If you could live anywhere in the US...

[Dtrigg]

The wife and I are selling our house in California and are trying to decide where to move in the US. We've been living in Europe for the past seven years and have moved back here to sell our house which we've owned for almost 20 years, after we've lived in it for two years. Well, the two years are up in April.

If you could move anywhere in the US, where would it be? Some of the things that we consider important are: close to a major city and airports because we like to travel and the mother-in-law will be flying in from the UK, cultural activities, i.e. art, dance, theatre. Close to institutions of higher learing so I could possibly teach again. We want warm (not hot) weather. Close to the water would be great. Low taxes.

I've never used my VA loan and have considered purchasing another house with it. So far, we are looking at Atlanta area, Raleigh, Winston/Salem area. The Southeast seem to be the best in terms of what we are looking for.

OK. Now work with that list!!

Oh, another thing -- a good NSX service place.

Thanks in advance for your ideas and thoughts.

Doug

 

[RP-Motorsports]

I travel all over the USA for my job, and the more I travel, the more I love right where I am. The Great Lakes area is simply the best. It does get a little cold in Dec-Feb, but southern IL, OH etc stays snowless for the most part. JMO. The only thing I would change, would be to take the month of Jan and go on a 1 month hiatas to the Virgin Islands!!!!!

With close driving distances to Minneapolis, Chicago, Madison, Green Bay, Indy, Detroit, etc, plus the beauty of northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and the UP, and almost ZERO crime and cheap cost of living, how can you argue? I built a brand new 1,700 sq ft 4 bedroom house with a 4 car garage, 1 acre city lot, custom cabinets, corian counters etc for UNDER $200k

Oh yeah Road America, Brainard, Gingerman, Graten, Mid ohio etc is right here too!!!

 

[Brian2by2]

Well, I don't know about the whole 'warm but not too hot' but Fort Lauderdale matches every requirement you set (major city, major airport, theatres, arts, etc.). U of Miami, FIU, FAU, BCC, and a few other branches of major colleges located right in the heart of Ft Lauderdale...plus its right on the water...great city! I love it!

(Miami is too "bi-lingual" for my likings)

 

[coolnsx]

A little cold!!!!!!!!!!! A flew into Eau Claire a few years ago it was minus 38. The gal at the rental counter warned we not to turn the car off, it would freeze and not restart. That car ran 2 days straight!! A little cold! Thin skinned in SoCal

 

[RP-Motorsports]

Ken help me out here.... Minus 38???? I have lived in this state all of my life and have NEVER seen it that cold!!!! We barely get snow to stay on the ground for a couple of weeks at a time!!!.

 

[akira3d]

Some of the things that we consider important are: close to a major city and airports...cultural activities, i.e. art, dance, theatre...Close to institutions of higher learing...warm (not hot) weather. Close to the water would be great...a good NSX service place.

I can't imagine living somewhere other than Southern California for those very reasons. Except when I was a student living near USC, I have always lived within a 15 minute walk from the beach (Hermosa Beach, Redondo and Torrance Beach, Marina del Rey).

Which begs the question...why are you leaving Santa Barbara?

 

[coolnsx]

"But it's great in the Spring!"

T Bell It might not stay that cold very long, but being from So Cal and staying at a Heartland Inn it was COLD. I remember how amazed I was to see all the cars in the parking lots running. Locked I'm sure, but running.

 

[flaminio]

I left my heart in...

I don't think I could ever leave the San Francisco Bay Area. I've traveled extensively throughout the USA, and there's nowhere in this country that's more in tune with me.

I wouldn't mind living in Europe again, however...

 

[PorknBeanz]

As a consultant, I have lived in 11 states and DC. Not just visited, but lived there for 6 months or more. I lived in about 20 cities within those states. Every location has its good and bad. Except possibly Kokomo, In, which was all bad!

My favorite locations were Orange County, CA and Sarasota, Fl. Why do you want to leave Santa Barbara? It meets most of your criteria, except the COL and taxes are very high.

 

[NSX/MR2]

San Diego, and always San Diego. "America Finest City" is still and always will be the best for me.

 

[Dtrigg]

Santa Barbara is nuts. You can't buy a house in Santa Barbara for less than a $1,000,000 dollars (one of the reasons we are selling). The median price of a house in Montecito last year was $2.8 million. The traffic is crazy because of the people driving into town, due to the fact they can't afford to live here and must commute. The taxes in California are out of sight. We just want to cash out. We lived in San Francisco for a year between Europe and Santa Barbara and that was nice, but too expensive.

