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If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where & why?

fridays_child

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Mar 3, 2012
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230
Hello all,

My husband and I are originally from the midwest (I'm from Chicago, he's from Nebraska), and we've been living in the Seattle area for almost 2 years. Before here we lived in the northshore suburbs of Chicago, and before that Rancho Palos Verdes, which is close to Los Angeles. While the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest is spectacular, we miss living in a world-class city (like our neighbor Vancouver to the north). Also, the cost of living is really high here, which we are used to. But other than the scenery/outdoor activities, we find the quality of life here is not justified by the high cost. (Sorry to any fellow Seattelites! I'm not trying to knock your home, just saying we don't want to settle here permanently, it's not the place for us).

Our oldest two kids will be graduating from HS/middle school after the next school year, and we are thinking it would be a logical time to move again - but where? Illinois and California are both low on our list because of their fiscal health. A city with amazing museums/culture/food would be nice, but we're willing to compromise on that if the cost of living is good. A major airport is a must for us.

If you had to move somewhere else in the US and could choose your next home, where would that be and why?

Thanks for any replies!
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

I'm really not sure ... but some low-hanging fruit: Portland, OR ... Austin, TX ... Providence, RI? I really love the Hudson Valley (where I live) but not sure if we'll retire here because the winters can be tough. We'd be looking at the Wash DC area, to be closer to family ... or, in an ideal world ... Dingle, Ireland? :naughty:


If it's a big city vibe you're looking for .... Philly & Baltimore might fit the bill?
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

I'd move about 20 minutes down the street where we could have a bigger yard.

Sorry -- I LOVE living in the PNW (I'm Bellevue area) and can't imagine anything better. We have access to some of the best medical care, amazing stores (love the different Indian, Iranian, and Asian markets!), great food from around the world. Nice museums (if you haven't been yet, some of the little museums that are within a couple of hours of Seattle are just wonderful). Outdoor activities of all sorts. Near perfect weather.

Short ferry ride (after gorgeous drive!) to San Juan Islands and Vancouver BC, easy to book cruises or flights directly from Seattle to pretty much anywhere. Music. Theater. Wine. Beer. Coffee.


ETA: A few more:
a short drive (okay, couple of hours) to Portland
Leavenworth
concerts at the Gorge
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

I've lived in the Seattle area all my life (I've lived all around Puget Sound) and it would take a HUGE pay offer for DH and I to move. That would be the only reason we left unless the "big one" hit and the entire region was leveled. There is no location we would move simply to live elsewhere. It'd only be for financial reasons!

It is interesting to see that many who move here hate it and on Urban Dictionary, there is a lot of negative descriptions about us natives here. It just appears we have a reputation and people who are born here stay here, the rest have many reasons for moving somewhere else.

We're use to the rain, use to nesting, and use to spending hours indoors reading. We go to the indoor pools on rainy days and don't flinch when walking out to our car with wet hair while rain pours down on our heads. Then we have the awesome month of August to revive our vitamin D reserves and stock up on supplies for the fall.

If I DID have to move, it would have to be somewhere liberal minded. Probably somewhere in California, I guess???
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

TooPatient|1334260237|3169470 said:
I'd move about 20 minutes down the street where we could have a bigger yard.

Sorry -- I LOVE living in the PNW (I'm Bellevue area) and can't imagine anything better. We have access to some of the best medical care, amazing stores (love the different Indian, Iranian, and Asian markets!), great food from around the world. Nice museums (if you haven't been yet, some of the little museums that are within a couple of hours of Seattle are just wonderful). Outdoor activities of all sorts. Near perfect weather.

Short ferry ride (after gorgeous drive!) to San Juan Islands and Vancouver BC, easy to book cruises or flights directly from Seattle to pretty much anywhere. Music. Theater. Wine. Beer. Coffee.


ETA: A few more:
a short drive (okay, couple of hours) to Portland
Leavenworth
concerts at the Gorge

Yes, the BEER!!! That is the #1 reason for living here. We went to Vancouver, BC and couldn't find any decent beers. I could never live in a city that didn't have Redhook at every local grocery store. lol
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

San Diego.
Best weather in the USA.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

kenny said:
San Diego.
Best weather in the USA.

But some of the worst traffic. I lived there and wouldn't move back.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

NYC. But, I could never afford it so it's just a "fantasy."
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

If you're interested in a smaller-sized city with a big arts, music and food scene, Richmond, VA. The cost of living in Richmond is low, the climate is great, and the food is amazing!

And put me down as another vote for Philadelphia-there is so much good food here it's amazing! Plus there's a ton of arts and music stuff going on, and the art museum is amazing! Downsides are that the city and some suburbs can be pricey, and traffic on 76 is almost always nightmarish if you do live outside center city. But you can always take regional rail from the suburbs, so that's a good option!
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

Nashville, TN, its beautiful counrty and I love country music and the town has a wonderful vibe to it.....love it!
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

If you want what you consider a world-class city, you'll probably have to pay world-class prices. The two usually go hand in hand.

