To continue from a previous thread...

I'm looking to live the "down-slope" part of my life, the 50+ and beyond years, in a more cost effective, gentler, and temperate part of the country.

Since we have such a diverse group of people from all walks of life and parts of the country, I was wondering if you guys and gals can lay out the welcome wagon and speak about some of the benefits of living in your neck of the woods.

My priorities are:

Availability of work (Technology field)
Cost of Living
Climate
Schools
Crime
Music Scene

Where is the best place to live in this great country of ours?

Where ever YOU are happy ...
t.

For most of the items you posted, Delaware fits the bill fairly good, however, it still gets cold there in winter. There is no Utopia. The next best would be Florida's west coast. The housing is less expensive, the climiate (other than hurricane season) is warm most of the year, cost of living is somewhat lower than most states, but there are lots of folks that will perform for little or no money, thus making a living as a OMB there can be a challenge.

Good luck on your decission,

Gary

Well you certainly don't want to come to North Louisiana. You would miss all that snow in the winter. You wouldn't get to use your car nearly as much as everything is much closer together. And that's a good thing because gasoline prices are only a dollar less per gallon than California.
Getting a tee-time is not nearly the challenge it is in bigger locales. Taking a vacation is no fun because you don't get to drive more than a few miles to reach lakes, casinos, historic sites, etc. But if you insist on seeing a big city, Dallas is less than 3 hours.
Our 2,000+ square foot home on the golf course cost an outrageous $120,000 a few years ago.
If you are from the Washington D.C. area though, you'll feel right at home, because their is still plenty of government corruption, but this time on the state level!
But most importantly, there is no room for another entertainer. We have it all wrapped up here!

DonM

hmmmm...
Great Climate, currently 55 F at 10:45am.
Ocean at your doorstep.
Clean lakes & drinking water.
Mountains for skiing, hiking, biking...you name it.
Great medical plan.
Isolated...if & when you want it to be.
Close to big music scene if you want it.
Crime...nothing like the large metropolis'.Availability of Work: Large field for Techs.
COL: Average.
2000 sq. ft. home, nice subdivision, $400K Canadian. (somewhere between 250K & 285K U.S.
Gasoline: currently $3.48(Can.)/Gal.
Where:???

...Vancouver Island, B.C.

Imho the best place to live is the place where I can make music the whole day without being disturbed by anything I can imagine.



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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

*****DREAMERS*****

No place is perfect, each location has its ups and downs, been looking for the perfect spot all my life, and still looking to relocate for the last time. This is really hard for me and the wife, No place want's a californian for a neighbor, not even here in California....

------------------
Support the arts
FEED a Musician
Cheers....Pose

Yes, I'm a dreamer and I'm proud to be!!!

The world has been performed by dreamers. Even God had a dream too...
What's wrong with us? We live a dream inside a dream.


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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

Dreaming? Do you think trying to improve my quality of life by getting out of New York is a dream? I'm not asking for Bali, or Hawaii, or Palau. I know there is no Shangri-La. But there has to be a more economical, safe, caring, place than New York; No?

Savannah, Georgia and Hilton Head, South Carolina is as close to perfect as anywhere I've ever been so I've made it my home. We're just a full day's drive from the frigid Northeast so we get a lot of transplanted people here from NY, NJ, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Ohio, etc. The climate is ideal - we're already in the 60's and have had some 70's for high this month (February) and we're just below the snow line - I haven't seen a snowflake here in years and have never seen any accumulation. Cost of living is relatively low due to nice climate most of the year and we have some of the cheapest gasoline in the country (don't know why but not complaining). Taxes are relatively low too. I've worked in the technology field myself here on and off and found jobs easily... now I'm a full-time muso and this is a tourist destination area so that tells you something about the music scene. Also, I play as far south as Jacksonville (3 hours) and as far north as Myrtle Beach (4 hours) as well in Charleston (less than 2 hours). If you want to check out the job scene, more local info and classified ads can be found in our local newspapers online:
http://www.savannahnow.com (Savannah) http://www.islandpacket.com (Hilton Head)

Savannah is my favorite city of any - it's completely shaded under magnificent oaks and is very lively thanks to a popular art college downtown. It was spared from the ravages of the Civil War and has lovely architecture. And it has it's own "Key West" beach area in quirky and fun Tybee Island. Hilton Head is 30 miles north and is the fastest growing area in South Carolina. It is very upscale and progressive and property on the island can be expensive but the surrounding areas are very affordable. Golf is king - there are 40 top golf courses on the island alone. I moved to Hilton Head almost six years ago but lived in Savannah for ten years before that and I'm here to stay.

I can't speak to the quality of the schools but I know people have moved here specifically because they liked the school system. Crime is lower here than in other regions, especially on Hilton Head which has a lot of private security.

