Where would you go...
Oct 14th, 2002, 12:43 PM
#22
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Thanks Dolly and notRich. You really are giving me great ideas that I hadn't thought of, not to mention fodder for lots of research!
I know there is one website, realtor.com, that let's you look up a town then searches homes for sale. It's okay. Does anyone know of others?
I know there is one website, realtor.com, that let's you look up a town then searches homes for sale. It's okay. Does anyone know of others?
Oct 14th, 2002, 12:50 PM
#27
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"I think I'm going to head down south where the people are cordial and non-confrontational."
Stay off I-40 in RTP (Durham/Chapel Hill to Raleigh)if you want this. Bunch of mean people on the highway during rush hour. Add all the transplants who brought their bad driving habits with thme and the never ending road construction and it become problematic. Job situation here is pretty bad unless you are a tenured professor.
Stay off I-40 in RTP (Durham/Chapel Hill to Raleigh)if you want this. Bunch of mean people on the highway during rush hour. Add all the transplants who brought their bad driving habits with thme and the never ending road construction and it become problematic. Job situation here is pretty bad unless you are a tenured professor.
Oct 14th, 2002, 01:00 PM
#28
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Although I am not familiar with the school system in MB I know they are doing alot of building there. I was there in the summer for 1 week. There are surrounding areas which might even be Beachfront or close to it in your price range. Good luck to you.
Oct 14th, 2002, 02:38 PM
#32
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Don't listen to NOMOREYANKEES even though there are a lot of you here
JK. Okay here is my contribution....There is a charming town about 2 hours West of Charleston outside of Colombia SC called Camden it is actually a colonial town. Check it out. Many beautiful old homes (although price is going up). Polo is popular there and so is racing, the Carolina Cup is held there. I would definitely check out North Carolina as well. South Carolina I have also heard though will benefit you more from a tax standpoint much much lower taxes so it is a major bonus.
Check out Asheville NC as well. Also I would venture into Eastern Tennessee, anything East of Nashville.
I am sorry about your situation but can understand. I live in Texas and we pay high property taxes (no State Income Tax however). Housing prices are through the roof. Sorry to say but it is driven by people moving in but that is just the law of supply and demand. I love Texas but NC, SC and TN will have more of the four seasons which I wish we had here. Keep posting as I am curious as to what you are looking at. If I find anything I will keep posting as well. Good luck. It is nice to see someone going for quality of quantity:
JK. Okay here is my contribution....There is a charming town about 2 hours West of Charleston outside of Colombia SC called Camden it is actually a colonial town. Check it out. Many beautiful old homes (although price is going up). Polo is popular there and so is racing, the Carolina Cup is held there. I would definitely check out North Carolina as well. South Carolina I have also heard though will benefit you more from a tax standpoint much much lower taxes so it is a major bonus. Check out Asheville NC as well. Also I would venture into Eastern Tennessee, anything East of Nashville.
I am sorry about your situation but can understand. I live in Texas and we pay high property taxes (no State Income Tax however). Housing prices are through the roof. Sorry to say but it is driven by people moving in but that is just the law of supply and demand. I love Texas but NC, SC and TN will have more of the four seasons which I wish we had here. Keep posting as I am curious as to what you are looking at. If I find anything I will keep posting as well. Good luck. It is nice to see someone going for quality of quantity:
Oct 14th, 2002, 02:40 PM
#33
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As a west coaster I struggle with the idea of moving to someplace like SC where half the year you're dodging storms and the other half the air conditioner is your single most important possession. I suppose millions of people (and trillions of mosquitos) can't be wrong... 
For a couple of off-the-wall ideas, I'd throw out the Big Island of Hawaii (I know, air conditioners...) where house prices (away from the resorts) can be well below your price range and life is certainly slower, bruddah...
Second, Victoria BC (yes, Canada) has good schools, great weather (not as wet as Seattle, say) and you could probably save enough on housing to afford a vacation place somewhere in Dixie, if you're so inclined.
Both these island suggestions would be fun to investigate, even if you don't end up moving out west.
For a couple of off-the-wall ideas, I'd throw out the Big Island of Hawaii (I know, air conditioners...) where house prices (away from the resorts) can be well below your price range and life is certainly slower, bruddah...
Second, Victoria BC (yes, Canada) has good schools, great weather (not as wet as Seattle, say) and you could probably save enough on housing to afford a vacation place somewhere in Dixie, if you're so inclined.
Both these island suggestions would be fun to investigate, even if you don't end up moving out west.
Oct 14th, 2002, 03:41 PM
#34
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It is going to be hard to get oceanfront property on the coast of SC for under 600K even if you are buying a fixer upper. When you buy oceanfront, you are buying for the property and the existing structure is almost worthless. I would suggest a block off the beach. Your flood insurance would also be a lot cheaper.
