Author Topic: Love where you live? Tell me about it!  (Read 15908 times)

dignam

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #50 on: January 29, 2019, 06:38:28 AM »
Madison, WI... Very walkable and bikable...Wednesday low is -31 with windchill around -55...

Eek! o_O

Do residents still use the bike paths in the winter?

Yes.  My co worker bikes in except on days when hell freezes over (like most of this week).  Although, it is much less crowded in the winter.  I used to bike to work in Madison when I lived closer and it was great!

SwordGuy

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #51 on: January 29, 2019, 07:47:00 AM »
Fayetteville, NC.

Large enough city to have lots of the chain stores, small enough to have locally owned businesses and restaurants.
Surprisingly cosmopolitan because of the military presence at Ft. Bragg.  Lots of  ethnic groceries and restaurants for the same reason.

If you get active in making the community better you'll be welcomed.    Small enough to make a big difference.   Large enough to have resources to make things happen.

Two universities in town.    Within a  couple hours of the beach or several different, larger cities.  Within a day's drive of lots of cities.    Amtrak station.   Local airport with decent connections and no long lines.

Friendly, welcoming people.   None of that, "You ain't from around here, are ya?"

Some great neighborhoods.   Active artist community though you'll have to look for it.

Low cost of living.

True, and if you need your hair cut, a loud muffler installed on your vehicle, your arm tattooed, or your lap danced on, there's no shortage of choices for you! 

Kidding aside, Fayetteville must've changed a lot in the last 10 years.  I'm glad its reviving itself, it was pretty bad the last time I was there.


And...…..  cue the obligatory jackass slur against Fayetteville.   


We've lived here since 2001.   It's been a nice place to live the entire time.   

LittleWanderer

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #52 on: January 29, 2019, 08:51:21 AM »
Maybe I've lived here for too long and am growing increasingly bitter, but I don't love Madison like everyone else seems to, especially as an outdoorsy person.

The drinking culture is ridiculous - everything revolves around alcohol.  The lakes are polluted.  The weather is terrible.  Low number of days with sunshine.  Very little diversity.  The housing market is insane and rent is super high.  Badger games/fans dominate and are annoying.  The state parks and hiking trails are nice for the first few years, but they get old after a while.  (I run/hike thousands of miles a year, I have been on almost every trail in the area.)  Want to go on a road trip?  Great!  You can drive to Chicago or Minneapolis or up North.  Otherwise there's nothing.  No mountains or oceans in driving distance.  Want to head South?  Enjoy driving for 6 hours through Illinois just to get to the border of Kentucky.  The Northwoods are nice, sure, but at some point you start to crave something different.

wenchsenior

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #53 on: January 29, 2019, 09:05:52 AM »
Maybe I've lived here for too long and am growing increasingly bitter, but I don't love Madison like everyone else seems to, especially as an outdoorsy person.

The drinking culture is ridiculous - everything revolves around alcohol.  The lakes are polluted.  The weather is terrible.  Low number of days with sunshine.  Very little diversity.  The housing market is insane and rent is super high.  Badger games/fans dominate and are annoying.  The state parks and hiking trails are nice for the first few years, but they get old after a while.  (I run/hike thousands of miles a year, I have been on almost every trail in the area.)  Want to go on a road trip?  Great!  You can drive to Chicago or Minneapolis or up North.  Otherwise there's nothing.  No mountains or oceans in driving distance.  Want to head South?  Enjoy driving for 6 hours through Illinois just to get to the border of Kentucky.  The Northwoods are nice, sure, but at some point you start to crave something different.

All of the things you say are correct to some extent, but it's all relative.  I appreciated the city a lot when I lived there, but had many of the same complaints you list.  Then I moved to Tucson and lived there for a decade. Initially, I LOVED it, but eventually got bitter about living there as a poor person and started to dwell more on the particular downsides of that city.  I kept thinking 'when I start adulting, I'll end up finally in a place I really want to be'.  What an entitled idiot I was in my 20s.  Now, after being stuck in my current location for nearly 20 years, I want to go back and punch my younger self repeatedly in the face.  And yet, because I have hard-won perspective, I do realize there are locations I could be living that would be even worse.  As shitty as this location is, there are a few good points to it, and I try to remind myself of them over and over and over and over.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #54 on: January 29, 2019, 09:53:16 AM »
If you can convince yourself to enjoy winter sports/weather, although in a more moderate climate than the midwest, definitely second the nominations for Bellingham or Bend. Bellingham is close enough to Vancouver BC, lots of great outdoor activities, town itself is super cute due to college & reasonably walkable.

