I did some research and came up with the 50 Best US Cities for Early Retirement

[WGH]

I currently reside in # 20 Rio Rancho, NM.

So retiring to Rio Rancho would be similar to retiring to a central American country?  I think I'd prefer Panama, based upon what you just described.

Here's an article about how New Mexico is a population exodus for the reasons I described.

http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/print-edition/2014/08/29/state-of-exodus-our-disappearing-professionals.html

New Mexico ranks worst in the US for poverty:

http://www.koat.com/news/new-mexico-ranks-worst-in-us-for-poverty/28121474

New Mexico ranked second worst for violent crimes

http://www.abqjournal.com/522279/news/report-nm-ranks-2nd-in-nation-for-violent-crime.html

New Mexico ranked second to last in national education report

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/education/new-mexico-ranked-th-in-national-education-report/article_f44b5730-26d1-544a-bab9-b375a984f6ae.html

On and on and on. Just don't move here. Trust me DO NOT.

[MoonShadow]

On and on and on. Just don't move here. Trust me DO NOT.

I hear the mountains in Panama are really pretty...

[OlderFIRE]

Ha. We just moved to NM almost a year ago. But, we're in Taos right now, which is a small artsy and touristy place. It's so gorgeous. Husband has just always loved NM for history and culture; I chose Taos for a try because it's slightly cooler in the summer than ABQ. I'm a weather wimp--grew up in San Francisco, so my temperature and humidity comfort ranges are quite small. I've been doing fine. I loved the snow in the winter and the summer isn't too bad. Maybe because there's so much less air I don't feel the heat as much?

Poverty, I do see, but also don't see. Crime here is pretty low, mostly property crimes (see Poverty). My house was burglarized 2 times in a nice neighborhood in Oakland, and I feel much safer here. I love how stable the earth is here. We're on a rift but it's so old it doesn't move much. Contrast with living on a fault in the Bay Area--it was nerve wracking my whole life.

No jobs here, but we are retirees in our 50s. I don't know where we'll end up. I miss Chinese food and water. We traveled around the US in an RV for the last two years and I realized I could live almost anywhere there's some artists and maybe a college around.

[Bearded Man]

How is Seattle a best ER city? It is one of the most expensive cities in the country. Also, Yakima, WA is a crime ridden third world country now.

[psyclotr0n]

What about Santa Fe? I've heard a lot of good things. Or Los Alamos; which I've heard nothing about but looks like has good wilderness

[Eric]

How is Seattle a best ER city? It is one of the most expensive cities in the country. Also, Yakima, WA is a crime ridden third world country now.

Neither of those were on the list in the first post of this thread.

[OlderFIRE]

I like Santa Fe, and there's nice wilderness pretty much everywhere in Northern New Mexico. Two of my friends said they had the best skiing days of their lives last winter at Taos ski valley. Property prices here are a bit high (not compared to the Bay Area of course), but if you look outside the cities and towns then internet speed is a serious concern, especially when you're ditching cable TV to save money. The Texans who come here to cool off (yes) or winter ski drive the property prices up. Taos county, however, is scheduled to be completely fiber optic in the next few years, no matter where you live.

I'm not saying it's the best place, but I do love the quiet and the beauty, winter is not so bad, and yes, it's a dry heat, lol.

Los Alamos is...strange. Very suburban tract-like. No adobe homes, non of the hispanic/native culture. It has the highest per capita income in the country. I guess the poor workers live elsewhere. The lab says they are only doing theoretical work there, but it's not true. You find things like this out when a store owner talks about all the safety equipment they sell to them.

[SuperSecretName]

I know a few people that have moved to NC, specifically the raleigh/durham/greensboro area, and are very happy with it.

[takeahike]

Thanks for providing your map and spreadsheet. It's kinda fun to see what is important to different people. One day, I'm moving from Alberta. I would love to move to a low COL area but my priority of the place being located a short distance from an ocean complicates that!

[partgypsy]

This seems relevant: Every County in America Ranked by Natural Beauty

Makes me feel like a sucker for living in the midwest.  :/

We're #1!  Well, #3.

