NBR: Do you like where you live?

mrsf123 · January 2013

DH and I are thinking of leaving Manhattan and moving somewhere where the pace of life is a little slower and our money goes a little farther. Do you like where you live? Why should we or should we not move there?

CharmedBAcMF · January 2013

I live in Florida. Honestly, I love it here. Just not my particular condo.

The beaches, the sun, the relaxed way of life. Much better than the hustle and bustle of up north. We live on Island time down here. It's much nicer that way.

MitsB707 · January 2013

DH and I moved to Hamilton Square, NJ, basically equidistant between Philadelphia and NYC. Houses are much more reasonable than where I grew up in Edgewater, NJ, but we're not that far from my family who's all throughout Bergen County. We were actually able to get a three bedroom, two and a half bathroom home with a finished basement and garage for the same price of a one bedroom apartment in Edgewater. Plus, there's a train that will get DH to work in Newark, NJ that could also get us to Penn Station, NY if we ever wanted to venture into the city. Overall, I love the small town feel that's so close to both cities. We also have a huge gorgeous park right next to our house that we look forward to taking LO. Good luck of you decide to move to the burbs!

Emeraldeyed315 · January 2013

DH and I just moved out of the UES this summer

I love NYC, and we think someday we may want to retire there...or visit often. But for every day life we wanted to move back home to central NY. We are incredibly happy with our decision. The cost of living is so much less, people are less rushed and our hours at work are less so we have more time to spend together. We are 100% happy with our decision.

mrsf123 · January 2013

Maritza707:
DH and I moved to Hamilton Square, NJ, basically equidistant between Philadelphia and NYC. Houses are much more reasonable than where I grew up in Edgewater, NJ, but we're not that far from my family who's all throughout Bergen County. We were actually able to get a three bedroom, two and a half bathroom home with a finished basement and garage for the same price of a one bedroom apartment in Edgewater. Plus, there's a train that will get DH to work in Newark, NJ that could also get us to Penn Station, NY if we ever wanted to venture into the city. Overall, I love the small town feel that's so close to both cities. We also have a huge gorgeous park right next to our house that we look forward to taking LO. Good luck of you decide to move to the burbs!

Our more realistic option is moving to the Jersey suburbs, which will certainly be less expensive!

anvloveskme · January 2013

Portland = Love! My only complaint is I wish we got a few more days of sunshine per year.

Mira0221 · January 2013

Dh and I just moved from manhattan to one of the river towns in August. I can't lie, I really miss the city. We just knew it wasn't going to be where we ultimately settled down with a family. We are currently renting, trying to decide what area best suits us. We are having a hard time justifying buying something and paying the crazy taxes!

With that said, if you want to stay in ny the river towns are very nice, Fall was great, there seemed to be something going on every weekend, The food is not the same, but manhattan is just a short train ride away. Good luck!!

mrsf123 · January 2013

CharmedBAcMF:
I live in Florida. Honestly, I love it here. Just not my particular condo.
The beaches, the sun, the relaxed way of life. Much better than the hustle and bustle of up north. We live on Island time down here. It's much nicer that way.

Where in Florida do you live? We were thinking of Miami, but I think the pace of life will be just as fast there as it is here. DH works incredibly long hours and we hate it.

mrsf123 · January 2013

Emeraldeyed315:
DH and I just moved out of the UES this summer I love NYC, and we think someday we may want to retire there...or visit often. But for every day life we wanted to move back home to central NY. We are incredibly happy with our decision. The cost of living is so much less, people are less rushed and our hours at work are less so we have more time to spend together. We are 100% happy with our decision.

We are on the UWS. I'd stay here forever if I could afford it, but the cost of preschool alone is going to kill us!

cinderin · January 2013

Love it! We live in a suburb east of Seattle.

JET29 · January 2013

anvloveskme:
Portland = Love!nbsp; My only complaint is I wish we got a few more days of sunshine per year.nbsp;

I moved from central NJ to Oregon and I love it here. I currently live in Eugene, which is nice, but we plan to move up to Portland eventually.

It has all the amenities of a big city, but the cost of living is reasonable, people are nice, and the pace is slower than the East coast. The only downfall is the rainy winters, but the gorgeous summers make up for it.

ELauren88 · January 2013

I'm sure this isn't at all what you were thinking - but I live in a town outside of Wichita, KS. I absolutely LOVE it. I moved away to Seattle for a hot minute, but was so home sick I moved back. I also tried living in other parts of Kansas, namely Southeast, and it was too "country" (?) for me. I like the option of shopping and entertainment only 15-20 min up the road. It's cheap living, family friendly, and a piece of cake to navigate. Actually, recently, my town was named one of the top 100 best places to raise a family. I'm excited to raise my kids here, and hope I never have to leave again.

