Where Should I Move?



I'm originally from Asheville, NC. There are plenty of things to do outdoors and the city is very vibrant with lots to see. It also has some of the most beautiful drives I've ever seen in my life.

That being said, theres no real tech community to speak of. That is if thats something thats important to you.
 
My vote is for Seattle. Summers in Washington are better than Hawaii and living in Seattle you have access to major sports events, etc. I've lived in Bellingham before and although it is a nice town there isn't much nightlife. I've personally never lived in Vancouver, Washington but one nice thing about living there is you can avoid personal income tax because you're a Washington resident and you can drive across the border to Portland to save on sales tax. Another nice thing about Washington is there is no tax on groceries to go along with the no state income tax.
 
Prescott/Flagstaff, Arizona

Flag is more costly than Prescott.

Both are quaint little towns, full seasons, mid-80's during the summer, really snowy winters, both are around an hours drive from Phoenix (which is fucking huge).

Both are well equipped towns, with a good population, and all of the shopping and whatnot you could ask for.

Both are in mountainous regions, with lakes, hunting, fishing, OHV, rivers, and lots of untouched land reserves to camp and ride and hike on.

You will be within a few hours of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas as well.
 
I'm in SoCal. Yeah, the cost of living thing is definitely keeping me from quitting the day job (but it's happening super soon), but you can definitely live cheap out here.

The most expensive things are rent, taxes, and eating out and partying at bars.

But *I* choose to live in my own cottage by the beach, and *I* choose to hit the bars up too often. Surfing and beach volleyball cost basically nothing and you can live a bit inland, and beach volleyball is by far the best way of meeting normal people out here. I love it. More girls than I can handle.
 
I've lived 2 hours from the coast (Fayetteville, NC), near DC (Reston, VA), Michigan (Detroit itself, Detroit Metro area, "Downriver"), and now the Denver area for 4 years.

If you want 4 seasons, CO and NC are not good choices.

North Carolina has a long warm (and hot) season, but very little in terms of cold weather. Access to the ocean is a big plus; just find an area with some interesting geography for other activities; most of NC is pretty flat. You can get away with not owning a snow shovel or heavy winter coat.

Denver is the opposite, with long winters and medium summers; very little in the way of spring and fall. The mountains are absolutely stunning, and in the Denver area you have the juxtaposition of great city activities (concerts, sports, etc) combined with Red Rocks, Garden of the Gods, Royal Gorge, Mesa Verde, and lots of other amazing sights. You have to be fast to catch the trees turning, though, because winter can snap in fast.

For weather, Michigan is great if you don't mind a lot of humidity and cloudy winters (daylight for winter is measured in minutes), just stay away from the huge Detroit Metro area where people are rude and everything is dirty; go up north a bit. There's a ton of outdoorsy stuff to do in the northern Michigan/Upper Peninsula area. You won't get much in the way of hills, though.

Reston (DC) area had a lot of historical stuff to see, and Winter is short but was enough to get the "Winter" experience unless you enjoy skiing/snowboarding. The DC area has many things to see, monuments, historical buildings, great parks and recreation areas, as well as proximity to the ocean, but it doesn't have much in the way of verticality (mtns.) There's a lot of stuff within easy driving reach up and down the coast.

I would recommend living in the Denver area for a couple years. It's worth it for access to the mountains. If you're not tied to an office, you can find cheap, new homes. Houses are expensive only in certain areas (Denver Tech Center, the Federal area, Parker, Downtown, etc.)

I would recommend a year in the DC area for the historical value, but real estate is $$$. Rent and move on.

You can skip Michigan unless you're big into fishing and hunting.

Next time we move, we plan to go back to the East Coast somewhere; maybe Raleigh, NC or something in Virginia.
 
North Carolina has what you're looking for.

Mountains, oceans, lots of parks, Raleigh and Charlotte are a lot more built up than Asheville.

Weather is great. Winters are mild, but we do get snow once or twice a year. The summers get hot though.

Cost of living is very reasonable also.
 
wheres the rest of the UT crew chiming in about how sick SLC is???

if your absolute number 1 priority is bars and nightlife, don't come to SLC. If you want to live for hella cheap in one of the most beautiful areas of the country with abundant cheap office spaces and housing and spend all your time skiing, dirt biking, fishing, whatever else you can think of, its the best place in the world. 20 minutes from my place to the chairlift year round (downhill mountain bike/ski season). can't beat that.
 
TylerDurden said:
My vote is for Seattle. Summers in Washington are better than Hawaii and living in Seattle you have access to major sports events, etc. I've lived in Bellingham before and although it is a nice town there isn't much nightlife. I've personally never lived in Vancouver, Washington but one nice thing about living there is you can avoid personal income tax because you're a Washington resident and you can drive across the border to Portland to save on sales tax. Another nice thing about Washington is there is no tax on groceries to go along with the no state income tax.
Click to expand...

We don't have a state income tax...yet. The state congress is considering one, but only for high-income residents (4.5% on individuals making $200K+, $400K+ for married couples). Also, while it's possible to save on sales tax by doing everyday shopping in OR, they closed the loophole for bigger purchases like cars, etc.

If you're looking to buy land, can't go wrong with eastern WA. Easy to snag a 10-acre parcel in the Methow Valley for $200k.
 
The Ozarks are awesome! Northwest Arkansas fits all of these criteria and because of Wal Mart/Tyson/J.B. Hunt there is also a lot of business and investment opportunity there.
 
nvanprooyen said:
I'd like to live in a place with seasons, nice scenery and plenty of stuff to do outdoors (fishing, camping, hiking etc). Also, I'd like to be semi close to a decent sized city...like within 30-45 mins or so. Doesn't have to be huge, around 100K people w/ an airport for business reasons is fine. Good schools, low crime etc are also important.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I am looking for.
Thanks to all users with their great tips.
My vote is for north states or Canada, with a strong desire for Washington state.
 
Coeur d'Alene Idaho is a pretty incredible place and only about 30 minutes from Spokane WA which is a pretty good sized city with an airport! I spent the winter down in Fl and it was awesome to come back to this place!
 
Austin TX FTW. 2 Real season. Hot and Cool. Yes it snows about 1 time a year.

Awesome tech scene. Clear Wimax is here. Awesome if you live downtown, bring your laptop ANYWHERE.

Fun night life, Good music, Good Food, lots of cool shit going on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom