Author Topic: Mustachian Relocation Guide  (Read 300948 times)

sisto

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #250 on: July 16, 2018, 09:58:53 AM »
I would love to have Merida, MEX added. Also love to hear about any places in MEX. Seriously considering relocating there post FIRE.

magnet18

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #251 on: August 08, 2018, 09:27:56 AM »
I can chime in from Fort Wayne, IN.


  • Fort Wayne, IN, USA
  • If a suburb, distance from city: N/A
    There are various suburbs, but they are all considered "in" the city. 
    Downtown is very small, not sure what's there, I almost never go there.  Southwest and northwest side of town is where I frequent.
    Southwest side if town is best for bike-ability, to things like grocery stores and parks.
    There are also various commuter towns, I am fond of churubusco, when I lived in town there it was a 15 minute drive to my engineering job in Fort Wayne, at 60mph the whole way.
  • Average housing cost (specify rent or buy):CHEAP!!!
    Fort Wayne has some of the lowest cost of living in the country, a mustachian should be able to build their dream house here for $200K
  • Indoor Hobbies: Whatever you want?
    Land is cheap, housing is cheap, no reason not to have as much indoor space as you want, including barns if you're into working on your own cars or big projects (especially in the winter)

    Easy to grow crops for your own brewing.
  • Outdoor Hobbies:require a mustachian attitude
    Plenty of gardening or homesteading options
    Winters here suck.  Not that they're too cold or snowy to do anything, they suck in that it's not cold enough for long enough.  Snow-thaw-repeat all winter long.

    There are plenty of state parks in weekend-trip distance, i live close enough to one for afternoon hikes.
    Kayaking and watersports aplenty in the summer.
    The mountain biking scene is probably similar to that in any Midwest City... Tame... Because it's flat
  • Weather (High Temps, Low Temps, Seasons, Sun):REPLACE ME
    Highs in the 100s and humid in the summer, drove to work at -20 one morning last winter, so you get the full range.

    Noone brags about the weather here.

    October-Christmas is delightful though.
  • Favorite things:
    Cheap!  Lowest cost of living in the country.
    No smog checks!
    What are taxes?  Property ones are basically non-existent.
    Very clean air.
    A very clean city for the most part.
    Almost no crime.
    Almost no traffic.
    Almost no homelessness.
    A good clean well run conservative city.
  • Least favorite things:
    Winters
    There aren't many options for full time RVing
    Food is all mediocre and you'll wait 45 minutes to get seated anyway
    The average citizen is obese, uneducated, and driving an SUV
    You absolutely need a car to get by.  Not designed for bikes at all (newer parts of town are getting better)
    Standard Midwest sprawl.  Land is cheap, so buildings are big, spread out, and parking lots are huge
  • 'Must Try':
    Can't think of anything
  • Stupid ordinances/laws:
    Can't think of anything
  • Words of wisdom/Advice:
    Can't think of anything
  • Sustainability options (gardening, solar, etc):
    Could definitely profit from solar, but it would be a challenge to go 100% off grid (not impossible)
    Gardens grow like crazy, and greenhouses could be easy in the winter.
    Could heat with wood for free.
    Water is free and infinite, most people have wells.
[/quote]

TxAg70

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #252 on: August 11, 2018, 11:25:21 AM »
I would like to request Ft. Worth, TX. I could move there from my job in more rural TX but housing costs are probably gonna be a bit higher and I'd like some idea from the mustachians in Ft. Worth about where to look.

aashusharma1

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #253 on: August 15, 2018, 07:16:56 AM »
Hi All,

A relocation related question not really info on the cities. How about the adding info on the investment landscape if we are moving across countries. Also what to do with investments we have currently.

In my case I am planning to move to Canada in an year or two and i was wondering when i make that move I will have to withdraw from my 401, HSA and multiple Roth accounts which i am currently max-ing out. And that will entail penalties as i am withdrawing before retirement. What should be my strategy,
----should I reduce my contributions to the HSA -assuming i may still have medical needs till i move
----Reduce 401 contribution just enough to get the employer match
----Stop contributing to Roth IRA accounts?
----Should i invest more in individual stocks in the meanwhile

All this would mean more cash in hand which i can put in CDs etc and it will be easy to move when i finally move to Canada.

Thanks in advance!
Cheers

RichMoose

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #254 on: August 15, 2018, 09:24:07 AM »
Hi All,

A relocation related question not really info on the cities. How about the adding info on the investment landscape if we are moving across countries. Also what to do with investments we have currently.

In my case I am planning to move to Canada in an year or two and i was wondering when i make that move I will have to withdraw from my 401, HSA and multiple Roth accounts which i am currently max-ing out. And that will entail penalties as i am withdrawing before retirement. What should be my strategy,
----should I reduce my contributions to the HSA -assuming i may still have medical needs till i move
----Reduce 401 contribution just enough to get the employer match
----Stop contributing to Roth IRA accounts?
----Should i invest more in individual stocks in the meanwhile

All this would mean more cash in hand which i can put in CDs etc and it will be easy to move when i finally move to Canada.

Thanks in advance!
Cheers

US-Canada tax arrangements can be very complicated and often require an accountant specializing in cross border moves to get things done efficiently and correctly.
A better thread might be the Canada Tax thread on this forum as some other Mustachians have done/are doing this move.

jscott2135

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #255 on: August 25, 2018, 07:52:16 PM »
Currently live in Bend, OR.  Since this post was originally made, Bend has gotten even more crowded and home prices have gone up a bit. But I love my home state to death and having lived in Eugene, Hillsboro and now Bend am happy to help answer any questions about these areas as well!

azu612

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #256 on: September 23, 2018, 10:11:57 AM »
Anyone have any information on locations in New Hampshire and Vermont?

dougules

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #257 on: September 25, 2018, 11:39:02 AM »
Since there was a request for Huntsville, I'll put in my 2¢ as a native.  Full disclosure, I'm not really enamored with it, and a driver for FIRE for me is to be able to move somewhere that's a better fit.  I'll try to be neutral since the area is good for some people.  A different take from somebody else in the area wouldn't be a bad thing. 

Huntsville, Alabama

Average housing cost: This gets us to the best part first.  It's easy to find a decent smaller older house for <$100k, maybe a tad more if you want new, big, and/or a better school district.  $200k will buy you something big and fancy. 

Indoor Hobbies:  Lots of nerdy pursuits.  If you want to 3D print a detailed 6ft replica of the Millenium Falcon or fab PCBs in your garage, this is the place for you.  Craft beer is a thing in a lot of places now, but Huntsville is keeping up in that arena.

Outdoor Hobbies: The area is decent here.  The city nestles up to a mountain with a large state park.  The Tennessee River is big and is great for water activities.  Plenty of smaller rivers for canoes and kayaks.  Plenty of hiking around including trails that start only a mile from downtown.  It's one of the best places in the country for spelunking, or does this go under "indoor hobbies"?  Gardening is popular.  Hunting and fishing are big here.  If you're into football, you'll feel right at home.

Weather: At least it's not boring.  The one guarantee is that it will be steamy from May to September.  We don't really have spring and fall  so much as random switches back and forth between winter and summer.  Winter can be just about anything.  Pick a number between 10 and 70.  Then pick a completely different number the next day.  Snow and ice is on average only about once every other winter although it's unpredictable.  It's a big event when it does snow.  We actually get more total average rainfall than Seattle, but the average doesn't tell the story.  It can be gloomy for a month straight, but it can also be sunny for a month straight.  Really, though, most of it comes in storms that pop up, drain a lake somewhere in heaven, then go away.  The storms can also be pretty strong.  The area is just as much a part of tornado alley as Oklahoma or Kansas.  Our tornadoes aren't the pretty ones, though.  They come at night hidden behind a curtain of blinding rain and hail.  Also, it's not necessarily weather, but in April the pollen is thick enough to look like yellow paint.  Allergy sufferers, you've been warned.

Favorite things:  I actually really enjoy thunderstorms.  Very lush and green.  Housing is dirt cheap.  Good for hiking and canoeing.  Great place to nerd out. 

Least Favorite things:  Transportation=driving.  Lots of sprawl.  Far right politics.  Can we talk about something other than football, fishing, or church?  The most expensive airport in the country. 

Must Try:  Southern food.  Locals will roll their eyes, but yes, you should see our real Saturn V rocket. We have the largest antebellum district in Alabama. 

Stupid ordinances/laws:  9% sales tax to fund all the asphalt.  Schools aren't very good. 

Words of Wisdom:  What you think of the area very much depends on who you are.  People who are more likely to like it here are those who don't mind driving, are focused on LCOL over other factors, don't mind hot weather, don't have allergy issues, enjoy college football, and those who are nerdy, religious, married, conservative, or introverted.  The more of those that fit you, the more likely you are to enjoy being here. 

Sustainability:  Not really a big thing here. The nerd factor does make for some interest in electric cars and solar energy, though. 

