Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

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Random Poster
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Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by Random Poster »

I’m thinking that it is time for me to find a new location in which to live.

I’ve lived in my current location (4th largest city in New Mexico) for a bit over 4 years now, and it is probably time for a change. Plus, I’m getting quite tired of the spring winds, the increasing crime, the lack of a decent one-stop grocery store, the “land of manana” attitude, and the rather sad state of affairs when it comes to health care and education around here.

Additionally, I am starting to think that I’m not really cut out for single-family home ownership, as I worry constantly about something going wrong with the house (especially while we are away from it for an extended period of time) and I can’t seem to grow anything but weeds.

So, with all that in mind, what cities would meet the majority of the following criteria:

• Car free living;
• Cold, or at least cool, year-round temperatures, compared to most of the US (ideally, at least 4 months of a solid winter, that usually has snow, with temps typically below 40, and shortish summers of below 90 degrees as much as possible);
• Great healthcare options and availability (on the ACA);
• Fantastic, one-stop shopping options for groceries;
• Access to at least one real international airport (ideally, by public transit), which routinely offers average air fares (on a national basis) to a wide variety of destinations;
• A crime rate below the national average;
• Offers a lot to do (museums, great libraries, sports, parks, etc); and
• That is in the US.

Basically, I want somewhere that I can use as a home base while traveling for extended periods of time, but also a place where I could live long-term and age well in while being surrounded by lots of general living opportunities.

Taxes matter, but not too much. I’d like for the overall cost of living to be average or below, but I realize that is likely an impossible ask.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thank you.
Last edited by Random Poster on Sat Oct 26, 2024 9:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Hiker-Biker
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by Hiker-Biker »

Minneapolis, MN might meet your needs. I was there for 3 days in August and the city seemed pretty nice. Lots of parks, bike lanes, and it appeared to be clean. Public transportation to the airport was nice from the downtown area we were staying in. Also, healthcare is supposed to be very good.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by Sandtrap »

travel often, spend time in a place.
Rent for many weeks if that is possible: Airbnb, VRBO, etc.
See if you blend and feel synergistic with the "culture", ways of people, and things that can't be measured on a spreadsheet but really matter, far more oftenly.
Go house shopping, open houses everywhere you go.

we travelled across the usa over many decades to learn what might be a good place to retire to, from Hawaii.
The differences were very great, sometimes opposite what we were used to, culturally, academically (especially), etc...etc...

All in all, there were not many places, at least for us, that fit even by a long shot.
So, it's a learning thing that can't be rushed or "figured out" online and on a calculator, as far as things that really really really matter.

Everyone is different in these things and all things and onions and contra mangoes as well.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by quantAndHold »

Car free is the hard one. San Francisco. Seattle, Boston. Chicago or NY, depending on what you think of their summers. All of those cities have everything you want.

[Unnecessary comment removed by admin LadyGeek]

If you change your criteria to ‘car light” instead of car free, that opens up a lot more cities. There are a lot of cities where you can essentially be car free in the urban core, but you’ll need a car to get to doctors appointments and some shopping.
Last edited by quantAndHold on Fri Oct 25, 2024 10:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
InvisibleAerobar
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by InvisibleAerobar »

the requirement for Int’l airport, cold conditions, and generally car-free living really limits options.

The cities that come to mind are Seattle, Detroit, MSP, and Boston. Out of the four, maybe Seattle and Boston can meet even all four reqs.

MSP has rather high income taxes, though RE taxes are a bit more reasonable. Skeleton mass transit options to the airport (via tram), but large swathes are not served by rail transit.

Detroit is somewhat similar, but worse when it comes to public transit.

Not familiar enough with walkability of SEA to comment, but at least no income tax. VHCOL

Boston is an actual city with fairly decent public transit, incl. options to the airport. VHCOL

Other than Boston, the other three had issues with public safety in the recent past.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by quantAndHold »

InvisibleAerobar wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 10:51 am Not familiar enough with walkability of SEA to comment, but at least no income tax. VHCOL
It’s quite possible to live car free in Seattle. It’s a very nice city with a lot going on if you don’t have to drive in it, and can deal with the depressing winters. Our two biggest complaints when we lived there (and why we moved) were the traffic and the relentless dreariness of the winters.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by quantAndHold »

Also, there’s a big difference in “perception of crime” and actual crime. When I lived in Seattle, there was lots of chatter about how bad the crime was. But statistically, Seattle was one of the safest cities in the country, and unless you were living in one of a couple of places where you won’t be living, crime wasn’t an actual worry.

