We May Want To Move... Convince me that your state is the place to go.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

We want to move. What is the best place??? (I like N. Carolina... My husband likes Montana and Idaho...???)

My husband wants to live someplace less expensive.. (me too.) He wants to take an early retirement and buy in the great white north... Anyone???

I like the ocean but also adore the mountains. Here is the skinny:

If he takes an early retirement we will get $90,000 a year - We have 2 young children (7 and 8) also a dog and a very orange cat.

We need a 4 bdr, 3 bath plus an office sized house.. (that's what we have now and it's perfect)

We would be open to city, ranch, town, village, farm ---... anything where we don't live next door to Jesus Camp and with good schools.

I want to make my husband to get a part time job so I don't have to take vallium for fucking ever... He is an attorney. He thinks that working in a gas station is fine...????

Help.

[Perseid]

1. stay the hell out of NM

I can't stand more people moving in. I don't care if they are nice or not.

enough is enough.

Really, I'm not an angry person, but I've watched the degradation of my state for decades, and just wish everyone would stay the heck out.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

2. Gee... Thanks.

I live in San Diego. I trump yopur New Mexico degredation. I haven't thought of going there but I will write a note in my moving to somplace journal:
"Not wanted in New Mexico..."

Peace.

[Perseid]

3. Peace to you also, and good luck

I just am so damn tired of west coasters looking for a place to ravage.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

4. Try living here and

seeing everyone from Ar-a-fucking-zona moving here... buying a house and then realizing they can't afford it.

I understand... really I do. But let's face the facts... If you send me one of yours, I'll send you one of mine -- even trade?

BTW - I always welcome like minded people to my neck of the woods. We are knee deep in repuklicans.

[Perseid]

6. Arizona is not NM

NM has always been known as the one state that "blended" cultures, and has great diversity while working towards understanding.

Arizona is like Colorado. In my mind, shit states.

That's just me.

Stay the hell away from NM! We've had enough people already come in from other places who have sold their overly inflated priced homes, bought up land relatively cheap, cause the taxes to go up, drive out the families who can no longer afford it who have lived on this land for generations, and then go somewhere else when the whim strikes them.

That's just me.

I love the old NM, and don't want it to turn into another damn AZ or CO.

Nothing personal.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

11. NM is not even a consideration...

I have some idiot republican family members there that I would like to never see again.

But thanks for the heads up.

I do not take it too personal.. But if someone from the lounge here asked me, I would be a little nicer and welcome them. I like you guys.

I really do like people who have a sense of humor and a brain... I would welcome them here.... I would never tell them to "Stay the hell away."

But - I asked and you told me.

Next please...

(I am not feeling that the Lounge likes me very much.)

[Perseid]

13. You should remember the posts that I wrote, if you have humor and a brain

thank you for not considering NM.

The other things I wrote were for conversational purposes.

I'm sure the lounge likes you, it's just late, and not many are responding. For some reason, it seems to be an east coast thing mostly.

peace

[QueenOfCalifornia]

20. Okay - Just say it....

You have decided that I am a humorless idiot.

You are trying to be mean now - none of your posts were for conversational reasons and you know it.

If you wanted to be conversational you would not have written what you did. You want an argument.

I am not sure that anyone here likes me. Not very many people here have even remotely expressed that they like me.

In fact, if I were to come clean on that issue, I would say that 99% of the people on the entire DU do not give a shit if I live or die.

I also don't know what your comment about the East Coast means.. I guess that is because I am brainless.

What started as a friendly question has turned into something I did not expect.

[I Have A Dream]

98. Oh, Gilligan, you don't know me, but it always seems that people here...

like you quite a bit.

I'm sorry that you were hurt by that exchange. It was rather callously worded. :crazy:

I'd be happy to have you in Pittsburgh, but I bet that's not quite what you're looking for. (It's a nice city, though.)

:hug:

[XemaSab]

5. Most of the people I know here were born east of the Mississippi

and FWIW, I wish they'd go right back where they came from. :P

[QueenOfCalifornia]

7. I am so feeling the love

I just want to know if you guys have a suggestion of a nice place to live... We are not axe murderers... We are employed and will not breath on you.

[XemaSab]

8. No, no, I'm from California!

:o

[QueenOfCalifornia]

25. Ha!

You may visit if you like. We are centrally located and I am a good cook.

[Blue_In_AK]

87. Gilligan, see my post below.

Alaska would LOVE to have you and your family. This is a friendly place where many, many people came from somewhere else -- not just the other states but from all over the world. This state is 1/5 the size of the rest of the U.S. and has less than a million people. There's room for more. :)

[Perseid]

10. I agree

and the wealthy west coasters can take their money and buy the Pacific Ocean. Stay away from my state, please. I've dealt with enough of this already.

[XemaSab]

12. I'm in Cali

We don't need the furriners any more than your state does. :P

[carly denise pt deux]

62. I just got back from NM, move to Taos or Ruidoso

I have been gone for several years, and I have to agree about how much things have changed there. As for moving there, move to Taos or Ruidoso. You have mountains, decent schools, but to caution, the real estate market is pretty expensive there.

