My family relocated from a big city to a small town 5 years ago. We are now 4 hours from a mid-sized city.<BR><BR>If I'd thought about it in advance, I would have saved as much money as possible before the move. It pretty much cleaned us out financially.<BR><BR>I had a job, but my husband didn't. He had what seemed like some good leads that all evaporated when he got here. It took almost 3 years for him to find a good job here, and that one is in jeopardy right now. Don't relocate without at least one member of the couple having a job that can support you both. We almost packed it up once when he was unemployed and my job wasn't looking too good.<BR><BR>It has also been hard and comparatively expensive to visit family members.<BR><BR>All that said, right now we are glad we made the move. We have a slower lifestyle, and the overall atmosphere is less materialistic than in a city. We tend to get overstimulated even in smaller cities now, with the faster traffic, bright signs and billboards everywhere, and so many places to spend money.

OLIVE OIL---<BR><BR>Just relocated to Baton Rouge, can't say that I was excited about it. Why didn't it work out for you????

relocated from Boston area to Denver. After 3 yrs moved back as I missed my large family & beaches. Kept seeing desert & plains & thought what a great place for a beach. Now live in NJ not too far from the Shore.

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I live in Buffalo New York and have had 5 siblings or in law siblings move out of town and believe it or not 4 of the 5 have moved back to town, mostly for family reasons. If you have kids and a nice extended family situation in town, it's something to be missed when you leave. All of our relatives really missed raising their kids near extended family and that, plus their love of Buffalo, brought them all back. It's something to be considered.

My husband, 2 cats, dog reolocatd from Houston, Texas to boring slow pace Olympia, WA. Olympia is an hour south of Seattle. Hubby got a good offer that is why we moved. <BR><BR>Pros: pretty clean fresh air<BR>Cons: weahter: 9-10 months of cold dark damp rain/snow. Not much to see/do. Slow pace.<BR><BR>Hope to move to a warmer sunny climate within the next couple of years.

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THIS IS A FABULOUS THREAD! I don't think any one that lives in a great location will divulge their secret treasure, for fear we'll all flock there. I'm seaching for my utopia . . .

This thread is perfect timing for us - hubby just got word his copnay wants us to move from Baltimore to Schaumburg (near Chicago)- kids are grown, we are aware of the harsh winters but look forward to the change as an adventure in adaptability. We are upbeat- looking at this as a way to discover this part of the country while flying time home is less than 2 hours.

I have moved from Chicago&gt;Frankfurt&gt;DC&gt;boston&gt;DC&gt;Hunt sville, Al&gt; Frankfurt Germany, where I am now living. The only move out of all of these that was a major mistake was Alabama. That place just sucked. I quit an excellent 6 figure job to get the hell out of that redneck hillbilly haven...and decided that I was once again European bound and will probably not move back to the states until some sense of normalcy returns...if it ever does...

I live in upstate NY (Rochester) where the employment situation is becoming bleek. (This area lost over 12,000 jobs last year alone.) My husband and I are considering moving to downstate NY, New Jersey, or Philadelphia area. He is employed in the pharmaceutical industry and would probably have no problem finding a job at a pharmaceutical company in those areas, and they would probably even pay for relocation. I have been unemployed for almost 8 months and just cannot find a decent job in this area with so many people now out of work. I'm hoping that I would have better luck downstate or NJ. Has anyone relocated to these areas that can advise regarding their experience? We would miss our family and long time friends in this area, but also want to have decent jobs and a nice lifestyle which has become difficult to do here. (P.S. We have no kids and are in our late 30s, so schools are not a concern).

I love findyourspot.com - we both did the survey separately and came up with the same cities! Want to relocate from Chicago to Southern Utah.

Pam:<BR> We are in the same boat. I posted a similar thread for Colorado (some rude fodorians). We just returned from traveling 4 cities there and job interviews. Now, to decide. The trip was helpful in giving me some ideas of what felt right and what didn't. Also, pay vs living is a factor. Other fodarians helped too(once you have an idea of the area). We need a change but It will be hard especially moving from Florida. My husband needs mountains, I love the beach but life is too short to skip out on opportunities. So do it why you can (we are in our early 30s with cats). Good luck.<BR>

I just tried out findyourspot. Lots of fun, but I'd take its recommendations with a grain of salt. Its first-choice recommendation for me was a city that I've visited and hated. The city I do live in came in fifth (not bad), but there was misinformation i the little blurb about it. So use findyourspot for fun, but do a thorough followup, LOL!<BR><BR>Pam, with your quest for mountains and beach, did you consider New England states?

Sorry, that last question directed to Pam should've been directed to Daisy.

Warm weather? Mountains AND beach? I am sorry but all this all sound to obvious to me - California.<BR><BR>Granted, its too expensive, but lets face it, Southern California has great weather, you have mountains, and you have BEACH (even though the water is too cold).<BR><BR>I know there are a lot of Los Angeles haters out there, so how about San Diego? Ever been there? ITS BEAUTIFUL.<BR><BR>Me? I live in Florida. I love it here. Nice weather (some wusses say its too hot - make up your mind, its either too hot or too cold? Pick one). Unfortunately its too flat. No mountains. But the beaches are great - better than California IN MY OPINION, mostly because the water is a wonderful tropical BLUE, and WARM. Unlike Cali. Winters are mild (70 - 75 day / 60 night) and summer can get brutal (95 at its worst with 80-90 humidity) but heck, its worse up north!! 105 degrees and humidity!!<BR><BR>So take your pick. I'd live in South Florida or Southern Cali any day over anything else. And this comes from someone who HATES cold weather. If you love the Cold, or loves "Seasonal change." Then obviously my comments are garbage.<BR><BR>-grogargh<BR><BR>

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Ahh, c'mon guys,someone must have some stories.I'm SURE you weren't all born where you're living now!

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