sb_fool,

I'll pipe in here for a plug for Burlington, VT.

First, it has a college town Vibe, with a lively art and entertainment scene for a small city. Secondly, it is on Lake Champlain. Though the water isn't salty, it offers about all the water recreation you might want, and no sharks! Thirdly, it's 40 minutes from Stowe and Sugarbush, the best skiing in the east, and 90 minutes from the Olympic center in Lake Placid. Outdoor recreation is cherished in this part of VT. Fourth, it is home to a thriving technology infrastructure, anchored by IBMs wafer fab facility in Essex.

Now the bad. If you want ethnic diversity, it ain't here. There are no "minorities excluded" signs, and the attitude is very live and let live (first gay unions in the US), but it is 98% white. And if you don't like the cold, stay away. 25 below is not uncommon during the winter.

But if you want the seasons, this is the place.

To change from boring to DEPRESSING weather, not in a million... Thank you

Had to chime in for a fellow SB ('cept mine's not for Santa Barbara!)

We migrated to the east coast about the same distance as you are considering, but from the opposite direction -- from Old England to New. We have lived here in northern CT for 30 years now, and love it. Love the seasons, the sense of history, the small community we live in. Excellent schools, good connections to anywhere else you want to go, east to Europe or west to.. wherever.

Personally, I'd love to live in NYC (grew up in London), but it's just not feasible for us. You might consider CT's Fairfield County region (SW part of state, aka The Gold Coast) :) Prices would work with your SB real estate: it's a short train trip to NYC and all the pleasures of the city, but you can still find small-town New England there.

The comments about yucky east coast weather make me smile. One of the things we loved about moving here from England was the crisp sunny winter days, so different from the grey damp chill of wintery England. Sure, it lasts a bit longer that I'd like, which is why we escape to sunny beaches in Florida in February!

Our daughter who grew up in CT now lives in northern VA, and absolutely loves it: we'll not see her moving back northeast if she can help it.

It's a tough decision. Good luck with it! Let us know what you decide.

I'll have to disagree with you about the lack of sunshine. I know that in Pittsburgh from January to mid-February the sun isn't out due to cold fronts and lake effect snow but if you live any other part of the NE like VA you'll have alot of sunshine, granted it isn't a desert where it comes out like 300 days a year but it is enough to be happy with it.

We moved from SoCal to southwestern VA and we love, love, love it. The Appalachian mountains are gorgeous, the traffic nonexistant, and the cost of living is lower. With $600K you could buy an estate here. We have four seasons and while I would prefer no winter at all, it's really not too bad. We've had periods of 50-70 degrees in January. And because we're near the mountains, the summer is very pleasant. I grew up on LI, and the humidity there could turn you inside out. As for the "outsider" status- my suggestion is to look for a college town. They're full of people who come and go, so the residents are more tolerant than some areas where everyone's grandparents knew each other. Suggestions in VA: Lexington, Blacksburg, Charlottesville.

Stephanie, when did Virginia become part of the Northeast? Last time I checked, it was in the south.

sb_fool: Northern VA is a great place to live. Really, the worst part about NoVA is the traffic and the cost of real estate. If you don't work in DC, then the traffic won't be as big an issue for you. (We have lots of tech and semiconductor companies in Northern VA). Plus, as expensive as homes are here, your SB home costs far more. Our house is about the same size as yours, with a full unfinished basement with a third of an acre, in a good, established community, and it's only $500k now - not $1M!

Virginia does get snow and cold temperatures, but it isn't awful. I grew up in NC, which was generally warmer in the winter, but when we had winter storms in NC, it meant ice storms, not being able to drive, and days without power. In the DC area, the ice storms are far fewer and winter storms just usually mean snow. Sure, there aren't enough snow plows as there are in Pittsburgh to get everyone to work as if nothing happened, but sometimes it's nice to have an old-fashioned snow day!

Quality of Life is great in NoVA. There are people of all cultures here, so it's very cosmopolitan. But, you're not too far away from mountains and the beach. Being near DC, you can always go downtown to see concerts or shows or museums. The streets don't shut down at 9 pm. Plus, the public schools in Northern VA are phenomenal.

Come for a vacation. You will certainly enjoy it!

The Hamptons, give me a break. I grew up in Southampton. The first thing you'll learn is nobody from there calls it The Hamptons. Thats for the summer snobs that invade from the city and think their special. Its a great place if you like to pay through the nose for everything from housing to gasoline and electricity. Their still paying for the Shorham fiasco. You cant drive in the summer cause the tourists have the roads clogged. in the winter the kids all said "Southampton is for the newly wed and nearly dead". Many houses still have filters on their wells to remove the pesticide from the water. Bet you never saw that on T.V. But, If you have more money than brains and want to build a goofy looking home on the beach thats the place to be. I vote Oregon or Texas or Idaho . Hell anywhere but the Hamptons.

Actually, Virginia is a mid-Atlantic state.

gee chrisp, what do you really think?...8^)

We have been talking about mostly NE states but sb fool did mention Virgina in his original post. It might be a good alternative as the weather is not quite so harsh. I have only been there a couple of times all fall time, and the leaves changing were beautiful but not beautiful enough to leave California!!
And yes, Viginia is a MidAtlantic state...

VA is both a Mid-Atlantic and Southern state. People in the DC Metro area consider themselves Mid-Atlantic (b/c of DC and the tendency of the Northern VA, DC, and MD areas to always be lumped together), but everyone else considers themselves to be Southern, incl. Richmond, capital of the Southern States.

I believe I was the 1st to mention VA, stating that it still has snow but the winters are milder and Spring comes sooner there than it does say PA and north of it.

LOL chrisp, nearly dead? I can picture it, I remember walking down the street in South Hampton on a July day..sort of Palm Beach up North, right?
I was talking more about East Hampton, which includes, Montauk and Springs. Even Sag Harbour and Shelter Island.
We spent our summers in a house in Montauk, so I do know what you mean about traffic.
Although, perhaps, we could be one of those 'summer snobs' also, we did drive in from NYC every spring and went back in the fall..oh well, it is still a beautiful place to live.

"if you live any other part of the NE like VA you'll have alot of sunshine"

Stephanie - I don't think we were disagreeing that you mentioned Virgina first although I don't it really matters who said it first. We were just commenting on the fact that you called VA a NE state.

meant to say - I don't think it matters.

nc:

Cut and paste where I stated that it was part of the NE? Its on the East Coast and close enough to Northern cities. Duh. Its a perfect area if you want an early Spring and a milder winter. Are you trying to make yourself out to be an Einstein?

Stephanie
Date: 10/06/2004, 04:21 pm
Message: I'll have to disagree with you about the lack of sunshine. I know that in Pittsburgh from January to mid-February the sun isn't out due to cold fronts and lake effect snow but <b>if you live any other part of the NE like VA </b>you'll have alot of sunshine, granted it isn't a desert where it comes out like 300 days a year but it is enough to be happy with it.

Message: I'll have to disagree with you about the lack of sunshine. I know that in Pittsburgh from January to mid-February the sun isn't out due to cold fronts and lake effect snow but if you live any other part of the NE like VA you'll have alot of sunshine, granted it isn't a desert where it comes out like 300 days a year but it is enough to be happy with it.

Scarlett, you did that so much better than I did. How do you bold?