Ditto asheville. I live close, pm me if you have any questions.
The housing market is picking up but if you live a few minutes outside of town it is not. also I'm not sure what your budget is but the homes going fast seem to be in the 150 to 250 Range.
I'm loving the ideas!! @notquiteblushing - The Albany area feels pretty realistic - it puts us close enough to visit family, but far enough to have an excuse not to.
If you are considering the Albany area then I would put in a plug for Saratoga Springs. Great town - has a little bit of everything! It's not a city but it's development seems never-ending at the moment. Great schools.
Nova? I'm biased though because that's where I currently live. Loudoun county I think is a bit more affordable but great living (minus the traffic). Schools there are superb, same with fairfax county.
Another vote here! It's very cultural, a lot to do, a bit more affordable than Alexandria/Arlington and closer in suburbs of DC, and overall great schools. And definitely ditto for Fairfax County.
I don't live there and don't know the COL, but Burlington, Vermont seems cool.
Yup, I was going to mention that, I went to school there and lived there after graduation. It would meet most of your criteria. It's MCOL, very liberal, fun arts scene.
I think I'm also going to suggest Pittsburgh. Great city, lots of good food and arts. Depending on where you buy it's walkable in some areas. You would be able to drive to your family in RH. Asheville airport is small and $$$, the closest big one is CLT and that is 2 hours away. @domerjen moved there a few years ago with her family. Maybe she can chime in more about moving to the area and how it's been.
Parts of Philly- East Passyunk, NoLibs, Fishtown, Fairmont- would feel like Brooklyn-lite.
Many of the same natural and cultural destinations are available and at about the same distance. Decent options for culture and dining. Surprisingly kid-friendly. But if you lived in the city-proper, you'd probably want parochial or indie schools.
One of my niece's friends lives in Wilmington, NC and absolutely adores it.
One of my other nieces lives in Old Town Alexandria when she's in this country. Very cute and walkable.
We did this same thing a few years ago. We both can work from anywhere so we narrowed our search and visited a ton of places. We rented vacation homes in the area and would stay for a few weeks at our top choices.
We ended up in our long time favorite sleepy beach town. We are raising our kids being outside all the time, walking everywhere, and hanging out in our small community at the community center.
So my advice is to make your short list and go and really get a feel for the residential community.
I'd highly recommend the Twin Cities. Except we are only sunny and warm for like, half the year. Then we have sun and snow. But it's a very active metro area and not too big or small. (To be fair, I've never lived anywhere else, but I like it here.)
Boulder! It's fairly expensive, but cheaper than Brooklyn. Definitely liberal and sunny. Walkable if you live in the right place. Tons of outdoorsy stuff to do.
Maybe Fort Collins too, although I haven't spent enough time there to sell you on it. Everyone says it's a great place for young families though.
Small town feel with all the conveniences you would ever need. I swear I never drive more then 10 minutes to get anywhere. Plus very walkable. On the water, close to DC & Baltimore so opens up tons of job opportunities. Easy access to international airports to get anywhere you want. Kind of HCOL but not like NY. It is a little like Providence given it the state capitol and so close to water.
Everyone we know who moved here said they are never leaving.
Small town feel with all the conveniences you would ever need. I swear I never drive more then 10 minutes to get anywhere. Plus very walkable. On the water, close to DC & Baltimore so opens up tons of job opportunities. Easy access to international airports to get anywhere you want. Kind of HCOL but not like NY. It is a little like Providence given it the state capitol and so close to water.
Everyone we know who moved here said they are never leaving.
I grew up there, but moved. The COL is pretty high (although probably seems lower than NYC).
I would vote for NC. If it was in the cards, DH and I would move there. DH lived there for 10+ years and I know misses it.
They also have good tax laws for retirees, you know for future planning.
Sacramento CA sounds like it may fit. More extreme weather, but still generally liberal, a bit quieter than the Bay Area, and certainly less $$. You can do walkable, but would have to be careful on choosing a neighborhood .
New Hope is lovely and has an excellent school district, but is kind of pricey and the prices are being further driven up by people looking to escape the NY real estate market (we actually know a handful of people who commute into NYC from there & Lambertville currently).
Simpsongal probably already knows this, just pointing it out to punky. Also, remember this past winter? NY roads and schools were cleared and opened much more quickly than anything in that area. It would stress me the heck out if DD's school was closed as many days as schools in the Philly & Bucks County area were closed this past winter.
I think what would make this post more fun is if everyone posted a favorite real estate listing in the areas they are suggesting. It's nice to see what a certain amount of money buys in a given area. (And this is MMM, right?)
Post by runblondie26 on Jul 1, 2015 10:02:45 GMT -5
Portsmouth, NH
That's where we plan to settle eventually. Right on the water for boating in the summer, close access to skiing in the winter. MCOL, good schools, and still in the Northeast.
ETA: Reading fail. You want to be out of the NE because of family. Bummer. Asheville would be high on my list like other posters have already suggested.