If you could live anywhere in the US...

[NSX/MR2]

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.

La Jolla is a part of San Diego, both the city and the county. It is not close to OC or LA one bit. My hospital is up there around the Univercity of San Diego. The weather, art, scenery restuarants..., are awesome, but the real estate market up there is not doing so bad neither. Be willing to pay from $900,000 to over a million buck for a house up there easily. The problem with that is: I don't find too many $900,000 houses up there at all.

La Jolla or Delmar and other surrounding area are the reason why I considered San Diego absolutely the best place to live. I just wish people would stop moving here. I see too many out of state license plate when I am driving. Beside, the traffic is getting kind of bad, (I definitely don't want my beautiful San Diego to be turning into another LA.)

On a side note, La Jolla residences have tried, though unsuccessful, three times to separate themselves from the city of San Diego and form their own city. The city won't let that happen because La Jolla generates quite a bit of money because of all its attraction for the government of San Diego.

San Diego, San Diego is absolutely the best for me.

 

[NSX/MR2]

Dtrigg,

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

Julian is a part of San Diego county, very closed to my old high school. The problem with Julian is: it's not close to any major shopping centers or universities. It is a great place for a drive, as i have done that a lot. However, i had to go through Ramona and Santa Ysabel before i get to it.

San Diego is the best, baby!

 

[LrdVader]

La Jolla or Delmar and other surrounding area are the reason why I considered San Diego absolutely the best place to live. I just wish people could stop moving here. I see too many out of state license plate when I am driving. Beside, the traffic is getting kind of bad, (I definitely don't want my beautiful SaN Diego to be turning into another LA.)

How ironic - people in most other states complain about all the California license plates they see when they are driving.

 

[NSX/MR2]

How ironic - people in most other states complain about all the California license plates they see when they are driving.

That means more people are getting out of California, but not enough from San Diego. NBC predicted that San Diego will add another 1.3 million people to its population in the year 2020. Why? Why? Why? There are ton of other empty, affordable and cheap living-expense places for one to go to and live a comfortable life -- Try Oklahoma, New Mexico.... I like san Diego the way it is, and this might sound selffish, but when more people are here, a simple thing like a cruise is compromised. Accidents are also on the increase here, too. I, myself, was hit two times. And for one accident, somebody from Montana did me in.

Please, stay out. Please, stay out.

 

[Jett]

Where To Live

I have lived quite a few places, so here are my observations...

North Carolina Really a nice state. The people are very friendly if you don't mind the drawl. (I grew up there but lost my drawl when I moved away.) Housing is very affordable, good medical care and university system. I don't care for Raleigh but Charlotte rocks. Good cities would be Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, or Asheville. Stay out of the eastern part of the state; too flat and hot.

Georgia I don't know how Atlanta ever got the summer olympics; it is the hottest place I have ever been. Holy Cow!
I have an aunt and uncle who live there, but I just can't recommend it. Atlanta area congested and generally disappointing.

Texas Texas is maybe the best place you never considered. The people are friendly, taxes are low, and has some nice cities. Consider San Antonio or Dallas but stay away from Houston. Buy a house in an "airport community", get a small airplane, and enjoy the vastness of Texas.

Oklahoma Oklahoma wishes it was Texas. Only city even worth considering is OKC, and it just doesn't cut it. Real estate is cheap; when I lived there 16 years ago I heard a story about a guy from California who moved to Oklahoma and bought six...yes, six...houses with the proceeds from his California house. Still, wouldn't be worth it to live there. True story: I met an older gentleman while I was there who told me he had recently purchased his small, modest white frame house in an older, established neighborhood for $3000! Yes, three thousand, not thirty thousand. Amazing even in 1987.

Virginia Northern Virginia is the only interesting area; good cultural opportunities in DC and all the appeal of an urban area. Still, the Northern Virginia sprawl is tedious and the area doesn't have enough unique identity to make me recommend it, and I live there now.