I live in Seattle, love all its cultural amenities (which I consider on par with Vancouver if not better BTW), but it's not for everyone and it sounds like you fall in that category. Good luck on your search.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

I also grew up in the midwest (Kansas City) before moving to the east coast. I'll likely always stay in New England as I love winter, the ocean and antique homes, but if I had to move I'd probably go the other coast. Northern California would probably be nice for me--on the ocean, but still close to skiing (Lake Tahoe). Or maybe Portland.

I lived in Washington, DC for 5 years and loved it. The cost of living is obviously still high, but it would rank high on your museum/cutlure/food list.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

I've been in Phoenix, AZ for 8 years and really love it here. Cost of living is crazy low, yet we have just about everything other big cities offer, and there's sooo much diversity in the rest of the state that's easy to get to. Summer is on the warm side, but hey, no snow to shovel!
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

thing2of2|1334263164|3169518 said:
If you're interested in a smaller-sized city with a big arts, music and food scene, Richmond, VA. The cost of living in Richmond is low, the climate is great, and the food is amazing!

And put me down as another vote for Philadelphia-there is so much good food here it's amazing! Plus there's a ton of arts and music stuff going on, and the art museum is amazing! Downsides are that the city and some suburbs can be pricey, and traffic on 76 is almost always nightmarish if you do live outside center city. But you can always take regional rail from the suburbs, so that's a good option!

3rd vote for Philly. Though I'd steer clear of many of the (rather fabulous but $$$) suburbs because of the traffic.

The food is great. The city is great. Beer is great. Biking is easy. The culture is there. Very neighborhood feel in the city-- not like what I felt in Washington, DC. Love the festivals. Great airport. Close to DC and NYC if you need to get away. Mountains not too far away, same with the water.

I don't really agree with Richmond though-- there isn't enough of a "center city" for me.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

I'm a born PNWer who was recently uprooted to the Bay Area for my husband's work. And as much as I love and miss Seattle, I hear you about it not really being "worth" it at this point. I feel like Seattle is falling apart, and I'm not very excited for its future (I know that sounds dour, sorry). And, although we now pay much more for housing in SF - most other costs are about equal to Seattle - I feel like the costs can be justified, if you like the return (we're on the fence, but this is just meant to be an example). So even though you may not get much of a lower cost of living elsewhere, you may get much more out of living there.

I think if I could pick up and try a new US city, I'd check out Boston. I hadn't considered Philly before it was mentioned in this thread, but maybe that would be interesting, too.

Edit: Oh, as for why - I like to see new places, and I love history.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

I lived in Seattle for six years and it was enough for me. I'm a southerner though- it was just too different culturally and the weather got to me. And the cost of living.

I grew up in the Nashville area and it's very nice. The cost of living isn't ridiculous and there are great restaurants, some nice museums and some great festivals.

I live in Atlanta now and I LOVE IT. Yes, yes, yes, it's hot as he!! in the summer, but winter is mild. And the traffic can be horrific... but it's really only horrific if you are living in the suburbs and commuting in and out. There are great in town neighborhoods with character and charm. The best part is they are still affordable! We definitely got hit in the housing bust, but what that means is that there are some killer deals out there! Have I mentioned the food yet? I believe statistics a few years ago said we eat out more per capita than any other city! We have amazing restaurants in every conceivable cuisine- New American, Italian, French, Persian, Bangladeshi, Ethipian, Eritrean, Afghan, Spanish, Mexican, Thai.... I could go on for a while! We have nice museums and get very nice traveling exhibits. You can also get anywhere you want to go from our airport! It's the busiest airport in the world. :)
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

I live in Bucks County PA... less than an hour from Philly, up the street from New Hope, PA/Lambertville, NJ (artsy area), about 1 1/2 hours from NYC (by train or car- the express train less), an 1 hour drive to the New Jersey shore, 1-1/2 hours to the Poconos, less than 3 hours to upstate NY (Finger Lakes Region).

I love my location because we are never too far away from anything going on. Near the Philly, Allentown, and Newark (NJ) airports (40 mins - 1 hour away ). 20 minutes from the Trenton NJ train station.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

kenny|1334261472|3169489 said:
San Diego.
Best weather in the USA.

I LOVE San Diego! My mom was studying there for a summer a number of years ago and my dad and I flew out to visit. We spent two weeks there and we didn't want to come back. I'd love to go again someday.

