Where's the BEST place to live?

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by Paul_Heery

I've thought about this many times. How are the house prices on the westside beach areas?

Anything West Of Adelaide is at the "good" end of the market. I live at West Lakes which is 5 minutes from Semaphore.

Nice house 15 to 20 minutes walk to the beach... Start at about $550,000.
Nicer house on any good beach... (West Beach, Semaphore and Grange etc) About $750,000 and up.

[slow&rusty]

Where in Colorado? There is alot of neat spots in the State, but be prepared for a decent amount of snow anywhere north of Palmer Lake, even though the snow never last more than 1 day and always melts right away (typically). Boulder is neat but very expensive, I worked for a year there and did enjoy my stint there.

I lived in Colorado Springs for 10years and it was pretty neat, a decent balance there and all the conveniences you will need, but there are 4 military bases there and some people have a tough time adjusting to it.

For the most part I enjoying my current stint in Houston, except June, July and August...it is ridiculously hot. Some nice people here and a truly global city with good diversity and opportunity abound and sensible costs of living.

Yasin

[Christien]

Originally Posted by ben parrish

I worked in/ran and owned restaurants in my 20's. I sold my restaurant when I was 28 and then I worked in medical management/sales for years. Left that gig to go sailing and wound up running a resort in the Bahamas for a couple of years. I came back and built houses but saw where that industry was going so I went back into sales. Currently working in food distribution/restaurant consulting.
I excell in sales/management and my work ethic has allowed me to quickly advance in every position I've had. Basically, I am not concerned about work; you can drop me out of a plane and I will quickly adapt.
Family is important...My family is all in Ga..my wifes family is in Colorado but her father has a part time house in Ft. Myers, FL. Her mother will probably come live with us within the next few years. My main concern is finding a place that has the best quality of life for us. My girls are the primary concern and we need to find the best place for them..low crime, excellent education and the right mix of culture and outdoor activities.
I will probably open another restaurant so I need a place that has a tourism/college based economy. My wife is a master Massage Therapist/Yoga Instructor/Reiki Master so the tourist industry is good for her.

If it weren't for the weather and proximity to family, Toronto would be perfect for you. Very high quality of life, cost of living is acceptable for a city of its size (6 million), and is actually quite low in the suburbs. One of the best public education systems in the world, very low crime rate, excellent culture, plenty of outdoor activities, though mostly outside the city. Good tourism industry, several universities and colleges, and lots of urban yuppies into yoga and reiki

Downsides are traffic (brutal commuter traffic), public transit is sub-par, and housing in the core is ridiculously expensive. Then of course there's the weather. Winters suck here, summer gets very hot and humid. Autumn is quite possibly the nicest in the world.

[Zeke]

Seems to me there are places in CO that don't have as much snow.

Central Coast CA is very nice. Best weather Santa Barbara is expensive as all get out, but if you always land on all fours, you might get hooked up there. Ventura and Oxnard CA are nice for the weather and are developed beyond suburbs of the LA metropolis, yet LA is there when you need it.

Way South Orange County and Northern San Diego County are really nice on the coast. It can get very hot inland, but the countryside is beautiful. If you don't like the immigrant issues, you may not like CA so much.

[slow&rusty]

Originally Posted by Christien

If it weren't for the weather and proximity to family, Toronto would be perfect for you. Very high quality of life, cost of living is acceptable for a city of its size (6 million), and is actually quite low in the suburbs. One of the best public education systems in the world, very low crime rate, excellent culture, plenty of outdoor activities, though mostly outside the city. Good tourism industry, several universities and colleges, and lots of urban yuppies into yoga and reiki

Downsides are traffic (brutal commuter traffic), public transit is sub-par, and housing in the core is ridiculously expensive. Then of course there's the weather. Winters suck here, summer gets very hot and humid. Autumn is quite possibly the nicest in the world.

Sorry I disagree and you contradict yourself...cost of living is terrible, traffic is terrible, weather is terrible except the 2 weeks for Autumn..so why would you live in Toronto? After living and working in Torono and the GTA for 9years there are much better choices, there is a reason that St. Petersburg and Tampa is called little Toronto and you see more Ontario plates there than "FL" ones.

[Garp]

Originally Posted by ben parrish

I worked in/ran and owned restaurants in my 20's. I sold my restaurant when I was 28 and then I worked in medical management/sales for years. Left that gig to go sailing and wound up running a resort in the Bahamas for a couple of years. I came back and built houses but saw where that industry was going so I went back into sales. Currently working in food distribution/restaurant consulting.
I excell in sales/management and my work ethic has allowed me to quickly advance in every position I've had. Basically, I am not concerned about work; you can drop me out of a plane and I will quickly adapt.
Family is important...My family is all in Ga..my wifes family is in Colorado but her father has a part time house in Ft. Myers, FL. Her mother will probably come live with us within the next few years. My main concern is finding a place that has the best quality of life for us. My girls are the primary concern and we need to find the best place for them..low crime, excellent education and the right mix of culture and outdoor activities.
I will probably open another restaurant so I need a place that has a tourism/college based economy. My wife is a master Massage Therapist/Yoga Instructor/Reiki Master so the tourist industry is good for her.