Florida My brother semi-lives in Sarasota; he is a traveling salesman, no joke. There are some nice cities in Florida; I would recommend Fort Myers, Sarasota, or Tampa-St. Pete. If you like boating or would like to try it Florida is great. Not a suitable place to raise children; too many drugs. Also a little redneck-y. A lot redneck-y in parts. Ever watch "Cops"?

California California used to be great. San Diego has a wonderful climate. But holy smokes, the state government has created so many "free" entitlement programs that the people who get the bill (citizens/taxpayers) can't afford to stay. It would be tough to be middle- or even upper-middle class in Cali. Southern California traffic sucks. San Fran is incredibly expensive real-estate wise. Cali has amazed me in that I didn't think the place could sustain itself so prosperously for as long as it has. I had thought that Cali would implode from within years ago due to its inability to control spending; may finally be starting to crack. The Late Great Golden State? Still, with the world's fifth largest economy, an economic Titan.

Hawaii I will differ here with everything you usually hear about Hawaii. Honolulu is a wonderful city; real estate is cheap relative to California and has not run up in the last five years like the mainland USA has. The cost of living issue is way over-hyped. Property taxes are low. The weather is fabulous. The pace is still kind of slow, relative to LA. The people are very nice although a little bit uneducated as a group. The island of Oahu is too crowded overall but since it is small, you can only drive so far. Not like commuting in from Palm Springs to LA. One of the more racist cities around, but it is a polite racism. If you are from the mainland you will forever be an outsider, but that is okay when you are retired or nearing retirement. Definitely NOT a place to raise children, but for different reasons than Florida. Island fever can be a problem after three years because it is so small. The outer islands are each very different from the other. Kauai would be my favorite, although it is very rural. The Big Island would be next, although it is rural also. Maui sucks. I do not understand why it is always so highly rated as a travel destination. Molokai and Lanai are tiny. Buy a nice condo in Waikiki, live there for three years, then move but keep the condo. Hawaii also has the obvious disadvantage of being so distant from everywhere, particularly Europe.

Maryland Another great place you may never have considered. Baltimore is one of my favorite cities. Here is my number one recommendation for you personally: Severna Park, Maryland. A beautiful community adjacent to Annapolis, Maryland and situated beautifully along the Severn River, which is a beautiful waterway leading to Annapolis, the Chesapeake Bay, and ultimately the Atlantic. Both houses and property taxes should be affordable relative to California. Maryland is no tax-haven but they spread the burden a lot better than California. No property tax on cars, boats, planes, etc. Decent climate although it is just a bit too far north to be ideal, climate-wise. Buy a nice place in Severna Park on or near the river, get a 37-foot Sea Ray, and enjoy the boating lifestyle. If retired, you could cruise the intercoastal waterway to Florida (St. Augustine maybe?) in the fall and return in the spring.

Not Recommended The northeast beyond Maryland, Oregon, Washington, most of the West, the Midwest and Upper Midwest (I have been to the upper Midwest fairly often), South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, western Tennessee, New Mexico. I have lived near although not in each of these states.

Worth Considering Phoenix, Arizona. Lexington, Kentucky.
Nashville, Knoxville, or Chattanooga, Tenessee.

Hope this helps...


__________________
Jett

 

[Brian2by2]

Ken:

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.

What lake is that? I was always under the impression that Lake Okeechobee was the largest (besides the great lakes). Maybe its the largest man-made freshwater lake?

 

[nicholas421]

Ken:
What lake is that? I was always under the impression that Lake Okeechobee was the largest (besides the great lakes). Maybe its the largest man-made freshwater lake?

Lake Okeechobee : 730 sq. miles

Lake Michigan-Huron: 45,410 sq. miles

if you want to argue that Lake MI and Lake Huron are separate lakes then Lake Superior is the largest @ 31,820 sq. miles

 

[xsn]

What lake is that? I was always under the impression that Lake Okeechobee was the largest (besides the great lakes). Maybe its the largest man-made freshwater lake?