Homelessness is an issue in every city, however, and very, very noticeable in Seattle. The existence of a large quantity of homeless people nearby doesn’t really make things unsafe, but it does very much affect quality of life. If you’re choosing a place in a city, be aware of your neighbors. Sometimes, the problems will vary block by block.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by Harmanic »

quantAndHold wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 11:09 am Also, there’s a big difference in “perception of crime” and actual crime. When I lived in Seattle, there was lots of chatter about how bad the crime was. But statistically, Seattle was one of the safest cities in the country, and unless you were living in one of a couple of places where you won’t be living, crime wasn’t an actual worry.
Something that is probably driving the perception disconnect is the number of homeless drug addicts, especially in the warmer west coast cities. However, this is not the crack or meth epidemic of old. Fentanyl is cheap and addicts become too sedated to be violent. They commit misdemeanor crimes and can create unsightly tent cities and leave garbage around, but they are mostly harmless.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by Dottie57 »

Hiker-Biker wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 10:29 am Minneapolis, MN might meet your needs. I was there for 3 days in August and the city seemed pretty nice. Lots of parks, bike lanes, and it appeared to be clean. Public transportation to the airport was nice from the downtown area we were staying in. Also, healthcare is supposed to be very good.
There are some fabulous condos along the downtown Mpls river. Public transpo is not great. I livevin a first ring suburb a mile from Mpls botder.
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Random Poster
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by Random Poster »

quantAndHold wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 10:50 am
If you change your criteria to ‘car light” instead of car free, that opens up a lot more cities. There are a lot of cities where you can essentially be car free in the urban core, but you’ll need a car to get to doctors appointments and some shopping.
I’d rather not own a car, for several reasons that aren’t all that important to this thread.

But I think that I’d be okay with having to taxi/Uber every so often as required to accomplish some tasks, although I’d much prefer to just use a rail/bus option if possible.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by lthenderson »

Random Poster wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 10:22 am I’m getting quite tired of the spring winds, the increasing crime, the lack of a decent one-stop grocery store, the “land of manana” attitude, and the rather sad state of affairs when it comes to health care and education around here.

I worry constantly about something going wrong with the house (especially while we are away from it for an extended period of time) and I can’t seem to grow anything but weeds.

Any thoughts or suggestions?
I'm sure not what you are looking for but perhaps take some evening classes on going through life with a more positive attitude, or at least try focusing on those things around you that you like. I've never lived in any town or city where people weren't complaining about something wrong with their particular place. I would bet money that some people are always going to find something to dislike about where they are living, especially in cities big enough to meet some of your criteria such as taxis or carless living.

Saying that, if I were looking for a random new city to call home, I would rent a Vrbo or similar and spend a couple vacations there looking around and seeing what there is about it that I like and what I can overlook. What people find attractive about places to live is very much a personal feeling that can only really be understood in person, i.e. a room full of anonymous strangers probably aren't going to correctly predict what you find appealing. I really love where I live but it only meets two of your criteria, is has low crime and is in the U.S.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by stan1 »

Lots of choices:

Based on transit, many choices in housing with walkability, and cultural amenities North Chicago, Boston, NYC, DC come to mind with cooler winters (though not summers any more) and good to best international airports. Maybe Philadelphia or Pittsburgh.

Rent don't buy, move to another one in 3-5 years when ready since you are under 65 it appears (on ACA). You might have to pay for a concierge physician but that's likely going to be true everywhere soon for people who want the best and don't want transactional care (certainly in the southwest US its already there).

Crime situations need to be looked at in context of specific streets not entire metro areas. All large cities have some areas that are better than others and none are unsafe in all areas. You can avoid most of it by using common sense in where you go and who you associate with.
Last edited by stan1 on Fri Oct 25, 2024 11:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by 720pete »

Chicago is a great option. Yes, crime is an issue, but there are safe places to live in the city and suburbs.
Minneapolis is also up there. Generally safer but doesn't have as many amenities or flight options. Car-free might be tough there.
If you want cheap and cold you could try Milwaukee or Detroit, but you won't be able to do car-free living there.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by ScubaHogg »

Has to be in the US?

