Where would you most like to move? (continental U.S. only)
 

So the plan is, in 25 months when Mrs. Z gets her Master's, we are planning to move to Biloxi MS. Biloxi is right on the Gulf- we've vacationed there many times over the last decade, and decided after our last visit that Biloxi is where we want to make our home. We are very excited and can hardly wait for it to happen.

Which got me thinking- where in the continental US would you most like to live? Be realistic- take into account real factors like cost of living, property values, job prospects, quality of schools, climate, geography, etc.

Include a pic of your desired location if you like:

http://llroberson.com/images/aboutms.../beachview.jpg

San Diego

Mississippi? Yall must be white. Carry on. I would probably say Denver.

Right where I live, Ft Collins, Colorado

Why the continental US only? Puerto Rico, Alaska, Hawaii would be my my first 3 choices.

Yeah, there's hardly any black people in Mississippi.

ROFL

On second thought, yeah, anywhere in the USA is fair game... :-)

Isn't Mississippi the poorest, most uneducated, and most obese state in the country?

No offense if that really is your choice, but I am shocked that you would prefer to live there over anywhere else in the country.

I would guess he is referencing the possible disparity in quality of life there between white and black people. Not unlike making the assumption that someone desiring to live in rural KS is not likely an agnostic MSNBC watcher with a degree in womens studies.....

As a Mississippian, I'd say you picked a good place. Biloxi is great place to live. My family has had a beach home down there since the mid 90s. I've actually been tossing around the idea of moving down that way once my lease is up here in Madison.

A couple options that come to mind include St. Petersburg, Hilton Head, Charleston, San Francisco, Boston, Malibu, and Austin.

I was in Bloomington, Indiana a few years back. Really liked it there.
College town, with quite a bit of things to do.
Price was right as well.

Wherever I move next, I want a big piece of property, at least 1 acre.

Boulder, Colorado or San Francisco.

Not the most uneducated - but you're right about the other two (at least in the top 5). Cost of living here is also very low.

Ft. Myers, Florida seems like a good place. From what I have noticed it is one of the areas of FL protected from the abuse of hurricanes since it is on the west side and hurricanes that hit the gulf don't typically travel in that direction.

Tallahassee, FL

http://alexansouthwoodblog.com/files...sse-street.jpg

http://victoria-weather.com/wp-conte...allahassee.jpg

http://img.ehowcdn.com/article-new/e....1-800x800.jpg

I've always wanted to live in New York City

http://www.deviantart.com/download/7...t_by_parka.jpg

I'd probably have to live in two different places. I'd spend summers out West (either Santa Fe or somewhere in the Rockies or like Idaho). Winters would be spend in South Florida somewhere.

95% of the state is dirt-poor, you are correct. Biloxi's primary industries, however, include tourism (casinos) and a large naval and air force base. My wife's Master's will be in Substance Abuse and Grief counseling, which is becoming much in demand, especially in the Armed forces (there are also several mental health facilities as well as a VA hospital there).

As for me, I'll be looking at multimedia development and/or music entertainment positions in the casinos (there are currently 14 and counting).

Granted, if neither of us find our desired positions when the time comes, all bets are off...

I'm poor, so I'd move back to KC. I've been away since early '97.

If money is not a factor, on a beach in S. Cal.

What does obesity have to do with anything here?

There are fat people everywhere.

For us, one of the last hurdles to jump was affordable property values for an area literally next to the ocean. First-tier properties are of course out of our price range, but homes not 3 blocks from the beach are very affordable (we found a couple of nice 3 BD homes that were in the $175k range).

I've always thought of Tampa, FL as a nice, well rounded place.

It's getting up to 96 here today, with high humidity. My choice would be somewhere that this NEVER ****ING HAPPENS. :mad:

Heh.

I did a project once where I had to assign African American focus group moderators to different parts of the country to do research with African Americans. These were people from the east coast, and they were not happy when I told them that a small town in Mississippi was one of their assignments.

You sound really fat.

Get out now. That is Tallanasty. Just get out. Don't ever make another post. That is the worst place possible. You'll feel dirty driving through that crap. Again. Get out. NOW.

Gotcha. Nothing necessarily wrong with Biloxi, I just thought it was strange that someone would want to live more than anywhere else in the country (same with KC). It sounds like a good fit you though.

LOL except for athletes attending the colleges.

ROFL STFU jerk. :p

No shit. I can't understand anyone wanting to live in Chicago (or Iowa). It's hotter than hell in the summer and cold as shit in the winter.

If I could afford to live there: San Francisco.