Not quite. It is the fourth largest lake entirely within the United States, covering 700+ square miles in five counties. It is the second largest fresh water lake wholly within the United States. Average depth is something like 10 feet with some areas in the center less than 6 feet. However if you count lakes the US shares with Canada, it drops down the list quickly.

It is, however, the largest lake in Florida. I guess that's what you were thinking of.

Side note: Despite being large in surface area, Lake Okeechobee is a shallow and probably contains less than two cubic miles of water. Lake Okeechobee is a remnant of a shallow sea, known as the Pimlico Sea.

 

[steveny]

Ken:



What lake is that? I was always under the impression that Lake Okeechobee was the largest (besides the great lakes). Maybe its the largest man-made freshwater lake?

According to this article Grand lake it St. Mary's Ohio is the largest man made lake. I remember taking a trip here when I was very young. The people we stayed with told me that the entire lake was dug with shovels and wheelbarrows.


http://www.activedayton.com/rec/con...NUD0oSlDo2IgGVZNQTdQ3Xatm0q2LfuFXJxoxzb3KZMCv!607681848?urac=n&urvf=10705499054150.5978268691342141

 

[RP-Motorsports]

Lake Okeechobee : 730 sq. miles

Lake Michigan-Huron: 45,410 sq. miles

if you want to argue that Lake MI and Lake Huron are separate lakes then Lake Superior is the largest @ 31,820 sq. miles

We have major water in the upper Midwest! Besides the ones mentioned above, MN known as the state w/ 10,000 lakes, Wisconsin is surrounded with the Mississippi river on the west, Lake Superior to the north, and Lake Michigan to the east, and the one of the top 5 largest fresh water inland lakes in the middle Lake Winnebago. The eastern shore of lake Michigan would put all of your ocean beaches to shame. Full sand beaches with 300+ foot high dunes (sleepy bear dunes) that extend for miles inland. Traverse City is close to the tallest dunes.

 

[mojo]

Wisconsin is surrounded with the Mississippi river on the west, Lake Superior to the north, and Lake Michigan to the east, and the one of the top 5 largest fresh water inland lakes in the middle Lake Winnebago. The eastern shore of lake Michigan would put all of your ocean beaches to shame.

Yeah, but..... it's Wisconsin.......

 

[true]

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.

etc..

Ken is both a poet and a scholar. Last week after reading his pitch I was starting to feel some pride in my home town. Maybe it's not so bad afterall?

Fast-forward to today. Knowing its a bone chilling 13 degrees with 1 degree windchill, I don't even want to look outside! I've been thinking about Ken's post all week wondering how he made it sound so good. I remember when I was in highschool thinking that Chicago winter wasn't that bad...and only now do I realize those 4 winters were probably very mild thanks to good old El-Nino hurricane. (no disrespect to the affected) Some people like the cold, some don't mind it, some don't like it but deal with it -- but I despise every last gust of it and can't take it much longer.

My advise to Dtrigg, not Illinois; unless you are comfortable in an igloo.

 

[coolnsx]

Thanks true now is the time to rerun the "mild but comfortable" comments.

 

[MJK]

My list is similar to yours,but not all my favorite places fit all your (or my) criteria.

I could live in any of the following year-round:
NYC
Outer Banks, NC
Savannah, GA
Palm Beach, FL
Knoxville, TN
Charlotte, NC
Austin, TX
Sedona, AZ
Bay Area, CA
Lake Tahoe
Atlanta (but only if you can avoid the traffic)

Or these on partial year terms
Boston, MA
Bozeman, MT
Scottsdale, AZ
Milwaukee, WI
Boulder, CO

Let me know if you find any marketing jobs!

 

[NSX-Stalker]

I've lived quite a few places (TX, IN, GA, WA, NJ, NY and England) and have lived in Sarasota FL for 7 years now. We love it here. Great people, culture, arts entertainment, close to Tampa, Sarasota bay, tons of great restaurants, etc. I'm never leaving if I can help it.

Good luck with your decision.

NSX-Stalker

 

[nd4spd]

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

Hehe, that's pretty harsh!