If you don't mind endless cloudiness, Seattle seems like it would fit most your criteria, with the exception of "low cost of living." I don't know what small-scale crime in the downtown area looks like these days either. You COULD do car-free in Boston, but it's really not that transit friendly. In my opinion NYC is really the only truly car-free city in the States, with DC being second
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by mhc »

Since you are in New Mexico, Denver came to mind. To be car free with everything you want means a larger city. Larger cities have above average crime. There are lower crime large cities. Denver is probably a little above average cost of living. Taxes in Colorado are not too bad for retirees. DIA is a large airport. Denver is the largest metro area in this part of the country, so it has the most to offer for city living with a great outdoor lifestyle. You could easily drive up I-25 and check it out.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by mjg »

Salt Lake City and Charlotte NC are going to be the best two with an international airport, adequate public transportation, and lesser big city crime, with Salt Lake being the colder climate.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by Marbling »

The Boston-area was the first place that came to my mind. But it's not that far away from me anyway. You didn't mention sports teams, but all the Pro sports teams are traditionally competitive. Good luck.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by InvisibleAerobar »

stan1 wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 11:36 am Lots of choices:

Based on transit, many choices in housing with walkability, and cultural amenities North Chicago, Boston, NYC, DC come to mind with cooler winters (though not summers any more) and good to best international airports. Maybe Philadelphia or Pittsburgh.

Rent don't buy, move to another one in 3-5 years when ready since you are under 65 it appears (on ACA). You might have to pay for a concierge physician but that's likely going to be true everywhere soon for people who want the best and don't want transactional care (certainly in the southwest US its already there).

Crime situations need to be looked at in context of specific streets not entire metro areas. All large cities have some areas that are better than others and none are unsafe in all areas. You can avoid most of it by using common sense in where you go and who you associate with.
Significant difficulty going from North Chicago to ORD, as one has to transfer in the loop. Of course, there's downtown and the Golden Mile, but I've found Chicago to be just a bigger version of MKE, and there's nothing very city like outside of the Loop. I'd say that vast majority of the city is like Queens, which is to say mostly residential with anything that has a real draw.

PHL could be a good choice, but it's not particularly cold. The city also imposes a ~3.8% city income tax that many surrounding municipalities don't levy. If one wishes to be really car-free, one pays up. If one doesn't think living in Philly justifies it ($7,500 a year on perhaps median BH salary of $200k/yr), one lives in the Mainline Suburb, where 30th Street Station is 20 minutes away on trains that usually run every 30 minutes. The really bad areas (Kensington) is sufficiently far from the nicer areas (Franklin Parkway) that one wouldn't need to encounter those who are homeless and addicted.

PIT gets ruled out for lack of direct transoceanic flights.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by stan1 »

InvisibleAerobar wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 12:06 pm
stan1 wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 11:36 am Lots of choices:

Based on transit, many choices in housing with walkability, and cultural amenities North Chicago, Boston, NYC, DC come to mind with cooler winters (though not summers any more) and good to best international airports. Maybe Philadelphia or Pittsburgh.

Rent don't buy, move to another one in 3-5 years when ready since you are under 65 it appears (on ACA). You might have to pay for a concierge physician but that's likely going to be true everywhere soon for people who want the best and don't want transactional care (certainly in the southwest US its already there).

Crime situations need to be looked at in context of specific streets not entire metro areas. All large cities have some areas that are better than others and none are unsafe in all areas. You can avoid most of it by using common sense in where you go and who you associate with.
Significant difficulty going from North Chicago to ORD, as one has to transfer in the loop. Of course, there's downtown and the Golden Mile, but I've found Chicago to be just a bigger version of MKE, and there's nothing very city like outside of the Loop. I'd say that vast majority of the city is like Queens, which is to say mostly residential with anything that has a real draw.

PHL could be a good choice, but it's not particularly cold. The city also imposes a ~3.8% city income tax that many surrounding municipalities don't levy. If one wishes to be really car-free, one pays up. If one doesn't think living in Philly justifies it ($7,500 a year on perhaps median BH salary of $200k/yr), one lives in the Mainline Suburb, where 30th Street Station is 20 minutes away on trains that usually run every 30 minutes. The really bad areas (Kensington) is sufficiently far from the nicer areas (Franklin Parkway) that one wouldn't need to encounter those who are homeless and addicted.