I think the only drawback to this area is the cost of hurricane insurance because of our location. And every year we seem to be in the bull's eye for every storm that comes out of the Atlantic... but the fact is that we are "in the pocket" of the East Coast and somehow we manage to never get a direct hit (knock on wood). In fact, the last major hurricane to hit here happened over 105 years ago. This is where the east coast of Florida evacuates to.

If you feel like being tempted, you can always come for a visit... that's usually all it takes.

I do not!
I guess nearly every place in the world is an improvement for life's quality. A fortiori if you're actually living in NY. That's right, isn't it?



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Greetings from Frankfurt (Germany),
Sheriff ;-)

Kybd:
We're all dreaming of that Ideal spot, I've been to NYC don't blame you a bit for trying to excape, I would be doing it in a minute. We're looking also to make a move to a more suitable spot, where we're at is great for a lot of things, but our place has a huge amount of upkeep, that we're geting to the point of not being able to take care of it. Have been considering (after a year of webb hunting) Poteau, OK. type it into your URL and take a look. Went thru there a couple years ago Its georgious.

We live on the eastern slopes of the sierra's 4600 ft el.

35 min drive to Reno omb heaven
cool cry summers
Mountains, valley setting overlooking a lake, pines, oaks, surrounds us, views are breathtaking
Small town atmosphere low crime and most ammenities in place
some snow usually melts off in a couple of days (this Winter it stayed for 60 days)
Temps usually runs from about 12 degrees F in th winter to mid 80's in Aug, but has gotten below zero and up to 98 for a few hours (usually in the afternoon) here.
Gasoline at present $2.09. Taxes are about average electricity is on a co-op so a bit cheaper Wages are a bit higher than average.
Tech jobs would have to be out of reno.
Schools are average with just a community college in town University of Nevada at Reno or Chico State is the only close schools, I would rate this area at a 8 for a place to live, The cold is not a problem if your a inside worker, but outside Its not the best.
Happy Hunting......Pose

The Pro,

Oh man, you make it sound so nice down there. I must admit to being tempted by the Atlanta area, but I've never been to Savannah. My wife and I are just enamoured (sp) with the Georgian homes and way of life. Unfortunately, we know all about hurricanes first hand when in 1991-1992 we lived in Miami and we are refugees of Hurricane Andrew. That experient turned out to be a literal disaster. We are willing to try again.

We've also heard so many great things about Hilton Head. It may be just a tad too touristy for us, since we are trying to get away from crowds.

Your idea of a visit is an excellent one. What would be the best time of the year to visit? During the Hot/Humid summer, Winter?

Regards,
Al

Pose,

Very interesting. How did you come upon Poteau? What was your criteria and what other areas were on your top 5 list? Are you worried about Tornado Alley?

Regards,
Al

Portland Oregon....it has grown a lot for the past 10 years. Used to hate it here but now I'm liking it!

Technology: No shortage here. Even though I'm not in that industry, at least I know Intel is here and there are quite a few smaller companies out there too.

Music: Got quite a few events happening throughout the year, we have Portland Center of Performing Arts/Arlene Schnitzer concert, local events all the time, lots of places playing from 3 piece Jazz to folk.

Housing: Depending what kind of taste and where you want to live...but $200K can get you a pretty nice house (no big yard though).

Climate: Definitely not as cold as East coast. A little too cold for me at first, but now I'm somewhat adjusting.

By the way..I AM also looking for a Triton Studio tutor

[This message has been edited by KN_Fan (edited 02-26-2005).]

kbrkr:

Basically we're on a fixed income and prices have gone over the top here in california. We're looking for a place, safe with privacy, where the economy slowly changes. Friendly but a good place to coast out our lives being confortable and not spending a lot of effort doing chores. where the weather is not to extreme.
Some things on the list: for Poteau (pronounced Po Toe) Driving distance to Vets hospt. Fort Smith 28 miles. Local hospitals, yes plus med centers. Near a good size City 25 miles to Fort Smith. Affordable homes Poteau 2000 sq ft about 110k to 140k (brand new 1800 sq ft sub div home from 102K) Low taxes poteau home for 110k taxes about 800 per year gasoline there is about 1.59 natural gas is cheap if you live on a section that has a gas well in some places its free. Rivers and streams abundant, pine forest on edge of town. most terain is rolling to gentle slopes with mountains around.
Most toranodo's go north of Poteau they seem to like the flats and not the hills and mountains. (don't think they've ever had one in the 150 yr history) fruits and nuts grow on your property with almost no care. Most houses are far apart on small acerage usually with your own stream and pond (all are full of fish). It sounds like paradise, but I see some drawbacks, If you get out in the woods you'll find the Indian redbug (chiggers) these little guys can turn you away from ever going into the woods again, at least they don't like me, some people they don't bother. The second and biggest in my opinion is the high humidity for about 3 months, the temps are not that high so cent air and overhead fans pretty well handle this inside, but the afternoons can be uncomfortable if your outside moving around. If your setting still under a pecan tree in the shade,Not bad.
If your a born ny'er the cultural shock might get you. The people are very friendly, and have nothing to fear or hide from, will introduce themselves by full name and tell you where they live. unlike NY or cal. where they might give you a first name only. or just mumble it. Usually a short time will settle down a outsider, to this slower Mayberry Rfd lifestyle.
Poteau is in the top 100 best places to live. And real estate is cheap because of children graduating and moving to the city to make it big. The main reason for picking this area for me is, I can sell our very nice home here and buy 4 nicer one's there for the money..
If you would like to see the home we're looking at. http://www.unitedcountry.com click locate a office, work your way to Poteau OK. and click show all listings click pg 2 look for price of 169k english tudor............Pose