Nice - Orange County is #10 in terms of beauty.  I guess it costs a lot of money to be beautiful.  Maybe the county's parks and recreation entities have been doing some "boulder surgery"(nature's plastic surgery) to ensure it will be located in the top 10.

People are getting so defensive about someone else's wants. 

A friend of mine did a matrix about where to live and he put proximity to certain a ethnic neighborhoods as a major concern.  Therefore, if your area did not contain this neighborhood it was automatically written off.

I have no clue what they were using to rank, but there is NO FRIGGIN WAY that the Texas Panhandle (with no natural amenities and no public land to speak of and a blast zone of pesticide-drenched, barren, flat cotton fields) where I currently live, should be higher ranked than the lake, forest, and river filled Wisconsin county with tons of public land access where I grew up. Just no. The criteria are obviously flawed.

I agree. I'm from the Midwest (lived in IL and IA) and when people complain about the humidity of the Midwest, I just laugh. I currently live in NC. THAT's humidity. (Plus- all the bugs!). I moved here in August with no AC (which you can do in the Midwest) just a fan and practically died. I walk to and from work. This summer was the worst, I just couldn't handle the heat. So next summer I'm going to have to think of an alternate solution, or change into my work clothes when I get to work during the summer. Yes the Midwest winters suck, but at the same time most Midwesterners have basements so you can get all your D & D and other solitary pursuits in during the winter. And the rest of the year is pretty beautiful.

[FrogStash]

I'm not quite sure what your definition of "mild winters" is, but I'd recommend scratching all the Colorado cities off your list.  It snows a whole lot out here and in my mind that's what makes winters rough.  Anyone can put a jacket on when it's bitter cold, but shoveling snow and not being able to bike safely seems like the real things one would want to avoid.  Snowing after Mother's Day is also a routine event here in Colorado.

As for your somewhat liberal requirement, I'd recommend scratching Colorado Springs off your list.  This place is loaded with military folks and has a Mega Church in every neighborhood.  There's not an ounce of public transportation and it is one of the worst suburban car-commuter culture places in the country I'd say.  It's also fairly hilly so biking is relatively difficult.  Now, mind you, I love this city, I just don't think it fits what you're looking for.

Also, I'm intrigued by the "somewhat liberal" requirement, but also the desire for low taxes.  Those seem to somewhat oppose each other.

And lastly don't live in Pueblo (noticed it was 3rd on your list) that place sucks.

I think the word liberal here is specifically referring to socially liberal.  It sounds like the desire is socially liberal and fiscally conservative more like Libertarian.  But I could be wrong, since the metric used was vote % for the democratic nominee rather than the libertarian one.

[MoonShadow]

I'm not quite sure what your definition of "mild winters" is, but I'd recommend scratching all the Colorado cities off your list.  It snows a whole lot out here and in my mind that's what makes winters rough.  Anyone can put a jacket on when it's bitter cold, but shoveling snow and not being able to bike safely seems like the real things one would want to avoid.  Snowing after Mother's Day is also a routine event here in Colorado.

As for your somewhat liberal requirement, I'd recommend scratching Colorado Springs off your list.  This place is loaded with military folks and has a Mega Church in every neighborhood.  There's not an ounce of public transportation and it is one of the worst suburban car-commuter culture places in the country I'd say.  It's also fairly hilly so biking is relatively difficult.  Now, mind you, I love this city, I just don't think it fits what you're looking for.

Also, I'm intrigued by the "somewhat liberal" requirement, but also the desire for low taxes.  Those seem to somewhat oppose each other.

And lastly don't live in Pueblo (noticed it was 3rd on your list) that place sucks.

I think the word liberal here is specifically referring to socially liberal.  It sounds like the desire is socially liberal and fiscally conservative more like Libertarian.  But I could be wrong, since the metric used was vote % for the democratic nominee rather than the libertarian one.

As a resident libertarian on this forum, my opinion is that you are wrong.  Most of the top cities are pretty poor choices from a libertarian perspective, and that includes my own city.