Also, I haven't spent much time there, but have you looked at other areas along the California coast? Maybe San Louis Obispo? We are in a similar phase of exploration, but don't plan to move for another 7 years or so (once the kids are out of school.)

ice_beard

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #55 on: January 29, 2019, 02:55:29 PM »
Bellingham has unofficially the highest concentration of masters degrees in the United States.  You need a masters to get a barista job in Bellingham which is not necessarily a bad thing.  You also need really good rain gear.  I have friends there, they really like it but it is not cheap and the local economy is not particularly strong.   

Midwest... (I'm from there) grey winters and no mountains within a (long) one days drive, oh and humidity.  Madison was great like twenty years ago, now what you get for what it costs, I'd move on.  I lived in Chicago for 2.5 years.  I used to drive to the UP of Michigan for kicks.  Now Houghton, MI.....  or a whole slew of places in Michigan.  That state ticks a whole lot of my boxes, but I really like to spend time outdoors and love winter, so it's good for those things.   

I lived in Bloomington, IN and it probably is a great place for retirees who appreciate some culture surrounded by absolute hard-core redneckedness.  If I had to move back to Indiana, that's about the only place I'd consider, and really pretty reluctantly.  I've been in Northern California too long.  The music school at IU is consistently one of the best in the country and you can see a top notch recital nearly every night of the week for free.  The campus is the most beautiful I've experienced.  Gorgeous limestone structures (minus Balantine Hall) and a heavy emphasis on open space and greenery.  The art museum is free, there is the Kinsey Institute (yeah that guy), there is a strong Buddhist community there among many other smaller cultural attractions.  Dining is good to very good and the downtown has a nice square that most towns in Indiana have.  The Indy airport is currently 1 hr + but will be faster (~45 min?) once I-69 is completed between Btown and I-465 (on-going for several years).  There is a fair amount of rural property around Bloomington but it really is essentially Deliverance country.  It goes from urban to rural very quick.  If anyone remembers the movie "Breaking Away", it is really an accurate depiction.  Despite the heat, summers in Bloomington are great.  All the students leave, there is tons of parking and no traffic.  At least this is how it was, sheesh, it's been almost twenty years!! 

 
   
« Last Edit: January 29, 2019, 02:59:47 PM by ice_beard »

bonovox_co

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #56 on: January 29, 2019, 03:53:45 PM »
Bellingham Washington is wonderful.

I have been considering Bellingham myself for when I retire. Right in between Vancouver and Seattle in a beautiful part of the state. I hear that it is a bit cheaper than its big brothers to the north and south.

Is there anything in particular that prompted you to mention it CgBg?

Bellingham is on my short list, too. There have been some good discussion around the region and it appears that Bellingham often floats to the top.

There's also been quite a few recommendations in the past for Gainesville, FL as a locale with more reasonable housing and excellent biking infrastructure.

Bellingham is at the top of our list right now as well.  We visited there last summer and really enjoyed it; it has a lot that ticks our boxes.  DW does want to go back again to spend more time in the city and see if she really *feels* it, though.  We spent the majority of time visiting outdoor attractions, and didn't really hit downtown or walk around much aside from the parks.  She felt a bit like she was still looking for where the actual city was.

I also like Bend, OR, but the isolation and cold winters might be a bit too much for DW.

I went to WWU in Bellingham another lifetime ago.  I've been back quite a bit, but every time, more and more people.  I guess like here in Denver, the secret is out.  I can't knock it though, I just gave up on retiring there as it's become en vogue as proven by this thread :).  My only advice is don't get lulled into it by only visiting in Summer. From about daylight savings in Fall to April/May, you won't see the sun much.

Cassie

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #57 on: January 29, 2019, 04:12:02 PM »
Northern Nevada ticks off all your boxes.  They have a mild 4 seasons. Lots of outdoor recreation and things to do. Housing has gone up a lot due to tech companies moving in.

dignam

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #58 on: January 29, 2019, 04:44:57 PM »
Maybe I've lived here for too long and am growing increasingly bitter, but I don't love Madison like everyone else seems to, especially as an outdoorsy person.