Since I can't and probably won't for a long time: The upper midwest is cool. Living in Minneapolis would be kind of sweet. But really, i'd take anything.

Been there and loved it. Is this a UF/State thing?

My grandmother and uncle both lived there until their deaths. I had another uncle who moved there but moved to Alabama near Pensacola. In my circumstance, I would love to live there. We took a vacation there back in the 70s and the beach was great. But I have an autistic son that I would worry about swimming in the ocean.

Denver area. Only problem is there are too many damn donkey fans. But if you can find a way to ignore them, or heard them up as cattle for the zombie apocalypse, Denver is an awesome place.

I've come to the conclusion that there are a lot of places that I would enjoy. My top candidates would be (in no particular order other than alphabetical):

Cambria, CA - Just visited there earlier this year. It has trees, mountains, ocean, and what I suspect is a reasonable climate.

Denver, CO - Honestly, this place is great. The benefits of a big city with relatively easy access to the great outdoors.

Fort Collins, CO - If I wanted to get away from the big city in Colorado, I'd go to Fort Collins. Big enough to have amenities and small enough to not be a big city.

Laguna Beach, CA - Big fan of Laguna. Other than fears of earthquakes, tsunamis, and driving in LA, it's pretty much perfect.

Lahaina, HI - Screw you and your continental US rule. I'd definitely live in Lahaina. Great small-town feel with enough tourist influx to keep it interesting.

Manhattan, NY - Not for more than a couple of years, but those two years would be fun. If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere.

Salida, CO - Not a well-known name, but I like this town. It's kind of artsy and has good restaurants.

Vail, CO - Downsides are a lot of snow and a cost of living that probably eliminates it from consideration. Upsides are a gorgeous community and a fairy-tale existence.

Some others that intrigue me, but I'm not sure would make the top list would be Charleston (SC), Kodiak (AK), St. George (UT), Taos (NM), Santa Fe (NM), Port Angeles (WA), Savannah (GA), and some place southerly in Florida (Tampa?). Places that I have a positive perception of, but have seldom or never visited, include New Hampshire, the upper peninsula in Michigan, Boise, Tahoe, upstate New York, and Casper (WY). I'll admit that I thought Cleveland was pretty nice when I was there a couple of years ago, too.

there are 3 cities in Colorado that I am considering and a place near Billings, MO is close to the top of my list.

I really want land and lots of it. Forest/Mountain terrain is what I like. I just want a small house that can be heated with a wood burning stove with a lot of acreage. That's my dream and I don't think it's too far out of bounds for me to achieve it.

Central Coast of Calif, San Luis Obispo or anywhere around there is just awesome. Went to school there, no jobs.

Pacific NW. Love all the trout fishing places, the streams the green, yeah it rais, mostly a mist but if you can stand the gray here for 9 months then it is also a great place to live.

What cities, if I may ask?

Florida... someplace coastal preferrably. I assume I'd have a job that supported the higher cost of living than where I live now so that doesn't concern my "wish list." Yes I know it's hot and humid... so is the midwest. Yes I know they have hurricanes... we have tornados, shitty winters or hot and humid... so I'm ok with the trade off. No place is perfect.

OR

Kansas, specifically the KC/Lawrence/Topeka area. Yes I know there's a big difference between Florida and Kansas. Kansas and that area is home though and I like home so going back sounds wonderful.

OR

Montana. Look at pictures of Montana and that's the explaination.

One of these has a good chance to happen in the next 2-3 years.

I lived in North Iowa for the first 30 years of my life, and I thought(and still think) that it's a desolate hell. I remember a couple of times when the wind chill was nearly 90 below!! Hence my desire to live out the rest of my life in a more tropical clime, by the ocean, with no winters. "A warm place, with no memory.." :-)

Actually, and probably more realistically, I'd say KC. It's not too far from home, I love it there, I already have some friends there, and there are TONS of paralegal jobs.

And so you packed up your bags and moved to Kansas City!

Looks like you made it after all (doo doo doo dooooh - dooh!) (meow)

http://jyanet.com/mtm/maryhat.jpg

I actually love where I live and don't have any desire to leave. However, if I could find a way to move to NYC for a year just for the experience, I'd jump at it. But I wouldn't want to stay for long.

At the time, compared to North Iowa, Kansas City seemed like a tropical paradise. It's all relative, I suppose... :-)

Black Hills. Or Ontario, Canada.

New Hampshire. Has wild rugged qualities, you can get to mountains or beaches, Boston's a 60-90 minute drive, not that populated, no state taxes.