[CanuckExpat]

I think the word liberal here is specifically referring to socially liberal.  It sounds like the desire is socially liberal and fiscally conservative more like Libertarian.  But I could be wrong, since the metric used was vote % for the democratic nominee rather than the libertarian one.

The liberal criteria plus % vote for democratic nominee rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, a few good pages of political/personal fighting, but from what I read most people did seem to be arguing for socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Don't know what a good metric for that is, perhaps percentage of people who read The Economist? That also helps you get in the snob and pretentious factor, if that is your thing

[MoonShadow]

I think the word liberal here is specifically referring to socially liberal.  It sounds like the desire is socially liberal and fiscally conservative more like Libertarian.  But I could be wrong, since the metric used was vote % for the democratic nominee rather than the libertarian one.

The liberal criteria plus % vote for democratic nominee rubbed a lot of people the wrong way, a few good pages of political/personal fighting, but from what I read most people did seem to be arguing for socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Don't know what a good metric for that is, perhaps percentage of people who read The Economist? That also helps you get in the snob and pretentious factor, if that is your thing

I don't read the Economist.  I can't think of a statistical proxy to use here.

[WYOGO]

I like Santa Fe, and there's nice wilderness pretty much everywhere in Northern New Mexico.

I'm not saying it's the best place, but I do love the quiet and the beauty, winter is not so bad, and yes, it's a dry heat, lol.

I agree with the wonderful balance that is Santa Fe. I am certainly a fan. Winter is certainly mild compared to Northern Wyoming. I think though when I stop working or become semi-retired I want something a bit more cosmopolitan and have my sights on Salt Lake City at the moment.

[OlderFIRE]

See, I liked Salt Lake City! I saw many signs of open-mindedness there. It was so surprising.

[WYOGO]

See, I liked Salt Lake City! I saw many signs of open-mindedness there. It was so surprising.

Agreed. My district office is located in SLC and there are some opportunities that tempt occasionally. The LDS presence is substantial to say the least, but there is so much more going on there and quite a bit of diversity. I may be interested in spending more time in the area post FIRE or at least FI because the tax system in Utah is a poor replacement for the haven that is Wyoming at the moment.

[bb11]

Awesome work! My two comments (and I think I have similar criteria to you):

1. COL indexes are kind of terrible... You really need a more individualized look at how costs will affect you. For instance, if a city has good enough public transit or is bikeable you don't need a car, which saves a huge amount of money! A more spread out city therefore should get a huge boost to their index #, but that isn't reflected in the indexes (because most people are not as flexible as you probably are).

Also some cities may have "cheaper" housing per square foot, but there may not be many apartments and the houses may be large, forcing you to pay for a bigger place than you would in a bigger city. I pay $750 for rent in NYC because I don't need a lot of space, but a COL index probably thinks I'm paying $2000 or more. If I lived in a small town I could have a larger house for $400, but I don't really need more space.

2. As a liberal, I think having a city with really low taxes can almost be a bad thing. In New York you pay high taxes but you get an amazing 24 hour public transportation system, incredible parks, libraries, and cultural events, and a really safe city. Once I get past a certain income paying for these social goods is the most important thing. A low-tax city with more poverty/crime and fewer amenities isn't worth it so I can save a little extra money. I'd just consider what social services a city can't offer because they are collecting less tax revenue.

[WYOGO]

...Once I get past a certain income paying for these social goods is the most important thing. A low-tax city with more poverty/crime and fewer amenities isn't worth it so I can save a little extra money. I'd just consider what social services a city can't offer because they are collecting less tax revenue.

I completely agree with you on tailoring a location to one's individual needs as well services one uses. This gives the US a distinct advantage over many countries in the Eurozone for example. Fortunately, there are places that collect zero income tax from residents yet offer a very high quality of life. Someone always pays of course, the goal is to keep it from being you, especially if you have limited use of the "services" for which the claimed taxes are being collected.