The drinking culture is ridiculous - everything revolves around alcohol.  The lakes are polluted.  The weather is terrible.  Low number of days with sunshine.  Very little diversity.  The housing market is insane and rent is super high.  Badger games/fans dominate and are annoying.  The state parks and hiking trails are nice for the first few years, but they get old after a while.  (I run/hike thousands of miles a year, I have been on almost every trail in the area.)  Want to go on a road trip?  Great!  You can drive to Chicago or Minneapolis or up North.  Otherwise there's nothing.  No mountains or oceans in driving distance.  Want to head South?  Enjoy driving for 6 hours through Illinois just to get to the border of Kentucky.  The Northwoods are nice, sure, but at some point you start to crave something different.

Agree with the drinking comment.  Personally I'm an outlier as my consumption is about 2-3 drinks per week max.  The drinking here is definitely fueled by both the UW and the state's history of breweries.  That said, you don't need to partake to fit in or have a good time.  I'm in several rec leagues throughout the year and yes, many of my teammates like drinking a lot but I would never say I've felt pressured to join in, at least not since college.

Sometimes people just grow tired of where they are.  No harm, no foul.  A lot of it comes down to personal preference though; but I think we can objectively say winters are pretty crappy here unless you're really into winter sports.  Beyond that, I LOVE the variation in weather the rest of the year; but I am a weather nerd anyway.  I spent some extended time in Arizona and hated the constant sunshine and brown, brown and more brown to look at.    Throw me a couple days of sun, some cool, cloudy days and a stormy day here and there and I'm set.  As far the lakes, they used to be awfully polluted, but the city has taken steps to clean them up and they are improving.  Where 10 years ago you wouldn't catch me dead swimming in Lake Mendota, I will do it now.

Again, it's all preference and what the OP likes.

Milizard

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #59 on: January 29, 2019, 05:32:50 PM »
Well, if you're going to consider Madison,  you might as well consider Ann Arbor-- because it doesn't get down to 30+ freaking degrees below zero!

wglennreid

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #60 on: January 29, 2019, 08:00:26 PM »
Being from California, I would not be surprised if you are mainly seriously considering western/southwest cities.  Perhaps some of the smaller CO cities like Boulder or Colorado Springs could fit if you can afford it and you are okay with snowy winters (visited Boulder last fall and loved the liberal vibe and walkable downtown but it is very expensive; I think Colorado Springs is cheaper but heard it is a more conservative - Wiki says Colorado Springs is attracting the evangelicals and is being dubbed the Evangelical Vatican per wiki, and it has several military bases nearby.  Read an article that Boise Idaho is attracting Cal transplants and has a lively arts scene and walkable downtown but Idaho itself is a very conservative state.  San Antonio perhaps? - I heard it is not as traffic jammed as Austin/DFW/Houston and has a lively downtown but off course it's hot and muggy in the summer (haven't been there).

BussoV6

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #61 on: January 30, 2019, 12:03:40 AM »
I also loved Tucson, and am thinking of trying to move back, but it IS large and has grown exponentially since I left about 20 years ago.  It just never felt big to me b/c I worked all over the city and knew it very well.

Might be worth having a look at Santa Fe. It reminds me a lot of how Tucson was 20 years ago, in terms of how the size feels.

wenchsenior

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #62 on: January 30, 2019, 07:48:45 AM »
I also loved Tucson, and am thinking of trying to move back, but it IS large and has grown exponentially since I left about 20 years ago.  It just never felt big to me b/c I worked all over the city and knew it very well.

Might be worth having a look at Santa Fe. It reminds me a lot of how Tucson was 20 years ago, in terms of how the size feels.

Yes, I like both Santa Fe and Taos, but they are quite expensive, which is why they didn't occur to me to rec.

HPstache

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #63 on: January 30, 2019, 08:14:26 AM »
I personally loved my 4 years in Grand Rapids MI.  Might not check the boxes for weather or political climate, however.

Milizard

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #64 on: January 30, 2019, 12:49:14 PM »
I also loved Tucson, and am thinking of trying to move back, but it IS large and has grown exponentially since I left about 20 years ago.  It just never felt big to me b/c I worked all over the city and knew it very well.

