Where to live in USA?
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My wife and I are entertaining the possibility of relocating to the US for a while. We are looking for a warm climate, near the ocean, and low crime. If anyone has any suggestions or recommendations regarding a nice area, I’d appreciate hearing about it.
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
Be aware that the California coast is very expensive. Even places like Carlsbad, north of San Diego, has shot up in price. I like Southern California except for the traffic, crowds and that the state is run by idiots. Since I left in 1987, it's just gotten worse. If you don't mind living a little inland, Ventura county northwest of Los Angeles is very nice (I lived in Simi Valley for a summer and liked it, up to a point [the traffic and cost of living drive me nuts, which is largely why I left So Cal in the first place].) One thing to be aware of is that Southern California is built on a desert. I grew up in the US northeast and never quite adjusted to that aspect of California (I lived in Arizona too and never quite got used to that.) If you want green, you need to look on the east and southern coasts. If you don't mind humidity (I hate it), the gulf coast states are for you. If you don't mind winters being a tad cooler and weather being more unpredictable, Northern California is beautiful; Monterey, Santa Cruz, Marin County. San Francisco is nice, albeit expensive and run by people who make the rest of California politicians look like geniuses.
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I quite like Arizona. Was visiting Tucson last year. The desert has a beauty all it's own.
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Definitely. Are there many expats where you are MidwestLimey? We are looking for something a little closer to the sea for a change.
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
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Thanks for responding. San Diego seems a popular choice. I see from your profile you’re originally from Boston (MA). How would you compare that area to San Diego?
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
I have friends in NC who left Boston to escape the winters and property prices. Essentially despite both having good incomes they couldn't afford to buy a decent house which they wanted to do after having a kid. Boston is another great place to visit, but not so much to live if you have a family. I will attest that the summers are pleasantly mild and the autumn absolutley beautiful up there. However the winter lasts half the year. Not my words, thiers :D
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Be aware that the California coast is very expensive. Even places like Carlsbad, north of San Diego, has shot up in price. I like Southern California except for the traffic, crowds and that the state is run by idiots. Since I left in 1987, it's just gotten worse. If you don't mind living a little inland, Ventura county northwest of Los Angeles is very nice (I lived in Simi Valley for a summer and liked it, up to a point [the traffic and cost of living drive me nuts, which is largely why I left So Cal in the first place].) One thing to be aware of is that Southern California is built on a desert. I grew up in the US northeast and never quite adjusted to that aspect of California (I lived in Arizona too and never quite got used to that.) If you want green, you need to look on the east and southern coasts. If you don't mind humidity (I hate it), the gulf coast states are for you. If you don't mind winters being a tad cooler and weather being more unpredictable, Northern California is beautiful; Monterey, Santa Cruz, Marin County. San Francisco is nice, albeit expensive and run by people who make the rest of California politicians look like geniuses.
Thanks Joe, that’s very interesting. Northern California does look green. I notice that the climate in San Francisco, while temperate, rarely reaches more than 70F (21C). Seems like most people commenting prefer the west coast.
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
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Definitely. Are there many expats where you are MidwestLimey? We are looking for something a little closer to the sea for a change.
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
I'm 900 miles from the Atlantic and 700 miles from the Gulf in one of the 'flyover' states. The advantage of being in a medium sized (2m odd) metro in the middle is that the earnings are above average, cost of living below average and housing cheap while still have access to most of the amenities of civilization. Taxes are also fairly low, and motoring is cheap. I'm also a 2h flight from the east coast and gulf, or 3-4h from the west coast and southwest, I can essentially get anywhere easily. Virtually anywhere I could move to in the US (let alone back to Europe) would require me taking a cut in my standard of living. We also have some fine vineyards along the Missouri river. On the other hand the summers are hot and humid (35C and 40-50% humidity is the norm, several 40C+ days are typical) and winters cold (last year was it got down to -18C, was below -10C for most of a week) and the landscape isn't that pretty. And God forbid you suffer from allergies, because believe me you WILL suffer.
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I have friends in NC who left Boston to escape the winters and property prices. Essentially despite both having good incomes they couldn't afford to buy a decent house which they wanted to do after having a kid. Boston is another great place to visit, but not so much to live if you have a family. I will attest that the summers are pleasantly mild and the autumn absolutley beautiful up there. However the winter lasts half the year. Not my words, thiers :D
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It sounds like there is a lot of property price variation. I wonder if property prices have fallen much in places like Boston since the crisis. Yes, we are after a warm temperate climate, so it may not be for us.
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
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My wife and I are entertaining the possibility of relocating to the US for a while. We are looking for a warm climate, near the ocean, and low crime. If anyone has any suggestions or recommendations regarding a nice area, I’d appreciate hearing about it.