Some comments on various surrounding areas:  It's rural Alabama and Tennessee, so I think you have some idea.  It is relatively cheap in the area to live on a lake front, with a mountain top view, or on a large plot of land.  Smith Lake and Guntersville are popular areas along those lines. 

palee

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #258 on: January 27, 2019, 06:28:21 AM »
  • City, State, Country:
    Louisville, KY, USA
  • Average housing cost (specify rent or buy):
    Rent and mortgage monthly payments are fairly equal; $1000/mo will get you a 2bd 2ba residence close to amenities. Decrease cost for less desirable neighborhoods and increase for more.
  • Indoor Hobbies:
    Museums, music, breweries, distilleries, libraries
  • Outdoor Hobbies:
    Biking, hiking, many metro parks that are all in the process of being connected by a bikeable and walkable trail, approx. 100 miles around the county (which is the city). The Ohio river for boating. Outdoor festivals almost every weekend. Pop-up Bier gardens and flea markets. Many farmers markets. Neighborhood pools and quarries for swimming. AAA baseball and soccer clubs are popular events.
  • Weather (High Temps, Low Temps, Seasons, Sun):
    January is the coolest month with an average high of 41 degrees and an average low of 21 degrees. July is the warmest with an average high of 89 degrees and a low of 69 degrees. Relative high humidity but not nearly as high as the deep south. Louisville averages 195 days of sun per year.
  • Favorite things:
    Great dining scene, friendly people, abundance of free activities available, school transportation options, no tax on groceries, easy access to several airports in the region, diverse population
  • Least favorite things:
    Too far from beaches, subpar roadways, school options for special needs lacking, state economy lags behind the city
  • 'Must Try':
    Churchill Downs, Falls of the Ohio, the Olmstead Parks (Cherokee, Iroquois, and Shawnee being the biggest of many), cave and cavern tours, Louisville Megacavern ziplines, Muhammad Ali center, Slugger Museum, Speed Art Museum, The Water Tower museum, The metro park system & Big Four walking bridge over the river, Dining in NuLu, walking down Bardstown Road
  • Stupid ordinances/laws:
    tax on required insurance
  • Words of wisdom/Advice:
    Get out to free events and be willing to talk to anyone; they will talk with you and make recommendations
  • Sustainability options (gardening, solar, etc):
    Decent potential for solar; solar share purchase available through the local utility provider of gas & electric. Most power in the city is water and coal powered. Zone 6/7 for gardening and community gardens accessible, as well as CSAs in the area.
[/quote]

Cool Friend

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #259 on: February 05, 2019, 07:38:32 AM »
Request for Savannah, Georgia! I visited for a weekend some years ago and thought it was a very beautiful place.

The 585

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #260 on: March 03, 2019, 05:42:27 PM »
Would be nice to get some more cities from the southeast US on here. How about Columbia SC, Savannah GA, or Jacksonville FL? Specifically from a walkability/bikeability perspective?

ForwardThinker

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #261 on: March 04, 2019, 01:23:34 PM »
I'd love a review of the Lancaster, PA area.  Thanks!

thisismyusername

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #262 on: March 26, 2019, 02:41:36 PM »
Salt Lake City, UT

Average housing cost: If you want to live in the city itself within an easy bike ride or transit to the downtown area, then you're looking at $300,000-$350,000 for a small 100-year old bungalow, and then it goes up from there depending on the exact location in the city, size of the house, etc.
If you are willing to live in some of the "undesirable" parts of the city, you can still get a house for under $275,000. The undesirable parts are not really that bad, just more run down, more crime, the usual. If you so desire you can push out to the suburbs and get a McHouse new build for cheaper or more expensive, depending on which suburb. COL in general is going up because of a large influx of people.

Rent is variable - you can rent one of the aforementioned small bungalows for about $1700; you can rent a new build studio downtown for $1200. Some really old small apartments I've seen for rent for around $900-1000, although I don't know if that's true anymore. It just varies.

Indoor Hobbies: SLC has one of the best indoor climbing gyms out there (The Front), as well as another climbing gym on the other side of town. Mormonism is common here, so a lot of indoor church-based activities. Your typical bars, bar trivia, board games, meetups, museums, etc. People don't really move here for the indoor activities. There is an indoor farmers' market in the winter. The library is really cool.

Outdoor Hobbies: In the winter, all manners of snowsports - skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing. If you're in the city the slopes are about 45 minutes-1 hour away, although there is a bus that can take you out there. As far as I know the season passes for areas like Brighton and Snowbird are very expensive. The rest of the year you have hiking of all sorts (mountainous, desert, flat areas, you pick), rock climbing, lakes nearby, National parks, outdoor farmers' markets, and there are frequently festivals going on downtown.

Weather: I moved here specifically because it gets a lot of sun all year, even in the winter. Utah is one of the most extreme weather places I've lived. It gets up to the 90s/100s in the summer and down to the teens in the winter with snow. Spring and fall are very short. As a whole the weather is decent, and it's very dry so you don't have to deal with humidity. I do feel like the winter lasts longer than I'd prefer - it gets cold in October and snows and stays cold until April. You will have to pay for heating and for air conditioning, unless you're willing to suffer through the summer without it. It does not rain very much; it's a high desert.

Favorite things: I am not a snowsport person, but for people who are, that's definitely it for them. As for me, I like SLC because it's an "all right" city. It has all the amenities of a city - major airport, bars, museums, restaurants, large central park, major university, capitol - without being huge, and it is very close to almost every type of nature you could be interested in. It's in the valley of snowy mountain ranges on all sides which are beautiful, but drive a couple of hours and you're in the desert. I was able to afford a house here, which I could not in Portland where I was living before. The rock climbing gym is really good and there is lots of outdoor rock climbing to be had just minutes away. I like the architecture of the houses and old buildings in the city.

Least Favorite things: I have a lot of least favorite things here, because as a whole I just find SLC to be 'okay' but not great.
Air pollution is bad here. It's some of the worst in the country because of the inversion, and the commuter culture doesn't help. The city itself is quite small, but there is a huge population of suburbs around it that people commute in from. The multitudes of highways, billboards, strip malls, etc. make for a pretty ugly city, but the mountains help buffer that.
I do not feel like wages are keeping up with the rapidly rising COL.
The elephant in the room - the control the LDS church has over the government. The crazy liquor laws, the fact that Mormon leaders are consulted by lawmakers, etc., etc. Gerrymandering has contributed to a right-wing majority.
Additionally, the Mormon culture and its effect on the populace. Mormons in general are pretty nice but in SLC it has created this culture of perfection and 'sameness', even for those who are no longer Mormon. Everyone looks the same, there is a lot of focus on appearance so there are tons of plastic surgery places, hair salons, you-name-it. I look nothing like your typical Mormon and even though I'm comfortable with that it's hard not to feel a bit like an outcast. There just isn't a lot of diversity of types of people here, unless you really hunt them down.
The general commuter, consumer, oblivious culture is big here, and has been hard to deal with after living in Portland. People drive big cars for 1-2 hours every day to their giant new-build houses in the suburbs that don't have recycling and it doesn't bother them and they don't care.
The city is not very walkable at all. There are a few patches here and there, and if you live near downtown you'll be okay, but as a whole the blocks are HUGE and things are just very spread out.
My major beef is that, while I have met a lot of great people, the larger culture is less progressive (in every way, not just political) than I'd prefer.

Must Try: There's nothing specific to SLC that I feel like is worth commenting on, but in general just the access to nature is hard to beat. Lots of National Parks, mountains, deserts, etc. I'm sure there are snowsport-related things I could mention here. There is a very strange outdoor sculpture garden called Gilgal Gardens that is worth seeing. The temple is cool to check out.

Stupid ordinances/laws: All the liquor laws. Beers on draft and in the grocery store can't be more than 4% ABV. You can't have a cocktail with more than I think 1 shot's worth of alcohol. You can't have two drinks at a time (or something like that). You can't buy high percentage alcohol on Sunday. The legal BAC limit is 0.05%. You can only buy wine, hard alcohol, and high percentage beer from government-run liquor stores. The list goes on.

Words of Wisdom: You move here either for a job or because you like mountains and their associated activities. It is a pretty neat city overall and still relatively affordable compared to the west coast cities, but most of the people I know moved here because they liked skiing and wanted to be close to mountains. I know people who move from the east and south like it more than I think people who have moved from other western areas do.

Sustainability:  I see more efforts in the city itself than in the outskirts. Potential for solar energy is pretty good because it's frequently sunny. Vegetable gardening is easy, and fruit trees are common. There are some community gardens. You can put compost in the yard waste bins. Some areas will give you rebates for installing 'waterwise' landscaping.


stoaX

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #263 on: March 28, 2019, 03:25:56 PM »
Salt Lake City, UT

Average housing cost: If you want to live in the city itself within an easy bike ride or transit to the downtown area, then you're looking at $300,000-$350,000 for a small 100-year old bungalow, and then it goes up from there depending on the exact location in the city, size of the house, etc.
If you are willing to live in some of the "undesirable" parts of the city, you can still get a house for under $275,000. The undesirable parts are not really that bad, just more run down, more crime, the usual. If you so desire you can push out to the suburbs and get a McHouse new build for cheaper or more expensive, depending on which suburb. COL in general is going up because of a large influx of people.

Rent is variable - you can rent one of the aforementioned small bungalows for about $1700; you can rent a new build studio downtown for $1200. Some really old small apartments I've seen for rent for around $900-1000, although I don't know if that's true anymore. It just varies.

Indoor Hobbies: SLC has one of the best indoor climbing gyms out there (The Front), as well as another climbing gym on the other side of town. Mormonism is common here, so a lot of indoor church-based activities. Your typical bars, bar trivia, board games, meetups, museums, etc. People don't really move here for the indoor activities. There is an indoor farmers' market in the winter. The library is really cool.

Outdoor Hobbies: In the winter, all manners of snowsports - skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing. If you're in the city the slopes are about 45 minutes-1 hour away, although there is a bus that can take you out there. As far as I know the season passes for areas like Brighton and Snowbird are very expensive. The rest of the year you have hiking of all sorts (mountainous, desert, flat areas, you pick), rock climbing, lakes nearby, National parks, outdoor farmers' markets, and there are frequently festivals going on downtown.

Weather: I moved here specifically because it gets a lot of sun all year, even in the winter. Utah is one of the most extreme weather places I've lived. It gets up to the 90s/100s in the summer and down to the teens in the winter with snow. Spring and fall are very short. As a whole the weather is decent, and it's very dry so you don't have to deal with humidity. I do feel like the winter lasts longer than I'd prefer - it gets cold in October and snows and stays cold until April. You will have to pay for heating and for air conditioning, unless you're willing to suffer through the summer without it. It does not rain very much; it's a high desert.

Favorite things: I am not a snowsport person, but for people who are, that's definitely it for them. As for me, I like SLC because it's an "all right" city. It has all the amenities of a city - major airport, bars, museums, restaurants, large central park, major university, capitol - without being huge, and it is very close to almost every type of nature you could be interested in. It's in the valley of snowy mountain ranges on all sides which are beautiful, but drive a couple of hours and you're in the desert. I was able to afford a house here, which I could not in Portland where I was living before. The rock climbing gym is really good and there is lots of outdoor rock climbing to be had just minutes away. I like the architecture of the houses and old buildings in the city.