Might be worth having a look at Santa Fe. It reminds me a lot of how Tucson was 20 years ago, in terms of how the size feels.

Yes, I like both Santa Fe and Taos, but they are quite expensive, which is why they didn't occur to me to rec.
It's been a few years, but I would think Taos could only be considered walkable because it is tiny.

HPstache

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #65 on: January 30, 2019, 05:01:44 PM »
Northern Nevada ticks off all your boxes.  They have a mild 4 seasons. Lots of outdoor recreation and things to do. Housing has gone up a lot due to tech companies moving in.

What Cities are in Northern Nevada?  Are you referring to Reno & it's suburbs?

Cassie

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #66 on: January 30, 2019, 09:34:42 PM »
Yes

Milizard

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #67 on: January 31, 2019, 09:00:57 AM »
Ugh, I admit I haven't seen all of Reno by any means, but I've been there on vacation a couple times and hated it.  To each their own, for sure.

Cassie

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #68 on: January 31, 2019, 09:13:48 AM »
It has really changed. Something to do every weekend and half a hour to all the recreational activities in Lake Tahoe. A mild 4 seasons.   Lots of technology companies have moved in which has escalated home prices.   Downtown is much nicer than it used to be.

ice_beard

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #69 on: January 31, 2019, 09:29:13 AM »
Reno - con confirm, I was there last night.  We are in Tahoe for a week for a stay-cation of sorts.  Went down there to get some things done that are cheaper there than in the Bay Area.  The midtown area, Virginia Street is a place I would actually want to live.  Single family homes are going fast and there is a lot of multi family developments being built along the corridor.  It has grown up a lot since I last spent any time in Reno 4 or 5 years ago.  It's not that cheap though.  Like many smaller western cities, it's been absorbing Californians in droves.  I can't speak about the schools though, but it ticks just about all my other boxes.  Maybe a bit dry. 

I've always been attracted to the area because of access to such a wide variety of outdoor activities.  Lots of people don't know about the 395 corridor south of Reno either, which is one of my favorite places in the US.  Great access from Reno/Carson City. 

Cassie

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #70 on: January 31, 2019, 09:34:33 AM »
Those new townhouses in midtown are 500-700k.  Our house is a mile from downtown and is 1400 sq ft and worth 350.  Lack of affordable housing is s real issue.

ice_beard

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #71 on: January 31, 2019, 10:51:54 AM »
Those new townhouses in midtown are 500-700k.

That seems grossly over valued.  I don't know what wages in Reno are supporting that.  Condos (not new construction) sell for that 30 minutes from SF in my town. 

Cassie

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #72 on: January 31, 2019, 11:30:57 AM »
People want to live in midtown.  Lots of people from California sell their homes and pay cash here and it seems cheap to them. For that price you can have a enormous house in the burbs.  Apple, Tesla, Google and another tech company have moved in. Rents are skyrocketing. They are putting those townhouses on every piece of empty property in midtown. Also many are technically houses since there is a few feet between them but often no yard.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2019, 11:40:34 AM by Cassie »

FIRE@50

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #73 on: January 31, 2019, 11:35:34 AM »
You might consider some of the older, close-in suburbs of Washington DC. Silver Spring and Hyattsville in MD come to mind. They're not cheap except by SoCal standards, but otherwise I think they tick all your boxes: walkable, great arts scene, easy transit access to downtown and the airport (and Amtrak), lots of outdoor activities nearby (hiking, camping, beach, sailing, canoeing, hunting), politically liberal, much milder winters than the Midwest.
I'll second MD. This is the fourth state that I've lived in and easily my favorite. Lots of stuff to do, sensible politics, great schools, and four seasons.

