O.K., this question has probably been asked a million different ways, but here goes: I need help choosing a place to live in the U.S. I am a college graduate with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Spanish. I would be moving with friends, a housewife with 2 children who has aspirations to open a thrift store/crisis pregnancy center. Her husband is a courier but could do any kind of general labor. We are wanting to live by an ocean and some mountains, a mild climate,
preferably out in the country but close enough to a city so that we'd be able to work. Some places we're tossing around: Denver (o.k., no ocean), Virginia, Washington State, etc. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, and any feedback on those places we mentioned as well. Thanks!

you've got a college degree and you want complete strangers to make a decision on where for you to live?

Front page of the Denver Post a few weeks ago featured a large headline announcing the fact that the AVERAGE price of a home in Denver is now $250,000. That's average. Unless you have some very competitive high tech skills and a big downpayment for a home, you might want to consider other places.

xxx, thank you for your kind and helpful response. Remind me never to move to YOUR state. Lovedenver, thanks for the advice - Denver was at the bottom of the list because of the cold weather. Thank you!

I would suggest the Washington DC area, particularly northern Virginia if you want to be outside the city. It's within a couple of hours of both beach and mountains. Lots of job opportunities and a Spanish-speaking community as well. I like the climate but then I'm originally from Michigan so anything seems mild compared to that; Washington gets hot and humid in the summer (although this summer was mild) and cold in the winter with a fair bit of snow. Autumn and spring are great though and I have even learned to enjoy the hot summers. It is expensive here though.

North Carolina has a milder climate and also has beach and mountains. I used to live in Charlotte and it is a good place to live, less expensive than DC and has a milder climate in my opinion (it very rarely snows in the winter, and it's not as humid in the summer, although it does get hot). Charlotte is about 3 hours from the beach and 2 from the mountains, and there are a lot of cute little towns out in the country nearby that you could look into. There is a lot of job opportunity there but not much in terms of a Spanish-speaking community if that matters.

I've lived in Norther VA all my life. Like the previous writer said its a great city close to DC the Potomic river is right there beaches and mountains within hrs away. However it is very expensive, unless you want to live way out you will be paying a lot more for rent/mortgage than you would down south. My brother is a doctor (so he makes a fair amount) and he still choses to live down south because the cost of living is so much easier. As he says an $800,000 house down there is like a mansion up here its a 3-4 bedroom 1/2acre lot with no room. Good Luck

Tucon, AZ!

- surrounded on four sides by mountain ranges
- CHEAP cost of living and housing
- tons of thrift stores and probably opportunities to help in the area of crisis pregnancy centers
- you can live ten minutes out of town and feel like you're completely in the country (desert), but still be close enough to cultural benefits of a large city
- speaking spanish is a major plus, particularly when looking for a job
- weather is awesome from September till May, but a little hot in the summer
- only drawback is the nearest ocean is four hours away in Mexico, or six hours away in San Diego
-Good luck!