I just moved to here to my dream city of San Diego a couple months ago, after having lived in Olathe since the mid 80's. I should have done it 10 years ago.

If I were to ever leave, here are a few places I'd consider:

Moab, UT
Colorado Springs, CO
Flagstaff, AZ
various places in CA along the coast or in the mountains

Why Colorado Springs?

Good point. And I bet the Missouri River has a beach somewhere in the area.

I love Montana too much to move. Missoula. Only other place I'd consider would be Palm Springs, CA. I love to golf and I can do it year round there.

Pike's Peak, CO: Beautiful scenery, good beer, etc. Possibly Ft Collins as well.
Key West, FL: Just enough freaks to make it feel like Florida while not feeling too much like Florida. SCUBA dive all damn day.
San Jose, CA: All the good of SF without all of the SF crazy.
Portland, OR: But I'd have a mandatory hipster-free zone, or else this one's out.
Santa Fe, NM.

hope y'all don't start any families in FL. Kids get kidnapped and murdered a lot down there.

I liked the area when I went up to Pike's Peak in early April. It seemed like a nice town.

I'm good where I'm at for now.

http://debragregory.agentxsites.com/...each%20001.jpg

Tallahassee is a dump.

I've always loved Northern Idaho

I thought you once said you were interested in the Palm Coast near St. Augustine. What changed your mind?

Oh o.k. There are better places in Colorado though, not sure how much of the state you have seen.

Probably San Diego. Fantastic weather, the ocean, and beer mecca. Gotta be tough to beat. Hawaii wouldn't suck, though...

Outside of the weather, Minneapolis is awesome...

Somewhere where it never gets above 80 degrees, and there are not a lot of people, but there are still Wal Marts and great restaurants.

I don't think such a place exists.

Count me in for San Diego. The weather is absolutely perfect. Access to the water is important for me. The proximity to the mountains and the desert is a perk.

Other than that, I'd love to live in LA, San Fran, Portland, Oregon, or NYC.

I didn't spend much time outside of Colorado Springs. I'm sure there are better places, but I'm just basing it off places that I've actually been. I definitely want to do some more exploring in Colorado in the future.

I like that it's not on the beach, but it's close enough to drive to one to spend the day. It's not too big and not too small. I also think it's probably a little less touristy, and more like a college town (I live in a college town).

Clearwater Florida or San Jose California. I went to UNLV, so cross Vegas off the list.

Until the oceans start rising. Looks like it would take out the whole city.

Hawaii and Alaska are the two states that have never had a temperature recorded in the 100s.

Mackinac Island.

Wherever Bwana goes

Central TX (Austin), Central CO (Denver), or the pacific NW.

Not real sure where but I want about 50-60 acres where I can bow hunt and have my own shooting range for my guns and maybe a large pond that I can fish.

Well I've lived in Orlando for my entire adult life so its really all I know. I like it here but wouldn't mind moving somewhere closer to the ocean. Not to mention Floridas job market and school systems are pretty much bottom of the barrel. I'd consider moving somewhere else.

I've always wanted to live in NYC. A nice flat in the middle of Manhattan would be my dream but the cost is so far out of my range its not even an option.

I spent a few years living with my dad in Virginia, both northern and central. The weather was moderate, I liked the people and the job market/ school systems seemed to be top-notch. I'd move back there if necessary.

Other than that I've always thought about southern California. I was born on the Fort Ord military base and moved when I was 1. Never got to experience it but my mom and dad said they loved it. The main problem for me would be the time change. I've been an East coaster for as long as I can remember. That's kind of a deal breaker. In addition to the fact that I might as well be on another continent, I'd never see my family.

All things said and done, realistically speaking my most desired place would probably be the Tampa metro area. Clearwater/ St Pete. Whatevskis. I just need to be near a big city. I can't stand the small town life.

If you come out to Denver, I may have a receptionist position opening up. But you'll have to act fast.

The time change is a deal breaker? For what reason? It takes about three hours to get used to a time change, and you don't even have to buy a new watch as long as you kept the little instruction book.

Uggghhhh, I used to live on the East Coast and I hated that time zone. I could never live in that time zone again. I do love the Mountain Time Zone.

If I were rich I'd live in Hawaii.

I was overreacting I reckon. Of course my body would get used to it, but Sunday football starting at 10 am!?! I don't think I could ever get used to that.

But Monday night football ends at 10:30 or 11:00 pm.

I'd like to go to either the Raleigh area or Cape Cod.

Orange Co, CA is a very real possibility for me in the next 2-4 years. A little busy but I like the proximity to the beach, the mountains, and the women. LOL