Carly

[Shakespeare]

94. Ruidoso is BEAUTIFUL (I was born in Roswell)

And good gawd, please don't think everybody from NM is so misanthropic or unwelcoming (see: certain other poster on this thread).

Last I checked, Ruidoso was still fairly reasonable in the real estate market (as compared to Taos or Santa fe, anyway), and Albuquerque's not bad, either. I still have relatives scattered all over the state, and love going back to visit.

[carly denise pt deux]

99. Me too

I have relatives near Carlsbad, Ruidoso and Albuquerque. The homes in Ruidoso are soooo pretty, but carry a nice price tag, it's location, location, location! Hope that you live somewhere where Mexican food and those products are available; I live across the country, in a horrible place where the people don't know what is meant by " red or green(sauce)" :)

Carly

[Colorado Progressive]

9. The 3 states you listed are red states, right?

Why not some place blue? Oh wait. That's where the educated money-makers live.

But seriously, try Boulder. Good schools, liberal, walk everywhere. You can even live west of Boulder and be in the mountains, just a few minutes from town.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

14. Thank you!

You are the first person who didn't make me wish I had just kept this to myself.

I had no idea that asking fellow DU'ers this question would evolve into telling me to stay the fuck away.

I think Boulder is pretty expensive??? No?

[Colorado Progressive]

21. Try Louisville, just south of Boulder, Been rated top 3 places to live

several years running, and much more affordable. Most of north Jefferson county is actually very tolerable. Lots of Wacko bumper stickers and such.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

30. Okay....

Thanks. I may just do that. People in New Fucking Mexico eat people who are on their side.. or so I hear.

[SammyWinstonJack]

58. Probably not as expensive as SD. New Mexico is beautiful and I thinks it's rude

to say, "stay the fuck away from my state." :eyes: Happy retirement hunting from a native Californian stuck in red state hell.

[JTG of the PRB]

108. Boulder is a great place, but it's not cheap.

I agree that Louisville/Lafayette would be a good choice. Longmont is also very nice. The market is relatively cheap here and there's a good deal of growth. Good schools, good services, and it's not too crowded. In Boulder you run the risk of running into the odd college party.

Also, we have one helluva view up here! We'd gladly welcome you into the Colorado family! I don't care what anybody ELSE says. Colorado is one of the best places you could ever choose to live.

[intheflow]

16. Boulder is expensive.

The median home price is $355,000! Something with four bedrooms would drive the cost up considerably. If it wasn't for the cost, though, you're right, Boulder is a great place to live.

[grasswire]

15. Montana is a beautiful, beautiful state

The people are friendly, and it's a great place for growing families. Living in one of those towns like Missoula or Bozeman is extremely good. The weather -- chilly, chilly.

[intheflow]

17. Montana is seconded!

Kalispell and Missoula have higher average daily temperatures and less snow fall than Boston, with none of that bothersome humidity.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

22. I thank you

I am seriously considering Montana. I want a big yard - enough for a horse and some dogs....

I hate cold weather!

But thank you for the suggestion!

[greendog]

83. I live in Montana (a dose of realism)

Montana is a rock bottom, low wage state.

The religious nuts are really starting to get on my nerves. The Ten Commandments are posted on giant billboards all over the place. You can't drive anywhere in this county (Flathead) without seeing a Ten Commandments billboard. We have the Ten Commandments displayed on the lawn outside the County Courthouse.

The weather tends to be poor much of the year.

June is normally cold and rainy.

July is usually hot and dry.

August is "fire season". Everyone is choking on smoke from the huge wildfires that we're getting almost every summer.

September: We count on good weather in September. Often the weather in September disappoints us. This year it sucked. Last year it sucked. The year before last was pretty nice.

October: October is like September, only cooler. I've seen -15f in early October.

November: Cool and gray.

December: Like November only cooler.

January: Cold and gray.

February: Cold and gray.

March: Cold and gray. A couple nice days.

April: Mud season begins. Cool and gray.

May: Mud season continues. Cool and gray. Rainy.

[lizerdbits]

102. And something else

I have relatives in Helena and surrounding areas and have visited there, the last time was last July. Beautiful but really hot. My mom grew up there and can't believe how hot it is there now. Some of my relatives complained about the "Californicators." This is a jab at their left leanings but the underlying issue is rich people buying "ranches" and building immense houses driving up everyone else's property taxes, in some cases forcing people to sell where they've been for decades. And higher paying jobs don't seem to be coming along with those increases.

[greendog]

105. I've heard that term ( Californicator )...

...used by liberal types.

And the folks who roll into town on a pile of cash, because they don't have much in common with the locals, end up socializing exclusively with people like themselves. After a winter or two of the cold and gray stuff most of them find a place in Mexico or Central America to spend two or three months.

And let me tell you: The people who move here for the "wide open spaces" quickly become acquainted with traffic gridlock that rivals what they were trying to get away from. Missoula is awful. Kalispell is pretty bad.

