# Where would you go?



## amygrimis (Oct 17, 2011)

If you didn't have to worry about a job, where would you move to?

We are in the fortunate position to finally be able to move from AZ to ... wherever! 

This is what we're looking for, so maybe, hopefully, someone out there will think of something we haven't!

Home: 2/1.5 is the minimum, would prefer 3/2, but we have some building experience, so may be able to add on. Also, happy to do updating.
Acre: 1 minimum
Weather: Nothing too extreme. Looking for long growing season, 4 seasons, but can't handle much under freezing or over 90. I have asthma, so can't handle the super humid areas. This is one of our top requirements and one of the more specific/difficult to find.
Cost: We'd like to do owner finance if we can. We have a substantial down. Probably no more than $100k total. 

We always wanted to build, but now that it is a reality, I'm a little nervous about the feasibility of that. Also, we are a liberal, non-Christian family. We love Christians lol but, we may do better in a more liberal area, if that makes sense. We're artsy and very spiritual 

If anyone has thoughts, suggestions or ideas, I would appreciate it! I am at a loss as to where to start!


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

I'd have to say that Sequim WA fits your criteria fairly well. We do get occasional fog and proximity to the waterfront does relate to humidity level. While we get 4 seasons, our Winters are fairly mild.


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## blufford (Nov 23, 2004)

You may not have to move far.

http://www.movingtoprescott.com/climate.html


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## RonM (Jan 6, 2008)

I would prefer Delaware, Eastern shore of MD or Eastern shore of Va....good growing season, good year round climate, good people, health care , seafood...


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Nah.. MD is too much of a nanny state... VA is much better.. 

We didn't worry about jobs, and moved to WV because land was cheap, taxes low, and weather wasn't much different that I've been used to between IL and VA... 

We're still pretty happy here, and doing fairly well as far as income and adjusting to the climate.. 

Yeah it's a little more than what the OP is looking for with humidity and hay fever, but some times money talks. and around here, it was cheap all things considered.


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

I'm there already. 
If I were still shopping, I would do some travelling. In some out of the way places. Because the complainers always make the most noise, you are likely to be directed away from an area you might like.
Ask people who have travelled for their recommendations, especially if they share your interests.
For me, I hate hot weather which I define as more than 80 degrees. So I live in a place where the fog rolls in and cools things off. But then again there many be a week at a time where the sun is not seen and lots of people hate that. I do too but not enough to move where it's freezing in the winter or there's no winter at all. 
If you google "where to live", it will bring up lots of sites as a place to start looking.


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## amygrimis (Oct 17, 2011)

Eh, Prescott. Not that it isn't nice, but there isn't much that isn't expensive and we need grass, not too mention cooler weather. I don't know much about the east coast, but with looking into.

We will be doing a lot of traveling until we find something, but want to narrow it down.

Where I want to: that sounds like heaven. California? We thought about Redding, but heard the taxes are awful. Is that true or worth considering?


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

amygrimis said:


> Eh, Prescott. Not that it isn't nice, but there isn't much that isn't expensive and we need grass, not too mention cooler weather. I don't know much about the east coast, but with looking into.
> 
> We will be doing a lot of traveling until we find something, but want to narrow it down.
> 
> Where I want to: that sounds like heaven. California? We thought about Redding, but heard the taxes are awful. Is that true or worth considering?


California is a very mixed bag. Prop 13 means that once you purchase a home, the rise in property taxes is limited to 2% a year max. But that doesn't mean that bonds can't be tacked on. But you at least get to vote on them. The sales tax varies from place to place but it is not negligible anywhere anymore. Income tax is very progressivez. If most of your income is nontaxable, like social security, income tax is not bad . If you have a high taxable income, you get taxed at a higher rate.
As to Redding- it's hotter than heck over there. People there travel here to get some cool in the summer. Shudder- last time I went there it was 106. Breathing hurt. Some like that, just not me.
What makes my place perfect for me is that I am frequently above the marine layer so I get more sun but still get some of the cooling effect. I'm on the first group of hills in from the Pacific. But 7 miles seaward- under the fog. 7 miles inland- 100 degrees. 
And California is like that- deserts, mountains, rolling hills, oceans, forests, prairies, rivers, anything you want is here somewhere. But houses and even bare land can be pretty expensive, especially on the coast. The further south, the more expensive. Again though- not everywhere.


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## Micknleb (Jun 1, 2014)

Western North Carolina is vey nice. It's mountainous, beautiful, and there's a lot of agriculture and outdoor stuff. My wife and I love to go to Asheville--a very liberal, university town with excellent brew pubs and lots of local foods, etc. The South in general, however, is very conservative and very Christian. We live about an hour from Nashville, and when I moved here about 25 years ago, a friend gave me good advice, "You can live in Nashville, or you can live in Tennessee."


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## ChristieAcres (Apr 11, 2009)

Where I live is very unique, as compared to the rest of WA State and most other areas of our Country. Annual Rainfall is 20" where I actually am and our summers are mild (seldom gets over 80F). I am ten minutes from hikes in the Olympic Mountains and fifteen minutes from the shore of the Strait of Juan De Fuca. The 130 mile Olympic Discovery Trail spans from Port Angeles, through Sequim, all the way to Port Townsend (most of it is paved). In 30 minutes, I can be at the Port Angeles Ferry, and go to Victoria BC. We have a long growing season too.