[Matilda]

What about Santa Fe? I've heard a lot of good things. Or Los Alamos; which I've heard nothing about but looks like has good wilderness

I've been to Santa Fe a few times, and Taos many times.  Santa Fe is nice.  It's got much better weather/ climate than Albuquerque-- I visited in August and was pleasantly surprised.  It's got looks and culture.  These seem to matter to some respondents and and not others, understandably; but if you're like me and like walkable downtown areas, museums, ancient churches, coffee houses, art galleries, and restaurants, then Santa Fe might be a good fit for you compared to some of the uglier, endless-suburb places on the list.  (Like Dallas.) 

Taos is nice too, but SO touristy and artsy that it feels kinda fake.  Hard for me to explain and it might just be personal anyway.  But it's nothing BUT art galleries, gift shops, and coffee houses, like it caters exclusively to the wealthy tourists; nice enough to be the tourist but I'm not sure I'd want to live there. 

Neither place is on my list, simply because I have a thing about very dry climates. 

[psyclotr0n]

I see Las Cruces on the OP's list, anything interesting there?

[clarkfan1979]

In retirement, I think income tax is less of a big deal because many things should be paid off and you need less income to survive. As one gets older, they might start paying for more services. As a result, I think it's important to look at sales tax.

[Mr Dumpster Stache]

But realize you're living in a very bike unfriendly city. And the entire city is a gigantic 'burb devoid of culture other than working at the casinos and spending on house crap, toys or partying.

I thought an artsy punky kind of scene was developing, mostly south of old downtown, near the bus transfer terminal? Plus food trucks, good Mexican grocers and restaurants, decent transit for such a sprawling city, and a rockabilly festival. I mean, I agree with you, my impressions of Vegas are not great, but it does feel like the kind of place where you could make things happen and where low rents will (eventually?) attract interesting people.

Also, does anybody reading this bike in Vegas? The terrain seems ideal, even if there are probably six hours a day in five months a year when it would be beyond brutal.

The Vegas library sucks. I was highly disappointed.

[justajane]

I agree. I'm from the Midwest (lived in IL and IA) and when people complain about the humidity of the Midwest, I just laugh. I currently live in NC. THAT's humidity. (Plus- all the bugs!). I moved here in August with no AC (which you can do in the Midwest) just a fan and practically died. I walk to and from work. This summer was the worst, I just couldn't handle the heat. So next summer I'm going to have to think of an alternate solution, or change into my work clothes when I get to work during the summer. Yes the Midwest winters suck, but at the same time most Midwesterners have basements so you can get all your D & D and other solitary pursuits in during the winter. And the rest of the year is pretty beautiful.

It really just depends on where you are in the Midwest. I'm from Alabama, and I definitely think the heat and humidity in my part of the Midwest rivals where I grew up.  Definitely the humidity does. I just checked out some charts listing average relative humidity for major cities, and the humidity in Peoria, IL is the same as Birmingham, AL in the summer. Cincinnati, OH is more humid than Memphis, TN.

I just had someone from Houston tell me that they think the humidity up here is worse than where they grew up. That says something!

There are micro-climates everywhere, and you can't make such broad generalizations about entire regions.

[sol]

There are micro-climates everywhere, and you can't make such broad generalizations about entire regions.

Sure I can.  The South is too hot.  See how easy that was?

[justajane]

There are micro-climates everywhere, and you can't make such broad generalizations about entire regions.

Sure I can.  The South is too hot.  See how easy that was?

I should have said - broad generalizations about entire regions usually break down under closer scrutiny.

[Matilda]

I wish I had the computer skills to alter the list requirements.  Specifically, my climate desires are opposite the OP's: I prefer cool climates. 

My ideal FIRE place (hahaha, fireplace.  Geddit?) would have mild summers and cold winters, be beautiful (ideally near mountains or water, or both), reasonably liberal, and walk-able. 

I went to university in Burlington, VT, and I would love to live there again some day.

[justajane]

I wish I had the computer skills to alter the list requirements.  Specifically, my climate desires are opposite the OP's: I prefer cool climates. 