Hope you find what you are looking for!

EmeraldSea · January 2013

We moved from DC to California about 4 years ago for DHs job. I love the Bay Area but it is awful living away from family and friends. The cost of living is also crazy high out here. This is where we are both meaningfully employed though, so until we can find a job elsewhere, that's where we will stay.

Some days we think about just packing everything up and driving across the country.

skittles230 · January 2013

We live in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, and I love it here! It's small enough to have a bit of a small town feel, but big enough that you don't feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, plus Spokane is really close for the few shops CDA doesn't have. It's a gorgeous area, and there is a ton of outdoorsy stuff to do, land is cheap and houses are extremely cheap compared to Manhattan. I mean, we are looking at a 4 bedroom 3 bath house on 10 acres for 250,000.

Sascha3 · January 2013

I live in Vegas and I have a love/hate relationship.

Love: sunny almost every day, 9 months of beautiful weather/3 months of terrible heat but the nights are amazing and bug free, 4 BR 3000 sq ft new construction homes are under $300k, amazing shopping, amazing dining...almost every celeb chef has a restaurant or 2 here, tons of shows, new theater with Broadway productions, easy living, no state income tax, and it has been a good economy for us and our particular careers. Easy weekend trips to California.

Hate: very suburban, no real downtown feel, very few cool independent businesses, a lot of chains, all the houses look alike, not enough flea markets/farmers markets, etc. - a few, but not enough. Not enough to do during the day...more of a night town.

iriscarmendiaz · January 2013

All I have to say, is that California is more expensive than the Upper West Side.

I'm a native New Yorker who left to get a change of pace and a change of perspective. I gotta tell you, I got both. While I don't miss living in NY now (Queens/Bronx) I did work on the UWS, and I gotta say Manhattan has a lot of advantages that you just can't get in a lot of places. For instance, I hate driving everywhere, and public transportation out here is a joke. Things close at 9pm, and there are no bodegas (wtf???). It's just terribly inconvenient on so many levels.

That being said, California has pretty decent weather (since I now live in the SF Bay Area), they (mostly) care about sustainability (you still have to drive everywhere), and the quality of food is much better here, though the preparation of it is hit or miss. For the time being, I would prefer to live out here, but if you've never lived anywhere else, it's a major culture shock to leave NYC.

mrsf123 · January 2013

skittles230:
We live in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, and I love it here! It's small enough to have a bit of a small town feel, but big enough that you don't feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, plus Spokane is really close for the few shops CDA doesn't have. It's a gorgeous area, and there is a ton of outdoorsy stuff to do, land is cheap and houses are extremely cheap compared to Manhattan. I mean, we are looking at a 4 bedroom 3 bath house on 10 acres for 250,000.

OMG can I just say you can't get a 300 square foot studio apartment for that price! This is why I'm *so* ready to leave!

skittles230 · January 2013

mrsf123:
skittles230:
We live in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho, and I love it here! It's small enough to have a bit of a small town feel, but big enough that you don't feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, plus Spokane is really close for the few shops CDA doesn't have. It's a gorgeous area, and there is a ton of outdoorsy stuff to do, land is cheap and houses are extremely cheap compared to Manhattan. I mean, we are looking at a 4 bedroom 3 bath house on 10 acres for 250,000.
OMG can I just say you can't get a 300 square foot studio apartment for that price!nbsp; This is why I'm so ready to leave![/
quote] I will say, Manhattan to CDA would be a HUGE culture shock lol, I got a mild culture shock moving from Portland.

mrsf123 · January 2013

iriscarmendiaz:
All I have to say, is that California is more expensive than the Upper West Side.
I'm a native New Yorker who left to get a change of pace and a change of perspective. I gotta tell you, I got both. While I don't miss living in NY now (Queens/Bronx) I did work on the UWS, and I gotta say Manhattan has a lot of advantages that you just can't get in a lot of places. For instance, I hate driving everywhere, and public transportation out here is a joke. Things close at 9pm, and there are no bodegas (wtf???). It's just terribly inconvenient on so many levels.
That being said, California has pretty decent weather (since I now live in the SF Bay Area), they (mostly) care about sustainability (you still have to drive everywhere), and the quality of food is much better here, though the preparation of it is hit or miss. For the time being, I would prefer to live out here, but if you've never lived anywhere else, it's a major culture shock to leave NYC.