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
Myrtle Beach on the east coast; Corpus Christi in Tx; Santa Barbara on the west coast. Also check out Carpentaria (just so of SBA but much cheaper). I lived in both SBA and Carp and spent time in MB and CC. I can highly recommend them if you can afford southern CA. SBA is a very active high tech area with lots of new startups and well funded Univ. research programs. Instead of San Diego, consider going across the border into Mx, (where I currently live). Much cheaper and forget all the bad news in the papers. It's no worse than LA, but shootings in LA are not news! And you don't need a green card to work in the US, just ask a Mexican! OK, maybe you need the card if you want a real salary. :)
Melting Away www.deals-house.com www.innovative--concepts.com
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Thanks for responding. San Diego seems a popular choice. I see from your profile you’re originally from Boston (MA). How would you compare that area to San Diego?
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
Very similar while remaining completely different. :-D Both have a small-city feel and you can walk around downtown. Boston can be -30F with six feet of snow or it can be +100F with 100% humidity. X| And just for variety, once in a while a hurricane comes through. San Diego is pretty much +70F all the time, but the "June gloom" can get depressing. The earthquakes aren't quite as bad as in L.A. The beaches are better in San Diego, especially if you don't want to wear a suit.
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I'm 900 miles from the Atlantic and 700 miles from the Gulf in one of the 'flyover' states. The advantage of being in a medium sized (2m odd) metro in the middle is that the earnings are above average, cost of living below average and housing cheap while still have access to most of the amenities of civilization. Taxes are also fairly low, and motoring is cheap. I'm also a 2h flight from the east coast and gulf, or 3-4h from the west coast and southwest, I can essentially get anywhere easily. Virtually anywhere I could move to in the US (let alone back to Europe) would require me taking a cut in my standard of living. We also have some fine vineyards along the Missouri river. On the other hand the summers are hot and humid (35C and 40-50% humidity is the norm, several 40C+ days are typical) and winters cold (last year was it got down to -18C, was below -10C for most of a week) and the landscape isn't that pretty. And God forbid you suffer from allergies, because believe me you WILL suffer.
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Yes, we’ve found the cost of living in Switzerland to be very high. Is there a lot of variation with the cost of living, food prices etc across the states? It sounds like you are actually close to everywhere. I imagine that flights within the US are not expensive also, due to there being lots of competition? The weather sounds very much like where we used to live in Canberra Australia.
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
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Santa Monica, Los Angeles. Great Climate, Near the ocean, Close to LA, Close to Venice Beach, Low Crime Rate, and fairly civilised. (Just down the road from Marina Del Rey, which is a beautiful place too.)
------------------------------------ "When Belly Full, Chin Hit Chest" Confucius 502BC
Dalek Dave wrote:
Low Crime Rate
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: It wasn't safe to walk on the beach unarmed 30 years ago; nothing's improved, except the number of laws against actually using the beach for anything fun.
"A Journey of a Thousand Rest Stops Begins with a Single Movement"
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Myrtle Beach on the east coast; Corpus Christi in Tx; Santa Barbara on the west coast. Also check out Carpentaria (just so of SBA but much cheaper). I lived in both SBA and Carp and spent time in MB and CC. I can highly recommend them if you can afford southern CA. SBA is a very active high tech area with lots of new startups and well funded Univ. research programs. Instead of San Diego, consider going across the border into Mx, (where I currently live). Much cheaper and forget all the bad news in the papers. It's no worse than LA, but shootings in LA are not news! And you don't need a green card to work in the US, just ask a Mexican! OK, maybe you need the card if you want a real salary. :)
Melting Away www.deals-house.com www.innovative--concepts.com
Thanks for your tips Snowman. Is SBA Santa Barbera? SBA sounds interesting with its high tech industry. Do you live in Mx, and work in the US?
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
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Very similar while remaining completely different. :-D Both have a small-city feel and you can walk around downtown. Boston can be -30F with six feet of snow or it can be +100F with 100% humidity. X| And just for variety, once in a while a hurricane comes through. San Diego is pretty much +70F all the time, but the "June gloom" can get depressing. The earthquakes aren't quite as bad as in L.A. The beaches are better in San Diego, especially if you don't want to wear a suit.
San Diego sounds great. The allergy thing could be a problem. It sounds like the hay fever gets you? I find I am affected in some places and not in others. In Australia, UK and Geneva Switzerland, not at all. But in Prague, I suffer badly. Obviously there must be a particular pollen in Prague. So earthquakes or hurricanes. hmmm... :)
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
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Yes, we’ve found the cost of living in Switzerland to be very high. Is there a lot of variation with the cost of living, food prices etc across the states? It sounds like you are actually close to everywhere. I imagine that flights within the US are not expensive also, due to there being lots of competition? The weather sounds very much like where we used to live in Canberra Australia.