Also, it's really disturbing to watch the strip mall and sub-division developments eat up the open space like a fast growing cancer. It's turning into big box hell and it's not the regular folks who are asking for it - the "well off" people get here and need all the stuff they left back home. We don't have an Olive Garden in Kalispell yet, but I'll bet you before long we have two or three.

[Gormy Cuss]

18. Maine.

Southern coastal area, to be exact. You would be within 2 hours of the White Mountains (NH and a little bit in ME)and two hours from Boston. The coast is beautiful and the living is far more laid back than in SD or other urban California. The southern coastal area is the center of the Democrats and lefties but even many of the Republicans in the state aren't the sort you're accustomed to in SD. Yankee Republicans tend to be social moderates and fiscal conservatives.

Downside: the state overall is far more homogeneous racially but the southern area around Portland-Lewiston is becoming much more diverse. Making a living can be tough in the state but again the Portland area is the largest legal center in northern New England -- lawyers abound. It will unbelievable cold for someone accustomed to SD, and the seasonality and unpredictability of the weather seem to bother Californian transplants more than just about anything else.

Another plus: New Englanders don't have a pathological hatred for Californians. They do have that sort of issue with wealthy New Yorkers, so it's not as if they welcome all outsiders equally.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

24. I love Maine.

Can you make it warmer in the winter for me?

I could learn to dress warm I guess! I appreciate you not hating me!

PM me with info....

[Gormy Cuss]

28. Hey, I live in California.

I know both sides of the story.:hi:

[Heidi]

19. Okie dokie. Ticino, southern Switzerland.

1. Italian, French, German and English spoken here. Italian is the "official" language.
2. Five minutes from the Italian border, an hour from Milan.
3. Excellent public transportation: bus, ferry, train.
4. Surrounded by the Swiss and Italian mountains.
5. Spectacular views of Lago Maggiore and the Lake of Lugano.
6. Mediterannean climate. Very little snow in the winter, not too hot in the summer.
7. Palmetto trees!
8. Castles!
9. See the photos. :hi:

[QueenOfCalifornia]

23. HA!

I love Switzerland. I've been there twice. I can not afford it. I don't think that whatever $90,000 dollars is in Euro's will be enough for 4 people.

(I have a very good friend who is from Switzerland and who lives in Baltimore now!)

You are a sweety!

[hfojvt]

26. What's the matter with

moving to Kansas?

Plus - relatively cheap real estate
nice dry summers
relatively warm winters
no snow shovelling

minus - freezing rain
Republican dominated legislature (running for the legislature could be a part-time job for a retired lawyer)
Greensburg.
Coffeyville

Lawrence, however, would be a kick-a$$ liberal University town, not too large and very accessable to Topeka or KC.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

49. But

... Nothing wrong with Kansas.

[Perseid]

27. whoa

"I want to make my husband to get a part time job so I don't have to take vallium for fucking ever."

What does that tell, or ask of one's imagination?

Some wife of an attorney wants to move to another town, and doesn't respect her husbands obvious cries for "help".

I'm done with this. No animosity, but this is ridiculous. You are not on a real estate site? Right?

I just hope hubby looks out for the taste of cyanide.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

29. and you say

I am without humor.

I was being sarcastic - and again... you know it.

[Perseid]

31. I'm taking out the peace pipe now

I really didn't mean to get carried away with things, and apologize if you were asking honest questions..

I just have some long seated feelings.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

32. Me smokem' peace pipe

okay then.

I have seen my home town grow and grow - We get all the Navy retirees and the Marines - they are - for the most part - numbskulls.

But - I know the trend to live here has been killed due to the cost of living... but still they come.

They drive and the drive and they park in my space.

But I would not tell anyone, who is a good sou,l to stay the hell away.

Peace

[Perseid]

33. thanks, and/but

I can't help telling everyone to stay away. I have truly seen too much hurt and pain from families that I have known most of my life have to move away because they could no longer afford to stay on their OWN land.

I have problems with that, but none with you.

[DarkTirade]

34. Hahahahahaha!

I've been tryin' to find a way to leave this place for YEARS. I wouldn't wish this on anybody.

[krispos42]

35. Time to move to Minnesota

If you move to Duluth, you can live on Lake Superior, which is basically a freshwater ocean. Lighthouses, beaches, etc.

Minnesota has good schools, generally speaking, despite Gov. Pawlenty's Bush-like attitudes. And of course, over ten thousand lakes, forests, streams, fishing, hunting, prairie, and mountains.

The Metro area has lots of places to live, museums, sports, cultural stuff, dining, and even a couple of pretty skylines to look at. St. Paul has sort of an east-coast feel to its layout, while Minneapolis has more of a Midwest feel.