Least Favorite things: I have a lot of least favorite things here, because as a whole I just find SLC to be 'okay' but not great.
Air pollution is bad here. It's some of the worst in the country because of the inversion, and the commuter culture doesn't help. The city itself is quite small, but there is a huge population of suburbs around it that people commute in from. The multitudes of highways, billboards, strip malls, etc. make for a pretty ugly city, but the mountains help buffer that.
I do not feel like wages are keeping up with the rapidly rising COL.
The elephant in the room - the control the LDS church has over the government. The crazy liquor laws, the fact that Mormon leaders are consulted by lawmakers, etc., etc. Gerrymandering has contributed to a right-wing majority.
Additionally, the Mormon culture and its effect on the populace. Mormons in general are pretty nice but in SLC it has created this culture of perfection and 'sameness', even for those who are no longer Mormon. Everyone looks the same, there is a lot of focus on appearance so there are tons of plastic surgery places, hair salons, you-name-it. I look nothing like your typical Mormon and even though I'm comfortable with that it's hard not to feel a bit like an outcast. There just isn't a lot of diversity of types of people here, unless you really hunt them down.
The general commuter, consumer, oblivious culture is big here, and has been hard to deal with after living in Portland. People drive big cars for 1-2 hours every day to their giant new-build houses in the suburbs that don't have recycling and it doesn't bother them and they don't care.
The city is not very walkable at all. There are a few patches here and there, and if you live near downtown you'll be okay, but as a whole the blocks are HUGE and things are just very spread out.
My major beef is that, while I have met a lot of great people, the larger culture is less progressive (in every way, not just political) than I'd prefer.

Must Try: There's nothing specific to SLC that I feel like is worth commenting on, but in general just the access to nature is hard to beat. Lots of National Parks, mountains, deserts, etc. I'm sure there are snowsport-related things I could mention here. There is a very strange outdoor sculpture garden called Gilgal Gardens that is worth seeing. The temple is cool to check out.

Stupid ordinances/laws: All the liquor laws. Beers on draft and in the grocery store can't be more than 4% ABV. You can't have a cocktail with more than I think 1 shot's worth of alcohol. You can't have two drinks at a time (or something like that). You can't buy high percentage alcohol on Sunday. The legal BAC limit is 0.05%. You can only buy wine, hard alcohol, and high percentage beer from government-run liquor stores. The list goes on.

Words of Wisdom: You move here either for a job or because you like mountains and their associated activities. It is a pretty neat city overall and still relatively affordable compared to the west coast cities, but most of the people I know moved here because they liked skiing and wanted to be close to mountains. I know people who move from the east and south like it more than I think people who have moved from other western areas do.

Sustainability:  I see more efforts in the city itself than in the outskirts. Potential for solar energy is pretty good because it's frequently sunny. Vegetable gardening is easy, and fruit trees are common. There are some community gardens. You can put compost in the yard waste bins. Some areas will give you rebates for installing 'waterwise' landscaping.

Good job - thanks!  I lived in the Salt Lake suburbs many years ago and may move back.  Despite the negatives you mention, those mountains are irresistible.  The lack of humidity is a bonus.  And I never had a problem with the "mormon-ess", but I'm not sensitive to those kinds of things.

chasesfish

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #264 on: April 08, 2019, 07:28:25 AM »
@hoping2retire35 - Loved your review on Charleston.  Not sure if you ares still posting, but just how hot could it be if you run at 3pm in the afternoon?  Looking to relocate from Dallas, TX and the heat you described for 6-8 weeks is basically mid-June until early October here.

waltworks

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #265 on: April 08, 2019, 10:49:23 AM »
Salt Lake City, UT

I'd add, on the negative side - there is pretty bad air pollution in winter (PM2.5) and summer as well (ozone). We lived in SLC briefly 7 years ago and found it to be unacceptable, especially with small children (so we moved 30 minutes away to Park City).

Education funding in UT is 49th or 50th in the nation (we fight with Idaho for that last place distinction) and teacher shortages/turnover are a big problem. Overall test scores are good because of the mostly Mormon population (who tend to be diligent students) but the quality of education is lower than those test scores indicate, IMO. Most non-LDS upper middle class parents in SLC send their kids to private schools.

The population is growing very fast (both high birthrate and migration) and pollution/congestion problems are probably going to be much worse in the future. It's not LA yet but the traffic is pretty darn bad if you have to get around town during normal business hours - I literally won't go to SLC from about 7-10am and then 3-6pm. Bike infrastructure is meh, you'll want to be confident sharing the road with cars if you bike commute.

The climbing and skiing are indeed excellent, and access to the desert is great if you get sick of winter. Of course, I never get sick of winter, so there's that.

I don't think most Mustachians would notice the LDS culture thing much, or be bothered by it. I have plenty of LDS friends and they're very nice folks who will politely have a cup of tea while they chat with you while you drink your coffee. Think Ned Flanders, not pushy evangelists (though if you decide to express an interest in the religion, you will get more information than you want).

-W
« Last Edit: April 08, 2019, 10:53:11 AM by waltworks »

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #266 on: April 08, 2019, 11:15:39 AM »
Salt Lake City, UT
Education funding in UT is 49th or 50th in the nation (we fight with Idaho for that last place distinction) and teacher shortages/turnover are a big problem. Overall test scores are good because of the mostly Mormon population (who tend to be diligent students) but the quality of education is lower than those test scores indicate, IMO. Most non-LDS upper middle class parents in SLC send their kids to private schools.
On the subject of education, Utah is very homeschooling-friendly, and there are a ton of homeschooling groups, co-ops, meetups, etc.

waltworks

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #267 on: April 08, 2019, 01:08:45 PM »
On the subject of education, Utah is very homeschooling-friendly, and there are a ton of homeschooling groups, co-ops, meetups, etc.

That is a good point, for those who are interested in homeschooling, UT makes it very, very easy. You basically just fill out a form and the state will provide you with access to a ton of online and other resources.

Be aware that a lot of the homeschoolers in UT are VERY weird LDS people, but in SLC proper you can find more "normal" folks doing homeschooling.

You can also do a mixed home/public school thing if you want to mix it up. We may do that ourselves as our kids are both a couple of grades ahead at only 6/4 years old.

-W

ultimoblaze

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #268 on: May 28, 2019, 09:24:48 PM »
  • City, State, Country: Cincinnati, Ohio

    I've lived in Cincinnati now for 8 years. I moved here fresh out of university as an engineering major and have spend most of that time working directly or indirectly for GE. I'm not a social person and don't get out much so I'll fill in what I know and maybe somebody can fill in interesting things. Here is a link to the wikipedia page for more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati

  • If a suburb, distance from city: N/A

    Cincinnati, being on the border of Ohio and Kentucky on the Ohio river has a sprawling metro area to the north. Across the river to the south in Kentucky is generally considered to be part of the Cincinnati metro area. The Cincinnati airport is actually in Hebron, KY. The Cincinnati loop, I275, is the largest loop in the US which gives you some idea of the sprawl.

  • Average housing cost (specify rent or buy): $144,400*

    The number shown is Zillow's median estimate in the city limits as of the date of this post. The central Cininnati neighborhoods are fairly old constructions (early 1900s), but in the last few years there has been some development to restore or replace a lot of the old houses. In the popular neighborhoods, renting is a better option (unless you like fixing old houses). The suburbs to the north side of the loop is where most young families tend to go and the housing up there is newer so expect to pay more. I don't know anybody that has paid more than $250k for a house though with most paying in the $170k range for a 3/2 with attached garage.

    The real benefit here is that there are a lot of potential rental properties that are very affordable. Cincinnati has 2 good sized Universities, University of Cincinnati and Xavier University, and a multi-family in the general vicinity is worth it's weight in gold. There are a lot of multi-family houses available and deals are everywhere if you're willing to do some work. I've personally purchased 2 properties; the first a 3 family that was foreclosed and vandalized that I got for $16,000 (that's not a typo) which I've been renovating and renting and the second a quad which I paid $117k for and already had tenants paying rent.

  • Indoor Hobbies: Microbreweries, ?
    This is where I don't know much. I hear from friends and colleagues that there are some good beer places, but I don't drink so I have no reference. There are museums and a decent Aquarium just across the river. I also heard that Cincinnati has a large library system. They look pretty nice, but I haven't used them.

  • Outdoor Hobbies: ?
    Again, I don't get out much so I can't provide much input here. People here like the Bengals and the Reds. We recently got a professional soccer team, I guess. There are a fair amount of public parks around, but cycling is difficult due to the sprawl and congested roads. A few of the suburbs and Cincinnati do festivals (Taste of Cincinnati, Taste of Blue Ash, etc) where local restaurants get together and sell at food stands with live music and such. I did get to see REO Speedwagon a few years back for free.

  • Weather (High Temps, Low Temps, Seasons, Sun): Hot Summers 90+, Mild Winters 20-
    Cincinnati, in my opinion, is right about average. I've lived in Florida and Wisconsin before and I can say that it does get hot in the summers and it is somewhat humid, but not horrible and winter gets just cold enough and 3-4 snowfalls to be annoying. I'm pretty sure the city doesn't own a snowplow, they just dump salt on everything so those few days a year commuting after a snowfall are brutal. I typically leave my motorcycle in the garage from November through March though I see people braver than I am riding every month as there is usually a warm week or two even in January and February. Highs in the summer are frequently in the low to mid 90s and lows in the winter are typically in the 20s.

  • Favorite things: Cost of Living
    I've not lived in an area with cheaper housing costs. I think Cincinnati is a great area to own a house and even better to be a landlord. Utilities aren't expensive and property taxes are fairly low.

  • Least favorite things: Local taxes, traffic, public transporation
    I've read a few of these posts and nobody seems to mention the largest expense for most people: taxes. Ohio income taxes are a bit lower than average, but unlike Texas, they exist. Expect to pay 3-5%. Sales tax depends on the county, but 6.5-7% seems to be common. Also, in the Cincinnati area at least, most places have a local income tax. The City of Cincinnati will take 2.1% from your income (no deductions for this either), but there are a few townships in the loop that don't have the tax.