I'm in the process of having a house built so it's not all that bad.

The #1 thing that sucks about Connecticut is the Governor!

 

[ncdogdoc]

I grew up in Birmingham, spent a good portion of my young adult life in Auburn with many side trips to Atlanta. I have family in central VA (Orange County) and presently live in the Piedmont Triad area of NC. I first moved to Winston Salem, then bought a practice in High Point.

I despise snow and cold weather, but we really are fairly mild here. Predicted ice storm this evening. W-S is a great town, lots of arts and old money, a little too much tobacco (father died of smoking related dz, not very fond of the industry) Even little High Point has a very large arts community, and the only Rolls/Bentley dealer in the southeast. But I would have to say that the Durham or Chapel Hill area would probably meet ALL of your criteria better but will have a slightly higher cost of living than the Piedmont.

IMHO, the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia is the most beautiful part of the country, but has too much snow for me. I hate to say it, but I have been underwhelmed by most of the western US. I gotta have some trees

 

[jadkar]

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

Oh my god!! that is so funny. I'm sorry for the people who live there but I agree. The worst time I can remember in my life was when I lived in Bristol, CT. I worked at Acura of North Haven as a parts guy in my early 20s. It was the roughest time for me. What's funny is the Acura dealer fired me, it's the only job I was ever canned from. My boss didn't like me very much and in so many words told me I wouldn't ammount to much. Now nine years later I bought my first NSX, and I found out it was orginally sold and serviced by the same Acura dealer!! I think one day I might take a trip out there for an oil change

 

[KGP]

I worked at Acura of North Haven as a parts guy in my early 20s. It was the roughest time for me. What's funny is the Acura dealer fired me, it's the only job I was ever canned from. My boss ...told me I wouldn't ammount to much. Now nine years later I bought my first NSX, and I found out it was orginally sold and serviced by the same Acura dealer!! I think one day I might take a trip out there for an oil change

Be great if he was still there when you went in.
When I was 16 I got canned from McDonalds. Dude said I'd never amount to anything. 30 years later I walk into another McD's for a quick junk food fix, and what do I see? The same squirrely manager who canned me. I made a point of it to make sure he saw me, which he did and aknowledged with a nod. Was a fun encounter.

I think Ken has a future in sales! Anyone want to buy an iceberg? What he fails to mention:
Wind chill never above 0 in winter
Gawd awful traffic
Sports teams suck, big time
Lake is better used for cutting blocks of ice for old-time ice-box's
Cost of real estate high - I could build the Taj Mahal for the price of a 2k sq ft house around here
Can't think of many cities that the Blue Angles don't visit
Illini bow down to the Tigers
Mosqitoes are terrible
Too much snow - look at True's avatar
You always have to be on the look-out for Ferris Bueller stealing your X for the day!

 

[nsxtasy]

So let's see, let's talk about St. Louis:

- You can get stuck in snow and frigid temperatures in the winter: I've done it way too many times.

- You can sweat your **** off in the summertime. Hot and humid. (Remember, one of the qualifications was "warm (not hot) weather.") Average number of 90+ degree days in St. Louis per year is 40 , vs 17 in Chicago. Summer in St. Louis is downright brutal (and matteni will vouch that, I know, because we spent a blistering hot track weekend there together). If I were choosing a city based solely on weather, St. Louis would be pretty far down on my list.

- Traffic? You betcha - every bit as bad as Chicago, even though it only has about one fifth as many people. I've sat on I-70 for hours in stop-and-go traffic trying to get to the airport in St. Louis. Tell me how long it takes to get across the bridge at rush hour and we'll talk about traffic.

- St. Louis is a hub for exactly one airline, an expensive one, and as a result, without any competition, airline prices are much higher than in Chicago, which is a hub for two expensive airlines and two bargain airlines.

- You can pay $100/hour for someone to work on your NSX. You can't do that in Chicago.

- Many of the St. Louis NSX owners drive several hundred miles for NSX service, or fly a qualified NSX tech into town. No one in Chicago does.