The southern suburbs have some of the really good schools and such. Eden Prarie was #10 on Money Magazine's Top Ten best places to live in 2006, and Chaska made #8 on the 2007 list.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2007/

I used to live in Apple Valley in the southern suburbs, and that was pretty convienent. The Minnesota Zoo is located there. Highway 77 begines there, giving quick access to I-35E to St. Paul, the beltway I-494, and Highway 62. You can also pick up I-35W to Minneapolis only a couple of miles away in Burnsville. You are about 10 miles from: the international airport of Larry Craig fame, the Mall of America, an Ikea, and the country's biggest indoor water park. Bus service gets you to the MoA, where you can pick up the Light Rail line, which goes to the airport terminals, through Minneapolis, to the Metrodome and Target Center, and ends in downtown.

Apple Valley is kind of a rapidly-growing commuter suburb because of easy access to either downtown. Lots of new townhomes in the past few years, especially in the south side, but the streets are wide, the schools are pretty good, and they have really really nice public parks.

As to the weather... most of the time the days are crystal-clear, summer or winter. Incredible blue sky, puffy white clouds. Unless you work outside, the cold weather is not really much of an issue. I mean, you spend nearly all your time indoors anyway, right? And what temperature is it indoors? 68º! An engine-block heater is common out here, and/or a remote car starter, so you have a warm car to jump into.

It hasn't been very snowy here the last few years, either.

Hope that helps!

[QueenOfCalifornia]

36. If I move there

I want one of those little ice-fishing shacks on a lake.... I want a snort and a shot. I want some coooookeys, I want to go to The giant assed shopping mall just to say "I have been there!"

I love the people form your state...

[Indi Guy]

37. Gilligan

I'm very confused here.

If your husband doesn't get a part time job, who'll pay for the Valium you'll need if he doesn't take a part time job?

Isn't working in a gas station a part time job? And look at the perks -- free gasoline & junk food?! (Just don't partake of the rest rooms.)

To me it's a win/win for you! (What am I missing?)

[QueenOfCalifornia]

51. Oh nothing

I don't care if he works at a gas station. I just want him to be happy and learn how to relax. He is stressed all the time and that makes him a pain in the ass.

[ellisonz]

38. Oregon?

West of the Cascades of course.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

84. I like it

really

I love Oregon

[Maine-ah]

39. come to Maine

especially my area, you get the ocean and the mountains. Here's a house you might be interested in....



Single Family, Rockland ME United States
Price: Just 139,500! Stories: 1
Beds: 3 Baths: 2 Sq. Ft.: 1512
Lot Size: 1 acre Year Built: 1988

Contact Us About This Property


Got some big-time storage needs? This lovely 3-bedroom ranch comes with a 1,750- square-foot bonus building, great for boats, trucks, or a workshop. The home has an open floor plan and large wraparound deck. All the windows are new, and the home has been well maintained. In the past it has accommodated an in-home daycare center.

The wide, level front yard is bounded by stone walls and planters. It's been beautifully landscaped, with many mature plantings.

The price is just $139,500. Is this approximately the right price range for you? Check with your bank or if you'd like the name of a good mortgage broker, call Kari or Kendall at 542-0950.

Go take a look! We'd love to show you the inside. Just call us at 542-0950.

****************
Best Places to Live + Play: Waterfront Towns
by National Geographic http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/relocating/best-places-to-live-2007/waterfront/waterfront.html

[Mutley]

40. Upstate New York.

The cost of living in the less populated areas of Upstate New York is very reasonable. The last time I was up there I saw a listing for a house for $50,000, apparently in good condition and on a lake. :wow:

I live in Maryland, and it's a decent place to live, but it is very expensive. It can be done on the money you are talking about, and you'd probably be relatively comfortable, but it doesn't meet the criteria you were asking for (cheap) :P .

[cobalt1999]

41. Why not Costa Rica or the Bahamas?

Relatively inexpensive, $90K will go a long way, close enough to the US to get back if you want, ocean, warm weather, and multi-cultural environment for the children.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

52. I lived on an Island

in the US VI chain. I don't think I could live on that small of an island ever again. It was very eery to go into town and have EVERYONE know what you did the night before.

Costa Rica is supposed to be wonderful.

[cobalt1999]

56. I have a good friend retired in Costa Rica

He loves it.

Myself, I retire once the kids leave for college, but I'm on a sailboat.

[Ellen Forradalom]

69. PM Gato Moteado for more info

He knows the territory.

[RebelOne]

42. North Georgia in the Atlanta metro area.

Even though it is a red state and we are running out of water, the Atlanta area is booming. Living expenses are not very high, either.

[Sugar Smack]

43. Come HERE to the Triangle area.

We have the mountains (beautiful) west of us and the gorgeous Outer Banks to the east. It's a 3-hour drive to either. I spent 2 weeks camping with my boyfriend-at-the-time in both places.

[taterguy]

44. You should move to an island about 3 hours from the mainland

Ocracoke NC fits the bill but housing is limited

[distantearlywarning]

45. I live in Pittsburgh, PA

The most underrated city in America. It's not dirty or polluted anymore.

We were actually rated the #1 place to live by Rand-McNally this year, and nobody who hasn't lived here believed it.

