Where To Move To?
 

Let's say you're free to move in the next few/several years.

Where would you go?

Considering climate, real estate, taxes, lifestyle, etc. Employment opportunities not a factor (assume you're retired/ing or WFH'ing).

Thinking mostly US but interested in your thoughts internationally too.

I like where I am already.

But Florida Beaches might not be too bad...

We've done our due diligence and made our decision. Hope to be living on Lake Norman, NC within the next six months.

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Every person has different things that are important to them. I grew up in Hawaii and got a lifetime of beaches and sand. I hate snow so the far north or the mountains is out. I also don't care for traffic and large crowds. That is just part of my list, yours will be very different for sure.

You need to figure out what is important to you. Then find the place that is affordable and try it out out for a month at a nice B&B and then decide.

I'd like to be closer to water, but not closer to hurricanes or miserable, muggy weather. I also like good driving roads and a real fall season and some winter, but not too much winter.

I don't know where that puts me.

^^^^^ Great comment (Glen). I'm where I'll be until the end I suppose. I made my nest and intend to stay. We have a great combination - rural location, 15 min. to a town of 15K, 25 min. to a city of 125K, & 40 min. to a city of 1M+ along with beaches, 45 min. from the desert, 25 min. or less to mountain hiking trails. It would be hard to beat it anywhere.

We love the flagstaff and show low areas of AZ. High enough to have mild summer, far enough south to have mild winters even in the mountains. 3 2-3 drive to Phoenix if you need to escape the cold. AZ taxes are crazy either.

I really like the farm that we have built over 27 years in NW Ohio, it has a creek, woods, pasture land, 2 big buildings, and very quiet, and private. I'm not willing to move for anything less, so possibly Southern Kentucky is appealing to me, but not everyone.

At 56 years old, my wife, and I have discussed this, and don't have the energy, or patience to start from scratch somewhere else, however, if we won the lottery, we would probably buy several hundred acres in S. Kentucky, and build our dream farm. It would be nice to have less traffic, and more water/nature than Northern Ohio has to offer, also a bit warmer Winters.

NYC or Santa Barbara

Seattle!

I'm going to Alpine, TX. Small West Texas town, 5000 ft elevation, no humidity. 85% of population has bachelors degree or higher, and perfect night time sky for astro-photography. A hobby of mine. Well, that's the plan anyway.

I have lobbied for HI, but Mrs. Noah has vetoed that. Too far away from her home, she says. So it looks like we may end up in Cape Cod. Not summery like HI, but still a beachy feel to it, with the attendant pace of life.

Shaun's idea of Santa Barbara is pretty nice, too. But too expensive for me.

About 40 miles north of where I am now on 240 wooded acres.

Great area. I still have a facility in Morganton, NC and I think you'll like it. I could do it, easy day. My sister has a place in Brevard...take the time to go to some of the festivals they have there: Great music.

I purchased a place in Aiken, SC to retire in...perfect town location, I mean perfect, and the house is great; but we'll need to scoot during the heavy summer months.

There are so many options: I have lived in, worked or visited most of the US. For me, summer in the PNW, the UP and maybe Maine or Vermont will be in the rotation.

Also Canada if they'll let me in:cool:

With all of the rental options now, Vrbo, Air BnB, etc, don't lock in until you spend some time in the area you think you want.

I know Aiken, lived there, my sister still lives there, so I knew exactly what I was getting.

If Hawaii, I would pass on Oahu. Too many people and way too many tourists. Lived there 2 years and it was incredible but for those things. Real estate prices are astronomical and you can't be sure the guy next to you doesn't have a fleet of Toyota pickups in the front yard and several hunting dogs. The other islands are supposed to be better for permanent residence.

Loved El Paso, thought I would hate it. Hot but no humidity. Our realtor told us it is cooler in the shade. Close to a bunch of cool locations and desert living is great. Texas no income tax is a bonus.

Also really loved Watertown NY, about 20 miles from Canada on I-81. But it is in NY and all of the crazy stuff imposed on the rest of the state by Albany and NYC. Small town of about 25k people that still has parades every summer and everyone gathers on the main street for them. Lots of snow if that is a bother.

If I could do any place I would place Garmisch-Partenkirken Germany very, very high on the list. About 70 miles south of Munich. A valley town, 2 actually, that are at the foot of the Alps. Unbelievably beautiful. About 4 hour drive to Milan.

The best weather in North America is in San Diego, BUT it's so expensive.

Just below the border in Baja California the weather is even better and it costs practically nothing to live.

My 4500 sq ft house on a ocean bluff top is in a gated & guarded community. I have two islands in my backyard. Taxes are $200 per year.

Its only a California thing though that the rest of the country is terrified of, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

Seattle is nice. You just need a tent and the city will take care of you.

I am in southern Indiana and I like it here. If I was moving, the Chatanooga area seems really nice.

