Ideas About Great Places To Live

[The Chef]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

Move to Vegas. It's an absolute hell hole out here!

I'm T-Minus a month or so from moving to Portland. I can hardly wait to leave...

Not to hi-jack this thread but if you ever have any questions about Portland or where things are here just let me know as Ive lived here nearly my entire life.

[servom999]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

I just moved to the Portland, Oregon area (Gresham) and it's soo much cheaper than my previous location (Petaluma, Ca.) I love the fact that Vancouver, Canada is about 5 hours away. The weather has been pretty decent so far (I believe it's 85 right now) and It's pretty diverse here (I'm biracial, black/white) I've met Asians, Hispanics, Blacks and of course Whites and I haven't come away disappointed. My only complaint would be that the pay up here isn't like what I was getting back in California but then again my rent isn't even close and I have a bigger apartment (I was in a 1 bedroom paying $1,500 in Cali. Now in a 3 bedroom paying $850)

[superjames1992]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

Just to promote my own city here, the Triad, Triangle, or the Charlotte area might not be a bad place to live. It's affordable, I guess there's a decent amount of things to do (Especially Raleigh and Charlotte), it's definitely racially diverse. The crime rate varies, as with anywhere. It's not so good in East Greensboro, but where I live in the suburbs (Extreme northeast High Point, NC), it's pretty nice crime-wise. Of course, we had our house broken into about eight years ago, so it's not perfect...

The climate is mild with temperatures in the 80s and sometimes 90s in the summer and in the 40s and 50s in the winter. I wish it were cooler here as summer is absolutely miserable since it's so humid. Greensboro averages 8.6" of snow per year and Raleigh and Charlotte average around 7" or so. That's something you don't see much of in Jacksonville!

Of course, you're going to pay higher taxes. Our income tax in my county is likely going to go up to 7.75% (8.25% in Charlotte and 7.75% in Raleigh) once the new budget gets passed by the North Carolina General Assembly. It's 6.75% currently. Income taxes range from 6-7.75%, which is going to be a shock considering Florida has zero personal income taxes. That's definitely something to consider.

I'm not a huge fan of the Triad area, to be honest, but I think you'd probably like it judging by what you're looking for.

[TheMatrix31]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

What makes you say that?

Because the state is screwed economically and politically. Anything that happens to this country, CA will feel first and probably worst. No money to spend, inflation through the roof, sales tax keeps going up, loonies everywhere. Poor education (for future children), overpopulated, stuffy attitudes (at least in LA and the Bay Area), etc. I could go on and on.

Cheers to the guy who lives in Fresno. I was born and raised there, and we moved down to LA in 2000. Worst decision in my family's history. ****in' love Fresno so much.

[deaduck]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

Isn't part of CA doomed to break off from the mainland eventually?

If so, forget high taxes as your biggest concern.

[rsnomar05]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

This is going to read like a novel, but I figure you can't get a good read on an area with a few sentences.

I would look at Southern Maine. By that I'm talking about Portland and it's surrounding towns/cities. area. It's where I grew up.

Diversity: There has been a huge influx of refugees from Somalia and other African countries so the diversity is getting greater by the year.

Fun Things: This area is full of them.

- Old Port: There is an area in Portland called the "Old Port" which is a 2 square-mile radius of historic cobble-stone streets on the waterfront. The exaggeration the locals use is that there are "250,000 bars in a 2-mile radius." While this is not true, there are a ton of bars and clubs which makes for great night-life. During the day and evening, the Old-Port is filled with four-star restaurants and boutique shops (perfect for the girlfriend if she likes shopping), as well as many cheap, waterfront restaurants that still serve delicious food (fresh Maine lobster and clam chowder...YUM!) The lobster is so good there that Red Lobster was put out of business in the state and had to vacate.

- Beaches: The "Greater Portland Area" as the locals call Portland and its surrounding towns/cities is right on the water, meaning there are a ton of great beaches. The water is much colder than in Florida, but you get used to it quickly, and the beaches have big waves if you like surfing.

- Casco Bay: This is the water that the Old Port borders. As part of the Atlantic Ocean, it provides great water-sports and great island day trips. First the islands. There are nine islands in Casco Bay that are inhabited by summer residents/tourists. My family has a summer house on one, and the island was the best place in the world to spend the summer. The islands are all small, from 1-3 square miles in radius, and they offer up more great restaurants, some great beaches, and cheap rental prices. There are some rentals that are quite expensive (specifically Diamond Cove on Great Diamond Island which is a former military Fort that has been turned into luxury condos), but for the most part prices are cheap. The islands also make great day trips, as the Casco Bay Lines ferry provides access to each island, or you can take a three-hour bay cruise (without getting off at an island) for around $8. In terms of water-sports, the bay provides great kayaking, windsurfing, and water-skiing (and great sailing and fishing, but I don't consider those a sport). You can kayak out to the islands or up and down the bay.