Oct 14th, 2002, 05:03 PM
#35
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Hi, droppingout.
This will sound a bit odd, I'd wager, and I'll also bet I'm going to catch hell for this suggestion, but why don't you think about Charlotte, NC?
You can find a wonderful house in your price range, and probably you can afford one on a lakefront. Charlotte has three major lakes to choose from -- Lake Norman, Lake Wylie, and Mountain Island Lake. That might help make up for the fact that it's about a two to three hour drive from Charlotte to the beach.
You mentioned you want culture and in Charlotte you'll get that in spades. The arts in Charlotte are thriving. The city was second only to New York in the amount of money donated to arts and cultural ventures last year, and that money goes to fund top-notch museums, performing arts, and public art.
You mentioned that good schools are important to you, and Charlotte's school system was recently ranked best in the nation among major metropolitan areas.
Weather was another important factor and Charlotte's weather is fairly pleasant, with mild winters, and wonderful springs and autumns. Summer usually isn't too terribly bad either, although the city can get awfully hot, awfully hazy, and awfully humid... but by and large, summer's not a lot to endure in exchange for three other long and pleasant seasons. Plus, there are plenty of cool fronts moving through in the summer that can keep things breezy.
As far as a slower-paced lifestyle goes, I'm not sure Charlotte would be for you, but I can guarantee that many Charlotte neighborhoods would be. Plus, Charlotte is on the whole a very beautiful city, full of trees and gardens, parks, interesting (if not historic) architecture, and friendly people who care about their city and are excited to see it rising to prominence.
Charlotte gets a lot of flack for being boring and/or soulless, and if you're comparing it to New York or Las Vegas it is, but so are most cities. Charlotte is a rare American phenomenon: a very pleasant, manageable major city full of beauty and citizens hell-bent on improving their town. Charlotte's my favorite Southern major city, and it's fun to see it "becoming". I bet you'd like it too. Remember to check out those lakes!
This will sound a bit odd, I'd wager, and I'll also bet I'm going to catch hell for this suggestion, but why don't you think about Charlotte, NC?
You can find a wonderful house in your price range, and probably you can afford one on a lakefront. Charlotte has three major lakes to choose from -- Lake Norman, Lake Wylie, and Mountain Island Lake. That might help make up for the fact that it's about a two to three hour drive from Charlotte to the beach.
You mentioned you want culture and in Charlotte you'll get that in spades. The arts in Charlotte are thriving. The city was second only to New York in the amount of money donated to arts and cultural ventures last year, and that money goes to fund top-notch museums, performing arts, and public art.
You mentioned that good schools are important to you, and Charlotte's school system was recently ranked best in the nation among major metropolitan areas.
Weather was another important factor and Charlotte's weather is fairly pleasant, with mild winters, and wonderful springs and autumns. Summer usually isn't too terribly bad either, although the city can get awfully hot, awfully hazy, and awfully humid... but by and large, summer's not a lot to endure in exchange for three other long and pleasant seasons. Plus, there are plenty of cool fronts moving through in the summer that can keep things breezy.
As far as a slower-paced lifestyle goes, I'm not sure Charlotte would be for you, but I can guarantee that many Charlotte neighborhoods would be. Plus, Charlotte is on the whole a very beautiful city, full of trees and gardens, parks, interesting (if not historic) architecture, and friendly people who care about their city and are excited to see it rising to prominence.
Charlotte gets a lot of flack for being boring and/or soulless, and if you're comparing it to New York or Las Vegas it is, but so are most cities. Charlotte is a rare American phenomenon: a very pleasant, manageable major city full of beauty and citizens hell-bent on improving their town. Charlotte's my favorite Southern major city, and it's fun to see it "becoming". I bet you'd like it too. Remember to check out those lakes!
Oct 14th, 2002, 07:09 PM
#36
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Big Island: 4 out of 5 mainlanders leave within 5 years due to island fever or ill treatment from hateful locals.
Charlotte: a sprawling suburb which is as soulless and characterless as any city in America (OK, except maybe Houston).
Oregon: native northeasterners tend not to adapt well overall to the lifestyle there. I won't insult Oregonians by expanding on this, but attitudes and lifestyle is unique in this area of the country (outside the college towns, Portland, and Seattle).
SoCal works well for many northeasterners. Especially the many towns between LA and SD (excluding the military-dominated areas).
Phoenix is cheap, schools are just OK (private school a must for you) but lifestyle very different from CT. Very little culture. No ocean, of course.
Austin, TX is getting more affordable, but again, no ocean.
If ocean is a must, NC and SoCal are really your best bets.
Charlotte: a sprawling suburb which is as soulless and characterless as any city in America (OK, except maybe Houston).