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## amygrimis (Oct 17, 2011)

This is exciting, but is producing a lot of anxiety LOL I love the idea of Washington state. It is 116 out today and if I could move this afternoon, I would! But, I'm still not really seeing anything that is affordable to us in WA. There is one property that is land, but we are not carpenters. Like the idea of building (and my husband has done some construction in the military), but projects are slow moving at my house. I can imagine myself living in a tent with my kid for 2 years while waiting for a home LOL

What options have any of you tried with getting a home on your property. Let's ignore building restrictions since we don't have a specific place in mind. I have looking at this for years and still feel like I don't have a clue!


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Someone posted a list of "needs and wants" for locating a homestead. It was several years ago. The idea of thinking about what's important and what's less important makes sense.

I found that when looking for property it helped to look at properties that I had no interest in buying because it helped form an image in my head of what I did want.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

From central California on up to Canada sounds like what your looking for if you dont get too far from the coast. Lots of liberals there and the climate isnt bad either.


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## PrairieClover (Jun 19, 2015)

You may want to look around in western North Carolina, as someone else suggested. I have a friend who lives there with his family and he definitely is not religious-leaning and loves the area. I don't think it gets too hot where he is but does get cold and snowy. Not sure how your asthma would be affected. 
Good luck.


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## Doc John (Sep 4, 2011)

Look around your new area and be in no hurry to purchase a place to live. Rent or live in a motel for a month. Drive around and get a feeling of the area.

Read the local newspaper, attend events, take your time to get to know the area.

Your search may take a year to find the right location.

Good luck


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

"If you didn't have to worry about a job, where would you move to?"

We had that choice eight years ago, and ended up here. There were a lot of criteria:
It had to be sustainable - areas with unavoidable high costs like taxes and fees were out
It had to be below the Mason-Dixon line. I would not survive long cold winters
It had to be away from hurricanes. Been there, done that too many times.
It had to have green and it had to have mountains or hills
It had to have no HOA and a minimum of zoning 
It had to have laws I could live with
It had to have minimal traffic to deal with basic shopping
It had to have at least a smattering of snow in winter and defined seasons
It had to have regular sun

Dunno if any of those fit for you, just some ideas.


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## miraclemant (May 28, 2011)

Christieacres;

Come on! Sequim has 4 seasons?? You have got to be kidding me. I lived in Port Angeles for 25 years, and loved it there (Port Angeles is 17 miles west of Sequim, WA).
Four seasons does NOT mean; mild summers, mild winters, rainy springs and foggy falls......
Don't get me wrong, I think the weather in Port Angeles is as close to perfect as you can get. Never too hot, Never too cold. 
Western Washington is known by many in the USA as having a lot of rain, but what most people in other parts of the country do not understand, is that most of the time, it is just a light drizzle, just enough to be measured. Most parts of the USA gets more rain per year (except SW deserts, and also Eastern Washington and Oregon, which are high deserts). I can tell you from experience that there were lots of drizzle days, that I could be outside in a T-shirt, and my body heat would keep my shirt dry.
oh, one thing about the rain, Yes, it does rain more days per year there than most other places, but we are talking about .01" of rain (barely measurable). 
So, if I had my choice, I would move back to the Port Angeles area in a heart beat. but my problem is I was in a coma for 3 months, and because I was not there to make payments on everything, I lost over $2 million of net worth. But it is all good, God is still good, and in control.


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## wannabfarmer (Jun 30, 2015)

My wife and i are debating on where we should settle also. Currently we are in Ohio and we like it but after my wife has a couple glasses of wine and watches mountain men she is all for the Montana area lol. we also have family in Charlotte NC so we have stopped in Asheville many times and love it. My only advice is to take your time finding a new place and learn everything you can about where you are interested in moving then go spend time there in the worst time you feel would be AKA winter or middle of summer. also look at property in the area so you can get a feel on how your current living situation might change. If we stay in Ohio our land will most likely be around 5 acres with a rancher. If we move near Asheville our home is most likely going to be older but we could get closer to 20 acres (for our price range).


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

My personal choice would be coastal Alaska. But then I would miss the butterflies and hummingbirds and snakes. 

For your criteria, maybe Barbados. The weather there is nice and mild year round. Lots of ocean view, wasn't real humid when we were there. (but that was only 1 day, I would liked to have spent a week or so there)

If you're looking in the US, there are several states which might work. Parts of Colorado, Utah, maybe northern New Mexico. Tennessee, Kentucky, western North Carolina are also pretty nice in the winter, I'm not real sure about the summer but mountain regions are usually cooler than flat lands. Kentucky has an extensive cave system and I've seen several properties for sale which have caves on them. That would make a really nice summer home.


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## silkcreekfarm (Jul 28, 2015)

Willamette Valley in Oregon would suit you pretty well. Similar weather to Sequim but not as wet as the Olympic Peninsula. Very liberal (more so than I would like) but not too expensive, good growing season, not a lot of snow (maybe once a year for a few days). 

Outside of Eugene, Oregon are some nice areas that are cheaper than areas outside of Portland. We live in the very far south of the Willamette Valley and love it. If I could live anywhere, it would be here (maybe in a different house closer to family in the Central Willamette Valley near Dallas (not The Dalles) Oregon). 

If you like wine (I don't drink so I don't know) there are a ton of wineries around here that people like (usually have good food!!!). 

Bil


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## farmerted (Dec 21, 2012)

Brookings Oregon.


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## wannabfarmer (Jun 30, 2015)

Not having to worry about job or money my family and I would be on our way to montana. Anywhere in the northern part of it. Beautiful area and not very crouded. We are a hard working family and not scared for self sustainability. We have even talked about Alaska but it would make family visiting or us visiting them very difficult. Currently in ohio we love this state as well. I'll tell you growing up on the east coast and living in many of those states I'll never go back east.


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## wannabfarmer (Jun 30, 2015)

Crowded* sorry lol


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