I'm sure! On the one hand, I really do think it's the center of the universe and the amount of culture and experiences that I can provide my kids with is amazing. But preschool next year is $19,000 for 3 days a week 3 hours a day. And we live in a 2 bedroom 900 square foot apartment. And DH works all.the.time. There's no quality of life for him at all. And we can't save an effing dime even though we make a boatload of money between teh two of us. So what can I say, it's a little rough right now and I"m having a bit of grass is greener. I know I can get a lot more for my money somewhere else... but I also recognize that then I have to live there. Which is why I'm asking everyone here for opinions

janneann1127 · January 2013

We live in southern CA. I like it here a lot, but if you're looking for somewhere with a better cost of living.. well, this ain't it. :-) It does, however, have amazing weather, great foods, so many outdoor activities, farmers markets, etc.

I grew up in Fort Collins, CO.. and I have to say, it was a wonderful place to live. Despite what you may have heard, they really do have great weather in CO. You get all four seasons, but even in the winter, you still get a LOT of sunshine and 60 degrees sometimes. And the summers there are AMAZING. Also a cheaper cost of living, nice people, and it's a college town so there are tons of restaurants, bars, etc. It's been on the Best Place to Live list or whatever many, many times.

beezybaby · January 2013

I don't like where I live, but I LOVE where I used to, Boulder CO.

It is fantastic. Amazing views, independently owned everything: restaurants, clothing stores, home goods, tons of organic options, an amazing music scene, miles and miles of open spces hiking, close to good family skiing, 30 minutes from Denver, the top schools in the state, beautiful residential areas, happy people, and awesome activities for kids and families all year round. I regularly dream of moving back there.

jessilena22 · January 2013

We moved from NYC to Orlando last year and it was absolutely the best decision we could have made. Everything here is a little bit calmer, and a good amount cheaper, but there is still a Northern state of mind because there are so many transplants from the North that's it's not too much of a culture shock. Plus, it's a great place to raise children. Hello Disney?! :

skittles230 · January 2013

Oops mobile bumping made a mess of my last post, sorry!

MrsSteSte · January 2013

We live in the Midwest, in a college town. We both like it 100 percent more than we were expecting when we moved here. I can see us staying indefinitely.

I've also lived on the east coast but in a smaller town, which I loved; in Boulder, CO and other towns on the front range, loved; and Chicago, hated after a few years.

Smaller towns and college towns are definitely much, much, much more my thing.

gnomely · January 2013

I live in Austin, and I love it. The cost of living is reasonable. You can easily find an in-city home (say, 3/2, .25 acre) for 175-250k. Downtown and adjacent neighborhoods are more expensive, but that's true in most cities.

A lot of people have a knee-jerk reaction to Texas (either love or hate!), but Austin is...well, it's called the Republic of Austin for a reason. It's an 'other' kind of place.

The economy is great--our unemployment rate is around 5%. The city planners are doing a good job of developing the city well. The food is amazing. Seriously. I've lived here 8 years, eat out a lot, and have barely scratched the surface of the restaurants and bars that are here. Within the city you can kayak/canoe, rock climb and boulder, go trail running, hike, etc.

Also, there's SXSW and ACL, which bring millions of people to the city every year. There are also farmers markets, art festivals, smaller music festivals, etc...

The downside is the heat. Seriously. From late May till early October it might hit 100 degrees every day.

caramia582 · January 2013

We live in a town just outside Boston- I love it! I am Massachusetts born and raised and I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. I love the history here and the old buildings, famous universities, the beaches, mountains, and of course the accent lol. I also love knowing my kids are only 25 miles from one of the best children's hospitals in the country, possibly the world. However, if you're looking for a quieter, more relaxed way of life, this area probably isn't for you. Everyone here is a spaz.

Edit: We also live in a HCOL area. My friend who lives in Florida was appalled at what I pay for things like yoga classes and preschool, and houses for that matter!

iriscarmendiaz · January 2013

mrsf123:
iriscarmendiaz:
All I have to say, is that California is more expensive than the Upper West Side.
I'm a native New Yorker who left to get a change of pace and a change of perspective. I gotta tell you, I got both. While I don't miss living in NY now (Queens/Bronx) I did work on the UWS, and I gotta say Manhattan has a lot of advantages that you just can't get in a lot of places. For instance, I hate driving everywhere, and public transportation out here is a joke. Things close at 9pm, and there are no bodegas (wtf???). It's just terribly inconvenient on so many levels.
That being said, California has pretty decent weather (since I now live in the SF Bay Area), they (mostly) care about sustainability (you still have to drive everywhere), and the quality of food is much better here, though the preparation of it is hit or miss. For the time being, I would prefer to live out here, but if you've never lived anywhere else, it's a major culture shock to leave NYC.
I'm sure! On the one hand, I really do think it's the center of the universe and the amount of culture and experiences that I can provide my kids with is amazing. But preschool next year is $19,000 for 3 days a week 3 hours a day. And we live in a 2 bedroom 900 square foot apartment. And DH works all.the.time. There's no quality of life for him at all. And we can't save an effing dime even though we make a boatload of money between teh two of us. So what can I say, it's a little rough right now and I"m having a bit of grass is greener. I know I can get a lot more for my money somewhere else... but I also recognize that then I have to live there. Which is why I'm asking everyone here for opinions

Oh, I totally get it. If you're looking for advice, I have two pieces of advice that I would give myself if doing it all over again.

