh that fit what you are looking for in a home with a "rural" setting. Relatively much lower cost of living, lower tax burden, and warm weather. Maybe someone from or near Raleigh can help you out better.
Last edited by christina0001; 02-24-2008 at 11:43 AM..
Reason: quoted post edited
Maybe you could look into the NW Arkansas area. Wal-Mart's headquarters is there, and with them requiring all of their vendors to have a presence in the area, there is a HUGE corporate presence. The actual population density is still pretty light, so you shouldn't have a problem finding the type of property you are looking for and you may only have to commute 15 minutes or less.
To me, this says "Rural areas that have IT jobs that are at least 2 hours from a major city," not "A semi-suburban area where you can purchase some amount of land but still be within driving distance of a decently-sized city, about 45 minutes away, to be precise."
I know you said "45 minutes to a sizable IT market," but you still said "rural," which to me, says that you don't even want to work in a city, but an area with IT jobs. They do exist outside of cities, after all, just few and far between.
If you don't mind living 45 minutes away from a city, then the solution seems pretty simple, and I wouldn't think you would need to ask a bunch of forum dwellers such a question.
Make a list of cities in the Midwest, and look at a map.
I am living in the D.C. area and I've been working in IT for a few years now. I've got a B.S. from a state University in an IT related field and I'm an Air Force veteran.
I hate cities. Every city I've been to from Venice to San Francisco to D.C. to Berlin I have hated (except Florence Italy). I'm not too keen on the suburbs either (even worse in my opinion). I need to get out of here.
What I'm looking for is:
1. Ability to buy 3-5 or more acres of land and put a small house (700-1000 square feet) on it for less than 1 million dollars while still being within 45 minutes commute of an area with a decent IT job market (or at least moderately decent).
2. Low cost of living and a low tax burden. I expect to take a huge pay cut moving from D.C. to just about anywhere in the country.
3. A decent climate is a plus. The warmer, the better (I like to run outside every day).
Thoughts I have include: Iowa, West Virginia, North Carolina, Oklahoma. I'm not sure I can get what I want in Texas with its strong economy and large population centers.
My impression is that the spread of Californication to most of the West Coast has driven up prices and created overcrowding in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Thoughts?
I wouldn't necessarily rule out Arizona. True the Phoenix area has become a megalopolis - but Tucson or Sierra Vista MIGHT work out for you. Tucson itself is pretty big but out towards the SE it gets quiet pretty fast. We bought future retirement property 45 minutes from downtown Tucson (near Benson) and it's pretty rural. Raytheon is in Tucson (about 30 minutes from our land) and the US Army Intellegence Center is at Fort Huachuca (pronounced "Wah-Chu-Ca") near Sierra Vista - and from time to time I've seen ads for IT positions there (Check Craigslist). Tucson is a bit warm for many folks (June average high is 99 or so) but SE of there (out towards Benson and Sierra Vista) is at higher elevation so the climate is pretty darned mild (high of 92 or so in the summer and 60 or so in the winter). Land prices in that are still very cheap by DC standards and $1 million is MORE than enough to buy you what you want.
West Virginia is currently recruiting IT proffessionals for Huntington/charleston area. I think morgantown too. check WVgov.org Drive 30 min in any direction from huntington/charleston, you've got affordable rural.
Weather being a large factor, maybe its best you start your search with recorded statistics. Once you isolate ideal weather locations, weed them out by industry growth trends.
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