Here's what Pittsburgh has:

A staggeringly low cost of living - you can literally buy a MANSION in the city for $500K, the kind of thing that would cost multi-millions on a coast somewhere. The median home price here is $120K or so, and they aren't ticky-tacky suburban boxes either. Many of the homes here are renovated Victorians or Craftsman (i.e., they have character). $90K a year would allow you to buy a very nice house in a decent neighborhood and still have money left over to send your kids to one of our many private schools. Some districts have good public schools, including Mt. Lebanon, which is ranked in the top 5 in the state.

A liberal base - the elected officials here have been Democrats so long there are many elections where no Republican candidate bothers to run, because they know it would be a waste of time. The East End (the area of Pittsburgh where I live) went about 85% for Kerry in 2004.

A high level of education - we have at least 10 universities within a 1-hour driving radius, including a major research institution (UPitt, ranked in top 10 in the U.S.) and one of the "New Ivies" (Carnegie Mellon). Some neighborhoods in the east end boast rates of college degree holders at over 70%.

Every kind of cultural activity you can imagine - terrific symphony and ballet, National Aviary, nice zoo, three professional sports teams + stadiums, many museums, amusement parks, large theatre district, lots of alternative art and theatre, university-based cultural activities, etc... Pittsburgh has a HUGE cultural base compared to other cities its size. Many of these places have activities that cater specifically to children (Children's Museum, the ballet has a summer dance camp, Carnegie Mellon puts on science programs, there are several magnet schools in the city, etc.)

Cool topography and green spaces - there are several areas inside the city itself where the local government has set aside hundreds of acres to be kept as green space for hiking and other outdoor activities. Pittsburgh is built on a hilly area at the confluence of three major rivers, making the cityscape very interesting. It's extremely green and lush in the warmer months, we have a terrific fall with changing leaves, and a cold, dark winter with moderate to light snowfall. Also, in the city there are many sidewalks, so Pittsburgh is a very walkable city.

Public Transportation - buses and light rail goes almost everywhere

[cobalt1999]

48. Pittsburgh surprised me the first time I visited.

I still had the 1960's image of smoke stacks and barren landscape.

Pittsburgh was actually quite nice (and mom lives just outside of there).

[Burma Jones]

55. Pittsburgh Good

If everybody figures this out though, say good by to the Good Buys........

If we were to move anywhere, it would be Pittsburgh.

[dropkickpa]

85. Huzzah!

I love this town! I've lived in/visited many other places, and none of them said home to me like Pittsburgh did when I got here. And we are not that far from many big cities: 5 hour drive to Chicago, same for DC, 8 hours to philly, about that many to Toronto (I've never driven there direct, so I think it probably takes less time than that), maybe 10 to NYC, etc etc. I love it here, Especially the hills and mountains, and that fact that, driving 10 minutes from the city, you could be in the country, depending on direction.

And where else do convienience stores sell pierogi's?

[alphafemale]

111. Oh guys. Have a chipped ham sammich for me. Would ju?

sigh

And I really, really miss the pizza from that area.

Pining for pizza by the slice in GA.

[Highway61]

46. I moved to Maine

from Jersey in 98....BEST think I ever did. Back In Jersey for the past 8 months as my Mom is really ill....Looking forward to going back. You will live like a king on that $$$$ up there. If you have to make a living...the pay scale sucks...many folks retire there.
We have a house overlooking deep water cove that leads to ocean. The woods (and I mean woods) grows right up to the coastline. Housing is a LOT less and our taxes are 1200 a year (3 BR on 1/2 acre). Here's a tid bit for ya. If you took the coastline of Maine and stretched it out it would go from the tip of Maine all the way to Florida! Here is the website of our local paper...it will give you an idea what housing prices are (we live midcoast)
And NO....it isn't all that cold. The summers are to die for.

http://www.timesrecord.com/website/main.nsf/vwHome/Home

[BarenakedLady]

47. Western NY

If you like snow. We don't have an ocean but we have a big lake (Ontario) and lots of little ones (Finger Lakes). Great wine. Mountains not too far (Adirondacks). A really nice sized house goes for 250-300K with land if you don't mind being away from the big cities. Schools vary by area.

[Coyote_Bandit]

50. I'll make no effort

to convince you to come to Oklahoma. No reason to do so. I can't wait to leave.

The culture is much the same throughout the surrounding region. But some of the other states have better economies. And more favorable tax laws. Most have weather that isn't quite as volitile.

There is a wide variety of geographies and diffeing terrain.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

90. I would never

move to a state with wacky laws regulating liquor sales - Didn't prohibition get reversed there?

My bestest pal lives in OK - but he likes being in the middle of nowhere - he is on 300 or more acres and dares anyone to bother him.

[raccoon]

53. SC. You have mountains and ocean. Low cost of living.

Not all of us, even in the Upstate, are Jesusland folks.

Plus, SC needs all the progressives we can get.

[opiate69]

54. Western Washington sounds like what you're looking for..

Mountains, Ocean, lower cost of living (if you stay out of Seattle/King County).. lots of relatively affordable rural homes in unicorporated Pierce and Thurston counties, not a lot of Jesus Camp types, great schools..