1) I would take a trip to a city I was considering. Check out the neighborhoods in person, experience what traffic and transportation is like, and maybe even see a few apartments to see what we can realistically get for our money before we move there.

2) Next time we move, we're putting our stuff in storage and bringing all the essentials. We're not moving an entire apartment full of furniture 3,000 miles again (or any long distance). If we decide we like it after a year or so we'd send for our stuff. If we have to move back, we don't have to re-pack and re-ship everything we own. It's easier packing up some clothes and books than arranging transportation for entire rooms of furniture.

I sincerely hope you find what you're looking for in a price that is reasonable to you! :-)

Samanthapohaku · January 2013

DH and I live in San Diego (born and bred). Definitely a very relaxed place to live, and less expensive than NYC but not cheap by any means. However, I think it's worth the "sunshine dollars"... it's 75 and sunny here today! Where else can you get temperate weather (and not humid!), be close to the beach, mountains and desert and have the benefit of a good sized city?

rzepka525 · January 2013

DH and I live in Southern California, in a suburban area near Los Angeles. I love our city, but the cost of living is definitely not cheap. We live in an apartment right now, which isn't ideal, but we would rather sacrifice a couple of years saving for a house and living in this area than move closer to the city. We both grew up here so our families are close and most of our close friends are still nearby also. It's a really safe and close-knit community and I couldn't imagine raising a family anywhere else.

iriscarmendiaz · January 2013

meegie-lee:
I live in Austin, and I love it. The cost of living is reasonable. You can easily find an in-city home (say, 3/2, .25 acre) for 175-250k. Downtown and adjacent neighborhoods are more expensive, but that's true in most cities.
A lot of people have a knee-jerk reaction to Texas (either love or hate!), but Austin is...well, it's called the Republic of Austin for a reason. It's an 'other' kind of place.
The economy is great--our unemployment rate is around 5%. The city planners are doing a good job of developing the city well. The food is amazing. Seriously. I've lived here 8 years, eat out a lot, and have barely scratched the surface of the restaurants and bars that are here. Within the city you can kayak/canoe, rock climb and boulder, go trail running, hike, etc.
Also, there's SXSW and ACL, which bring millions of people to the city every year. There are also farmers markets, art festivals, smaller music festivals, etc...
The downside is the heat. Seriously. From late May till early October it might hit 100 degrees every day.

Thanks for this. I've always had a knee-jerk reaction to Texas (just like you said) but my husband and I have been considering Austin. Glad to hear something about it from someone who has actually lived there. I'm warming up to the idea.

Sascha3 · January 2013

I know everyone says Southern California is expensive but I think it is a bargain compared to NYC. I have best friends in both places. My 2 friends in Beverly Hills pay about 2400 a month...one for a beautiful 2 bedroom flat, one for a 2 bedroom modern mid rise apartment, both with free parking. Both about 1200 sq ft. My best friend in NY pays about 2500 for her HALF of a small 2 bedroom apartment. Parking would be another 500 if she had a car. San Francisco is pretty on par with NY though.

$19k a year for part time preschool blows my mind! Not to mention your taxes. My friend makes low 6 figures and brings home about half of that. Then more than half of that amount goes to her housing and utilities so she is living paycheck to paycheck.

nthomas983 · January 2013

We live in Atlanta and LOVE it. We live in the city, in a very eclectic area. Walking distance to parks, restaurants, bars, etc. Cost of living is affordable. And I really like the weather, which is usually pretty sunny and warm (I'm from Minnesota, and I much prefer the southern climate!).

