If you could live anywhere in the US...

[ejpint]

Where would you live? And why?

Things to consider:
Diversity, COL, weather/potential for natural disasters, culture, job opportunities, etc.

My interest in the question:
H can work anywhere. I'm open to something new, as I'm not in love with the job I took a couple of months ago. We've decided in a couple of years, when our lease is up and I've stayed with my current company for a reasonable amount of time, that we're ready to take a leap and move someplace new.

If you want to suggest a place for us, here's a little background:

We're liberals (so bonus points for a "blue" state), living in or near a city appeals to us (though the heart of NYC or LA is probably out of the question due to COL), and we're hoping for moderate weather. We want to be able to buy a nice SFH for less than $500k. We don't have kids yet, but hope to in the next few years, so family-friendly 'hoods are important. We both like to be outdoors, so love areas with walking/hiking/biking trails. Near a body of water is a huge bonus.

[bunch]

Asheville, nc. It's got everything we love about living here but s super liberal. It's also still within an hour of our families.

[GailGoldie]

I could live anywhere... I mean, we all COULD...

I choose where I am. I have lived elsewhere in the country - and i'm back in my home state of NJ, just outside of NYC - in a great little suburb - we have everything within an hour drive: beach, mountains, country, city, etc... tons of history, culture, shopping, food, education... I love it here.

[Deleted]

With those parameters, I think suburbs of NYC would work pretty well (current natural disaster notwithstanding).

[audette]

DH and I often talk about where to move when he leaves the military.

And right now, where we currently are is pretty much at the top of the list. We're about halfway between Seattle and Portland, so both are relatively easy to get to, but we don't have to deal with the traffic/COL craziness of being within either of them, we have access to a base (usful for a variety of reasons, even after DH gets out of the military), we're near(ish) my family, the climate is decent (great summers, kinda sucky grey winters, but not super cold), we've got great hiking and great museums within reasonable distance, an OK airport, etc.

Lots of good things about this area. Not too many bad things.

[countthestars]

I love the Boston area, but you would have to be okay with snow. I also love Washington DC, though COL might be crazy.

[LoveTrains]

Those parameters pretty much fit where I live - Providence, RI. The only thing is the job opportunities are not as good as Boston, but my H works in Boston so its not the most terrible commute (40 minutes by train).

You can buy a beautiful SFH in a very family friendly neighborhood with a great yard in the nicest neighborhood in the city for under $500K, or you could move to a suburb like Barrington with terrific public schools. You can even get a waterfront home for about $500K on Narragansett Bay/Narrow River. We have an awesome system of biking trials like the East Bay bike path and Blackstone River Bikeway that I have been running on all summer.

This is an amazing little city. It's also growing into a foodie destination, too, and lots of culture from the many colleges in town.

ETA: The negatives include that our taxes are really high (even higher than our neighbor Taxachusetts).

[Nonny]

We live outside of Seattle and we love it here. I could do with a few less months of dreary rain, but I kind of like living in a place where it isn't super cold and snowy in winter even with the never ending grey. Since we don't live in Seattle proper I get to avoid most (but not all) of the nasty traffic, and I like that Portland and Vancouver, B.C. are both just a quick drive away. I love that I'm within driving distance of my family (but not so close that I have to see them all the time), that we can drive easily to the Oregon Coast, the music and theater options nearby, plus if I felt so inclined I could easily go fruit picking (I haven't ever done this, but I like having the option).

[hamster]

I could never leave the PNW just because of the potential for natural disasters in the rest of the county. We could get earthquakes, but not like California, there's no hurricanes, tornados, or humidity. Just rain. It gets old, but I'd much rather have that over a natural disaster.

[Kore]

We want to eventually live in either Denver or the PNW.

[ejpint]

Oct 29, 2012 11:51:54 GMT -5 LoveTrains said:

Those parameters pretty much fit where I live - Providence, RI. The only thing is the job opportunities are not as good as Boston, but my H works in Boston so its not the most terrible commute (40 minutes by train).

You can buy a beautiful SFH in a very family friendly neighborhood with a great yard in the nicest neighborhood in the city for under $500K, or you could move to a suburb like Barrington with terrific public schools. You can even get a waterfront home for about $500K on Narragansett Bay/Narrow River. We have an awesome system of biking trials like the East Bay bike path and Blackstone River Bikeway that I have been running on all summer.

This is an amazing little city. It's also growing into a foodie destination, too, and lots of culture from the many colleges in town.

ETA: The negatives include that our taxes are really high (even higher than our neighbor Taxachusetts).

We have friends in Providence, and it's definitely on our radar after hearing such great things from them!

[Deleted]

We did a country wide search 6yrs ago & chose Denver. I was iffy for the first 2 yrs but now I'm pretty settled & happy here. I've lived all over the country & feel pretty confident I'm not missing out on some secret place that is perfect.

[raangoli]

I'd agree with v and countthestars that either the suburbs of NYC or the Boston vicinity sounds like it would be best for you guys.

For me, I think I'd like to live around San Diego or the suburbs of Dallas/Fort Worth. I have a friend who moved to the latter area and it seemed really awesome when I visited her. I would though miss all the things that gailgoldie mentioned about the NYC/NJ area, so we stay. Not to mention our families are here and I'd hate to be far from them.

[h]

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
Denver, CO
Austin, TX
Portland, OR
Charlotte, NC

[catsarecute]

I live in a small town in Northern California. I'm 2 hours from the snow and 1 hour from San Francisco. We have 4 seasons that are fairly mild. It gets hot during the summers but usually we max out at about 105 degrees and that never lasts longer than a few weeks. Winters are rainy but it is currently in the high 70's all week here. It gets cold but not horribly cold. I always say that we pay a higher COL for the weather!