[Burma Jones]

57. New England, Upstate NY, Carefully selected parts of West Virginia,

And Pennsylvania would fit the bill.

I also like North Carolina

My wife just came back from Santa Fe and told me she would like to live there but she thought they already have too many people for the limited resources there. I told her I could work at Sandia Labs and help make Nukes - and that ended that conversation right there.

You could always come to the DC area, it's Lawyer Heaven, but expensive, not California expensive though, and a fairly high stress area....but we are Blue and have exceptional Public Schools.....90K a year here though is barely enough.

[huskerlaw]

59. Colorado.

Boulder is expensive by midwestern standards, but not by CA standards. Also, my Dad used to live in a suburb north of Denver and it was really nice. Easy driving distance to Denver and Boulder, 2 acres of land. Though this was 10 years ago, and I know they've developed the area a lot. If you're willing to be a bit further out, you might want to look near Ft. Collins.

One caveat...avoid Colorado Springs. Like. The. Plague. Stay north of Denver, or you end up in fundie hell (CO Springs is the headquarters of Focus on the Family...and the Air Force Academy).

Failing that, my hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska is quite nice. Great schools. University town (actually somewhat liberal), DIRT cheap (you could get a NEW 4 bedroom house for under $300K, and live like kings on $90K/year), and it's surrounded by nice new acreages. Unfortunately, there are no mountains. Nor an ocean.

Also, I'm sorry that some people were jackasses upthread. I don't know what's up with that. :shrug:

:hug:

[distantearlywarning]

64. Second the anti-recommendation for Colorado Springs

I spent 3 years in hell there in the early part of the decade. It's horrible, and the fundies aren't even the worst of it. You couldn't pay me enough to move back there.

[Writer]

92. Yup. Colorado.

FC is a good place... it's a bit more expensive than some areas of the country, but the real estate is fairly steady. Taxes are low here and the schools are very good.

[NewJeffCT]

60. Connecticut

1) It's close to both NYC and Boston if you want culture, plus both Hartford and New Haven have pretty good culture for smaller cities. Hartford is about two hours from NYC and a bit less than that from Boston... maybe four hours from Philly... If you live outside of the strip between just east of New Haven west to the border with NYC, it is fairly reasonably priced.

2) The ocean can be a short drive away in neighboring Rhode Island, and you can drive a little further and get to Cape Cod or the Jersey Shore. (Rhody is about an hour from Hartford, the Cape 2-3, the Jersey shore is 3-4)

3) the mountains of Northern New England are also only a short drive away, so you can ski and the like.

4) For your children, many of the towns have excellent public schools, though the top school systems are in towns that are a little expensive (Simsbury & Avon in the Hartford area and Orange/Woodbridge/Madison/Guilford in the New Haven area) you can find very good schools in towns that are more reasonable. For colleges, most of the Ivy League schools are within driving distance.

[SteppingRazor]

61. I love my great state of Florida...

but unless you've got WADS of cash, you're not getting a 4/3 house here.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

70. I couldn't live in Florida

I've sworn off all states that have a Bush running the show.

[SteppingRazor]

73. We don't have a Bush running the show. We have Charlie Crist. n/t

[crim son]

63. If you like frigid and backward,

high cost of living and crazy high taxes, come to Maine! You can definitely find that gas-station attendant job though not much else.

[carly denise pt deux]

65. Texas

if you move down by San Antonio/Houston, you get hilly areas, then you can drive a few hours to the ocean. Real estate is kinda high in the Lake Travis area.

[BlueJazz]

66. Florida....Hear me out.....When I say Florida, I don't mean the....

...Northern Part. (full of repugs and Rednecks)

I mean the St. Petersburg area.

A HUGE part of the St. Pete area residents are from somewhere else so we get a nice melting pot.

The climate is nice, tons of Beaches and we have a pretty hip Governor (Finally)

Florida would be a Blue State if it wasn't for the Hicks in the Northern part.. :)

[cobalt1999]

68. HEY!

I'm up here in the Northern part!

Sure it's full of republicans, but it's much nicer for a family than the peninsula. Homes are a fraction of the cost, much less people, better beaches, and our county (Okaloosa) has been rated #1 in the state for schools.

Oh, and my family has been up here since pre-Civil war days and we aren't hicks...we're Crackers!

[QueenOfCalifornia]

74. LOL!

:rofl:

Thanks for my first laugh of the day... and it now 8:26 AM - I've been up since 5:30 - far too long to go without laughing!

[Bossy Monkey]

67. Asheville is recommended in the strongest possible terms

except maybe the schools, which I know nothing about. Here's a house like the one you described, for $225K: http://tinyurl.com/3564n8 (No idea whether it's still available; just the result of a quick Google search.) Nearby Hendersonville is also nice and should be cheaper. Personally, I prefer Wilmington, but it puts you very far indeed from the mountains (though with a handy interstate to get you there pretty quickly.)