PIT gets ruled out for lack of direct transoceanic flights.
Right, nothing will be perfect. What do you suggest?
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by stan1 »

mhc wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 11:55 am Since you are in New Mexico, Denver came to mind. To be car free with everything you want means a larger city. Larger cities have above average crime. There are lower crime large cities. Denver is probably a little above average cost of living. Taxes in Colorado are not too bad for retirees. DIA is a large airport. Denver is the largest metro area in this part of the country, so it has the most to offer for city living with a great outdoor lifestyle. You could easily drive up I-25 and check it out.
Depending upon what tradeoffs OP can accept Fort Collins could work too. Definitely cooler than New Mexico, university town but not a city. Harder to get walkability and car-free but not impossible given Uber. Access to Denver is easy by shuttle.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by InvisibleAerobar »

stan1 wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 12:07 pm
InvisibleAerobar wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 12:06 pm

Significant difficulty going from North Chicago to ORD, as one has to transfer in the loop. Of course, there's downtown and the Golden Mile, but I've found Chicago to be just a bigger version of MKE, and there's nothing very city like outside of the Loop. I'd say that vast majority of the city is like Queens, which is to say mostly residential with anything that has a real draw.

PHL could be a good choice, but it's not particularly cold. The city also imposes a ~3.8% city income tax that many surrounding municipalities don't levy. If one wishes to be really car-free, one pays up. If one doesn't think living in Philly justifies it ($7,500 a year on perhaps median BH salary of $200k/yr), one lives in the Mainline Suburb, where 30th Street Station is 20 minutes away on trains that usually run every 30 minutes. The really bad areas (Kensington) is sufficiently far from the nicer areas (Franklin Parkway) that one wouldn't need to encounter those who are homeless and addicted.

PIT gets ruled out for lack of direct transoceanic flights.
Right, nothing will be perfect. What do you suggest?
Boston and perhaps Seattle, as indicated in my first post on this topic

Someone else suggested SLC, which is a city that is often overlooked, but it is served by both trans-Pacific and trans-Atlantic flights.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by MorgansRun »

How cold is cold and for how long? I'll throw this one in the ring: Arlington, VA. it's got 3 airports nearby (National, BWI and Dulles) so you've got your pick of low cost airlines, international and domestic-only. Museums are right across the river (DC) and a lot of it is new.

It can get cold in Virginia (again, that's relative). 20s/30s at night/early morning for a couple of months...enough for someone to bundle up in layers when walking the dog whenever he or she needs a nature break.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by invest4 »

There are many tools available online that will help you narrow your potential options. They also highlight important considerations like what kind of Healthcare is available in the areas you are thinking about.

My suggestion would be to start there and then make a post about what you are considering and hopefully some people who live in those areas who can share their experience to further inform your decision.

Best wishes.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by Parkinglotracer »

MorgansRun wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 12:29 pm How cold is cold and for how long? I'll throw this one in the ring: Arlington, VA. it's got 3 airports nearby (National, BWI and Dulles) so you've got your pick of low cost airlines, international and domestic-only. Museums are right across the river (DC) and a lot of it is new.

It can get cold in Virginia (again, that's relative). 20s/30s at night/early morning for a couple of months...enough for someone to bundle up in layers when walking the dog whenever he or she needs a nature break.
I agree

I have lived and traveled quite a few places and I will echo that if you have some money there are nice places one can live in the northern virginia part of the Washington DC area. Within a mile or two of Reagan national, for instance in the town of del ray Virginia where my brother lives. Safe walkable at night, nice stores, good weather most of the year (hot in summer but not New Mexico hot), public transpo, health care, etc. he lives on a 50x100 lot I believe with a relatively new 2500 sq ft home for 1 to 1.5 M with property taxes about 18K a year. Pricey but a nice safe place to live.

Here is not his house but the general neighborhood.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/309- ... e=txtshare
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by muffins14 »

Random Poster wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 10:22 am I’m thinking that it is time for me to find a new location in which to live.