CanuckExpat

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #74 on: January 31, 2019, 04:19:28 PM »
Hi OP,

What places are you considering, and do you have any geographic preference between the coasts? We've been bumming around a bit after leaving Northern California, and here is some places we have or will consider (we have a preference for east coast, more for proximity reasons.. weather is better and scenery is prettier on the west coast, but family proximity wins for now). I will say, the only thing that's going to be hard is temperate. After leaving Northern California, nothing has beaten the climate ('Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft')

Some places you might want to consider , or that we might:
Boise ID (Lots of California transplants here, definitely four seasons)
Salt Lake City (Big city, access to outdoors, center of the west so to speak)
Charlottesville VA (Nice city)
Charleston SC (Love this city)
Wilmington NC (this ticked enough boxes that we are gonna consider it for a while, I'm not looking forward to the summers, but it's by the beach, and the water is warm enough to swim, which is something)

Arbitrage

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #75 on: February 01, 2019, 08:46:51 AM »

I went to WWU in Bellingham another lifetime ago.  I've been back quite a bit, but every time, more and more people.  I guess like here in Denver, the secret is out.  I can't knock it though, I just gave up on retiring there as it's become en vogue as proven by this thread :).  My only advice is don't get lulled into it by only visiting in Summer. From about daylight savings in Fall to April/May, you won't see the sun much.

Yeah, I would like to visit during the offseason for the reality check.  I don't think I'd have too much of a problem, but it's hard to say.  I did grow up in one of the most overcast cities in the US, with much colder weather and lots of snow.  Never lived anywhere with rain all winter, though. 

AlexMar

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #76 on: February 01, 2019, 08:53:52 AM »
It has really changed. Something to do every weekend and half a hour to all the recreational activities in Lake Tahoe. A mild 4 seasons.   Lots of technology companies have moved in which has escalated home prices.   Downtown is much nicer than it used to be.

We strongly considered Reno but just can't get ourselves to leave Florida.  We love it way too much here.  But Reno has a really reasonably cost of living, plenty of entertainment, nature, and things to do.  Big enough but not that big.  A great airport with plenty of flights.  And of course, TAHOE.  It's an outstanding place to live.  We have friends there that love it.

Plus as you are pointing out, Reno is a growing area.  Which means home prices are highly likely to increase.  So getting in there now is a good idea.

ASquared

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #77 on: February 05, 2019, 09:42:18 PM »
OP do you have connections in SoCal you want to keep? Family? Friends? If so, and you can work remotely, you might check out some less expensive areas. I moved from OC to Big Bear Lake after I FIREd and didn't need a job any longer (don't live there anymore though). Lots cheaper and nicer but still close enough for me to visit OC to see family.

No family here, but yes some friendships we care about. We are definitely open to leaving though. We are 100% flexible on location as far as current employment goes, which is super nice, but also creates a bit of analysis paralysis. And - Big Bear is great! We love visiting.

ASquared

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #78 on: February 05, 2019, 09:43:47 PM »
If you can convince yourself to enjoy winter sports/weather, although in a more moderate climate than the midwest, definitely second the nominations for Bellingham or Bend. Bellingham is close enough to Vancouver BC, lots of great outdoor activities, town itself is super cute due to college & reasonably walkable.

Also, I haven't spent much time there, but have you looked at other areas along the California coast? Maybe San Louis Obispo? We are in a similar phase of exploration, but don't plan to move for another 7 years or so (once the kids are out of school.)

SLO has definitely been on the list, I mean - what's not to like?! But I don't think it's any less expensive. It checks everything else though and is a definite possibility....we just sometimes wonder if we should find somewhere with a lower COL.

ASquared

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #79 on: February 05, 2019, 09:44:50 PM »
Being from California, I would not be surprised if you are mainly seriously considering western/southwest cities.  Perhaps some of the smaller CO cities like Boulder or Colorado Springs could fit if you can afford it and you are okay with snowy winters (visited Boulder last fall and loved the liberal vibe and walkable downtown but it is very expensive; I think Colorado Springs is cheaper but heard it is a more conservative - Wiki says Colorado Springs is attracting the evangelicals and is being dubbed the Evangelical Vatican per wiki, and it has several military bases nearby.  Read an article that Boise Idaho is attracting Cal transplants and has a lively arts scene and walkable downtown but Idaho itself is a very conservative state.  San Antonio perhaps? - I heard it is not as traffic jammed as Austin/DFW/Houston and has a lively downtown but off course it's hot and muggy in the summer (haven't been there).