As to "stay the hell out of my state," I would only say that for your protection. I live in SC where the unofficial motto is "thank god for Mississippi"; I do agree with the sentiment upthread that we need all the progressives we can get here, but unless you bring all 100,000 DUers with you, I suspect it would be a drop in the bucket. It is true, though, that the cost of living is relatively low, that both mountains and ocean are handy, and that Columbia and Charleston are reasonably progressive places. After you've said that, though, you've said everything. Unless what you've REALLY been missing in San Diego is humidity, I can't recommend my home state.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

81. Very nice.

I looked at the link - Thank you!

[1gobluedem]

71. Michigan

Contrary to nationwide rumors, Michigan is not a decaying rust bucket state. We have more freshwater coastline than any state in the union; four out of five Great Lakes abut the state; you are never more than 100 miles away from a Great Lake; we have beaches, skiing, snowshoeing, golf, hiking, canoeing, camping; any leisure activity you can think of and more registered boats than any other state. My hometown, Ann Arbor, is one of most vibrant and alive cities you could hope to find; home to a major liberal arts university (University of Michigan)which is also a huge research institution with nationally ranked medical, law, business, and dental schools. Google just located its AdWords division here; we have world class restaurants, two jazz clubs, and countless museums, galleries, and other cultural institutions. We are so liberal that Republicans don't even run for office.

Canada is just to the east; you can go to another country for dinner and come home again. And you can get Canadian TV which is vastly superior to US for Olympics coverage among other things.

If you prefer the country; there are plenty of wide open spaces all over the state.

The Upper Peninsula is beautiful, empty, and serene.

The Lakes act as buffers so we don't get the freezing cold temperature and blizzards of the Plains states. We don't get earthquakes, mudslides, hurricanes, nor'easters, raging wildfires, tsunamis, or extreme hot and cold temperatures.

Michigan's been taking a beating in the national press because of the auto industry woes but there is a lot more here than that. Move here!

[booksenkatz]

104. Plus, we're the only state shaped like a mitten. :) nt

[Ellen Forradalom]

72. Upper-peninsula Michigan is vastly underrated

Yoopers are friendly, it's beautiful up there, plus you can learn Finnish!

[1gobluedem]

75. And eat pasties! n/t

[Ellen Forradalom]

78. Thrifty eats!

One of those will stave off hunger for 3 days!

[gmoney]

76. Steer clear of Ohio

The cost of living is OK most places compared to the coasts, but the NASCAR mentality is kind of oppressive and the fundies are creeping into everything.

If the world is your oyster, you can do far better than Ohio.

Good luck.

[HughBeaumont]

89. He ain't lying.

Even Northeast Ohio is riddled with Bewshbots. Go south on down (with the exception of Franklin and Athens county), or west of it . . . it's Fundamentalpatient hell.

Only Minnesotans and Alaskans can relate to our shitty winters (although it's not looking like we'll get that this year), Cleveland sports teams NEVER win titles in anything, there's not much of a rush hour compared to most cities (well, that's because there are no jobs compared to most cities, thus the low cost of living), and we're culturally dead.

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

77. Southeastern NC...

by the beach. Wilmington, specifically. Though stay away from Wilmington if you want to buy a house. Buy a house in Brunswick County, a few miles south, and you'll do just fine. It's great here. You are surrounded by beaches, yet you can still head to Ralegh in a couple of hours via I-40 and you can take a weekend trip to the mountains. It's a fairly liberal oasis here.

[iverglas]

79. confusion

Better than a state of denial. Maybe not as good as a state of readiness. A whole lot better than a state of war though.

[AlCzervik]

80. new england or Norcal.

[Pierre.Suave]

82. Minnesota

It is North, less expensive, we have a Great Lake here that is an inland sea. Plenty to do outdoors year round. Plenty of culture in the Minneapolis area, great msuic and arts. Northern MN is really inexpensive to live, if you can find a job that is... I love it here, I would live nowhere else right now.

Especially someplace hot, or with a major port, both, or someplace that is symbolical enough that the bush admin could use to stage a terrorist attack.

edit: after reading the thread, I should add that Minnesotans are NICE and this is a nice progressive state.

[Blue_In_AK]

86. Alaska rocks...

Great white north, ocean, mountains. We've got it all. The corrupt politicians are on their way out. For your husband, this is a lawyer-friendly environment -- Anchorage has oodles of them and they're all doing fine. People here are fairly libertarian (small l) so you won't need to be worried about Jesus Camp. We have noncriminalized marijuana, legal abortions, no death penalty. And we have scenery to die for (just ask Chris McCandless).

You should give it a thought. This isn't the cheapest place in the world to live, but it's not the most expensive either - assuming you're living somewhere like Anchorage.

[Sequoia]

88. Western NC is very beautiful.

My home state.

http://www.coldmountainlife.com/index.php


Northern California is pretty nice too but can be somewhat expensvie-- Sonoma County. Home to: Richard Ripley of Ripley's Believe it or Not, Luther Burbank, and Charles Schulz. The ocean is nearby too and bunches of wineries, and lots of bicycle riding.

http://www.sonomacounty.com/

NO Jesus Camps here.

