If you had to pick up and move where would you go?

[mramseyISU]

Oregon is my jam - PDX area, specifically. I enjoy Seattle, but it's far more overpriced (last time I checked CoL calculators, anyway, and as a visitor). It's so beautiful!



I think you have to definitely not be a person who has seasonal affective disorder or anything! We've visited Seattle in May, and Portland multiple times (only in winter) - I love that it's not 100 degrees below, but gets rain and a bit of snow. I don't mind the weather at all, but it likely would be hard to plan events that are entirely outdoors!



For sure Oregon here. I've never been to Montana, but it looks like I would love it. I like the PacNW's moderate temperatures that still have lots of green. I do love city life, have always wanted to live in NYC for a few years - the NW has some good-sized cities that give you big-city amenities with easy access to a gorgeous coast, mountains, waterfalls, etc. I mean, if it was good enough for the Goonies...



We've looked quite a bit at housing in PDX over the past couple of years - it's not terrible at all, price-wise. There are definitely some schools that are preferable to others, but the CoL isn't much different from here. And so many tech opportunities.



Same. PDX is my happy place. Great music, sports, food and bar/brewery scene, lots of variety. I know it's considered hipster, but I think more they just embrace their weirdness and offbeat interests.



I'm so jealous! There really is everything there. We've discussed moving out to PDX several times, as we just love it (and have only been in winter, not even when it's nice out or anything). The whole thing just is my sweet spot!

From everything I’ve ever heard or read Portland is like Austin but not hot in the summer and no good bbq.


I wasn’t real sure about the cost of living though. Just looking at houses it didn’t look like I could get a similar house for the money there but that could be just me not knowing where to look too.

 

[madguy30]

Definitely. I loved it out there. No traffic, no people, 85 mph speed limits on interstates, beautiful land, peace and quiet.

If the Bighorns were maybe just 4 hours closer I'd take long weekends out there on the regular.

 

[CTTB78]

I can’t see myself leaving the Driftless Area, but I could switch towns. La Crosse is a pretty awesome mix of big enough to have stuff without much urban sprawl.....

We like it here in the Driftless as well. Nice pace, beautiful scenery.
The Black Hills would also be nice. A lot of desirable places across the country with only NYC, LA., and Chicago being definite no way.

 

[awd4cy]

If the Bighorns were maybe just 4 hours closer I'd take long weekends out there on the regular.

Definitely a beautiful area people don’t always think to go or skip when they go to Yellowstone.

 

[Angie]

From everything I’ve ever heard or read Portland is like Austin but not hot in the summer and no good bbq.


I wasn’t real sure about the cost of living though. Just looking at houses it didn’t look like I could get a similar house for the money there but that could be just me not knowing where to look too.

I believe your first sentence is entirely accurate. I'm sure there is a food truck somewhere with some good BBQ (as there are hundreds), and I want to say the Pine Street Market had some good offbeat BBQ that Janny tried, but that doesn't seem to be their focus up there in my experience, no. What they may possibly lack in BBQ, they more than make up for in ice cream and doughnuts, however. (And burgers, and beer. So many good foods.)

 

[cyfreddy]

So with all the economic uncertainty right now my wife and I were talking the other night about this. If we had to pick up and move where would we go? Both of us have traveled a lot but never lived anywhere but the Midwest and I wouldn't mind doing something different. Personally I'd pick either Texas, the area around Austin specifically or somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. I like Austin for the food scene and I'd spend a lot of time watching races at COTA. I like the Pacific Northwest because you're a couple hours drive from mountains and the ocean.

So where would you go and why? Just for the sake of simplicity I'm keeping the poll to just the US but some days moving to Europe sounds appealing.

On a side note my wife and I both work for the same company and this might actually be something we have to consider based on the doom and gloom coming out of leadership.

I love the Mesa Arizona area, the streets are easy to get around. Spring training baseball, Phoenix Suns basketball. If you want some snow, you are only 3 hours from Flagstaff. Another place would be Chicago in the summertime, if I had season tickets for the Cubs.

 

[Sousaclone]

I voted the Rockies but I'd also consider the Pacific NW, NorCal, parts of the Southwest (Flagstaff maybe), and even parts of the Northeast.


Pacific NW - Lots of outdoor things to do. Buddy lived in Vancouver BC for about 5 years and was 20 minutes from a state park that was just mind blowing. Expensive though.

NorCal - Depends on where you are, but lots of outdoors, can get hot in the summer, but a nice area. Good friend was born just north of Santa Rosa in Sonoma wine country and it's gorgeous

Southwest - Parts of the deserts are really interesting to me. Have to get high enough in elevation to avoid the stupid hot parts of the year though. Spent a week in Utah and was just in love with scenery. Moab would be a cool place to live except it's almost entirely tourist based.

Northeast - This is a tough one. I would have to be either in Maine/Vermont/NH or closer to Canada than the Atlantic. The winters would be pretty brutal. Not as many parks and such as the western half of the US, but still lots to do outdoors.

All that's assuming that money / cost of living is adjusted equitably to maintain similar quality of life (within reason).

One place I would not recommend moving to is Houston, TX. About the only redeeming thing this place has is good tacos. Just about everyone I'm working with (even the people who are from Texas) can't wait for this project to be over with so that we can leave. I'd rather be back in New Orleans versus Houston.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

You all can stay away from Oregon and erase it from your list.

Weather sucks. People suck. Traffic sucks. Live music scene sucks. Restaurants and food carts suck. World class craft beer and hundreds of breweries suck. Willamette Valley wines and wineries suck. Legal weed sucks (if you're into that). Beautiful coast line sucks. Gorgeous mountain ranges suck. Fishing, camping and outdoor life sucks.