Oregon: native northeasterners tend not to adapt well overall to the lifestyle there. I won't insult Oregonians by expanding on this, but attitudes and lifestyle is unique in this area of the country (outside the college towns, Portland, and Seattle).
SoCal works well for many northeasterners. Especially the many towns between LA and SD (excluding the military-dominated areas).
Phoenix is cheap, schools are just OK (private school a must for you) but lifestyle very different from CT. Very little culture. No ocean, of course.
Austin, TX is getting more affordable, but again, no ocean.
If ocean is a must, NC and SoCal are really your best bets.
Oct 14th, 2002, 07:16 PM
#37
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I daydream all the time about moving from the southern california ratrace ...beautiful orange county ca., to a place like Montana or Vermont. Someone mentioned San Diego, which is nice if you don't mind all the traffic and congestion of southern california, along with a true lack of any culture... If I didn't have to find a job, and could afford to move anywhere, it'd be Vermont or the Berkshires, or perhaps upstate New York.... Good Luck.
Oct 14th, 2002, 08:25 PM
#39
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Nan,
You may call Charlotte soulless and characterless only when...
the Raymond Kaskey sculptures on The Square have been removed, all the Ben Long frescoes have been painted over, Ratcliffe on the Green has been razed, the Gateway Center has been torn down, the McGill Rose Garden has been paved over, Historic North Charlotte (NoDa) has been burned down, Latta Plantation has been destroyed, Myers Park has been torn down, Dilworth has been razed, Elizabeth has been torn down, Plaza-Midwood has been torn down, Birkdale Village has been destroyed, South End has been burned down, the Charlotte Trolley and the Trolley Carousel have been scrapped, Hearst Tower and BoA Corporate Tower have fallen down, Brevard Arcade has been torn down, Ribbonwalk Botanical Forest has been cut down, Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens have been paved over, the Mint museums, Levine Museum of the New South, Afro-American Cultural Center, McColl Arts Center, and Blumenthal Performing Arts Center all close their doors, and when that statue of Queen Charlotte at the airport falls off her pedestal.
Til then, I'm afraid you don't have a leg to stand on. Show me a major city with a stronger commitment to smart growth (to place building -- or soul-building, if you will). Sure, Charlotte's not as historic as Charleston or some such city, nor does it have the spectacular natural setting of Seattle or some such. But as I mentioned, it's a very pleasant large city. I've always wondered why that isn't enough.
Also I said that Charlotte is in the process of "becoming" -- becoming exciting, becoming important, becoming trendy, becoming all the things that places like Chicago are now.
Be patient... she's getting there. Until then though, she's got more than a few surprises up her sleeve. While you're entitled to your opinion, I stand by my assertion that Charlotte is a heck of a town. I love 'er.
You may call Charlotte soulless and characterless only when...
the Raymond Kaskey sculptures on The Square have been removed, all the Ben Long frescoes have been painted over, Ratcliffe on the Green has been razed, the Gateway Center has been torn down, the McGill Rose Garden has been paved over, Historic North Charlotte (NoDa) has been burned down, Latta Plantation has been destroyed, Myers Park has been torn down, Dilworth has been razed, Elizabeth has been torn down, Plaza-Midwood has been torn down, Birkdale Village has been destroyed, South End has been burned down, the Charlotte Trolley and the Trolley Carousel have been scrapped, Hearst Tower and BoA Corporate Tower have fallen down, Brevard Arcade has been torn down, Ribbonwalk Botanical Forest has been cut down, Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens have been paved over, the Mint museums, Levine Museum of the New South, Afro-American Cultural Center, McColl Arts Center, and Blumenthal Performing Arts Center all close their doors, and when that statue of Queen Charlotte at the airport falls off her pedestal.
Til then, I'm afraid you don't have a leg to stand on. Show me a major city with a stronger commitment to smart growth (to place building -- or soul-building, if you will). Sure, Charlotte's not as historic as Charleston or some such city, nor does it have the spectacular natural setting of Seattle or some such. But as I mentioned, it's a very pleasant large city. I've always wondered why that isn't enough.
Also I said that Charlotte is in the process of "becoming" -- becoming exciting, becoming important, becoming trendy, becoming all the things that places like Chicago are now.
Be patient... she's getting there. Until then though, she's got more than a few surprises up her sleeve. While you're entitled to your opinion, I stand by my assertion that Charlotte is a heck of a town. I love 'er.
Oct 14th, 2002, 09:45 PM
#40
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I live in Michigan, but my friends live and North Carolinia, in Willmington, with inground pool and 15 minutes from the Wrightsville Beach. They chose the pool rather than living on the beach beacause of the crowds. You really never get any privacy, and people are always walking by trying to look in. Hope this helps