If you do let me know what you think of it.


------------------
Support the arts
FEED a Musician
Cheers....Pose

[This message has been edited by loungelyzard (edited 02-26-2005).]

Pose,

Looks like a great place to live, taxes are considerably lower than here in the People's Republic of Maryland, and the home is beautiful. The price for the same place here would be close to $750,000.

Good Luck,

Gary

Gar:
About The same here, but down in the bay area probably 1.5 mil....Pose

I lived in Atlanta for a while and still do the occasional gig there. Too competitive a market there and very hectic... not really like the rest of Georgia but at least it's in the mainstream of concerts and stuff.

Savannah is real Georgia, lifestyle and all. It's shady and laidback. It has class and it also has a touch of New Orleans about it. Savannah was well portrayed in the movie and book "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil". No place I like better, but it isn't in the mainstream so we don't get concerts like they do in Atlanta (that's all about Atlanta I miss). Otherwise Savannah is a beautiful lady.

Hilton Head is not as touristy as you might think... it's very contemporary and stylish. Nothing like Myrtle Beach or the like. Lots of marinas and such plus the golf-life is everywhere. Biking is big too - lots of paved trails. Over 250 unique places to dine just on the island alone. Hilton Head is kinda like one big manicured garden really. And just north of Hilton Head is Beaufort, which is very charming and scenic in that Savannah/Charleston way. Speaking of Charleston, that's another lovely and friendly city just up the road well wroth seeing... they have a little more tendency to get the Atlantic storms than we do down here for some reason.

The best time of year to visit is Spring and Fall I guess, especially September when it's warm but not as busy. Winter is nice but the beach is chilly then. Summer is crazed, especially July. Do not visit Savannah during Saint Patrick's Day when drunk tourists take it over briefly.

C'mon down - we'd be glad to see ya'll...

Jim,

Maybe I'll make it on my next trip south. I need to go where the temperature is 75 or higher--damned it's cold here. I'm seriously looking for a place in the Florida Keys, preferably Big Pine Key or one a bit farther south.

Gary

Gary,

I hear you brother. The wife and I have just about had it with the cold weather up here in the Mid-atlantic. 50-60 degrees is looking real warm to me right now.

The keys sound wonderful; no shoes, linen shirt open and flapping in the breeze, Kickapoo joy juice in my hand, Sunsets on the horizon, ok somebody wake me up!

OK, Will you guy's QqqqqqWit already, now you got me wanting to move.
I don't know why, heck it's 20 above zero & only about 18" of snow on
the ground.
Ha talk about paradise ah.
Denny

Sorry Denny, I didn't intend on triggering a mass exodus. All it takes is one person to talk about how good they have it.

You can only drink so much Hot chocolate to stay warm!

Al

I LOVE the snow, and the clean, crisp smell of winter in the air ..... I even stole back my "Jersey Girl" from that horrid Florida Sunshine !
Philly Rocks! We got it all - culture, casinos, wildlife and nightlife!

Oh UD, your just in denial!

He's not in denial--he's in heat! Ya' just can't get cold when the hormones are going wild and your heat is slamming like a trip-hammer.

Cheers from an older, colder man,

Gary

i used to live in central london,which i imagine is more like new york than any other city,we moved to the country to get away from the rat race, that lasted 3 years ,so we sold up and moved to spain,a different way of life but in many ways better,as been said there is no utopia,but you can get close,what is right?,people will always have opposing views in all things,what you need to do is sit down with your family discuss and make lists of what you would really like,when you agree then start your search,a lot of people reach that age in life whereas the kids have grown and you look at yourself and say,THERES got to be more to life than this,and it looks now its that time for you,mike

The irony that UD got a girl from Florida to heat up with in Philly was not lost on me...