I love Boston, but I'm not sure it fits your criteria, Fridays_Child. It's a great city with lots of history, beautiful scenery and architecture, fun neighborhoods, great food and museums, and there's plenty to do nearby in other New England cities/towns as well. The ocean is right there, and lakes and mountains aren't too far away. Logan Airport is a major international airport. The hospitals are world-renowned. Those are some of the positives. The negatives that I can think of are: weather (if you don't like the cold and snowstorms aren't your thing) and high cost of living. Oh, and traffic, but I think you'd deal with that in just about any city.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

My husband and I have lived in San Diego for four years now, but prior to that we lived in Anacortes (in the San Juan islands in Washington) and we miss it terribly! We talk about retiring there. It's funny how the grass is always greener on the other side. One of the things we actually miss is the rain!!!

That said, San Diego is pretty tough to beat. If we're retiring in WA, I'm perfectly happy working for the next 30 years here in SoCal :)
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

I don't know...he's east coast, I'm midwest so I guess we'd have to choose someplace out west. It will not be Arizona. In fact, if we had to relocate I hope it would be outside the U.S. We'd like to move to Europe, specifically Spain or Italy, in the next 10 years (or that's the plan, anyway.)
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

My heart longs to live on Hawaii Island aka the Big Island again. There is a lot of land there so the people are spread out and it's such a mellow and friendly place compared to other parts of Hawaii I've lived and visited. We had to move because SO got transferred. I miss it everyday.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

I lived in Seattle for 7 years and then moved to Bellevue for the last 2. Overall, the things I love about this region are no income tax, relatively safe, friendly people, proximity to some of the most beautiful and interesting places (imo)- San Juans, Vancouver, Cascades, Portland. I found that its become much more affordable in the last 3 years in terms of real estate.

Anyhow, even with all its perks, I don't think this will be my permanent home. The weather is hard for me, I have no family here and all of my close friends have moved for new job opportunities.

Places I would move to:
1) Portland, Or- Amazing food, awesome shops, lower cost of living, friendly people. Great vibe
2) Northern California- just because it seems like so many of my friends have moved there, better weather than PNW
3) Southern California- my family is there, perfect weather, good food, however- it don't know if it's worth it in terms of cost of living.
4) Austin, TX: I have family and friends there, no income tax, great food, great music scene, affordable...however, not sure if I could handle the heat after living in the PNW for so long.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

kenny|1334261472|3169489 said:
San Diego.
Best weather in the USA.
yep,that would be my choice too but couldn't afford to live there.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

I love reading threads like these. It's fun to learn about places I've never been to. I'm dying to visit Hawaii, Danny. It's SO FAR from where I am though, but to see paradise like that, I'll deal. :bigsmile:

There are so many places in the US I'd love to visit, but I can't think of where I'd relocate to. I lived in Charlotte, NC, for a year and loved it. The people we met are amazing and the weather is awesome.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

Yeesh..we'd probably move to a bigger city but still nearby. We're lame. We live in a town of about 8,000 out in the MIddleofNowheresville Iowa so we're not used to..you know..fun stuff, or cultural things..we be a'sceered a them. Plus..we like the season's changing. I took a quiz one time..I think I found it thru here actually, on where your most ideal place to live is and it came up like..Tennessee or Kentucky, plus a few places here in Iowa. I lived w/my gramma in 1998 for two months in Chandler, AZ and that was such a head trip compared to here. Loved the weather tho, and it was just gorgeous there.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

packrat|1334272702|3169671 said:
Yeesh..we'd probably move to a bigger city but still nearby. We're lame. We live in a town of about 8,000 out in the MIddleofNowheresville Iowa so we're not used to..you know..fun stuff, or cultural things..we be a'sceered a them. Plus..we like the season's changing. I took a quiz one time..I think I found it thru here actually, on where your most ideal place to live is and it came up like..Tennessee or Kentucky, plus a few places here in Iowa. I lived w/my gramma in 1998 for two months in Chandler, AZ and that was such a head trip compared to here. Loved the weather tho, and it was just gorgeous there.
in other words... "out in the BOONIES"?... :lol:
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

Packrat, was it this quiz? http://www.findyourspot.com/

I think I took that one here a few years ago.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

Zoe|1334274241|3169698 said:
Packrat, was it this quiz? http://www.findyourspot.com/

I think I took that one here a few years ago.

I just took this... number one was Las Cruces, New Mexico. Second was Sacramento, CA and then there are a total of four pages of cities listed and about 2/3 of them are in California!
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

DF, yes we are totally out in the boonies! We be simple country folk.

Zoe, yep that's the one! I should take it again and see if it tells me the same places.
 
Re: If you had to relocate to another US city/town, where &

What a timely thread!

I'm in Chicago now, but currently interviewing for jobs in Pittsburgh (where I actually grew up), Milwaukee, and Des Moines.

If I win the lottery -- ASPEN!!!

If I don't win the lottery (which is the most likely scenario, since I don't buy a ticket... ) and if I don't take one of these other jobs, I really love Chicago. However North Carolina is nice in terms of climate and industry, and so is Colorado (in general, even putting the penchant for Aspen aside).
 
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