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
Daniel Vaughan wrote:
Is there a lot of variation with the cost of living, food prices etc across the states?
Yes. Mostly housing. In urban california starter houses will run >$300k, in sparsely populated rural areas they'll run 1/10th that. The spread's smaller for more upscale housing, but that's mostly a factor of upscale housing being much newer construction everywhere. The spread on food is significantly smaller since even breadbasket areas import alot of other food, and only retail expenses really vary by large amounts (and economies of scale really help here in expensive areas).
The European Way of War: Blow your own continent up. The American Way of War: Go over and help them.
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The Carolinas are nice - not as oppressive as Florida. Low cost of living and decent quality of life. I've lived in New Hampshire all my life and southern Virginia/Northern North Carolina are the only other places I'd consider living.
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It sounds like there is a lot of property price variation. I wonder if property prices have fallen much in places like Boston since the crisis. Yes, we are after a warm temperate climate, so it may not be for us.
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
Property prices have not dropped as far as I can see in New England. Boston or New Hampshire. And yes the winters are brutal. My cousin lives in San Diego and it is lovely but too much the same for me. As much as I hate the long winters I love the Autumn and the Spring. California is very expensive as is New England. That is why the Carolinas are so attractive. Mountains and lakes and the ocean and somewhat reasonable property prices.
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Yes, we’ve found the cost of living in Switzerland to be very high. Is there a lot of variation with the cost of living, food prices etc across the states? It sounds like you are actually close to everywhere. I imagine that flights within the US are not expensive also, due to there being lots of competition? The weather sounds very much like where we used to live in Canberra Australia.
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
I just ran a cost of living comparison on here compared to San Diego, CA and it agrees with Dan's reply. Housing is about 3.4x what it is here whereas your weekly grocery bill will only be 20% higher. You might not want to get sick as health care is 30% more. Overall it was 83% higher cost of living but the same position would only be paying about 30% more, at least for me.
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Daniel Vaughan wrote:
Is there a lot of variation with the cost of living, food prices etc across the states?
Yes. Mostly housing. In urban california starter houses will run >$300k, in sparsely populated rural areas they'll run 1/10th that. The spread's smaller for more upscale housing, but that's mostly a factor of upscale housing being much newer construction everywhere. The spread on food is significantly smaller since even breadbasket areas import alot of other food, and only retail expenses really vary by large amounts (and economies of scale really help here in expensive areas).
The European Way of War: Blow your own continent up. The American Way of War: Go over and help them.
Thanks for your response Dan. > $300k for a starter house sounds a little like Australia. I wonder what rents are like. Obviously it would depend on where you are. Here in Switzerland there is definitely a rental culture. In fact most people rent, and a basic home will set you back at least a mil.
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
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I just ran a cost of living comparison on here compared to San Diego, CA and it agrees with Dan's reply. Housing is about 3.4x what it is here whereas your weekly grocery bill will only be 20% higher. You might not want to get sick as health care is 30% more. Overall it was 83% higher cost of living but the same position would only be paying about 30% more, at least for me.
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Yes, healthcare is something we didn’t have to think about living in the UK and Australia. We had top private cover in Australia for $80 USD/month. We pay $800 USD/month here in Switzerland. But then wages are high here, and tax is low...so it all balances out... kinda.
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
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Thanks for your tips Snowman. Is SBA Santa Barbera? SBA sounds interesting with its high tech industry. Do you live in Mx, and work in the US?
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com
Daniel Vaughan wrote:
Is SBA Santa Barbera? SBA sounds interesting with its high tech industry.
Yes SBA is Santa Barbara. UCSB in the top 5 of funded university research year after year and has one of the highest number of scientific Nobel laureates on staff. When I lived there, I was on the advisory board of a VC group and saw a lot of interesting projects getting started. Many were spun out of the University or new startups by successful entrepreneurs living in SBA.
Daniel Vaughan wrote:
Do you live in Mx, and work in the US?
I live in and work from Mx these days. See the Innovative Concepts web site if you are interested. There are plenty of people that do the commute, but I wouldn’t recommend it. The border crossing (Mx to US) can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on the time of day or phase of the moon. Coming back is not a problem.
Melting Away www.deals-house.com www.innovative--concepts.com
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Property prices have not dropped as far as I can see in New England. Boston or New Hampshire. And yes the winters are brutal. My cousin lives in San Diego and it is lovely but too much the same for me. As much as I hate the long winters I love the Autumn and the Spring. California is very expensive as is New England. That is why the Carolinas are so attractive. Mountains and lakes and the ocean and somewhat reasonable property prices.
The Carolinas sound great Joe. Yes, cold winters aren’t what we are looking for. Thanks for your response.
Daniel Vaughan Blog: DanielVaughan.Orpius.com