Now with baby on the way, we are looking to move closer to our parents who all live in the northern suburbs of Atlanta, as they will be providing a lot of support with child care. We're not looking forward to moving back out to the 'burbs, but I know it is what makes sense with the baby. We'll see if we love it as much as our urban life.

nikkiandchris · January 2013

We live in Madison, NJ and I love it here and hope we can afford to stay. Still expensive, but nowhere near what it is in NYC. Wonderful schools, and a great neighborhood feeling. We're only a 45 min train ride from the city, it was a good change for us.

uvallie · January 2013

DH and I live in Richmond, VA which is about 100 miles south of Washington, DC. My only reason for every wanting to leave is that I've lived in different cities around Virginia and would love to try something different one day. Our county that surrounds the city typically scores in the top 5 (or maybe top 10) of public schools in the country. Every kid gets a Mac, etc etc. We are one hour from the beach, 40 minutes from Williamsburg, VA, one hour from skiing, and 1.5 hours from DC, where you can get your Cartier and other luxury goods shopping done and see the museums, white house, etc. The best part about Richmond though is definitely its location in respect to other things. There is a great outdoor vibe that has come together in last couple of years and there's always a festival in the nice months somewhere.

In reference to one of the posters who lives in Austin. Austin is amazing!!!! My dad and sister live there and I have seriously fallen in love. I have asked my DH numerous times to move but I know that we can never as his job is Richmond specific. Everything the other poster said was true. There are also different places to live around Austin, like in the city or in the "hill country" which seems like a world away from a city but is only like 25 minutes away and nestled on a lake with beautiful views. South Congress Street is amazing and a must see to experience Austin. Keep Austin Weird!!

mrsf123 · January 2013

nikkiandchris:
We live in Madison, NJ and I love it here and hope we can afford to stay. Still expensive, but nowhere near what it is in NYC. Wonderful schools, and a great neighborhood feeling. We're only a 45 min train ride from the city, it was a good change for us.

we've been looking in millburn, we're just wondering if it makes sense to leave the area completely instead!

rissa06 · January 2013

We live in bridgewater, nj and I think it's a great place to raise the kids. It's right in the middle of the state, an hr from Phili and an hour from NYC. We are on the raritan valley train line. Schools are good. People are friendly, neighbors are spread apart.

for me, I miss living in a city with everything around in walking distance. I'm not a big driver and I have to drive everywhere. Not like Boston, where u have Boston ski and sports club.

i want to live abroad for a while and I would love to live in Seattle, but we will see where life brings.

NiksMama · January 2013

beezybaby:
I don't like where I live, but I LOVE where I used to, Boulder CO.It is fantastic. nbsp;Amazing views, independently owned everything: restaurants, clothing stores, home goods, tons of organic options, an amazing music scene, miles and miles of open spces hiking, close to good family skiing, 30 minutes from Denver, the top schools in the state, beautiful residential areas, happy people, and awesome activities for kids and families all year round. nbsp;I regularly dream of moving back there. nbsp;nbsp;

I live in Boulder and I second everything said here. Colorado gets 300 days of sunshine a year. Boulder was recently named the foodiest town in America by gourmet magazine and has an awesome culture of funky, liberal outdoorsiness. I love it and would find it hard to live anywhere else.

kmr333 · January 2013

Regarding your DH's job, it could be that his whole industry is tends to be really fast-paced, so it might be worth it to look for a similar position but in a different industry. Just something to consider.

I live in Minneapolis. It is freaking cold here. I wish I could move somewhere else, but the cold is really the only reason. Schools are excellent here, jobs are plentiful, medical care is great, and there are tons of restaurants and museums, and good live music. Taxes are a bit high, I suppose, and real estate prices vary greatly by neighborhood.

ack2002 · January 2013

Wow there are a lot of NYC'ers on this board! I live in southwest OH and i'ts just okay. I hate cold weather so I am miserable about 5 months out of the year. I lived in Chapel Hill when I was younger and would love to move back there sometime. Or San Diego (but not sure if we could afford it!).

TMILLER45 · January 2013

I live in a beach community on the south shore of long island and I love it. I am born and raised in my town and I'm so happy my daughter will have the same beach experiences that I have had living in this community. The con is that the house sizes tend to be small while the price is still high because of the location. Pros - it's such a family oriented community, things are in walking distance, beautiful boardwalk and beaches, great restaurants/nightlife....

nikkiandchris · January 2013

mrsf123:
nikkiandchris:
We live in Madison, NJ and I love it here and hope we can afford to stay. Still expensive, but nowhere near what it is in NYC. Wonderful schools, and a great neighborhood feeling. We're only a 45 min train ride from the city, it was a good change for us.
we've been looking in millburn, we're just wondering if it makes sense to leave the area completely instead!

I like Millburn, and Summit is wonderful. I hear you on leaving the area, we have seriously considered it. Living here (even in the suburbs) is hard, cost of living and keeping up with the pace takes it's toll. But, NY Metro is home to us, and I'm not sure we'll ever leave!

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