I’ve lived in my current location (4th largest city in New Mexico) for a bit over 4 years now, and it is probably time for a change. Plus, I’m getting quite tired of the spring winds, the increasing crime, the lack of a decent one-stop grocery store, the “land of manana” attitude, and the rather sad state of affairs when it comes to health care and education around here.

Additionally, I am starting to think that I’m not really cut out for single-family home ownership, as I worry constantly about something going wrong with the house (especially while we are away from it for an extended period of time) and I can’t seem to grow anything but weeds.

So, with all that in mind, what cities would meet the majority of the following criteria:

• Car free living;
• Cold, or at least cool, year-round temperatures, compared to most of the US
• Great healthcare options and availability (on the ACA);
• Fantastic, one-stop shopping options for groceries;
• Access to at least one real international airport (ideally, by public transit), which routinely offers average air fares (on a national basis) to a wide variety of destinations;
• A crime rate below the national average;
• Offers a lot to do (museums, great libraries, sports, parks, etc); and
• That is in the US.

Basically, I want somewhere that I can use as a home base while traveling for extended periods of time, but also a place where I could live long-term and age well in while being surrounded by lots of general living opportunities.

Taxes matter, but not too much. I’d like for the overall cost of living to be average or below, but I realize that is likely an impossible ask.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thank you.
You can come to NYC. However, the summer is hot, not cold. Boston could be nice but it is small

Maybe branch out to non-US and consider Montreal, Toronto?
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by Random Poster »

ScubaHogg wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 11:43 am Has to be in the US?
muffins14 wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 1:50 pm Maybe branch out to non-US and consider Montreal, Toronto?
I’d love to live in Canada (and I did, for a few years, several years ago), or perhaps somewhere else outside the US.

But I’m trying to be realistic, and I don’t see how I’d get a residence/retirement visa and, regardless, even if I could, they seem like a lot of work to obtain.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by Random Poster »

MorgansRun wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 12:29 pm How cold is cold and for how long?
Let’s go with “at least 4 months of a solid winter, that usually has snow, with temps typically below 40.”

And shortish summers of below 90 degrees as much as possible.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by ask729 »

Boston does not meet the requirement of having an average or below-average cost of living. However, its other qualities make up for this. After living in 12 cities, I find Boston to be the best. I've been here for over 13 years and wouldn't change a thing.

I will retire within a 1-2 hour drive from here when the time comes. If I need to be somewhere else, the West coast and Europe are equidistant.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by stan1 »

Random Poster wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 1:58 pm
And shortish summers of below 90 degrees as much as possible.
Well then Anchorage maybe? Just a little short on the direct international flights.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by MorgansRun »

stan1 wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 2:10 pm
Random Poster wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 1:58 pm
And shortish summers of below 90 degrees as much as possible.
Well then Anchorage maybe? Just a little short on the direct international flights.
Unless you're cargo. :D
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by mrmass »

What’s your budget? That will narrow it down quickly.
Last edited by mrmass on Fri Oct 25, 2024 3:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
stan1
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by stan1 »

Maybe Stockholm, Amsterdam or Seoul would be good for OP but they aren't in the US.

How about spending a month in several of the ones mentioned to see what resonates best, given that perfect might not exist?

There are apartments or condos next to grocery stores, restaurants, and transit stops all over the world so that part isn't too bad. In the US its the temperatures and affordability. If they are fine with light rail that opens up Portland too. Phoenix has light rail with transfer to people mover, but definitely not under 90 in summer.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by MoonOrb »

The places that check the most of your boxes for me were Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Chicago. NYC, Boston, and Seattle are probably too expensive.

The two places that to me meet all of your criteria except for cost are NYC and to a lesser extent, Boston. I don't think there's a single place that hits everything you want, other than those two.

If you can flex a bit you could also think about Providence RI, Portland ME, Milwaukee, Cincinnati, or Columbus.
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by Random Poster »

mrmass wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 3:28 pm What’s your budget? That will narrow it down quickly.
Up to $1,000,000 for a condo, depending on the monthly fees and property taxes. Haven’t given enough thought to it, but I’d like to keep the HOA and taxes below $1,000 a month, but even that might be too high for me. (I currently pay around 3k for property taxes and $1,200 a year in HOA dues).

