How do you look for a place to live?

March 31, 2019, 11:25 PM

Rey HRH

I googled several points:

1) Most gun-friendly state
2) Cities with climates close to Bay Area, CA. I don't want a lot of snow or a lot of heat.
3) Cities with Lowest cost of living
4) Best cities to retire
5) Cities with best access to hospitals
6) States with the lowest taxes

Each of those produced a list. I then looked at places that were common to all the lists in the top ten.

That's what I done did and was able to select a place. I tell you the most frequent place that showed up in top 1 or 2 was Asheville, North Carolina. It only failed in one category which was a deal breaker for me, it has a cost of living significantly higher than the national average. I won't tell you the place I finally settled on and am targetting.

Edited to add: After I made my selection, I thought I was done. Then my wife said we have to go visit the place. So we spent a week there and she was satisfied. I told her, "I told you so." But I guess you do have to visit and see for yourself.

"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.

March 31, 2019, 11:33 PM

Bassamatic

I was born and raised in western Washington, lived there for 50 years. The wife was from Missouri so we flew back there on a lot of vacations visiting her family. We both knew we had to get our of Washington when we retired so Missouri was where we looked first.

Very gun friendly, very conservative and had good hunting and fishing. Plus, the wife was familiar with the entire state. We moved here 20 years ago and have not regretted a single day.

April 01, 2019, 08:08 AM

thumperfbc

quote:
Originally posted by Rey HRH:
I googled several points:

1) Most gun-friendly state
2) Cities with climates close to Bay Area, CA. I don't want a lot of snow or a lot of heat.
3) Cities with Lowest cost of living
4) Best cities to retire
5) Cities with best access to hospitals
6) States with the lowest taxes

Each of those produced a list. I then looked at places that were common to all the lists in the top ten.

That's what I done did and was able to select a place. I tell you the most frequent place that showed up in top 1 or 2 was Asheville, North Carolina. It only failed in one category which was a deal breaker for me, it has a cost of living significantly higher than the national average. I won't tell you the place I finally settled on and am targetting.

Edited to add: After I made my selection, I thought I was done. Then my wife said we have to go visit the place. So we spent a week there and she was satisfied. I told her, "I told you so." But I guess you do have to visit and see for yourself.

Email inbound....

April 01, 2019, 09:03 AM

oddball

quote:
Originally posted by Anubismp:
For those of you who have moved and found a great place, what was your process?

Before we left CA, my wife and I spent a few years visiting and hanging out in various areas, including Oregon, Nevada, Utah, AZ. Then taking into consideration of her continued employment, my business, etc. we chose DFW. We loved the town that we live in now, and it was a slam dunk that we have friends here as well. Without a doubt, you need to visit a location a few times and live there for a few days.