Tx for the background info. My life is pretty boring when compared to yours. Enjoy and make the best possible choice (keep us updated too).

[Scuba Steve]

Any details on what you thought about Charleston? I live in TX and a move to that area is looking VERY likely in the near term. I've only visited for a week. Playing tourist doesn't count IMO.

[ben parrish]

Charleston is GREAT. Hot in the summer but the rest of the year makes up for it. It is on the short list for sure.
I actually lived in Mt. Pleasant and at that time the traffic wasn't too bad. I ended up buying a sail boat there about six years ago and the traffic to Charleston was terrible..not sure if the new Cooper River bridge has eased the congestion.
Seriously, Charleston is a good place with friendly people, mild weather, great restaurants but the education system is only so so..Mt Pleasant has the best district but SC in general is woefully behind the nation.

[BK911]

I asked myself that question 2 years ago. Ended up just south of Knoxville, TN in Maryville. Southern-ish climate, awesome mountain roads, plenty of lakes and beaches, no state taxes, cheap housing, and some genetic diversity.

Since you are from North GA you are probably familiar with this area.

[epbrown]

Originally Posted by ben parrish

Where would you live if you could just pull up and go? Why?

Seattle. I really liked it there when I visited a couple of times. My only other pick would be Montreal.

[911boost]

Where in CO did you live previously?

[Scott R]

I've been here in Colorado for about 30 years now. I "loved" it, but for me it's become very busy and congested here in the metro area. Just about every commercial entity you would find in any large metro is here now. It's like some of the identity has been lost in way for me.

I work with people that live in Golden, and Evergreen that love where they live. Those areas seem to still embody the "western" spirit. It also seems like areas around the Springs are still very much like traditional Colorado. Especially to the west of the Springs. Many folks I work with here in South Denver commute up from the springs every day.

[nostatic]

If I had my choice, it would be central coast of CA. Maybe around Pismo. Only downside is small music scene. Well, and making a living.

[Rich76_911s]

I'd be in Durango, Colorado tomorrow if my wife and I could swing it. Grew up there and absolutely love the place. I'd say the only downside to the town is that it is far away from any major city. But it has an airport, and actually has Jet service now.

If you live in town you'll certainly get snow, but as someone else mentioned it is typically gone pretty quickly. Particularly on roads, sidewalks, etc.

I'm biased though. I love the mountains, the people of the west, 300+ days of sunshine and low humidity. One of the best things about Durango is it's central location. You're between 6 and 7 hours drive from Denver, Salt Lake, Phoenix, albuquerque, Santa Fe, etc. 6 hours of driving in the southwest is a walk in the park compared to a 3 hour drive on the east coast. (So it is far from Major cities but you can get to any one of a number of them pretty quickly.)

[Seahawk]

I have been actively looking for the next place for the past few years. My kids will both be in college soon and I really don't want to pound around the farm by myself.

I am focusing mostly in the PNW, hitting the states that are most gentle on taxes. As much as I love the central and northern parts of California, the tax hit would be enormous. Weather is not cheap.

I have lived pretty much in every part of the country...I really hate humidity for extended periods, so the south is out. Not a big fan of the mid-Atlantic/Northeast...mostly since I have lived here so long.

I like definitive changes of seasons.

Has to be a college town of some sort...even small ones have a variety of activities I enjoy. I was asked to come to work at the Univ. of Montana last year but I didn't want to move the kids in HS.

Lots to think about.

[Rick Lee]

Well, WA has no state income tax, but it might be coming. Bill Gates Sr. is pushing hard for it. And what you save there, you pay in sales and gas taxes. But you have that in CA too. At least no income tax in WA yet.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Well, WA has no state income tax, but it might be coming. Bill Gates Sr. is pushing hard for it. And what you save there, you pay in sales and gas taxes. But you have that in CA too. At least no income tax in WA yet.

I was in AZ last weekend for parents day...I took Arden and her roommate to Prescott for lunch. What a cool place, especially downtown.

We went to a place called The Raven.

I'm rethinking

[Rick Lee]

Why the hell didn't you tell anyone? And Tim Hancock was in Prescott too. Geeze. We could have all hung out.

[DGW]

Where I am now. I can drive Porsches and play golf all year -- even in the rain most times.

[slow&rusty]

Originally Posted by epbrown

Seattle. I really liked it there when I visited a couple of times. My only other pick would be Montreal.

You kid surely?