    Traffic sucks, but I would probably complain about that everywhere. Cincinnati has 3 interstates going through it, 71, 75 and 74. Traffic is a mess at the Ohio river going into Kentucky as a lot of people commute from Kentucky to Cincinnati. The 2.1% tax doesn't even provide for a decent public transportation system. The buses exist and can be useful if you want to go downtown or away from downtown. There is a new tram that was built to serve the downtown areas.

  • 'Must Try': Cincinnati Chili?

    Most native Cincinnatians rave about Skyline Chili (or Gold Star or Blue Ash). It's just chili on a hot dog with shredded cheese or on spaghetti. It's not bad, but nothing to write home about. Goetta is a local food. Never had it, but here is what wikipedia says: Goetta is a meat-and-grain sausage or mush of German inspiration.

  • Stupid ordinances/laws: ??

    Not sure about this one either. There is zoning, so it is hard to find a house within walking/biking distance places to shop.

  • Words of wisdom/Advice: Be a landlord!

    Live in a tax free municipality. You'll save considerable taxes from that alone.
    Buy rental properties, preferably near popular locations or the universities.
    Live as close as you can to your work. Avoid traffic, save money and life energy by commuting less.

  • Sustainability options (gardening, solar, etc): ??

    I don't know much about this either. I don't see a lot of solar around nor a lot of gardens though I'm not aware of any regulations restricting them.

If anybody has has a review of the Dallas area I'd be interested in learning about it.

Ultimoblaze
« Last Edit: May 28, 2019, 09:27:08 PM by ultimoblaze »

spaniard999

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #269 on: June 04, 2019, 08:22:37 AM »
I'm going to chime in since this forum gave me so much.
There is already a guide on Chicago but I have some other things to add to it.

I have lived in Chicago for 8 years now. I moved here from Madrid, Spain.

Chicago, IL, USA

I lived in several areas: Lakeview, Gold coast, downtown, Logan Square

Average housing cost (specify rent or buy)

Some areas are getting more popular lately, so prices are going up around Logan Square for example. There is a huge movement of investors in real state that buy places to remodel them and rent them.
Prices vary from 400K to 650K for remodeled places.

I always rented though, and the prices I payed or my friends pay are:
- $700/month ($2100 total)for a 3 bedroom apartment in Lakeview
- $1000/month ($2000 total) for a 2 bedroom apartment in Lakeview
- $1200/month ($2400 total) for a 2 bedroom apartment downtown
- $1800/month for a 1 bedroom apartment rigth on Millenium Park (downtown)
- $600/month (1200 total) for a 2 bedroom apartment in Logan Square.

Indoor Hobbies


The food/drink scene is so diverse and huge in Chicago. You get so many bars and restaurants and most of them are so good.
There are so many sports you can do indoors (soccer, vball, basketball) I have played several leagues and there are so many courts around the city. They are expensive for my taste ($80-$120 per person)


Outdoor Hobbies

Chicago people hate the winter, so when there is a ray of sun, everyone is out.
You have trails for bikes and running almost everywhere.
The lake trails go all the way to Indiana around the lake.

There are sports events when the weather allows, so beaches are always full of people playing something or just relaxing.

There is some hiking around but nothing amazing. There are no mountains around so next best thing is 'Starved Rock' which is a one day hike thing to do.

Weather
I would say Chicago is great during summer but awful in winter.
They salt the roads all the time so your car will accumulate rust for sure. It might not be that snowy but its frigggggging cold.
But summer makes up for it most of the time. I would say Chicago is one of the best cities in the summer in the whole US.

Favorite things
I love to ride after work to the lake, bring a beer, play vball and swim. (so just summer lol)
Public transportation -> VERY VERY VERY good. some buses and trains run all night long.
Night life

Least favorite things

Cold cold and cold. Weather doesn't get better until almost May and it goes cold again before Thanksgiving.
During winter, solar hours are very low so you go to work and its dark and you leave work and its dark again...depressing.

'Must Try'
Field Museum.
Ride the lake shore on a bike.
Visit some tall buildings (Hancock tower > Sears Tower).
Food on patios and rooftops.
The river walk downtown.
U of Chicago campus.


Stupid ordinances/laws
They are super stupid with tickets on cars for parking, street cleaning and other stuff.
There is an increasing number of red light cameras and speed cameras.

Words of wisdom/Advice
Most areas is worth just renting. If you live a little bit further from the downtown or highly demanded areas, prices drop really fast.
CTA (public transport) works really well. Trains more than buses but overall I recommend living close to a red or blue line stop which run 24/7 and the blue one goes to the airport.
CTA tickets are $2.25 for the first ride. Then the second ride within 2 hours is $0.25 and the third ride withing 2 hours is free. Keep this in mind for quick errands.
The whole city is very flat so bikes are very common. Just be careful of stupid drivers and potholes.

If you have more specific questions, please dont hesitate to ask and I will gladly answer.

zoochadookdook

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #270 on: June 24, 2019, 10:34:54 AM »
Hi didn't see if there was a section about a request? I'm eying relocation to San Antonio TX for work this fall.

tyrannostache

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #271 on: June 27, 2019, 01:16:03 PM »
Can someone share info about Des Moines? I went to college in Iowa a loooong time ago, and I haven't been back since. I remember Des Moines as a stodgy old town. I'm looking at the potential of a move to the area for a MegaCorp job in Johnston. I have young kids, so I'm particularly interested in schools, kids activities, and the outdoors.


Bonus points if you can help me excise the Dar Williams song that has been rolling through my head ever since we started considering this move.


ChpBstrd

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #272 on: June 27, 2019, 02:56:26 PM »
For those who have moved recently, how accurate are the various cost of living comparison calculators? E.g.

https://www.bankrate.com/calculators/savings/moving-cost-of-living-calculator.aspx
https://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/
https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator

Did your budget change by about the amount predicted?

mrigney

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #273 on: July 05, 2019, 10:22:48 PM »
Huntsville is in northern Alabama along the Tennessee River, situated about 80 miles north of Birmingham and 100 miles south of Nashville. It is the fastest growing large city in Alabama and is currently undergoing rapid development. Traditionally, Huntsville has been driven by the aerospace and defense industry (NASA, Army Materiel Command, Army Aviation & Missile Center). Recently, however, the variety of industry has expanded. Recent or current developments include the FBI moving 1,300 jobs here, a $1.6B Toyota-Mazda manufacturing plant, Blue Origin opening a production facility here, Facebook and Google Data center, a growing Biotech industry anchored by Hudson-Alpha institute. On top of the thousands of new jobs coming in, there is a huge amount of commercial development under way including Mid-city Huntsville, which is one of the top 5 largest commercial developments in the US (as of earlier this year). All this makes Huntsville a pretty dynamic place to live right now. Downtown is undergoing a massive transformation with numerous hotels, apartments, condos, and restaurants opening or under construction.

  • City, State, Country:REPLACE ME
    Huntsville, AL, USA
  • If a suburb, distance from city:
    Huntsville population: 197k, metro area ~450k. City proper will probably pass Birmingham as the biggest city in the state w/in the next 5 years (although Bham metro will still be significantly larger).
  • Average housing cost (specify rent or buy):
    Median Sales Price: $217k (this used to be significantly lower, but we're in the middle of a crazy market
  • Indoor Hobbies:
    Lots to do, although I can't say I take huge advantage of lots of it (I'm a simple guy with simple interests). Everyone has their own thing they like to do, so I doubt I can list all the indoor things to do, but I will say that interests are varied. We have everything from a great art museum downtown for a city our size to an active curling league. Minor league hockey (Go, Havoc!), a stellar symphony orchestra, chamber orchestra, US Space and Rocket Center, Space Camp (if you're a kid). Also tons (and growing) of restaurants, coffee shops, and one of the best beer/brewery scenes in the southeast US. Additionally, Lowe Mill is the largest privately owned arts center in the country. ~250 artists have studios at Lowe Mill, plus restaurants, choclatiers, and other shops. Lowe Mill also hosts numerous outdoor concerts throughout the year with up and coming artists.
  • Outdoor Hobbies:
    Huntsville is also a great place for outdoor activities most of the year. Huntsville Botanical Gardens is one of the premiere botanical gardens in the south (and I would argue in the country). I cannot say enough about how nice it is. For a family membership of $100, we get to enjoy the gardens year round. They recently had a Chinese Lantern exhibit that ran for several months that was absolutely stunning.

    Monte Sano State Park is adjacent to downtown and has great hiking/biking trails. Wheeler Wildlife Refuge runs along the TN River on the west side of the city and has some equally interesting trails that are of a completely different type. Ditto Landing is great to get out on the TN River. The Rocket City Trash Pandas (minor league baseball) start play next spring in a brand new stadium. Additionally, Huntsville is in the process of beginning construction on a brand new 8,500 seat amphitheater which should open up the concert scene a little more. There are various festivals throughout the year that are a lot of fun. Kite festival in the spring, a hot air balloon festival around Memorial Day. There are also numerous Farmer's Markets to serve the vibrant local food scene. Within an hours drive of town you can be at one of the great hikes in the southeast (Walls of Jericho) and many other hikes.