All great suggestions thank you

ASquared

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #80 on: February 05, 2019, 09:47:46 PM »
Hi OP,

What places are you considering, and do you have any geographic preference between the coasts? We've been bumming around a bit after leaving Northern California, and here is some places we have or will consider (we have a preference for east coast, more for proximity reasons.. weather is better and scenery is prettier on the west coast, but family proximity wins for now). I will say, the only thing that's going to be hard is temperate. After leaving Northern California, nothing has beaten the climate ('Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft')

Some places you might want to consider , or that we might:
Boise ID (Lots of California transplants here, definitely four seasons)
Salt Lake City (Big city, access to outdoors, center of the west so to speak)
Charlottesville VA (Nice city)
Charleston SC (Love this city)
Wilmington NC (this ticked enough boxes that we are gonna consider it for a while, I'm not looking forward to the summers, but it's by the beach, and the water is warm enough to swim, which is something)

We are partial to the West for sure. But open - I haven't been to the south much at all, and we are contemplating a trip through Asheville, Charleston, Wilmington, Savannah areas just to take a peek! Mostly for travel and exploring, but just a little bit of taking a look around to see if anything feels good.

Arbitrage

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #81 on: February 06, 2019, 08:02:46 AM »
We've considered many of the places mentioned in this thread.  One other city that we looked into quite a bit was Ashland, Oregon.  We ended up striking it from our list, because the summer is a bit too toasty for us (we have a child with heat sensitivity, so avoiding the hotter end of the spectrum is of extreme importance to us), but it's got a lot going for it. 

Linea_Norway

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #82 on: February 06, 2019, 08:17:24 AM »
We've considered many of the places mentioned in this thread.  One other city that we looked into quite a bit was Ashland, Oregon.  We ended up striking it from our list, because the summer is a bit too toasty for us (we have a child with heat sensitivity, so avoiding the hotter end of the spectrum is of extreme importance to us), but it's got a lot going for it.

Do any of you here consider global warming and climate changes as a part of the selection process?
We may presume that hotter places will get hotter, dry places might get drinking water challenges and that coastal places might flood more. We can expect more extreme weather in all aspects. Snowy places might get more snow.
I personally would find it hard to select a new city based on future climate, but I would keep it in the back of my head.

HPstache

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #83 on: February 06, 2019, 08:41:11 AM »
We've considered many of the places mentioned in this thread.  One other city that we looked into quite a bit was Ashland, Oregon.  We ended up striking it from our list, because the summer is a bit too toasty for us (we have a child with heat sensitivity, so avoiding the hotter end of the spectrum is of extreme importance to us), but it's got a lot going for it.

Do any of you here consider global warming and climate changes as a part of the selection process?
We may presume that hotter places will get hotter, dry places might get drinking water challenges and that coastal places might flood more. We can expect more extreme weather in all aspects. Snowy places might get more snow.
I personally would find it hard to select a new city based on future climate, but I would keep it in the back of my head.

I do not.  I would take a very small consideration as to natural disasters typical of the area, however.

dougules

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #84 on: February 06, 2019, 11:03:31 AM »
We've considered many of the places mentioned in this thread.  One other city that we looked into quite a bit was Ashland, Oregon.  We ended up striking it from our list, because the summer is a bit too toasty for us (we have a child with heat sensitivity, so avoiding the hotter end of the spectrum is of extreme importance to us), but it's got a lot going for it.

Do any of you here consider global warming and climate changes as a part of the selection process?
We may presume that hotter places will get hotter, dry places might get drinking water challenges and that coastal places might flood more. We can expect more extreme weather in all aspects. Snowy places might get more snow.
I personally would find it hard to select a new city based on future climate, but I would keep it in the back of my head.

In the eastern part of the US the climate is so variable that climate change would have to really stick out to be noticeable.  I think the weather here has been more extreme here lately, but it's so hard to tell given that abnormal is normal around here. 

It probably wouldn't be a good idea to get too close to the coast, though, given that hurricanes seem to really be getting worse.

TysonGA

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #85 on: February 06, 2019, 12:07:40 PM »
Athens, GA here.  Our criteria was very similar to yours and this town has been a great home for 4+ years now.

Great weather.

Very walkable and decently bike friendly(this is improving pretty rapidly).

It's lowish COL but more mid COL in the more walkable historic neighborhoods.  2 blocks up from our place you have 3-4 nice pubs, 4 restaurants, a coffee shop, juice shop, cheese shop, wine shop and a small grocery and a 50+ acre park.  A 2-3 bed house would rent for $1800+ or sell $250-400k depending on exact size and finishes.