I don’t need much space—1,250 square feet or less would probably be fine. But I’d like a very nice kitchen, lots of food storage space, and room for a small office.
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heyyou
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by heyyou »

Hilo Hawaii is the least expensive full-sized city in Hawaii, and has a city- and island-wide bus system. Hilo's weekend farmers' market is downtown, across the street from one of the state-wide chain grocery stores on the island, but with Walmart and Home Depot stores in the newer, suburban shopping center that is a few miles from the downtown area's bus stop. I would want to live near one of those two general locations and there are many condo sites in or near the downtown area, very likely with some rentals. The suburban site is on the main highway, somewhat near but not at the state college campus.

There are maps on the internet that show the range of the previous tsunamis that have flooded parts of Hilo in the distant past. Factoid: The biggest island of Hawaii (the one named Hawaii) is the largest mountain in the world. It is a very old volcano that is seven miles tall, sitting in seawater that is 5 miles deep.

Yes, imported goods from the continental US are more expensive in Hilo, but the thrift stores are full of home furnishings and clothing suitable for local wear. Hilo does have direct flights to the mainland, saving on the cost of transferring in Honolulu. Do look at the monthly weather that may have minor seasonal temperature changes, but with significant precipitation variations that are parallel to our seasons. AlohaLiving.com is an MLS website that shows residences and condos for sale, just for you to see those residences, knowing that there will also be rentals at each of those condo sites that do have numerous units. A caveat is that all of the very few rentals shown at that website, are listed at one specific real estate business. Craigslist is a far better website for finding for-rent-by-owner properties to avoid the realtors' steady, additional monthly rental fees.

Boquete Panama in central America is a mountain town with stable, very comfortable daily temperatures, and only two seasons of either frequent dry days or daily afternoon rain showers. In the wet season, shopping and outdoor activities are done in the mornings before the rain starts after lunch. English is the common language there among the foreigners, with many of those new residents studying Spanish lessons in order to become more fluent. Panama uses our US currency (renamed as "balboas") but does mint their own coins, some with very different shapes and larger denominations than our coins. The banks in Panama welcome the automatic deposit of our Social Security checks, but visitors should seek to use specific US bank credit cards that reimburse foreign ATM fees (Schwab?) since Panamanian ATM withdrawals are limited to only $250 per day with a $5 fee on every withdrawal. Living near a local bank would be helpful for weekday, in-bank withdrawals, to avoid those high ATM fees. The website at Panama Relocation Tours has significant info on moving to Panama.
lakpr
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by lakpr »

Random Poster wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 11:23 am
quantAndHold wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 10:50 am
If you change your criteria to ‘car light” instead of car free, that opens up a lot more cities. There are a lot of cities where you can essentially be car free in the urban core, but you’ll need a car to get to doctors appointments and some shopping.
I’d rather not own a car, for several reasons that aren’t all that important to this thread.

But I think that I’d be okay with having to taxi/Uber every so often as required to accomplish some tasks, although I’d much prefer to just use a rail/bus option if possible.
Central NJ? There are townships that have decent bus schedules. If you can live in apartments right next to a Walmart Super Center (and there are plenty of townships like that), your groceries etc. will be just a walk around the block. Great ACA options too. Taxes are the killer though ...
grok87
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by grok87 »

WalletHub's best states list is here
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-to-live-in/62617

1. Massachusetts
2. Florida
3. New Jersey
4. Utah
5. New Hampshire

the worst states are
46 Nevada
47 Alaska
48 Arkansas
49 New Mexico
50 Louisiana

cheers,
grok
RIP Mr. Bogle.
lepegasus
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by lepegasus »

We’ve called Boston home for many of the reasons you listed. We have a car, but we only use it to travel outside the city. I can bike to work, dentist, doctors on separated bike paths from my front door. I can also walk to a beautiful network of parks. There’s transit that is slowly improving, but it’s functional. Logan is a solid hub and you have access to both Acela Maine Downeaster Amtrak line. Crime is low to the point where we feel safe taking the dog out for a middle of the night stroll when it’s needed. I can’t say I’ve felt that way in other cities.
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mrmass
Posts: 1760
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Location: MA

Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by mrmass »

lepegasus wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 6:49 pm We’ve called Boston home for many of the reasons you listed. We have a car, but we only use it to travel outside the city. I can bike to work, dentist, doctors on separated bike paths from my front door. I can also walk to a beautiful network of parks. There’s transit that is slowly improving, but it’s functional. Logan is a solid hub and you have access to both Acela Maine Downeaster Amtrak line. Crime is low to the point where we feel safe taking the dog out for a middle of the night stroll when it’s needed. I can’t say I’ve felt that way in other cities.
I concur wholeheartedly. Also I’d say no life threatening weather.