    Also, not sure how much of a thing this is other places, but there is a huge community pool presence. Many neighborhoods have community pools that memberships can be purchased for relatively cheaply that makes for a great summer gathering spot.
  • Weather (High Temps, Low Temps, Seasons, Sun):REPLACE ME
    Climate is continental. Hot summers, cool winters, generally pleasant and extended spring/fall. Average lo/hi in the dead of summer is 70/90. Dead of winter is 30/50. All in all, no weather tends to last two long. I would say that we generally have about 2 months of summer that are really not a lot of fun. (July/August). June and September can be pretty toasty, but can also have periods of very nice weather (e.g. this June we had a week where it was 60/80 all week). Winters are almost never terrible. It snows on average once a year, and ever 3-5 years we get a "big" snow (3-6"). We are generally wet (average about 56" of rain a year), but the rain comes in bursts, so that we generally have 8-10 days w/rain each month.
  • Favorite things:REPLACE ME
    Beer - 13 breweries and counting
    Campus 805
    Huntsville Botanical Gardens
    Honest Coffee
    Local library system
    Greenway system
  • Least favorite things:REPLACE ME
    Summer heat
    Ongoing road construction
    Urban sprawl (although this is getting better)
  • 'Must Try':
    Honest Coffee
    Alchemy Coffee
    Cotton Row (fine dining)
    Huntsville Botanical Garden
    Green Mountain Nature Preserve
    Hays Nature Preserve
    Lowe Mill
    A Farmer's Market
  • Stupid ordinances/laws:REPLACE ME
    Chicken coops have to be 150 ft away from all neighbors if you're in the city limits, which makes owning chickens in the city effectively impossible.
  • Words of wisdom/Advice:
    Huntsville is filled with a bunch of engineers, scientists, and other "creatives." It bucks most Alabama stereotypes, although you don't have to go far outside of the city to be back in rural Alabama. Lots (most?) folks in town are transplants and from all over the country (and world). Come if you like beer, a growing food scene, and low cost of living.
  • Sustainability options (gardening, solar, etc):
    We maintain a large garden in our yard. Plenty long growing season. Our lot isn't in a great set-up for solar, so not much knowledge on that.

penguintroopers

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #274 on: July 08, 2019, 09:06:58 AM »
For those who have moved recently, how accurate are the various cost of living comparison calculators? E.g.

https://www.bankrate.com/calculators/savings/moving-cost-of-living-calculator.aspx
https://www.bestplaces.net/cost-of-living/
https://www.nerdwallet.com/cost-of-living-calculator

Did your budget change by about the amount predicted?

Philly checking in. Not too bad, but I wanna know where they're buying gas and milk.

Edit: didn't realize you were asking for recent-movers, but as a roughly three year resident its pretty accurate as to what it costs around here.

stoaX

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #275 on: July 26, 2019, 02:26:52 PM »
Boise, ID

Average Housing cost (specify rent or buy):  I own in one of the subburbs of Boise, Eagle (15 miles from city center).  Eagle is one of the nicer areas.  It has a cute/historic downtown but most of the basic services you need.  There's lots of open property and housing starts at about $250k in Eagle for a 3 bedroom 2 bath.  Pricing might be a little less in Boise or Meridian, depending on the age of the house and condition.  Nampa isn't bad but Caldwell I would stay away from (this is where any gang activity takes place).  Most housing is new and the area is growing rapidly.

Hobbies:  Venture outdoors!  Skiing/snowboarding is 20 minutes from downtown Boise in the winter time, with larger mountains a couple of hours away.  Lines aren't horrible compared to skiing in California or other areas just because the population isn't that great.  Snowshowing and alpine skiing are also popular.  In the summertime, fly fishing and camping are very popular.  McCall is a popular destination location and it's a 2 hour drive from Boise.  There are lake activities there, as well as a few small shops, biking, etc.  Another popular destination is Red Fish lake, but it's a few hours drive.  I like being able to drive 20 minutes in any direction and being in the middle of farmland.  When you camp, look at the stars (you can actually see them)!

Weather:  Usually there are 2-3 weeks of temperatures in the low hundreds, but it's a dry heat.  Most days of the summers are in the mid to upper 90's.  The coldest months are December and January.  Most years have a couple of days that fall to single digits for the low.  Snow (most years) is not a problem.  A big snow storm is 3" and the major roads are well taken care of.  People put on snow tires, but I've only had a problem once in my FWD econobox, when there was 14 inches of snow on the ground (big snow year).  If you garden, planting times are usually early May and the first frost is right around October 1.  January brings about an inversion - clouds settling into the Boise area.  No rain, no snow, just dreariness.  If you drive up to higher elevations, the sun breaks through the clouds and it's sunny.

Favorite things:  Boise has an amazing farmers market.  It's up to 4 city blocks now, and you can find fresh produce as well as crafts.  I like how walkable/bikable Boise and the surrounding area is.  There's a ~20 mile long greenbelt (paved bike trail) that crosses the city that lots of folks utilize.  World-class whitewater rafting happens near Boise.  I feel very safe wherever I go, and whatever I do.  Boise also has a number of semi-professional sports teams that are worth attending.

Least Favorite things:  The state is very red historically, but as more people move from CA, WA and OR into ID, this is beginning to change.  As a result, people are very proud of their guns and hunting here is a constitutional right, but gender equality is not.  In general, people are very nice.  Often times people will hold up traffic to let you out of a driveway.  Ethnic food options are limited.

Words of Wisdom/Advice:  Have a job setup before you move here, if you require one.  Even though Boise is growing, it's still not a metropolis and options can be limited compared to larger cities.  I've lived here ~10 years and worked in the tech community.  Everyone in that community knows me and I know most people.

Know your commute.  Traffic isn't bad, but it pays to know the flow of traffic.  A 15 minute commute with no traffic can easily turn into a 40 minute commute with traffic.  Avoid your commute being on Eagle Road, if you can.

Sustainability Options:  The Idaho government doesn't subsidize green energy.  Some local utilities are talking about not having to buy homeowner-produced solar energy.  A majority of power in the Boise area is produced by coal and hydro.  Idaho Power is resistant to change.

Belated thanks for this...Idaho is on my list of places I want to investigate moving to.  Anything you would add, delete or change to your review above?

aspiringnomad

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #276 on: August 04, 2019, 09:39:44 PM »
  • City, State, Country: Washington, DC, USA
  • If a suburb, distance from city: I've lived in three locations within the city's most central ward, which is a 10-20 minute bike ride from the downtown/CBD area depending on where you are within the ward and where you're going downtown.
  • Average housing cost (specify rent or buy): 1BR rentals start at $1.7k/month but are more like $2.3-2.7k/month if you don't want to be in a basement. To purchase, 1BRs start at ~400k and go up from there. Multiply by ~1.5 for each additional bedroom.
  • Indoor Hobbies: Museums, indoor sports, movies, house parties, restaurant/bars
  • Outdoor Hobbies: Parks, bike rides, outdoor sports, roof decks, restaurant/bar patios and beer gardens
  • Weather (High Temps, Low Temps, Seasons, Sun): Very hot (95 degrees F and humid) for 4-6 weeks in the summer, very cold (as low as 15 degrees F) during the winter though often sunny and infrequently snowy. Spring and Fall are sometimes gorgeous, though can also be humid.
  • Favorite things: The diversity of people, things to do, the walkability/bikeability, general youthfulness of people living here, and the overall quality of life (income versus non-real estate expenses). To elaborate on the people, I've been pretty lucky to fall into a friend group mixed with blue collar folks and international people here for the experience as much as work. Very few of my acquaintances work directly in politics. No one is boring and no one cares what you do for a living. As legend has it, this is pretty atypical in DC, but in my experience, I get the "So, what do you do?" question way more often when visiting other cities than I do here.
  • Least favorite things: Crime, national and local politics, weather extremes
  • 'Must Try': Live close-in and don't deal at all with the area's notoriously awful traffic and unreliable Metro. If it's your first time visiting, obviously, check out the Mall, Smithsonian, etc.
  • Stupid ordinances/laws: During the past 15-20 years, the city council has generally been smart about growing the tax base while using the surplus to provide additional safety nets. However, the safety net policies have not entirely yielded the desired results. Keeping someone in the city on subsistence-level support while the cost of living skyrockets around them is not a recipe for success or happiness. Over time, it's all caused lots of angst about gentrification despite the fact that the city spends more than just about any other on education and social services on a per capita basis.
  • Words of wisdom/Advice: Live in a group house if you move here while you're young. You'll save boatloads of money and hopefully meet interesting people that might just become your best friends.
  • Sustainability options (gardening, solar, etc): You can find community gardens and solar roofs all over the place and I think both are subsidized.

edgeofjupiter

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #277 on: August 24, 2019, 05:01:18 PM »
City, State: San Francisco, CA, USA

If a suburb, distance from city: I lived in the Bay Area for 20 years, and in SF for the last 4. I lived in Bernal Heights and I bought a house in the Outer Sunset. I moved away three years ago.

Average housing cost: Average rent: $3700. For that amount I don't think you'll get anything bigger than a one bedroom apartment. Median house price as of 2019: $1.7 million.

True story: in 2015 I looked at a house in Noe Valley (very desirable neighborhood) that could have been a set of a horror film. It was literally unfit for humans to live in. It sold for $1.5 million.

Indoor Hobbies: Music, foodie scene, museums, drinking/nightlife.

Outdoor Hobbies: Windsurfing, sailing, hiking, biking, running... you name it. If you like snow sports, Tahoe is about a four hour drive (given favorable traffic).

Weather: Fairly uniform all year round. The locals all know a Mark Twain quote: "The coldest winter I ever spent was summer in San Francisco." It is chilly enough at night that you will rarely go outside at any time of year without a jacket. Winter is rainier and a bit darker. Otherwise it can be difficult to distinguish seasons.

Favorite things: Good food. SF is a beautiful place, once you look past the urban decay. I would never get tired of looking at the Golden Gate Bridge. Proximity to places like Tahoe and Sonoma County.

Least favorite things: Where to start? Property crime is essentially legalized. If you are unlucky enough to have your car broken into (which is pretty much guaranteed if you are foolish enough to leave a laptop in plain view), the police will not help you. The stories you've read about human feces in the streets is true- and this goes for the more expensive, "nice" neighborhoods. You get to experience all this while paying exorbitantly high taxes (state, sales, and property).

'Must Try': Mission burritos. Muir Woods. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. If you're lucky enough to have a friend with a sailboat, don't pass up sailing in the Bay.

Stupid ordinances/laws: This place has the worst politicians, and they love stupid laws. Plastic straws are banned, but garbage is piled up everywhere. I once received a threatening letter from the city because I put too much paper in our recycling bin and the lid wouldn't close all the way. The NIMBYism is terrible- it's practically impossible to build anything new as the project will be scrapped if the neighbors complain.

Words of wisdom/Advice: Pretty simple- don't move there. Maybe if you're young, single, and have decent employment prospects, but even then you should look elsewhere. More dogs live in SF than children- this is literally a city without a future. It is not a place for normal people who are not billionaires or addicts living on the street. This is a huge problem as people you want as your neighbors (teachers, baristas, firefighters, cops, nurses) can't afford to live there.