My ideal FIRE place (hahaha, fireplace.  Geddit?) would have mild summers and cold winters, be beautiful (ideally near mountains or water, or both), reasonably liberal, and walk-able. 

I went to university in Burlington, VT, and I would love to live there again some day.

Obviously lots of New England would qualify. Portland, ME comes to mind as well.

[TomTX]

I was also going to suggest allowing for mildish with a bit of snow versus omg desert hot weather, but it's your map.

Despite the very high ranking by this method, I don't want to live in the 3 South Texas "Winners."  UGH. Dry, hot, brown, dusty. Plus the occasional flood from hurricanes. Far away from everything but Northern Mexico. 

Tax burden is something that is very nuanced. If you don't have much "income" but plan on buying a house - high income tax may be better than high property tax. Maybe you will have primarily dividend income. Or a .gov pension. Or Social Security. Different areas tax these at VASTLY different rates.

Hawaii was mentioned has having nothing on the list, likely because of the high cost of living. However, the biggest factors in Hawaii cost of living are housing cost and electricity. Hell, if you're Mustachian those factors are dramatically reduced! You only need a small living space and don't need much electricity because you are going to be outside enjoying the fabulous* weather! Tropical fruits are incredibly cheap - if you want to eat tangerines, avocado, rambutan and liliquoi instead of apples and pears - great! Fruit is thereby cheaper than the mainland. Hell, if you make nice with the neighbors it's free. Pick a location near a Costco and/or Walmart for your other consumables. If you insist on your fresh blueberries in your McMansion with HVAC running all the time - it's gonna be expensive.

*Well, if you don't like rain stay away from Hilo, even if it does have an awesome farmer's market. ;)

[ch12]

Really excellent map. Thank you for sharing your work.

[justajane]

I was also going to suggest allowing for mildish with a bit of snow versus omg desert hot weather, but it's your map.

Hawaii was mentioned has having nothing on the list, likely because of the high cost of living. However, the biggest factors in Hawaii cost of living are housing cost and electricity. Hell, if you're Mustachian those factors are dramatically reduced! You only need a small living space and don't need much electricity because you are going to be outside enjoying the fabulous* weather! Tropical fruits are incredibly cheap - if you want to eat tangerines, avocado, rambutan and liliquoi instead of apples and pears - great! Fruit is thereby cheaper than the mainland. Hell, if you make nice with the neighbors it's free. Pick a location near a Costco and/or Walmart for your other consumables. If you insist on your fresh blueberries in your McMansion with HVAC running all the time - it's gonna be expensive.

*Well, if you don't like rain stay away from Hilo, even if it does have an awesome farmer's market. ;)

In Kauai when I was there, avocados were $4 a piece at the local grocery store. I just assumed it wasn't grown there, even though clearly it could be. In fact, almost everything was super expensive. Except Spam. That was dirt cheap. To get cheaper produce, do you have buy at stands or markets?

[Camarillo Brillo]

How did this thread turn so hostile?  Let it go, the OP chose the criteria important to himself.  Get over it.

I read through this entire thread I would guess one reason the responses are so hostile is because based on some extremely simplistic and narrow criteria the poster exclaims ". . .  the 50 Best US Cities for Early Retirement."

I think it's the phrase "Best US Cities" that pisses people off.

As others have suggested or hinted, perhaps a better title to this thread would have been "based on my intolerance for people with political views that differ from mine, and my inability to enjoy so many things the world has to offer because I'm afraid to venture outside if the temps fall below 40 degrees . . . ".

My wife and I are going through the process of identifying our retirement destination.  It's based on activities in which we're interested.  And, oh yeah, many of those activities require a change of seasons. 

We lived in CA for 19 years; TX for 5 years; IL for 3 years; and WI for many years.  There is absolutely no way we could see ourselves living out our final years confined to a location without a change of seasons and blistering heat.  That's way too limiting.

[TomTX]

I was also going to suggest allowing for mildish with a bit of snow versus omg desert hot weather, but it's your map.