After being away from California for seven years, and having lived here for a long time, it's not the same after being away. I can't wait to get out of here.

The wife is European. We sold our house there a few years ago, but will probably move back there in a few years. We're looking for another place in the US for a few years.

Please no cold....

Doug

 

[NSX_Dreamer]

the best city is Las Vegas.

 

[NeoNSX]

If I lived in the USA, I'd pick AZ....
Home to dollaBill <B>MYNSX</B>, 1337 <B>Phoe<FONT COLOR=red>N$X</FONT></B>, and the NSXPrime-Queen: <B>ScNSXgirl</B>!!!

 

[steveny]

One Million+ dollars in the area of upstate NY where I live would buy a multiple acre estate on the lake with a guest and boat house. I love the finger lakes region where I live. It does get cold here in the winter though.
If I had to pick some place warm I would say any one of the keys in Florida.

 

[dlongo]

I think Atlanta and Raleigh are great areas, from what I've seen during my visits. Especially Raleigh, I have relatives near there and it seems you can get quite a nice property at a very reasonable price.

Anyway, stay away from Connecticut. This whole state sucks.

 

[Ponyboy]

Though Santa Barbara is great, I enjoy San Luis Obispo a lot more. Still has that small town feel and is close to the ocean.

Chicago and Montreal are two cities that I've fallen in love with.

 

[bacon]

Stay away from Atlanta we don't know how to drive.

 

[Joel]

Dtrigg,

I was going to suggest San Diego because it met all of your criteria...but you're so closed off to CA. At least try living down there for a while.

Other suggestions:

Portland, Oregon: Nice, conservative, quiet, NO SALES TAX, and still right by the coast line. The only downside is the Portland TrailBlazers. Yuck!

Las Vegas, Nevada: HOT! Well, at least it's not really cold except at night. All the gambling you want. Cheap housing. And a 30 minute flight to L.A. for your cultural needs.

Orlando, Florida: Real tourist spot. Get "Disney-fied" to your heart's content. Nice climate. Beach housing.

Honolulu, Hawaii: Meets all your criteria except for the expense. Damn it's expensive down there. Watch out for Island-fever though.

 

[jadkar]

The Tri-State area (NY,NJ,CT) specifically close to NYC.

We have everything here:

Change of seasons. We have 4 real seasons, and our Winters aren't nearly as bad as the Great Lake region, or Boston area. Summers are very hot, Autumn is a collidascope of color, and Spring is a brisk morning with warm afternoons.

The beach Being right on the East coast is great. Some say the Atlantic isn't as nice as the Pacific, but it's better then being in the middle of the country.

Lakes Our area of the country is filled with gorgeous Lakes, everywhere you go you come across one.

Elevation changes I could never live somewhere flat. The Northeast has wonderful changes in elevation that make up our beautiful landscapes, great driving, winter sports, and no tornados

NYC New York is a reason on it's own. Somebody mentioned cultural diversity....hello… NYC basically invented the phrase. Many of our own ancestors came through New York's very harbor, and there is more cultural diversity here then probably anywhere else in the country. The job market in NYC is insane, as far as greater opportunities with money and personal growth, after all NYC is known as the financial capital of the world. I didn’t even mention the night life, and entertainment that NYC has to offer.

Rich in history The Northeast has so much history, it's all around us here, everywhere we go we come face to face with landmarks, and towns which had a huge impact on our country.

The Hudson River Valley The Hudson river Valley is one the most gorgeous places to live, the river is huge measuring 3 miles wide at Haverstraw Bay and it stretches to just about Albany. In the fall the views are spectacular.

Basically, IMO we have it all. Obviously we have a wide range of everything, not the best of one thing (except NYC) For instance you like Las Vegas, well we can't compare, but we do have Atlantic City & Foxwoods in CT. We have the ocean and the mountains, rivers and lakes. 4 seasons, financial opportunities like you couldn't imagine. Plus, the best part....we have the greatest NSX community on the planet

 

[docjohn]

I'm a New Yorker born and raised,,,but I did'nt think the Northern Ca. xpo venue was too shabby!

 

[Da Hapa]

San Luis Obispo is a great recommendation.

My other thought would be La Jolla. If my career allowed me to find a job working in and or around La Jolla, I'd move there in a heartbeat. Its beautiful, the weather is awesome, its still "slow" compared to much of CA, yet its close to San Diego, OC and LA.