Sustainability options (gardening, solar, etc): Solar panels might be an option for you. It's unlikely you'll get a large enough patch of land to make gardening worth your while (if you want to save money as opposed to gardening because you like gardening). Watch out for droughts as you will be encouraged to save water.

FIREmesoIcanFIRE

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #278 on: October 26, 2019, 08:35:25 PM »
Request for Frankfurt, Germany

smoghat

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #279 on: November 26, 2019, 06:42:35 PM »
How about some small towns in New England (Vermont!)? Or Portland, Maine.

MotoMM

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #280 on: January 05, 2020, 06:43:39 AM »
@hoping2retire35 re: Charleston and solar

We are in Mt Pleasant and had solar panels installed in 2017. 30% federal tax credit and 25% SC state tax credit, one of the best in the country. Pretty sure the credits were still in place in 2019 - not sure about 2020.
Most of what you posted is pretty accurate. I'd add that this area is very NOT bike friendly. Maybe downtown Charleston, I don't know, but certainly not the surrounding areas.
Nice place though if you like the beach or fishing or boating or other water activities. Folly Beach has decent surf (including lessons and contests), and people also surf IOP.

Droog

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #281 on: January 24, 2020, 10:09:03 AM »
Currently live in Bend, OR.  Since this post was originally made, Bend has gotten even more crowded and home prices have gone up a bit. But I love my home state to death and having lived in Eugene, Hillsboro and now Bend am happy to help answer any questions about these areas as well!

I would love to hear about Hillsboro, OR as I have a job relocation opportunity there. Thanks!

Dee18

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #282 on: January 24, 2020, 05:18:27 PM »
+1 for Huntsville
If you are driving on I-65 in December or January be sure to check out Wheeler National Wildlife refuge.  There is an enclosed viewing building for birding right on the water (even heated)  where you can see thousands of Sandhill cranes, a few whooping cranes, and many species of ducks.  The entrance is only about 5 minutes off the interstate and it is truly an amazing place.

fuzzy math

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #283 on: January 25, 2020, 09:54:09 AM »
Currently live in Bend, OR.  Since this post was originally made, Bend has gotten even more crowded and home prices have gone up a bit. But I love my home state to death and having lived in Eugene, Hillsboro and now Bend am happy to help answer any questions about these areas as well!

I would love to hear about Hillsboro, OR as I have a job relocation opportunity there. Thanks!

Intel?

I lived on the edge of Beaverton / Hillsboro. Cost of living is high. Probably $450+k for a home on a 4000sf lot. You will be packed in like sardines. I would suggest living off city streets for your commute. The 26 freeway is super backed up and inaccessible from 6 - 10 am and 2 - 7 pm. That's the only way to get into Portland proper. Every freeway is bound by bridges, mountains, or water so there aren't opportunities to build more roads. There is light rail but from where you'd be its 30+ mins into Portland and sometimes its so crowded you can't get on. Portland itself is great but the majority of the city will be 45+ mins for where you want to go. I found myself just staying at home a lot of the time. Concerts, food, culture is all great. TONS of homeless people. I left 3 yrs ago and it was not safe for women to be on some of the biking trails due to the tent cities. Some of that may have changed, but Portland is a destination for homeless people because its hip and the weather is mild.
I was not particularly thrilled with Beaverton schools. Historically the area was where people who couldn't afford to live closer to the city lived so you may find lots of lower income people. Lots of temp HB visa workers at Intel and Nike so there's a huge south asian population who are all very insular because they are only in town for a number of months.

Tris Prior

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #284 on: February 26, 2020, 10:18:52 AM »
New Orleans, LA

Coming soon...I just hate dead links.

It doesn't look like this ever got reviewed and I'd be interested!

SimpleCycle

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #285 on: February 26, 2020, 12:45:42 PM »
I would love to have Merida, MEX added. Also love to hear about any places in MEX. Seriously considering relocating there post FIRE.

I too am Merida curious.  Hopefully we'll be spending extended time there in the next couple years, so I'll report back.

adamzerner

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #286 on: June 04, 2020, 10:01:47 PM »
City, State, Country
Las Vegas, NV, USA

Average housing cost
A typical one room apartment goes for ~$900-1200/month. There are some more seedy parts of town where you can get under that, but then you'll have to deal with higher crime and sketchy management. There are also some more upscale places that can push $1500/month.

As for housing, there's options across the board:
  • If you want something cheap for ~$100k, it's available. Largely in the part of town ~5-10 minutes east of The Strip. Some in North Las Vegas. Some in Chinatown. Others scattered throughout.
  • The "sweet spot" is probably $200-400k.
  • There are options a step up from that for maybe $400-800k too.
  • Probably not relevant here, but there are million dollar homes, $5M homes, $10M+ homes. Largely in Summerlin, which is about 20-30 minutes west of The Strip, and then Green Valley in second place.
If you're looking for a more urban atmosphere, you can't really find that here in Vegas. The only option would be Downtown Vegas, ie. around Fremont Street. I lived there for a year and a) it isn't actually an urban atmosphere, and b) it is missing a lot of the practical things you'd need to live: supermarkets, libraries, parks, etc. The type of person that it'd be a good fit for is someone who eats out a lot and enjoys exploring different bars (or someone who wants to be within walking distance to casinos), but I don't expect many Mustachians to fit that description.

Indoor Hobbies
All of the stuff that you'd find in a major city: malls, shopping, restaurants, movie theaters, bowling, etc. The notable ones here that you wouldn't find elsewhere of course involve casinos. Gambling, shows, fine dining, etc.

There's also a lot of stuff on Groupon, maybe leaning on the touristy side.

Oh, and there's weed. It's legal and there are dispensaries everywhere.

Outdoor Hobbies
There are plenty of parks.

Being a valley that is surrounded by mountains, there's some good hiking on the outskirts. From one end of town to the other is only maybe 45-60 minutes by car, so you're never too far from hiking if it's what you want.

Be careful though, you might come across scorpions and stuff. The mascot of Nevada State College is a scorpion. I don't hike much so I don't know how common it is to come across stuff like that, but for me it isn't fun to be out there having to worry about encountering a snake or scorpion. There are also some coyotes in the mountains. I've had an encounter with them once.

There's also Lake Las Vegas which is maybe a 30 minute drive. I see a lot of people with boats who take advantage of that. And there's another lake somewhere about an hour away.

People near the mountains also do a lot of offroading. I live in Henderson right now and see it all the time.

If you like biking, there are some decent options, mostly on the outskirts of town. Check out https://www.traillink.com/city/las-vegas-nv-trails/. It never gets too hilly. On the outskirts there's a little bit of an incline but it isn't too bad.

As for the more interior parts of town, it isn't a great place to bike. I bike as my means of transportation, and I don't think Vegas was really designed well for bikers. Sidewalks and bike paths mysteriously end sometimes, and it's usually hard to find a bike rack at places. And in some parts of town you have to worry about your bike getting stolen (I've had mine stolen outside of a bar, my friend had his stolen outside of a casino, and that's just generally the vibe I get. I'm not actually sure what the data says.)

Note that it's insanely hot for 3-4 months of the year, and you can't really be outside, which really sucks.

Weather (High Temps, Low Temps, Seasons, Sun)
Summers are totally insane. 100-120 degrees during the day, with a very strong sun. You really can't be outside. I remember a friend who was visiting explained it perfectly: it feels like the wave of heat you feel when you open up the oven. Personally, I get headaches if I'm outside for too long, which sometimes is only five minutes.

Even at night time it's often 90-100 degrees and being outside is uncomfortable. So for 3-4 months out of the year you can't really be outside. To me this is the big downside with living in Vegas.

However, there are people who don't mind the heat. No one can be outside when it's 120 and sunny, but when it's closer to 100-110 some people enjoy laying out by the pool with shade.

Winters can actually get cold. We had snow last year, but hitting below freezing is very rare. It'll get into the 40s though.

And then of course fall and spring are in between.

Favorite things
I play poker so that has to be my favorite thing about Vegas.

A close second is the food, and I don't mean on The Strip. There are some really awesome restaurants off The Strip. I've lived in Culver City, Gainesville, Pittsburgh, and Long Island and the quality of restaurants here really strikes me as something that is notable. It isn't consistently good, you do have to do your research and find the good places, but there are a bunch of really, really good mid-level restaurants with dishes in the $15-25 price range. Here are some of my favorites:
  • Korean BBQ: Tofu Hut
  • Thai: Archis, Arawan or Lotus of Siam
  • Sushi: Sushi Neko
  • Pizza: Settebello ($5 pies on Mondays), Those Guys Pies or Pizza Rock
  • Mexican: Viva Mercados
  • American: Carson's Kitchen, Hash House
  • Italian: Eataly
  • Diner: The Peppermill
  • Donuts: Master Donuts
Note: I know eating out can be a little anti-Mustachian, but I think it's ok if you do it once or twice a month. That's what I try to do.

Least favorite things
The heat. For 3-4 months of the year, you really can't be outside.

Words of wisdom/Advice
  • Avoid eating on The Strip. Perhaps a little cliche, but it's true. There are so many great options off The Strip that are both cheaper and better.
  • Chinatown is a fun place to hang out. I especially like exploring the ethnic supermarkets.
  • Walking around The Strip or Downtown loses it's luster. Ie. it can be fun as a tourist for a few days, but it isn't an activity that remains fun after that.
  • Once you're off The Strip, it really just feels like a normal town. Well, there are casinos and slot machines scattered around, and it's common to know people in the hospitality industry, but you get used to that. Once you're used to it it just feels like a normal town.
  • Poker is a pretty fun hobby! Just make sure you take the time to learn the game. With a few weeks/months of study and experience you can be a profitable player at $1-2 blinds.
  • Some other points about poker. 1) If you feel the need to give gambling a try, your expected return is probably better by spending 10 minutes reading about the basics of poker (eg. just stick to good hands) and playing poker than by playing the slots or something. 2) There's something magical and fun about the vibe at a poker table to me. It might be worth it just for the social experience.
  • There are some really awesome views on the outskirts of town, especially at night. Since it's a valley the outskirts are at a higher elevation, so you get a really nice perspective of the whole town, with The Strip lit up in the background.
Sustainability options (gardening, solar, etc)
I don't know too much about it, but with such a strong sun I assume that solar is a good option.