Hawaii was mentioned has having nothing on the list, likely because of the high cost of living. However, the biggest factors in Hawaii cost of living are housing cost and electricity. Hell, if you're Mustachian those factors are dramatically reduced! You only need a small living space and don't need much electricity because you are going to be outside enjoying the fabulous* weather! Tropical fruits are incredibly cheap - if you want to eat tangerines, avocado, rambutan and liliquoi instead of apples and pears - great! Fruit is thereby cheaper than the mainland. Hell, if you make nice with the neighbors it's free. Pick a location near a Costco and/or Walmart for your other consumables. If you insist on your fresh blueberries in your McMansion with HVAC running all the time - it's gonna be expensive.

*Well, if you don't like rain stay away from Hilo, even if it does have an awesome farmer's market. ;)

In Kauai when I was there, avocados were $4 a piece at the local grocery store. I just assumed it wasn't grown there, even though clearly it could be. In fact, almost everything was super expensive. Except Spam. That was dirt cheap. To get cheaper produce, do you have buy at stands or markets?

I should have specified: My experience is some in Maui (Paia for a wedding)and primarily Big Island where we roamed around for a week. Wet side (Hilo area) was cheaper than dry side (Kailua Kona) where they grow the famous coffee. Farmer's markets in Hilo and Keaau were great.

I have a bunch of reviews up on TripAdvisor under the same username.

[psyclotr0n]

speaking of Taos I just watched Garbage Warrior about Mike Reynolds and his environmentally conscious "Earthship" houses that require no HVAC or utilities. Kind of an accidental mustachian! That documentary was made in 2007 so I wonder if there's still growing possibilities for this kind of thing there...

[Vilgan]

Really fun thread for getting a lively discussion going :)

While implying that Liberal is "best" causes some heartache, I think looking at politics makes a LOT of sense. Just match them to your own if you skew more republican. I spent a while in Oklahoma and bloody hated it. Sure, I found smart and intelligent people within but was constantly bombarded with opinions and viewpoints I considered obnoxious and uneducated and it did impact happiness. Seattle is a MUCH better fit for me personally and I will never settle down in a place with politics like OK no matter how cheap it is.

I really do think the map should exclude places with really hot and/or humid summers. Mild weather year round seems much better for retirement and its a LOT easier to be active year round when it isn't 100+ degrees and crazy humid in the summer. I spend 10x as much time outside in the PNW with its very mild weather as I did when I lived in OK or MS.

[sol]

I spend 10x as much time outside in the PNW with its very mild weather as I did when I lived in OK or MS.

I wish you people would stop saying this.  The weather here is terrible.  It rains all the time.  And it's a cold, drizzly rain, the kind that chills your bones.

Please move somewhere else, there is no more room here for transplanted Californians.  If the weather doesn't dissuade you, let me tell you about the traffic and the inevitable earth-rending megaquake that will send us all back to the stone age.  And the volcanoes!  They're just ticking time bombs of death and destruction and they are EVERYWHERE.  And, um, people are really mean and you won't have any friends?

Go away, we're full.

[Scandium]

I spend 10x as much time outside in the PNW with its very mild weather as I did when I lived in OK or MS.

I wish you people would stop saying this.  The weather here is terrible.  It rains all the time.  And it's a cold, drizzly rain, the kind that chills your bones.

Please move somewhere else, there is no more room here for transplanted Californians.  If the weather doesn't dissuade you, let me tell you about the traffic and the inevitable earth-rending megaquake that will send us all back to the stone age.  And the volcanoes!  They're just ticking time bombs of death and destruction and they are EVERYWHERE.  And, um, people are really mean and you won't have any friends?

Go away, we're full.

Lol.
On a serious note,  I did read that the rain/humidity cause a lot of rot and mold up there? That sounds nasty.. On the other hand it's pretty darn humid here in MD too so not sure it's any better

[OlderFIRE]

There's much more sustainable building going on here in NM than in the San Francisco area. Adobe--there's nothing like being in an adobe house, even the tiny cramped ones feel cozy. Save lots of money on heating and cooling and it's very quiet. Earthship communities, pumice-crete, straw bale, it's all happening here.