Right where I am. It's a great location with tons of variety and access to :
- less than an hour drive to NYC
- The Catskills, Hudson Valley and the Adirondacks
- great beaches within a 2 hour drive
- Vermont skiing
- three major airports
- tons of ethnic restaurants
- etc etc

The other option is to become insanely rich and buy pied-a-terres all over the world.

For the last 36 years, I've been steadily moving north, always on the West Coast. In Los Angeles CA 1985-1997, in SF Bay Area CA 1997-2006, in Portland OR 2006-now. During the 15 years I've been in Oregon, the weather has gotten hotter and dryer, and in the last several years the wildfire smoke has gotten worse. My friends in the SF Bay are also seeing the trend of hotter, drier and smokier. Taxes in Portland keep going up, with the combined income, business, property tax level now distinctly high if you're what is considering "higher income". Traffic, density, homelessness also increasingly issues.

So I'm looking for alternatives. I'm generally thinking about going further north, more coastal, smaller city/town. The obvious direction leads to WA . . . but I'm not into Seattle (expensive, another big city, also been there/done that since I lived in Kirkland WA as a kid) or Eastern WA (wife grew up in Yakima, she doesn't want to go back).

So I'm thinking one of the smaller cities/larger towns on the Olympic peninsula or around Puget Sound. Not too far from my Portland friends, in fact close enough that I could split time between the two places. Nice and cool climate, still. Not very vulnerable to wildfire, although can still get the smoke from fires in Canada and WA. Taxes going up, but so far still no state income tax.

I have never resided anywhere but a city. Portland is the smallest city I've ever lived in. Living in a small town may be a challenge, or a delight, I don't know.

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Sequim perhaps.

Exactly the opposite for me. I grew up on a small ranch in California. Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park were tiny when I was a kid. As I have written here before, my bus stop was on Hwy 101.

The closest I have come to living in a city was owning a house in Coronado in the 80's.

Sold it. Yeah, I know:cool:

Then, 26 years here on the farm.

Try, don't buy.

Far up north, but that would take me away from my family and I don't want that.

Eric hit a good one. Sequim. Also, there are spots on San Juan and Lopez in the rain shadow.

Other's on my list (which is similar to yours) I have told Mrs. LWJ that we need a "Sun Solution" for years.

Boise - cheap. Not much culture. Growing like a weed.

Flagstaff - never been. VERY curious

Bend - growing like a weed. SUPER expensive. Killer recreation.

Hood River - expensive. Killer recreation.

Ashland - Smokey. Wine / Food / Theater. Not cheap.

Italy / S. France or Portugal - A book could be written on each.

Missoula / Bozeman - LOVE Missoula. I hear is is gray in the winter.

My thoughts are to have a small city home in Portland and a larger rural place somewhere else that is lesser cost. Best of both worlds.

That's my general thinking. I'd ideally keep my current Portland house as a "vacation place" for trips for friends, culture, food, etc. We'll see what's feasible.

If I was moving to the NW, I would look to living on one of the Islands in the sound.
Whidbey would be my first choice.

You guys should check out flagstaff. It’s not a small town, has most of your “city”‘comforts, a big university, a neat arts/culture scene, and it’s only 2 hours from the 5th largest city in the nation.


You can literally ride the city bus to the ski hill in the winter. 🤣 tons of other outdoor stuff to do.

2nd Sequim.

They really need to remove that "e". ;)

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The problem with having a second home is you feel obligated to use it. It sort of gnaws at you friends tell me.

Little Switzerland area for me.

You might as well do both as the are polar opposites.

SB has a very nice year round temp as does La Jolla. Similar demographics. Newport Beach CA has great weather too, but it's Jerk City USA.

You wanna play movie star? Malibu, baby. Up the coast from there is nice too, all the way to SB.

IDK a thing about NYC. Don't want to.

One area I might consider would be around the San Luis Obispo, either north or south of there. I love the rolling, golden hills, wineries, coastal area. My sister lives in Atascadero (means hog wallow in spanish). That whole area is very nice.

Yup.

Amazing area.

7000 feet of elevation.
June is nice, July and August are monsoon months with thunderstorms almost every day, Sept it starts to get cold and hits freezing before October.
average annual snowfall is 97 inches.

But June is nice. :D

It stays pretty mild all winter for a mountain town. That snow melts off fast! If they get a good snow in January, you’ve got about a week to get up there or it’s gone. We go up a few times a winter.

Very hot summers. Otherwise....

Might be good to bring your job with you if you need income.

My favo-rite area:

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We tested St. James NC, near Southport and Oak Island this summer. Very nice gated retirement community, perfect for golfers, have their own marina. But my wife did not like it as much, so we’ll have to keep exploring other places, maybe SC. Would like to be near the ocean, in a mild climate, with not too high taxes, basically,

Prescott AZ