I could go on. Just look somewhere else.

My sister lived in Oregon for a few years in the early seventies. Oregon ran an "anti-tourism" campaign way back then, too.

 

[AlaCyclone]

Well, I made that life choice already and moved back to Iowa after wandering around the country for 25 years. My wife is from Iowa, so that was the main reason, but I liked the move too. There are plenty of places left to visit, and I would be happy living in some other places; however, for day to day quality of life - I am happy where I am. Not from Iowa originally either. Had only visited twice before I moved here the first time in 1989 to go to Iowa State.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

That's my jam for a beach. Huge rocks, clear cold water and hardly any crowds with miles of sand to walk.

Tide pools. I LOVE tide pools!
Cape Alava (on the NW point of the Olympic Peninsula) was a favorite destination for our family when I was a child
And living in that region, we were close to the mountains for skiing in the winter, and hiking in the summer. So many great trails within easy reach.

I lived in Bellevue from age 5-11, then again from 13-19. It's definitely not the same place I left. Back then, there was only ONE high-rise building and it was only 3 or 4 stories. Kids could ride their bikes all over town in relative safety. Seattle was a city, but acted more like a small town. After I left, Microsoft moved in and the whole place changed. I would never live their again...to expensive and too snooty. That's why I chose Sedro-Wooley, further north. It's more like Bellevue used to be.

As much as I love Texas and the Hill Country where I spent a good part of my childhood summers, I'm fairly certain I could never handle the heat again...or the politics...
I've also lived in Florida & California. And Kansas. All I can say is "never again".

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Well, I made that life choice already and moved back to Iowa after wandering around the country for 25 years. My wife is from Iowa, so that was the main reason, but I liked the move too. There are plenty of places left to visit, and I would be happy living in some other places; however, for day to day quality of life - I am happy where I am. Not from Iowa originally either. Had only visited twice before I moved here the first time in 1989 to go to Iowa State.

Move here when I was about 30 - I've lived here longer than all the other places I lived before, combined. I don't plan to leave.

 

[enisthemenace]

It’s been mentioned a couple times, but Montana for me. I’ve had a dream of owning 1,000 acres in Montana, and dropping a small house right in the middle of it.

 

[Old87]

Ames, Iowa

My wife and I returned to Ames after a 30 year absence to attend my son’s freshman orientation. Turning off of Duff and traveling down Lincoln Way I had the feeling that I had just returned home. Ames is a special place.

 

[SpokaneCY]

I've yet to go to Seattle but it sounds way busier than Portland with a much bigger sprawl around it. Portland's pretty easy to get around and imo very easy to get out of.

Portland has a way better vibe. More walkable, more bikable, more drinkable, more eatable. But the street life can be aggressive, gritty and off-putting. Nothing more depressing than riding the Max in from the airport and seeing all the encampments and trash heaps along the rail line from the bums.

But one of my favorite cities other than Vancouver BC...

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

From everything I’ve ever heard or read Portland is like Austin but not hot in the summer and no good bbq.


I wasn’t real sure about the cost of living though. Just looking at houses it didn’t look like I could get a similar house for the money there but that could be just me not knowing where to look too.

One thing to compare about Austin as you’re looking around. Texas Property Taxes. It’s starting to become out of control. There’s no income tax which is great for someone like me who doesn’t own a home but if I did, the property taxes would have risen 75%+ in the 5 years I’ve lived here (in the area I would’ve bought in). Hell Austin just increased their property taxes 11% across the board.

There was a little relief that the legislature came up with that if a city wants to increase property taxes by more than 3.5% then it must go to a city council/count chair vote. Well now it’s just a formality.

Just did a quick check and a $250k home in Portland you’re looking at $2600 a year and in Austin it’s $4950 a year (and I’m sure it doesn’t include that 11% hike that just happened).

 

[simply1]

One thing to compare about Austin as you’re looking around. Texas Property Taxes. It’s starting to become out of control. There’s no income tax which is great for someone like me who doesn’t own a home but if I did, the property taxes would have risen 75%+ in the 5 years I’ve lived here (in the area I would’ve bought in). Hell Austin just increased their property taxes 11% across the board.

There was a little relief that the legislature came up with that if a city wants to increase property taxes by more than 3.5% then it must go to a city council/count chair vote. Well now it’s just a formality.

Just did a quick check and a $250k home in Portland you’re looking at $2600 a year and in Austin it’s $4950 a year (and I’m sure it doesn’t include that 11% hike that just happened).

Do state income tax next. I don't think there are many homes for $250k in either city though really.

 

[Gunnerclone]

I’d split my time between Asheville, NC (probably my pick if I can only have 1) and San Diego.

Do you have experience with Asheville? It’s one of my “places to go within 8 hours of CBus list. Is it as amazing as I think it is? Or has the vibe been lost like in Boulder?

 

[Doc]

There’s a remote small town in California that sits in the shadow of Mt. Whitney, has trout streams running through it, easy access to Death Valley (which is awesome in the winter), Mammoth, Tahoe, and Yosemite (in the summer), and a dry climate. One of two places in the US that has 14ers on both sides of it. I don’t want to say its name in case any of you ******* decide to go there.

P.S. It’s Bishop

 

[Doc]

Pretty much any dry climate town that’s on the “wrong” side of a mountain range that doesn’t have too many peak baggers and dorks that count how many days they’ve skied.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Voted So-Cal. I’d specifically go with one of the beach towns or a one in from the beach towns as far south in OC as possible. Beach to Snow to Desert in the same day, close to Vegas and not all that bad to Phoenix, San Diego obviously, can melt in to Mexico easily if needed.