About an hour from north Atlanta and maybe 1:20 from the Atlanta airport.

Athens itself also super progressive.  However, just like the Midwestern towns listed, our representation is quite conservative due to the surrounding red areas and some state level gerrymandering.

Bonus: There's also a great craft beer scene.

RH

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #86 on: February 06, 2019, 01:26:43 PM »
Port Townsend WA. Gem of a town! One of the few cities in the PNW that is in a rain shadow. Gets 18"/yr versus 35". Water everywhere, access to National Parks, excellent cycling, award winning Main St. It's a Victorian seaport village. Seattle, Olympia, and Victoria BC would be the closest big cities.

Sparkles21

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #87 on: February 06, 2019, 08:08:39 PM »
Look into Dayton, OH. It's extremely affordable, a rust belt town that was smacked by 2008 and again when the local GM plant closed. In the past few years there's a lot of new stuff opening up everywhere - my parents live in the surrounding suburbs, so each time I go back I'm shocked to find something new and relatively cool.

The University of Dayton (private, Catholic school) and Wright State University are there, plus Wright-Patterson AFB, and it's a very walkable downtown area. The entire city is connected with bike paths, and it truly is bike friendly. Musical tours come through, and I attended a Nat Geo talk with my mother once. Not a shortage of "stuff" to do unless you refuse to look.

Lots of outdoor recreation opportunities and an excellent local MetroPark system. Neighborhoods to look into would be downtown, the Oregon District, South Park,  Patterson Park, or Twin Towers.

Dayton itself has a smaller airport but you can get just about anywhere you need to go by getting to Atlanta, Minneapolis, or any of the NYC area airports pretty quickly. Cincinnati or Columbus airports are about 1 - 1.5 hr away, depending on traffic.

Despite being in an area where tornados are a concern (April - November is the season) the geology around Dayton keeps it relatively safe. It sits inside of a "bowl" shape river valley, and it's surrounded by hills, and tornados don't really do elevation change. Plus, an ample supply of fresh clean water thanks to a mostly self-sustaining aquifer right below the city.

OtherJen

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #88 on: February 06, 2019, 08:19:36 PM »
Well, if you're going to consider Madison,  you might as well consider Ann Arbor-- because it doesn't get down to 30+ freaking degrees below zero!

I love Ann Arbor. Real estate is pricey for Michigan but cheap compared to SoCal.

ixtap

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #89 on: February 06, 2019, 08:23:48 PM »
Before moving off to the midwest somewhere, have you ever not lived in Southern California? Dayton OH, for example, has 77 sunny days a year. That is less than half of Southern California. How were you last week when we didn't see the sun for couple of days? Take your mood in those conditions into consideration when looking at new locations.

As for Madison and Ann Arbor, Austin was always lumped with those when I was a young adult. Austin is probably larger than the other two by now, but I did quick search and see that the cost of living is a whopping 2% above Ann Arbor, but 15% above Madison.

CanuckExpat

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #90 on: February 06, 2019, 08:37:13 PM »
Port Townsend WA. Gem of a town! One of the few cities in the PNW that is in a rain shadow. Gets 18"/yr versus 35". Water everywhere, access to National Parks, excellent cycling, award winning Main St. It's a Victorian seaport village. Seattle, Olympia, and Victoria BC would be the closest big cities.

Port Townsend is a very charming town, love the victorian houses. I haven't lived there, but it did give a good vibe.
I've wondered about the Olympic Peninsula rain shadow: do you only get less rain, or also less rain and less gray? Less rain is nice, but dry and sunny with blue skies would be even better. Does it matter if you go more inland to Sequim? Are you looking at gray skies no matter what?

How were you last week when we didn't see the sun for couple of days? Take your mood in those conditions into consideration when looking at new locations.