BTW: Why do you have to take so much vallium or are you being sarcastic!?

Forget Idaho (Nazi haven) and Montana...cold.

[Cobalt Violet]

91. Central Massachusetts.

Cheaper housing than eastern MA. 2hrs. to the White Mountains in NH., 2 hrs from Cape Cod and the Islands (warm enough water to swim unlike the other coast). 3 hrs to NYC. It's the bluest state. We have a good education system. We have Kerry & Kennedy and all the reps. are dems as well. There is part time work around too.

And pets are allowed.

[TrogL]

93. Canada

The loonie's above $1.03

[WinkyDink]

95. Eastern Pennsy! I'm 90 minutes equidistant from Philly, Jersey Shore, NYC, and not far from

Boston or D.C.
Must be SOME reason New Yorkers and Jerseyites are moving here!

[madeline_con]

96. I've heard some nice things about Washington.

They've got your beach and mountains.

So does California...

[Esse Quam Videri]

97. Let me know if I can answer some questions

My wife and I just moved to Denver after living my entire life in NC - 35 years - Charlotte to be exact. I can see that some have recommended Colorado - which my wife and I adore. As far as the money situation goes you could do quite well in the area south of Charlotte - horses and land and still be close enough to the city. You will also have little to no snow to deal with during the winter. In fact expect highs averaging in the mid to upper 50s for most of the winter. You would have both mountains and ocean within 2-3 hours drive from the house. However, be prepared for some encounters with true southern "red necks" should you move to that area. In that I mean people who are church going people and are "preached" to for 6 months before a presidential election not to vote "for no baby killer."

As far as the Colorado recommendations go all I can say is that we LOVE IT!!! I know you will have a winter (we are expecting some snow this weekend in Parker) and the property values seem to be a lot more than in NC.

Once again, please feel to contact me should you have any questions I can answer about NC.

[martymar64]

100. The San Juan Islands, WA State

Nice and peaceful , a few short sea miles and you're in Canada! Only accessible by boat, ferry or seaplane. Think Summerisle in the Wicker Man but without the weird religious cult.
In a crunch, any of the islands in Puget Sound would be cool. Hubby can become a fishing guide and take other lawyers out to go catch some salmon and go orca watching.
In fact it sounds so good, I should go myself!

http://www.guidetosanjuans.com/

[Capn Sunshine]

101. OK, but you live in San Diego- you may not like actual weather

Weather is never a thought to us in California; other places it's in the forefront of people's minds because it can kill you. Once you're beyond that notion , I'd suggest Idaho, the northWestern part of the panhandle. Stay with a college town. We have a place in Moscow On the Washington Border; closest big city is Spokane) and it's chock full of fundies and right wing loons, and everyone carries a gun. But it's only one aspect of the area; there's a huge liberal population because of the colleges. Property is reasonable. But fair warning:Baby boomers are all planning on leaving the big city for the simpler life of small towns everywhere and this will trigger a real estate price escalation , so I figure you have about 5 good years left before this exodus starts in earnest.

Other places I think are cool:

I definitely agree regarding the San Juans. But it's pricey IMO and riding the ferry for everything increases your overhead.

Vancouver Island, BC -if you get away from Victoria, and once the Canadian dollar returns to it's former price ( .75 to one US dollar) there's some great bargains in places like Sydney Harbor.

Anyplace along the Puget Sound- Seattle is resonable considering you're in amajor metropolitan area. if you want trees and mountains, get up to places like Snohomish ,Index and Sultan.

Everett, Wa is very cool and if you like old houses- there's a whole swath of them along the waterfront. Very reasonable. Bellingham is also nice.

Closer to home, try the Julian area. Once the fire damge is grown over there will be some serious upside.

Actually any of the small towns along 395 (Sierras) have pretty reasonable prices as well.

Flagstaff, AZ. Prescott is also interesting. Very cool, and the prices are unbelieveable.

here's the view from our place in Idaho ( 6 acres, 5 br , 3500 sq ft for 350k)

[lizerdbits]

103. Buy my condo in Germantown MD

I live next to drug dealers who have band practice at 10:00pm and look stunned when I knock to ask to turn the music down. Er, I mean it's really quiet here!

[billyskank]

106. The state of Britain has billyskank in it

and the town where I live is very beautiful. :bounce:

[riverdale]

107. I wish I lived where you do

Honestly, I think almost anywhere in the US would be a step down from San Diego. There is a reason it's so expensive... it is worth it. I think once you go somewhere with real weather you may not be liking it :-)
So if money were no object, I may pick California or Hawaii. If money is an object, I have decided the best place to live in the US would be Charleston SC.

[mike_c]

109. northern california sucks-- please do not move here....

:rofl:

[rucky]

110. How about an uncharted desert isle? n/t

[BlueCollar]

112. "...where we don't live next door to Jesus Camp ..."

You may want to avoid Texas....

But you did want to buy in the north so you're safe avoiding us down here

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