 

[nsxtasy]

If you could move anywhere in the US, where would it be?

Chicago. "My kind of town, Chicago is..."

close to a major city

8 million people. Major.

airports because we like to travel and the mother-in-law will be flying in from the UK

Busiest airport in the world, with the best air service, of course. I bet we have more non-stop flights to and from the UK than any other airport in the States except JFK. And we also have cheap flights, with hubs for Southwest and ATA as well as United and American.

cultural activities, i.e. art, dance, theatre.

Absolutely. One of the world's great symphonies (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), one of the world's great art museums (the Art Institute is easily the best museum west of Boston/NYC/Washington), and all that good stuff.

Close to institutions of higher learing so I could possibly teach again.

Two of the best in the country - University of Chicago and Northwestern University - as well as DePaul, Loyola, University of Illinois at Chicago, and a whole lot more.

We want warm (not hot) weather.

The spring, summer, and fall are delightful! And not hot, either - for the entire year, we average only 17 days of 90 degrees F or above. Very pleasant. I hate hot weather too, and I'd take Chicago weather over just about anywhere else.

Close to the water would be great.

We have the largest fresh water lake in the country (you can't see across it on even the clearest day), and virtually all of Chicago's Lake Michigan shoreline (30-40 miles worth) is public beach. The Air and Water Show every August features aerobatics and the Blue Angels.

Low taxes.

You got it! Our state income tax is a flat 3 percent, and property taxes are generally reasonable, too. It costs $78/year to register a car - quite a change from California, even after repealing the triple tax!

Oh, another thing -- a good NSX service place.

Chicago has two dealers that are top notch for stock NSX service and light mods, and less than 100 miles away is the top dealer in the Midwest (maybe even the country) for NSX modifications and race prepping, as well as traditional service.

Among things you didn't mention, we have...

...nine terrific racetracks within four hours drive.

...housing prices that never got as ridiculous as either coast.

...traffic that's not always great, but nowhere near as bad as either coast or even some cities that are significantly smaller.

...the best restaurants in the country. Period.

Let me know if you'd like to check it out - I'd be happy to act as your personal guide for a day or two and show you around town.

 

[len3.8]

Dangit!! Ken. You have me wanting to move to Chicago.

 

[Joel]

Dtrigg,

I just thought of another place...Julian, CA

 

[Da Hapa]

Chicago. "My kind of town, Chicago is..."

8 million people. Major.

Busiest airport in the world, with the best air service, of course. I bet we have more non-stop flights to and from the UK than any other airport in the States except JFK. And we also have cheap flights, with hubs for Southwest and ATA as well as United and American.

Absolutely. One of the world's great symphonies (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), one of the world's great art museums (the Art Institute is easily the best museum west of Boston/NYC/Washington), and all that good stuff.

Two of the best in the country - University of Chicago and Northwestern University - as well as DePaul, Loyola, University of Illinois at Chicago, and a whole lot more.

The spring, summer, and fall are delightful! And not hot, either - for the entire year, we average only 17 days of 90 degrees F or above. Very pleasant. I hate hot weather too, and I'd take Chicago weather over just about anywhere else.

We have the largest fresh water lake in the country (you can't see across it on even the clearest day), and virtually all of Chicago's Lake Michigan shoreline (30-40 miles worth) is public beach. The Air and Water Show every August features aerobatics and the Blue Angels.

You got it! Our state income tax is a flat 3 percent, and property taxes are generally reasonable, too. It costs $78/year to register a car - quite a change from California, even after repealing the triple tax!

Chicago has two dealers that are top notch for stock NSX service and light mods, and less than 100 miles away is the top dealer in the Midwest (maybe even the country) for NSX modifications and race prepping, as well as traditional service.

Among things you didn't mention, we have...

...nine terrific racetracks within four hours drive.

...housing prices that never got as ridiculous as either coast.

...traffic that's not always great, but nowhere near as bad as either coast or even some cities that are significantly smaller.

...the best restaurants in the country. Period.

Let me know if you'd like to check it out - I'd be happy to act as your personal guide for a day or two and show you around town.

All good points and you didn't even mention Wrigley field.

The only problem with Chicago... it gets way, way, way cold. I've travelled a good part of the world and the coldest I've ever been was during the one week executive MBA course I took at Kellogg. We stayed on campus, and on the lake and when that wind kicks up... well God help you.