Electric cars
My girlfriend has an electric car. It has a range of about 75 miles (Ford Focus Electric). It works out relatively well here in Vegas. We can go from one end of town to the other on a full charge, but in a bigger city we wouldn't be able to do that, so Vegas' smaller size works out well for us. Our 75 mile range is small though, most electric cars have 100+ mile ranges.

One issue is that there aren't too many charging stations available. Also a lot of the places with charging stations only have 2-8 options, and they might be already taken by a different electric car owner, so you can't always rely on it being available for you. This makes it hard to spend the day driving around from place to place. We don't really have enough charge for that, but we would if we were able to charge it at more places we would. This is probably a blessing in disguise though, since driving around isn't something that I want to do anyway.

Living here without a car
I've lived here for about four years without a car. Well, my girlfriend has one so it kinda doesn't count. Here's what I've found. With some research and a little bit of luck, you can find a location where all of your necessities are close by. I used to live at Ritiro Apartments in Summerlin and had a library, supermarket, gym, park, movie theater (half price on Tuesdays!), great restaurants, CVS, FedEx, and banks all within a half-mile of me. You can definitely find places like that in Vegas. Sometimes you'll have to bike 30-60 minutes if you're going somewhere further. And sometimes you might need to Uber, eg. if you're going shopping and can't hold it all on your bike, or maybe if you're sick and need to go to the doctor, but that's ok if you need to Uber sometimes. The biggest obstacle is probably grocery shopping. You might want to get groceries delivered if you don't have a car, especially if you don't want to be outside in the summer.

Also, the buses here are pretty good. I've used them a lot and they're almost always on time, rarely crowded, very comfortable air conditioning in the summer, and free WiFi that is plenty fast! Amazing! A single ride is $2 and an all day pass is $5. I used to take the bus when I lived in Summerlin and wanted to go to The Strip to play poker, or when I wanted to go to the Steelers bar (Noreens!!!). It takes longer than a car ride, but us Mustachians don't mind, right?

Tech scene
There isn't really much of a tech scene here. I'm a programmer and entrepreneur. I'm also the organizer of the Indie Hackers Las Vegas meetup. It's really hard to find people to attend the meetup, and in talking to other programmers and entrepreneurs there, the consensus is that the tech scene is pretty weak here. I work out of coffee shops sometimes and don't meet a lot of other programmers or tech entrepreneurs. And as for jobs, Zappos is a good option, but there isn't much else. The messages I get on LinkedIn are all from weird gaming companies trying to sucker away more money from gamblers. No thank you.

People/Culture
The people here are... normal? I wish I could comment more, but I can't think of anything else to say. There's a variety of people. You'll meet different types of people in different parts of town. I don't really notice anything distinct about the people here in Vegas.

Maybe that's just me though. I lived in Gainesville, Pittsburgh and Culver City and would say the same thing about those places. Eg. I can't really point to something noteworthy about the people there. Growing up on Long Island there are definitely more of the pretentious wealthy types, but in day-to-day life I don't think it's something you notice. I've never been someone who notices much about the people around me. Maybe in more extreme places it'd be different. Like maybe the places I've lived in are all too moderate and something like Portland would be ultra-hipster or Iowa would be ultra farmy and conservative and I would notice that.

Actually, one thing to note about the people of Las Vegas is that there's a ton of transplants. You won't meet too many locals. A lot of the transplants come from California or somewhere else on the west coast, but definitely a fair share of those from the east coast as well. And it makes sense because Vegas just isn't a very old city. The modern Strip started becoming a thing in the 1980s and I believe most of the expansion happened around then.

Politics
Nevada is known as a swing state. My impression of Vegas specifically is that people lean a little more left. I don't have a good feel for this though; I haven't talked to many people I meet about politics.

The only thing that comes to mind is that off The Strip at some local casinos like Red Rock, there's a lot of old white men and sometimes you get a conservative vibe. Sometimes they'll even start rambling about politics, but that isn't too common.

Dogs
Dogs seem pretty popular. I have one. There are plenty of vets and dog parks. The big thing worth mentioning here is, again, the summer. I walk my dog in the morning and at night during the summer because I don't want to be outside midday.

And, by the way, my dog doesn't want to be outside midday either! You can definitely tell. He's panting and sometimes stops walking and tugs on me like he wants to go home. Also, the pavement can get really hot and hurt their paws, so be careful of that.

Schools
I've heard the schools are really bad here. From talking to people, I feel pretty confident that it's true. My girlfriend grew up here and went through the school system. A lot of people don't graduate or take it seriously, and the quality of instruction can be pretty bad. Standards are also very low. One issue is that the casinos often offer solid jobs for kids who are in high school that don't require them to graduate, and there's a feeling of "Why would I go to class when I already have a comfortable job available?".

My two cents are that this doesn't matter. You're responsible for your own education. If you want to learn something, libraries and the internet provide you with all that you need.

Actually, I'm sure that there are good options in wealthy areas. Maybe public, maybe private, I'm not sure.

Conclusion
Vegas is a great place to live other than the summers. It's pretty affordable and has everything you need. It could be more friendly to people without cars, you could make do.

The big issue is the summer. You really just can't be outside for 3-4 months out of the year, and that's a dealbreaker to me (once my girlfriend finishes school we plan on moving).
« Last Edit: June 04, 2020, 10:12:56 PM by adamzerner »

waltworks

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #287 on: September 08, 2020, 11:20:32 AM »
This thread is semi-necro at this point, but I'd love to hear from anyone from the bigger towns (especially Marquette, Houghton) in the UP.

Schools look good, lots of winter which we like, and it's dirt cheap and uncrowded.

As our formerly small/funky ski town explodes (yes, we're turning into California) we're thinking of bailing/cashing out.

How bad are the bugs in summer? Lyme disease an issue?

Are the moose Alaska-level angry or just normal moose grumpiness? Here we have a sort of moose detente which involves everyone staying out of each other's business and it works fine.

How bad does it suck to get anywhere via air?

Are yoopers so weird we'll never fit in (I'm professional level at dorking around with 2-stroke engines, mountain biking, nordic skiing, and welding... does that help?)

Long shot, I know...

-W
« Last Edit: September 08, 2020, 01:22:16 PM by waltworks »

Paul | pdgessler

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #288 on: December 26, 2020, 09:44:07 AM »
This thread is semi-necro at this point, but I'd love to hear from anyone from the bigger towns (especially Marquette, Houghton) in the UP.

I'm late to the party but I might be able to help a bit. I never lived there as an adult, but I did live in a small town outside of Houghton for a few years as a kid around 2001-2004. My mom's side of our family also still owns a small cabin up there, at which they spend a lot of the summers. So I can give a bit of info, but take it with a grain of salt since I only lived there year-round for a few years as a middle schooler. I don't really have an adult's perspective of what it's really like to plan a life there, I was just a kid doing kid stuff. :-)

Quote
Schools look good, lots of winter which we like, and it's dirt cheap and uncrowded.

Agreed with all of that.

Quote
How bad are the bugs in summer? Lyme disease an issue?

Mosquitoes can be troublesome for a few weeks in the summer, depending on the year. Many people seem to love to complain about them. I am probably a bit weird in this respect, but when I lived there is when I started my experiment of not wearing any bug spray. After a season or two, the mosquitoes don't really bother me any more. Deer flies are annoying for a couple of weeks (again, timing and duration depends on the year). But those are big enough that you usually notice them and swat them away before they manage to bite you. I am really selling the UP well, aren't I? :-)

My brothers and I would get ticks occasionally from running around in the fields and woods around our rural house. But we never had any problems with Lyme disease. I am not an expert on Lyme disease, but if I remember right, we usually got the larger wood ticks that don't carry it, not the deer ticks that do. But this might vary by where in the UP you choose to live. Just make sure to check yourself for ticks regularly when spending time outside in tall grass or brush.

Quote
Are the moose Alaska-level angry or just normal moose grumpiness? Here we have a sort of moose detente which involves everyone staying out of each other's business and it works fine.

If you're in one of those cities, you don't really have to worry about moose. If you're living out in the boonies, well, you're probably already prepared for any eventuality anyway. I've only ever seen them from the road while driving in low-lying wooded/boggy areas. Oh, and one close encounter while backpacking on Isle Royale. I think it's like most large wildlife: as long as you aren't acting like a complete clown, they'll mostly leave you alone.

Quote
How bad does it suck to get anywhere via air?

I never flew anywhere when I lived there, but yeah, that could be an issue. Your options are to drive 5+ hours to a bigger hub or catch a tiny regional jet from one of the local airports to the bigger airports. Could be a bit of an issue depending on how frequently you fly.

Quote
Are yoopers so weird we'll never fit in (I'm professional level at dorking around with 2-stroke engines, mountain biking, nordic skiing, and welding... does that help?)

I think you'll fit right in. Lots of tinkerers around (sometimes you can even see evidence of such tinkering in people's front yards). Mountain biking and nordic skiing there are great. Not as much elevation change as you're probably used to, but still plenty of fun. Both Marquette and Houghton have great trail systems, with even more options not too far away.

I hope this helps a bit!

baconschteam

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #289 on: February 19, 2021, 10:15:55 AM »
I have a request! My family and DW’s family live in North Jersey and Central Jersey, so we would like to end up somewhere nearby. I notice there’s nothing listed for NJ (not such a mystery). To make the request easier, we are basically looking for a nice town within a couple of hours drive from Central NJ, or within a couple hours from NYC. Any leads? Buffalo NY is too far. .

JetBlast

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #290 on: March 18, 2021, 09:38:52 AM »
This thread is semi-necro at this point, but I'd love to hear from anyone from the bigger towns (especially Marquette, Houghton) in the UP.

Schools look good, lots of winter which we like, and it's dirt cheap and uncrowded.

As our formerly small/funky ski town explodes (yes, we're turning into California) we're thinking of bailing/cashing out.

How bad are the bugs in summer? Lyme disease an issue?

Are the moose Alaska-level angry or just normal moose grumpiness? Here we have a sort of moose detente which involves everyone staying out of each other's business and it works fine.