- The Wilderness up North: The great thing about the "Greater Portland Area" is that it is urban with malls, downtown areas, business centers, but yet offers access to the stereotypical "pristine-ness" that most people think of when they consider Maine. Northern Maine offers great hiking (Mount Katahdin National Park), great camping (Moosehead Lake), great white-water rafting (various rivers such as the Saco river throughout the state). So you really get the best of both worlds, urban and pristine.

- Winter Sports: To sum-up: Maine winters are awesome. If you've never played tackle football in the snow, you don't know what you're missing. The same goes for sledding down a huge hill. Or playing pond hockey (people like to use a garden hose in their backyards to create make-shift skating ponds). I'm a huge skiier, and Maine offers up phenomenal skiing. Sunday River and Sugar Loaf are too huge mountains that are perfect for day-trips, but they also offer cheap rentals during the winter where you stay in a condo for a week. The condo rentals are great because the towns by each mountain offer up great night-life (as do the ski-mountains themselves) so you get to ski during the day and party at night. And the mountains have specific weeks (such as College Week at Sunday River) where they offer up cheap lodging and lift-tickets and bring in great bands and entertainment. If you don't like skiing or snowboarding, both mountains offer tubing, and during the summer they offer mountain biking when there is no snow).

- Pro/Minor League/College Sports: Portland is a 2.3 hour drive away from Boston and their great professional sports teams. Portland also has three minor league teams that offer cheap entertainment and are a ton of fun to go to. The best sporting event in town is the Portland Sea Dogs, who sell $6 general admission tickets (which gets you a great view from behind the plate). The Sea Dogs are a AA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and were formerly a Marlins Affiliate. Here are some of the prospects that have played in Portland: Charles Johnson, Kevin Millar, Mark Kotsay, Josh Beckett, John Lester, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Clay Buccholz, Kelly Shoppach, Jonathan Papelbon, Justin Masterson, Manny Delcarmen, Annibel Sanchez, Hanley Ramirez, Jed Lowrie, Jacoby Ellsbury, the list goes on and on. Plus you get to see guys like John Smoltz and David Ortiz on rehab. Hadlock Field, where the Sea Dogs play, has a replica Green Monster in left field which helps provide a Fenway feel. The next minor league team is the Portland Pirates of the AHL, an affiliate of the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, and they too offer six-dollar tickets. The third minor-league team is brand-new this year. The Portland Red Claws are an NBA D-League affiliate of the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Bobcats. If you like hockey, the University of Maine has one of the best college hockey programs in the country, has won several national championships and has seen the likes of Paul Kariya and other NHL all-stars come through the system. And if Auto or Harness racing is your thing, Scarborough Downs and Oxford-Plains Speedway have you covered.

Low Crime Rates: I could go on and on about the fun things to do, but then I'd never get any sleep. Maine has extremely low crime rates. Lowest in the country, actually. According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, Maine ranks dead last in crimes committed, both violent and non-violent. So yeah, it's a safe place to live.

Affordable: The Portland area has some nice, inexpensive housing. I don't know what your budget is, but looking at Craigslist this condo looked nice: http://maine.craigslist.org/apa/1270497538.html And there were a lot of apartments much less expensive than that.

I know this has been long, but I felt like two sentences wouldn't give you a good enough overview of an area. I currently live in Rhode Island (that's where I got a job), which I like, but Maine gets my full endorsement.

[N51_rob]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

You mentioned being young. I've lived in Arizona, Hawaii and came back home to Maryland. (since I've been in the navy) I would recomend Arizona to you and your GF. It's a growing area with pretty good diversity. Beautiful all around. I keep trying to figure a way back there but it's hard in the navy to get back to AZ unless I want to recruit. Which I don't.

[KG]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

What is wrong with Jacksonville?

Everything.












j/k prush

[sportsdude]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

If you were considering the Cincinnati area...I probably wouldn't.

- Racial diversity - Lots of it but there are a lot of problems with it too.
- A fun area, with lots to do or fun things nearby - Many people might find Cincy boring, which it can be, but there is a lot to do. Plus, keep in mind too...you can hit up Chicago, Nashville, Cleveland, Canada, as well as Indianapolis, Columbus, and Louisville, all within a 5-hour drive. And, you really aren't all that far from the east coast.
- Low crime rates - They're low but it's ridiculous in the city. Been a problem since '01.
- Affordable (we're young) - Very affordable.

Honestly, just in my experience from visiting the place, I think Columbus, OH, fits a lot of what you're looking for. Don't know anything about the crime level though. Also, two places I wouldn't mind moving to that I've visited are Indianapolis and Nashville.

born and raised in Columbus so I give my quick thoughts:

-very low crime rate in most areas of the city except the East side. Avoid that area at all costs. Seriously.

-the donwtown renovation started when the Bluejackets came and will continue into the next decade. More condos and apartments being built, crappy areas becoming good, more shops and restaurants.