Somerville MA gets you in n the new transit line to downtown in 20 minutes a nice bike path good health care with more dentist than you could imagine.

Many markets with a few miles.
doobiedoo
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Location: Southern CA

Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by doobiedoo »

Marbling wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 12:01 pm The Boston-area was the first place that came to my mind. But it's not that far away from me anyway. You didn't mention sports teams, but all the Pro sports teams are traditionally competitive. Good luck.
I thought of Boston too, but Boston summers are hot and humid. Definitely not cool.
Many locals go to the Cape [Cape Cod] for a month in the summer.

I lived in Boston-Cambridge while in college and still visit every few years.
DarkHelmetII
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by DarkHelmetII »

Chicago off Blue Line NW of the loop
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snackdog
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by snackdog »

Anchorage would meet most of your criteria. Public transportation is good but a car might be desired.
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bendix
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by bendix »

How´s this even a question? Some of the nicer suburbs of Columbus, OH such as Dublin, OH or New Albany, OH of course.
doobiedoo
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by doobiedoo »

Random Poster wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 10:22 am ..
• Car free living;
• Cold, or at least cool, year-round temperatures, compared to most of the US
• Great healthcare options and availability (on the ACA);
• Fantastic, one-stop shopping options for groceries;
• Access to .. international airport (ideally, by public transit) ..
crime rate below the national average
• Offers a lot to do (museums, great libraries, sports, parks, etc)
• in the US.
..
San Francisco meets all the criteria, except for the crime rate.
I have friends and relatives in SF and visit every year.
Regardless of the statistics, my friends think crime in SF is terrible, especially for theft and vandalism.
And of course, SF is very expensive.
MrNarwhal
Posts: 286
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by MrNarwhal »

What kind of lifestyle do you want to have and how social do you want to be?

For a homebody, it's not so hard to live car-free. For instance, there are some nice quasi-suburban areas of the Twin Cities where you could have the essentials within walking distance and tolerable bus access to MSP airport and city amenities. But a car would make life much easier if you want to be out and about regularly, and most people you meet will drive.

If you want the busy city lifestyle where car-free living is less out of the ordinary, your choices are probably Boston and maybe Chicago.

Another idea could be Ann Arbor which is a college town but not so far from DTW airport.
Jack FFR1846
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

For Boston, you do have both walkability or get on a bicycle plus the T for mass transit. Inside any of the Boston "in town" areas could work, keeping out of the obvious "bad" areas. Getting to the towns surrounding Boston near a transit station broadens your choices, cost and size of your place tremendously.

Besides the major sports teams, you have a huge variety of college sports, theatre and student atmosphere. Add the medical excellence and it's a good spot to be in as you get old.
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Sprucebark
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by Sprucebark »

Random Poster wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 10:22 am I’m thinking that it is time for me to find a new location in which to live.

I’ve lived in my current location (4th largest city in New Mexico) for a bit over 4 years now, and it is probably time for a change.
You made me look up the cities by population. Why not just say Santa Fe?

I had no idea that Las Cruces is #2 and Roswell is #5.
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Random Poster
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by Random Poster »

Sprucebark wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2024 9:36 pm You made me look up the cities by population. Why not just say Santa Fe?
A few reasons:

I think, perhaps incorrectly, that saying where I live the way I said it makes it a bit harder for some bot or nefarious actor to connect all of the crumbs I’ve left on the internet and trace me (although who knows now?); and

By not just saying the city, an interested person (like you) has to look it up and then they (like you) hopefully learn something and/or tend to remember what they learned better than they otherwise might. Or so I hope.
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nj123
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Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by nj123 »

Watch CityNerd on YT for suggestions.
texasdiver
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Location: Vancouver WA

Re: Suggestions on Where To Live Next?

Post by texasdiver »

Santa Fe has no good grocery stores?
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