There are a lot of great suburbs in the Sacramento area. Sacramento isn't a huge "things to do" area but you are close to big action (Tahoe, San Francisco, Amador and Napa Wine Country).

I love living in California and never plan on leaving.

[mrst2]

Denver/Co Springs or San Diego

[Deleted]

We really want to move to New Mexico. Jobs in our industry are seriously limited though.

[drloretta]

Denver

If we won the lottery, that's where we'd settle so DD could go to school in one place.

[Deleted]

Come to NJ!!!!!

Me- Southern California or DC. I think CA may be too laid back for me but I want that weather.

I love DC.

I'd be happier here in NJ if we moved closer to the city and/or friends, I think. I don't like our area of the state.

[Deleted]

Philly

We have a lot of friends who live there, family is nearby, it's a fun city with lots to do but it's not as expensive as NYC or SF (which would be top on my list if we were super rich). Theoretically, if we made enough money we could buy a place on the shore for weekend trips in the summer.

It also has seasons, which is important to me.

[HoneySpider]

Pittsburgh

Otherwise, NJ mainly to be by my parents

[fuddyduddy]

Oct 29, 2012 13:36:10 GMT -5 @iheartcosmos said:

Me- Southern California or DC. I think CA may be too laid back for me but I want that weather.

I went from SoCal to New England and I feel like an oddball here sometimes. I think I'm too smiley to blend in.

I miss California weather.

[fuddyduddy]

Oct 29, 2012 13:47:27 GMT -5 farmvillelover said:

Oct 29, 2012 13:43:42 GMT -5 fuddyduddy said:

I went from SoCal to New England and I feel like an oddball here sometimes. I think I'm too smiley to blend in.
I miss California weather.

Totally what I thought when I moved to DC from CA lol

LOL. You make me feel validated. I had someone ask me last week why I was so happy. Why shouldn't I be?

[Deleted]

Oct 29, 2012 13:49:11 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

I never want to move from Seattle. I think it would be a good fit per your list. Some neighborhoods it will be hard to find a nice SFH for $500k, but there are many great options for that budget (we love our house and 'hood and spent that in June for a 2500 nicely remodeled house).

Seattle sounds like my kind of city except for the weather

If I'm moving away from my family and friends, I want better weather than I have here.

[Deleted]

I like DC, Charlotte, and Denver a lot. I know, these cities are all really different. The one thing they have in common is four seasons and a bearable winter. (I know that Denver is cold, but it's not constantly gray like I picture the northeast.)

That being said, H and I are happy in Atlanta and may never move, given that a good academic job is hard to find.

[Deleted]

Oct 29, 2012 13:59:00 GMT -5 @redbellpeppers said:

I like DC, Charlotte, and Denver a lot. I know, these cities are all really different. The one thing they have in common is four seasons and a bearable winter. (I know that Denver is cold, but it's not constantly gray like I picture the northeast.)

That being said, H and I are happy in Atlanta and may never move, given that a good academic job is hard to find.

The Northeast is not constantly gray at all. At least here in NJ. If its not raining, its usually beautiful, even when cold. (again, I'm not off the Turnpike where the factories are either- I live where its green)

[fuddyduddy]

Oct 29, 2012 14:06:10 GMT -5 farmvillelover said:

Oct 29, 2012 13:49:14 GMT -5 fuddyduddy said:

LOL. You make me feel validated. I had someone ask me last week why I was so happy. Why shouldn't I be?

4 out of my 5 roommates (big house near Georgetown) were from NYC and NJ. They always shook their head at me. Like they couldn’t believe the thickest “coat” I had was a Columbia pullover. I thought my thick leather blazer and high heeled boots were good enough. WRONG. I swear I almost got hypothermia walking back from the movie theater one night. And my roommate was all “I feel sorry for you.” hahahaha. So CA for LYFE.

Haha. My winter wardrobe was similar to yours. The first thing I did when I moved here was buy a ridiculously warm coat. I chose one from Land's End that is rated at -40 to -15 F. I was not taking any chances! I'm still such a wimp in cold weather.

[ejpint]

Oct 29, 2012 13:53:40 GMT -5 @iheartcosmos said:

Oct 29, 2012 13:49:11 GMT -5 jenny1980 said:

I never want to move from Seattle. I think it would be a good fit per your list. Some neighborhoods it will be hard to find a nice SFH for $500k, but there are many great options for that budget (we love our house and 'hood and spent that in June for a 2500 nicely remodeled house).

Seattle sounds like my kind of city except for the weather

If I'm moving away from my family and friends, I want better weather than I have here.

Both Seattle and Portland are high on our list. I think the damp but relatively consistent weather could grow on me. However, the one visit I made to Seattle, it was gorgeous and sunny the entire time. That may be influencing my opinion!

I sat outside at a restaurant eating incredible crab bisque with views of both mountains and water in front of me, a gentle breeze, temps in the upper 60s with a warm sun beaming down. How can you not fall in love???

[ESquared423]

Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area. Hands down.

[heygrey]

I love the climate and culture of the PNW, but if I'm moving back to the states we're going to be near family so eastern Pa/upstate NY finger lakes area. The winters aren't awesome especially if you live in the snow belt and summers are humid (the one thing I loathe), but overall I like that area. There isn't much you can't drive to within a few hours.