-sports teams: Bluejackets (NHL), Crew (MLS), Clippers (AAA-International League) and of course Ohio State.

-there's some nice areas to live not in the suburbs such as the Arena District, German Village, Victorian Village, the Short North (very diverse but you can't be a homophobe...)

-there's always something going on in downtown/Arena District/Short North such as ComFest, Italian Fest, Greek Fest, Jazz and Ribs Fest etc.

having said all that, Columbus can be a pretty boring town to live in depending on what it is you like to do. I would also second the notion to check out Nashville, it's a pretty cool city with an extremely interesting mix of people.

[SuperBowlNachos]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

There are quite a few people here who can help you out with the Dallas area including me.

Are you looking for an apartment or a house? How much can you afford to spend on a house?

Dallas has a lot to do. Got every major sport covered and 2 minor league baseball teams, a 6 flags, a 6 flags water park. Four big concert venues. The State Fair of Texas. TX HS Football. Plenty of lakes if you got a boat.

[elgreazy1]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

Not sure on diversity, but Austin is a great place for young people right now

No it's not.

Since countless and countless people from the east & west coast are moving here in droves it's no longer the nice little city it once was. Before it was a very "town" like city where people knew people, now it's turning into a place where the rich are buying up everything, then turning it all into strip malls, condos, pretentious businesses, etc.

For instance, "The Live Music Capital of the World" no longer holds true here. Austin has a city ordanance where the music coming from bars can be no lowder than X dB (can't remember the exact figure but lawnmowers make more noise per decibel). That's insane. On top of that, countless landmarks have been bought up and developed on from bars, music venues, parks, etc.

Also, we have no major forms of entertainment unless you're a Texas fan, like to get s**t faced every weekend or like to listen to local bands. All the big bands & tours generally go to San Antonio (2 hrs away), Dallas (3 hrs away) & Houston (3 hrs away), we are the largest city without a pro sports team, and there are zero amusement parks (see cities above). We don't even have a real zoo (not knocking the zoo here because I like it more than big cities).

On top of that, jobs are very hard to come by at this point, mainly due to the large influx of people from out of state. The crime rate has been sky-rocketing as the population explodes, the police & firefighters are extremely under-staffed, etc. We have little to no mass transit systems (limited public buses) and everything is built off of one highway (IH-35) so traffic can be a nightmare. Property taxes keep going up and pre-fab homes are becoming the norm while we lose acres and acres of open, prairie lands. There is only one "great" high school here and you have to be rich and live in the upper-class part of town to attend.

All in all, this is not the same city of even 5 years ago. Having lived here all my life, I can honestly say stay away. It's becoming crap.

[Salhus]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

Yeah, the area in Cali I live in doesnt fit any of those criteria except for crime.

[bowdown2shadi]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

Been living in Sacramento my entire life.

TheMatrix knows what he's talking about, I see it everyday

[thelems]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

Yeah, the area in Cali I live in doesnt fit any of those criteria except for crime.

Having been in LA for just over a year now, I'm a fan. A bit crowded but overall it's pretty legit. I wouldn't call it clean though. Although I still haven't figured out the Clippers and Lakers fan distinction yet. What makes someone one or the other?

[superjames1992]

Re: Ideas About Great Places To Live

Since countless and countless people from the east & west coast are moving here in droves it's no longer the nice little city it once was. Before it was a very "town" like city where people knew people, now it's turning into a place where the rich are buying up everything, then turning it all into strip malls, condos, pretentious businesses, etc.

Sounds like the same thing that happened to North Carolina. I was too young to notice it, but my dad, who has lived here for almost 25 years (Not counting our four-year stint in West Virginia) says that this place used to be a lot nicer. Now it's just highways, malls, shopping centers, and tons of traffic. We have a ton of northerners (And some Californians) that have moved down in the last few decades, the main source of the growth. Heck, I've seen a ton of growth just in my lifetime. My place of residence went from a two lane road in the middle of nowhere to a bustling, busy four-lane highway with long stop-lights (Every stop-light is ridiculous here, though) and a massive shopping center nearby. The city has no "personality" anymore. Of course, you can get away from all that by simply moving to a town outside of the major cities, but still.

Some people like the large cities, but I don't. I like a smaller, more quaint town and that's why I loved Hurricane, WV (Where I lived from 2003-2007). It was a relatively small town of 4,000 people nestled on the I-64 corridor between two medium-sized cities (Huntington and Charleston). Both were about 25-30 minutes away, so they were easily reachable, but you didn't have to deal with all the hassles of city life. I guess it was a "bedroom community", similar to cities like Gibsonville and Burlington in Alamance County, NC (Between Greensboro and Raleigh), both of which are pretty nice places to live, IMO.

But, hey, I guess that's the "Californication" of America. Some people like it; some don't, but it's happening. I don't like homogeneity, so I'm not a fan of it.