How bad does it suck to get anywhere via air?

Are yoopers so weird we'll never fit in (I'm professional level at dorking around with 2-stroke engines, mountain biking, nordic skiing, and welding... does that help?)

Long shot, I know...

-W

Way late to the party and no experience living in either place, but when I flew for a regional airline Houghton was one of my favorite small town layovers.  Beautiful area. Hanging out on the patio at the Downtowner on a nice summer with the rest of the crew, drinking Bell's Oberon and enjoying the view of the river definitely did not suck.  Also interesting to be able to explore Finnish culture and cuisine, which is very strong in the UP. 

Air travel would be tough.  Flights are very limited to Houghton/Hancock with only a couple fights a day to Chicago O'hare.  Marquette has a bit more with flights to Chicago, Minneapolis/St.Paul, and Detroit but still not a whole lot of options.  Escanaba is also quite limited. 

If you're looking for a lot of winter but maybe somewhere a little larger for travel options perhaps Duluth, MN would be worth a look.  I always thought is seemed like a nice place to live if not for Minnesota's high income taxes.

Loretta

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #291 on: April 11, 2021, 07:34:16 PM »
My 68 year old mother has expressed a desire to move to...Aiken, South Carolina of all places .... due to the climate of OH being too darn cold.  If anyone Can share info with me on Aiken SC I’d be grateful.

She has a pension and I’m her only living relative. I would prefer to see her in a condo vice a house due to home maintenance being a PITA at 70+.  Would people be nice to her, is my most burning question. 

stoaX

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #292 on: April 14, 2021, 09:40:44 AM »
My 68 year old mother has expressed a desire to move to...Aiken, South Carolina of all places .... due to the climate of OH being too darn cold.  If anyone Can share info with me on Aiken SC I’d be grateful.

She has a pension and I’m her only living relative. I would prefer to see her in a condo vice a house due to home maintenance being a PITA at 70+.  Would people be nice to her, is my most burning question.

I don't know about Aiken specifically but regarding South Carolina in general, South Carolina is tax-friendly when it comes to retirement income and there are a lot of retirement communities in the state where much of the maintenance would be done for her. 

Also lots of retirees means lots of people living here who migrated from other states so I think that can make for more social opportunities than if you are the only one who is not a  local.  For example, on my block of 11 houses, only 3 are occupied by people native to the area.  The rest of us are transplants.

evme

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #293 on: October 08, 2021, 02:24:10 AM »
How about some small towns in New England (Vermont!)? Or Portland, Maine.

Second this. Anyone live in Vermont or Portland, ME and can do a review please?

Dee18

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #294 on: October 08, 2021, 09:27:40 AM »
I am currently subletting in Burlington, Vt.  I previously spent 10 summers in a very small town in central Vermont where I had a summer job.  I loved it, but do not want to be in a rural area in the winter (living on a gravel road 45 minutes from the nearest grocery) and I felt I would have too much isolation without a job.  I find Burlington a much better possibility for me.  I love the outdoor activities that are so available and varied in Vermont.  I love the liberal leaning of the legislature, the strong city/town public democracy, and the significant environmental efforts (all sorts of state incentives for electric cars, solar, etc., and a state law requiring composting of all food waste--and they do mean all, no food waste can be put in with your trash). In Burlington I love being on Lake Champlain, the bike paths, the good library, the walkability, and lots of great food--especially in the summer.   If I buy here I will probably travel a lot in the winter because of the long, dark nights as well as the severe (to me) cold. 

I was surprised by the costs of owning real estate. In Burlington a 1400 sq foot townhouse, 1.5 baths, not updated, is selling for $350,000 with annual property taxes of $7,000.  A new 2600 sq ft single family home a few miles out of town is $600,000. Much of the housing stock is either old (100+ years) or newer and seems not of the highest grade of construction.  State income tax (including on Social Security and my pension--neither of which is taxed in my current legal residence) tops out at 8.75%. The taxes go for a lot of things I like--medical care for the poor, great and plentiful state parks, etc.  So I am okay with those.  Key negative issues in Burlington are a lack of available medical care (long, long waits for appointments) and noise including F-35 jets flying over multiple times a day.  To learn more about Burlington and Vermont, one can read vtdigger.org or listen to VPR, Vermont public radio. 










vogon poetry

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #295 on: October 08, 2021, 11:54:41 AM »
I saw a couple requests for this, and I have lived in Portland off and on for a little over a decade at this point, so here you go.

City, State, Country
: Portland Me USA

about 2 hours from Boston, Ma

Average housing cost (specify rent or buy): housing costs feel high and seem to keep going higher. We bought a fixer upper a year ago for just shy of $300k and things in our neighborhood that are in only slightly better shape are going for close to $400k now. rent is high 'on peninsula'/ in town, $1600+ for a two bedroom likely more if it includes any utilities or parking. 
Indoor Hobbies:
There are a lot of restaurants and local breweries. People seem to think that those are hobbies.
Outdoor Hobbies:
Several beaches near by, and the east end beach in town, and nearby islands, so kayaking / boating is popular. Some of the nearby beaches have lots of surf traffic also. Nearest mountains are about an hour, so hiking or downhill skiing takes more effort, but the Portland Trails association has a nice network of in town trails that are good for a ramble or bike ride, and the municipal golf course grooms for XC skiing. The Eastern and Western Proms are big parks where food trucks congregate and you can watch things like the sunset on the western prom or the lobster boat races or holiday boat parade on the eastern prom
Weather: 4 full seasons. Winter is often wetter / icy-er than inland.
Favorite things: All the running clubs, trails, the monthly art walks
Least favorite things: because its on a peninsula, there is a real divide between in town and out of town. being in town / on peninsula, things are very walkable and public transportation is pretty decent, but parking usually sucks. Off peninsula its hard to get around without a car, so going into town gets to be a drag because of parking.   
'Must Try': the mailboat run ferry ride, its a hop on hop off $15 tour of all the close islands. 
Stupid ordinances/laws: they used to forgive one parking ticket a year. its stupid that they stopped.
Words of wisdom/Advice: If you want to move to coastal Maine, explore a little further than Portland, there are some great smaller towns that are more affordable and have awesome character. Biddeford is a very cool town right now, Belfast and Damariscotta too, and Eastport and Lubec probably will be in another 7-10 years.
Sustainability options (gardening, solar, etc): we've got curbside composting (private company) and recycling ( municipal) they're looking at municipal composting. There are a fair number of community gardens on peninsula and some decent solar investment going on as well. 

evme

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #296 on: November 09, 2021, 12:13:58 AM »
Would love to read about Santa Fe, NM; Bellingham, WA and Victoria, BC
Cheers

I would like to second a request for Bellingham, WA

walkingmiller

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #297 on: December 27, 2021, 01:11:06 PM »
I thought this question might be a good one for this thread since it probably attracts a lot of people who are thinking about moving and have a decent number of options for location.

Situation: I just got a job that is fully remote (the company has always been) and will increase our income significantly. We have always wanted to live close to the mountains, but before this job it would have been a stretch for us financially. Now that finances are not nearly as much of a constraint, we are starting to think about moving. Unfortunately, we are finding it hard to get a grasp on how we should make the decision about where to move.

Background:
  • We have a 4 year old, so schools will be a concern in the future but are not currently.
  • My wife has a PhD in the humanities but has decided not to pursue an academic career. So, she is somewhat in a liminal space employment-wise. We can afford for her not to work, but she does want to find a career (she just doesn't know what yet).
  • Our hobbies are mostly outdoor related - hiking, camping, skiing, trail running, etc.
  • Proximity to family is important, but they all live in Kansas/Missouri, so wherever we move will be quite a ways away. 
  • We do not currently have plans to retire early, but living in a place where we can have a higher savings rate is a plus.
  • We have lived in a handful of places all around the US (and in Europe). While we have enjoyed different aspects of each place, we do not feel like any of them are good options for our next move.

Questions:
  • For others in a similar situation, or, if you have been in a similar situation where you can choose to live almost anywhere, how did you actually make the decision?
  • How long do you have to visit a place to get a good sense for what it will be like living there? Are a couple week-long visits enough?
  • Any other recommendations for getting a good sense for what it will be like living in a new place?

Thank you all for your help!

SailingOnASmallSailboat

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #298 on: December 27, 2021, 01:40:50 PM »
Caveat: I've not actually done this (yet) So it's a little academic on my part.

How make the decision?
  • I'd look at places where I can do the activities I love, step 1.
    Then look in those places for other likes. Good restaurants? Access to good libraries/cultural events? Active civic engagement?
    In those, good schools. If you're wanting public school, check specific areas. If you're okay with independent school (or even homeschooling) that's another consideration.
    Since you've lived a lot of places and have ruled them out, figure out WHY you've ruled them out.

How long to test something out?
I think this could be as short as 2 weeks - but DON'T do tourist stuff. Do things you'd do when living there. Grocery shop, doctor visit, traffic, school. Sample commute. Check wifi/phone signals.

Other ways to test:
Find local Facebook groups (I know, I know) for the area you're contemplating living in. Join the group. Ask questions, or even just lurk. You might find good recommendations for real estate agents that can help a lot.

GreenSheep

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Re: Mustachian Relocation Guide
« Reply #299 on: December 27, 2021, 04:19:58 PM »
We were/are in a similar situation -- able to live just about anywhere. We moved to a place we loved for its geographic location and proximity to activities we enjoy (after a 1-week vacation and a 1-month "Should we move here?" exploratory AirBnB rental period). However, we failed to consider the type of people who live there. People were nice enough on the surface, but in 3.5 years we felt like we never made any headway actually getting to know people and make real friends. We ended up leaving that place for a completely different place, and we feel like we fit in much better here. It's not as beautiful, and our free time is spent differently, but we love our neighbors and feel like we are truly welcome as a part of the community. We're a straight white couple, so it has nothing to do with discrimination... just that the first area we chose seemed to be full of people who very much enjoyed their alone time or were deeply connected to old, old friends they grew up with there and didn't have room for new friends. I'm not sure how you figure that out before moving, but that's the lesson we learned the hard way. In a nutshell, take a good, hard look at the people, not just the place.