This is something worth considering. Until I had it in abundance, and then no so much, I didn't realize how much sunshine, blue skies, and temperate weather improved my mood and happiness.

calimom

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #91 on: February 06, 2019, 10:09:32 PM »
OP, have you given any thought to Nevada City, Grass Valley or Auburn? Still in California, less expensive than coastal areas and has a variety of housing. Lots of access to outdoor activities. Seasons, somewhat and summer is not horrific. Sacramento for a reasonable airport and SFO is not that far. Davis is accessible if you want to attend a lecture or workshop or visit the wonderful free museum. And if you crave beautiful but cold beaches, not so far. Nevada City's nice but sways a bit heavy on the Wild West theme, ha!

johnmcafee

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #92 on: February 07, 2019, 04:58:17 AM »
I was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. I live and work also here. It's a small town with a beautiful nature. Especially it's very beautiful in winter when snow covers everything. But I'm thinking to relocate myself to a bigger city with more opportunities.

DadJokes

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #93 on: February 07, 2019, 07:28:33 AM »
I have a little while to go, but I started looking into places with 70 F temperature year-round. My wife wants to stay in the US when we retire, but any places that fit that bill have pretty high costs of living.

However, since I do have a while, I think I'm going to use travel rewards to do some foreign trips and check some of the places out. The first one on my list is Trujillo, Peru. 70 degrees year-round and no rain sounds like a paradise after living in the roller coaster of a climate that is middle Tennessee.

dougules

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #94 on: February 07, 2019, 10:07:55 AM »
I have a little while to go, but I started looking into places with 70 F temperature year-round. My wife wants to stay in the US when we retire, but any places that fit that bill have pretty high costs of living.

However, since I do have a while, I think I'm going to use travel rewards to do some foreign trips and check some of the places out. The first one on my list is Trujillo, Peru. 70 degrees year-round and no rain sounds like a paradise after living in the roller coaster of a climate that is middle Tennessee.

Just curious as to what sticks out about Trujillo specifically? 

DadJokes

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #95 on: February 07, 2019, 10:28:54 AM »
Nothing in particular. I was just looking at places where the temperature is 70 year-round. It popped up and as a double bonus appears to get no rain. It looks to have a low cost of living, and I have some knowledge of Spanish, though it is Mexican Spanish and has certainly faded since moving to TN.

dougules

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #96 on: February 07, 2019, 11:08:44 AM »
Nothing in particular. I was just looking at places where the temperature is 70 year-round. It popped up and as a double bonus appears to get no rain. It looks to have a low cost of living, and I have some knowledge of Spanish, though it is Mexican Spanish and has certainly faded since moving to TN.

There are actually a whole lot of places in Latin America that are like that.  Most of the coast of Peru and a lot of Chile have that cool no rain climate as well as Baja California.  Then almost every country from Peru up to Mexico has areas that are really nice because of the altitude, although some do get rain.

AlexMar

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #97 on: February 07, 2019, 11:56:39 AM »
We've considered many of the places mentioned in this thread.  One other city that we looked into quite a bit was Ashland, Oregon.  We ended up striking it from our list, because the summer is a bit too toasty for us (we have a child with heat sensitivity, so avoiding the hotter end of the spectrum is of extreme importance to us), but it's got a lot going for it.

Do any of you here consider global warming and climate changes as a part of the selection process?
We may presume that hotter places will get hotter, dry places might get drinking water challenges and that coastal places might flood more. We can expect more extreme weather in all aspects. Snowy places might get more snow.
I personally would find it hard to select a new city based on future climate, but I would keep it in the back of my head.

Absolutely not.  Been hearing about it for decades.  The beach still looks the same as it did decades ago.  I'll take 'global warming' in to consideration when there appears to actually be something to consider.

OurTown

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #98 on: February 07, 2019, 12:32:42 PM »
Chattanooga TN ticks almost all your boxes, OP.  Not sure about walkability though.  I'm hearing lots of good buzz lately about Chattanooga.

I'm not sure about walkability, either, though downtown it has the free buses. And for sure TN is conservative (except for Nashville), but I was absolutely delighted by Chattanooga on a visit last summer.   Enough so to consider it as a possible retirement location.


We are considering this too.  It's an easy-peasy drive to Atlanta, Nashville, & Birmingham if you want to do city stuff.  It has nature out the butt.  It seems to have a reasonable cost of living and a really livable feel to it. It would be a positive contrast to Memphis, where we are now.

rementis

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Re: Love where you live? Tell me about it!
« Reply #99 on: February 07, 2019, 03:38:31 PM »
If you like sitting inside with your doors locked while watching the local news stories about drug raids then check out Altoona, PA!