We live in Southern California. The home prices are ridiculous. The materialism is out.of.control. DH and I dream of moving somewhere family friendly with mild weather (we have become wussies growing up here) and more down-to-earth people.
Do you live somewhere like that?
Re: I want to move....where do you live? Do you love it?
i opened this post thinking i'd tell you do NOT move to LA. lol. but you already know that.
dh and i are trying to figure out when we might be able to move to northern california. somewhere close to santa cruz, but maybe even closer to san francisco. not to say home prices will be that much better.
but after yesterday, overhearing two 11 yr olds and a 15 yr old talk about their private schools and ambitions for the future (hmmm, director, actor, writer, producer? which makes the most $$$? which job can my dad get me easiest?) i am certain that i need to get the fuuck out of this city before my kids are corrupted.
We moved from OC (dh is from Hb, i'm from irvine!)
to just outside of raleigh, nc! We LOVE it!
I see what you are saying about So. Cal- my brother in law and his wife life in San Diego, are almost one hundred thousand dollars in debt- yet they drive an Escalade and Mercedes, she has a Burberry and Coach diaper bag.....I could go on and on about all of the frivilous crap they have.
I live in the Philly suburbs and love it, but that would be quite a hike/culture shock for you! And not so mild weather either! But everyone is really nice, and I feel so safe here. We have the best neighbors. Good luck finding a place that makes you happy!
That reason, more than ANYTHING, is why I want out. I can deal with the home prices, I just can't deal with the people. I want DD to know she is worth more in life than the cost of her car/shoes/education/etc.
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I grew up in Westchester, and it was very materialistic!!?
Everyone else in CA is moving to TX, so you should too! There is new nestie on the DFW board who just relocated from the LA area. She just bought a huge home in one of the nicest areas in the metroplex ... I'm assuming she made a killing on her home sale, and since the COL here is much lower ... she's pretty much set.
We have very little cold weather, and great BBQ
The Mouse ~ 06.12.08 | The Froggy ~ 02.23.11
I love the Seattle area. We recycle, we do lots of stuff outdoors, we have farmers markets in every neighborhood in summer, we still have great restaurants and shopping and jobs nearby.
Portland, OR is also great. They are a bit less expensive and have great mass transit on top of that. Just driving through Portland makes me feel relaxed, even though it's still a good-sized city.
i lived outside of raleigh..(cary) for mannnny yrs. great area..schools..safe..everything at your finger tips. the beach is only about an hour n ahalf away. you got the mountains about 3 hrs away. RTP (research triangle park) has wide variety of careers. check it out!
My Dad grew up in TX (Irving) and his whole family still lives there. I used to spend the summers with my Grandparents in Athens on the lake. I LOVE Texas. DH is a wuss about the humidity, though. Although I did tell him that we can have a baseball diamond in our backyard if we move there....I think that might change his mind
the humidity in the dallas area isn't bad. its south texas that makes you want to die.
eta: oh and the housing market/jobs seem to be pretty stable. we don't know anyone (at least i cant think of any off the top of my head) that have lost their jobs.
Replace the word snow with "rain", and this would also describe how Oregon feels about California drivers. :-) But seriously, Oregon is a great place to live with the beach, mountains and desert close by. Right now it is beautiful. Sunny, 65 and the leaves on the trees are starting to turn colors. It does rain quite a bit, but hey, it gives it a "cozy feel"! :-)
DD #2 - 03.13
I'm kind of fond of where we are in NC. The COL is not crazy high, but the job market and pay levels are good. If you're in high tech or the medical / biotech fields there are lots of opportunties. Great public universities, very family friendly, close to the beach and the mountains, lots to do, etc. I'm not sure about the school system though. All of my neighbors in North Raleigh send their kids to private school and I need to find out why.
And outside of 2 hot, humid summer months, you can't beat the NC weather.
I'm in Jersey. Don't come here. I hate it! COL is rediculous. Unless you move down south.
I'm from the OC in NY. About an hour outside NYC & I miss it so much. I love living in a small town where the cost of living is moderate & the people aren't jerks. lol. Not to mention I moved from a quaint little town to a dump in NJ. Yeah I'm not happy here.
We want to move to PA. Winters are hard there but it's the country & the people are nice.
Austin, Texas is where it's at!! It gets pretty hot in the summer - cool in the winter. Today it's 80 - lovely weather! It can get humid but nothing like Houston. Austin is very laid back - outdoorsy - not too large and not "snooty" at all. There is a lot to do here. Lots of festivals. Live music. It's a culture all it's own.
Another vote for Denver!
Not snobbish at all. Love being able to see the mountains all the time (sunsets can be incredible!). And all the reasons Briezy and Schnappycat mentioned.
We live in NC:O) We love it here...the weather is AMAZING (unless its CRAZY hot and humid...) but that only lasts a short little while during the summer. We grew up in the midwest (Me in IL, DH in IN) went to school in IN, moved from IL/IN ---> Upstate NY--->Philly--->to here. This is 100% the best place we've lived (although I really loved Philly, too)
We live in the middle of RTP (Research Triangle Park...Raleigh/Durham) close to work, shopping, airport, Beach is 2 hrs east and the mountains are 2 hrs west. It's awesome!
i know you said mild weather but ND has 9,000, barely any foreclosures, LCOL, low house prices and we are wholesome as can be!
you can travel to Minneapolis to get away for a weekend...
it's not as bad as you might think. just our weather kind of sucks.
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I love these two beautiful children!