[Bracken_Joy]

I spend 10x as much time outside in the PNW with its very mild weather as I did when I lived in OK or MS.

I wish you people would stop saying this.  The weather here is terrible.  It rains all the time.  And it's a cold, drizzly rain, the kind that chills your bones.

Please move somewhere else, there is no more room here for transplanted Californians.  If the weather doesn't dissuade you, let me tell you about the traffic and the inevitable earth-rending megaquake that will send us all back to the stone age.  And the volcanoes!  They're just ticking time bombs of death and destruction and they are EVERYWHERE.  And, um, people are really mean and you won't have any friends?

Go away, we're full.

Lol.
On a serious note,  I did read that the rain/humidity cause a lot of rot and mold up there? That sounds nasty.. On the other hand it's pretty darn humid here in MD too so not sure it's any better

PNWerner checking in. Just finished cleaning black mold of my bathroom window before getting online. Can confirm: things mold and rot here... especially 95 year old houses without central air or fans. (OTOH, my friend originally from Minnesota says they have the same issues, so it's a pretty common problem I think).

[psyclotr0n]

So, all this NM discussion but nothing on northern AZ. Flagstaff looks nice.

However, coming from the SF Bay Area, if I skip AZ, I'd might as well just fly to Albuquerque and drive up to Boulder to check out some mustachian enclaves and then fly back from Denver.

Here's the route I was thinking coming thru Taos on my way to Boulder. Any modifications warmly welcomed! https://goo.gl/ukivMR

Are one way car rentals economical?

[Scandium]

It's a cool map and spreadsheet. Not quite how my criteria, but it's your map.. Good effort!

Personally I'd illiminate the sauna states, i.e 80%  of your options. And not a fan of the desert either. I don't get this fear of a little cold. I can always put on more clothes, but there's a limit to how much I can take off. If my 90 year old grandfather can go for daily walks all winter in norway I think I could handle some new England winters while still in my 40s..

I'm gonna look into tweaking the selections

[bb11]

And I thought Flagstaff was bloody boring. Such is the problem with these debates. Although the Southwest and Southeast in general there are not too many places I like.

[surlygirl]

Wow, what a terrific idea and great execution.  I especially like how you make it available for others to piggyback on all your work and tailor it to what they want.

[bb11]

And I thought Flagstaff was bloody boring. Such is the problem with these debates. Although the Southwest and Southeast in general there are not too many places I like.

I can see that places like Flagstaff could be pretty boring if people like big cities or want to be close to more culture. Probably the small city atmosphere would get old pretty quick. But for me, who's ideal place would be a small city in a place with lots of outdoor recreation and 4 seasons, Flagstaff would be on my list along with such places like Park City, Boulder, Jackson, WY,. Bellingham, Wa,. Lake Tahoe,  etc... Of course all the places I like are very expensive so would probably would be too high to be considered low COL areas.

Yeah I think that's it exactly. Lake Tahoe is also nice to visit but I definitely wouldn't want to live there. I'd choose bigger cities that are more metropolitan like Austin, Denver, etc. I've never been to Phoenix so not sure if I would like it there.

[arebelspy]

This is awesome!  Subscribed. :)

[andy85]

cool little project OP.
Louisville, KY resident checking it...and I do like my city
all four seasons
tons of parks
tons of lakes
smoky mountains within a 4.5hr drive
beach within 10 hrs (SC)
little bit of big city, little bit of country
lots of cool stuff...college sports like nowhere else in the country. home of bourbon. home of horses. home of louisville slugger. forecastle music festival has gotten pretty big. thunder over louisville (firework show...largest in the country). big companies such as ups and humana. i personally think louisville/southern indiana is a great low col area to consider. 

We definitely have pockets of far right wing and left wing individuals, but its whatever. I think Louisville has been one of the more democratic leaning cities in the state.

cons:
can get hot AF in the summer
can get cold AF in the winter
freakin mosquitoes
taxes are kinda meh
crime is probably a touch on the high side

i do think louisville is trying to become the south/midwest version of a portland or seattle. local food and beer is becoming big here.