- Within five hours of Chicago, you have nine racetracks, including some of the best in the country. Within five hours of St. Louis, you have four.

- Mosquitos? Get real. I've gotten more mosquito bites in the ~40 days I've spent in St. Louis in the past 30 years than in the 10,000 days I've spent in Chicago.

- World class museums and symphonies and cultural activities? Oh yeah, KGP mentioned all the ones that St. Louis doesn't have.

- No beaches, either.

- State income tax rates twice as high as Illinois.

KGP mentions Chicago sports teams. While I am not a fan of the Chicago sports teams, during the time I've been here, I've gotten to see the greatest football running back of all time, and the greatest basketball player of all time, both spending most of their careers here. I've also gotten to see perhaps the best defensive NFL team ever, the only team that has won both its playoff games by shutouts en route to their Super Bowl win. And, of course, six championship NBA seasons in the 1990s. Even without rooting for them, it's been great to be a sports fan living in Chicago.

Furthermore, unlike St. Louis, the Chicago sports teams don't pack up and leave town for a better offer somewhere else, not for the past fifty years or so, anyway. Let's face it - if you're comparing which cities are great for sports, any city where a major sports team recently left town is a loser.

Sure, the cost of real estate is high. You can make a lot more on the appreciation of real estate in Chicago than in St. Louis. My house is the best financial investment I've ever made. Had I lived in St. Louis, I would not have made anywhere near as much.

IMO comparing St. Louis to Chicago is like comparing a Class AA baseball team to the Florida Marlins. Both can be fun to watch, and each has its charms. The fact is, I have visited St. Louis a lot over the course of my 30 years in Chicago. I've even had a good time there. I've gone to some great restaurants - all of them, apparently, which you can't do in Chicago, even if you go to a different one every night. I've seen some nice neighborhoods in the city as well as the suburbs. But St. Louis is a small town as big cities go. Small towns have their advantages and they also have their disadvantages. If you like them, they're great - St. Louis has its charms, just like similar cities such as Memphis, Birmingham, and Oklahoma City. I'm sure that their residents love living there. But by the criteria that were set out at the start of this topic - things like air travel, cultural activities, close to the water, low taxes, etc - St. Louis just doesn't compare with Chicago. Not even in the same league.

 

[coolnsx]

Gentlemen, we in SoCal CAN NOT relate to most of your points

 

[demigod]

I wouldn't mind having a residence at the Montage in Laguna Beach.

 

[ajnsx]

simple, move to that little american off -shoot island, where the weather is warm, landscape is awesome, has a huge racing heritage, great housing and job opportunities for the open minded. Hmmm Australia, thats what it's called! Many an American has visited and decided to stay

 

[KGP]

Gotcha

So let's see, let's talk about St. Louis:

Why? I never recall saying or promoting St. Louis as "THE city to live in." Trust me, if it were not for my children being of school ages I'd be in one of the warm weatrher cities mentioned in this thread.

Now - with the above said, allow me to correct you on a minor issue, the only one I really care about that you have mentioned:

...unlike St. Louis, the Chicago sports teams don't pack up and leave town for a better offer somewhere else, not for the past fifty years or so, anyway. Let's face it - if you're comparing which cities are great for sports, any city where a major sports team recently left town is a loser.

The very same team that left St. Louis also left Chicago. Even with that aside, good riddance to Bill Bidwell. It's only been about 8 years since his move to Phoenix, and the fans there are already fed up with his crap. Recently, the Rams played in Phoenix and I think there were more Rams fans in the stadium than Cards fans. Poor Billy Bidwell had to market to the St. Louis season ticket holders because he knew that phoenix people have already wised up to his BS.

IMO comparing St. Louis to Chicago

I never did! Hehehehehe

 

[coolnsx]

KGP, I travel evtensively in the US, mostly April till snow. I am a big time MLB fan and go to both major and minor league games wherever I go. Off all the places I go St Louis is the best baseball city in the world. No doubt/not close!