There's NO Place Like...

[Etienne]

I'm reading and processing all of these...! Eureka's a bit too bohemian for us, Tony. DixonCannon, HOT, HOT, HOT! MK, rain? What exactly IS that?! LizzieMaine and PSG, hmmmmm, we did like the state park in Maine (gorgeous!) HanninganReilly, Las Vegas is all yours! ClydeR., my hubby left his heart in Maui (wow!). Flagstaff might be a consideration... Mysterygal, how far south of Seattle do you (and MK) live? We liked Gig Harbor in WA quite a lot. Andykev, we haven't looked in the east bay area really but we spend a LOT of time checking out the Gold Country further east--Auburn, etc. and we really like it up there.

BTW, I really appreciate all the feedback. Anyone know much about Virginia?

 

[mysterygal]

Hmm, now all you denizens of Portland have me interested. Trouble is, I'm a highly intelligent but scatterbrained 45-year-old college dropout jack of all trades, and I need to find the right kind of offbeat employer.

Just move over here Tony I'm sure there's plenty of offbeat employers out there! There are Starbucks aplenty around here...the caffine might agree with ya

 

[mysterygal]

Mysterygal, how far south of Seattle do you (and MK) live?
I'm located about 3 1/2 hours south of Seattle. And if airports are what you need, there's one just across the bridge
Puget sound is absolutely beautiful..I grew up around there myself. Like I said, there's more rainfall than here, but still a great place to live

 

[VintageJess]

Virginia is for Lovers, and I LOVE IT!

I'm reading and processing all of these...! Eureka's a bit too bohemian for us, Tony. DixonCannon, HOT, HOT, HOT! MK, rain? What exactly IS that?! LizzieMaine and PSG, hmmmmm, we did like the state park in Maine (gorgeous!) HanninganReilly, Las Vegas is all yours! ClydeR., my hubby left his heart in Maui (wow!). Flagstaff might be a consideration... Mysterygal, how far south of Seattle do you (and MK) live? We liked Gig Harbor in WA quite a lot. Andykev, we haven't looked in the east bay area really but we spend a LOT of time checking out the Gold Country further east--Auburn, etc. and we really like it up there.

BTW, I really appreciate all the feedback. Anyone know much about Virginia?

Etienne,

My personal feeling is that Virginia has it all--great weather (all four seasons--but never too hot or too cold), lots of great history of many layers (Colonial, Revolutionary, Civil War), extremely scenic. You can find rural or cities (D.C., Richmond, etc.) Lots of great rivers and waterways for your watersports, and some great golfing to boot. Excellent universities and cultural opportunities. The mountains, beaches, valleys and just about everything in between. And with the proximity to D.C., Baltimore and Richmond, major airports are aplenty.

I will say that where I am currently living in Northern Virginia, the cost of living (especially housing) is fairly high. Expect to pay at least in the 300s for a typical three bedroom house. There is also a great deal of traffic along the I-95 corridor with the D.C. commuters. Yet, we still love it. We have been here in Fredericksburg for about a year. My husband is a Civil War reenactor so he is in absolute heaven. I love antiquing, shopping and history and walking around the quaint, historic downtown area in Fredericksburg.

There is a lot of growth in this area, and sounds like that trend will continue. But there are certainly much more quiet and afforadable areas, particularly in the Shenandoah Valley, which is an absolutely beautiful place.

My parents live near Charlottesville, which is a little over an hour from me. Home to the University of Virginia and Monticello--it has an excellent hospital and funky social scene. It is growing by leaps and bounds and is consistently votes one of the best small cities in America.

Good luck with your search! Maybe some other Virginians will chime in here--feel free to ask any specific questions you might have. And if you ever decide to come check out Virginia--just let me know, we'd be happy to host you or meet up with you!

Jessica

 

[Pilgrim]

I'm from the Pacific NW and heartily endorse the mentions of Washington and Oregon. Absolutely lovely west of the Cascades, and everything you'd like. Just choose one of the sunnier areas.

Another option is the Denver/Front Range area of Colorado. Mild winters and summers, low humidity, and all the kayaking, fishing and snow sports you can ask for in the mountains. If you're selling a home in CA, you can probably afford the Boulder area, where it's lovely and politics are on the liberal side. Colorado Springs is also very nice, but the politics there make Genghis Khan look like Ted Kennedy. Choose wisely to match your own bent!

 

[artdecodame]

Phoenix, Arizona!...
Twelve months of air-conditioned comfort!

Ah ha ha, your comment made me laugh as I've been in Tucson most of my life!

Etienne, there are also smaller towns south of us that are cooler. Bisbee is one of them; it's a really old town dating back to the 1800's when the copper mine was its main source of income.
(http://www.bisbeearizona.com/)
It may be too far away from the sea for you, though, so I agree with most with the Pacific Northwest area. I love the beach, too, so visiting those types of places is lots of fun.

 

[Solid Citizen]

Maryland/Virginia

Maryland,

1. Summer high humidity!

2. High [huh] property prices

3. Higher waterfront property prices!

Virginia,

1. Northern Viriginia traffic terrible/congestion :eusa_doh: !

2. Stanton Virginia, nice town worth checking out

SC

 

[Novella]

Another option is the Denver/Front Range area of Colorado. Mild winters and summers, low humidity, and all the kayaking, fishing and snow sports you can ask for in the mountains.

My parents recently moved from California to Colorado (they're in the Denver area), and they love it there. The housing is very affordable and the Rocky Mountains are beautiful. There are a lot of pretty nature areas if you're an outdoorsy person and Denver's not a bad city.

 

[photobyalan]

On the subject of Virginia, I would recommend the I-81 corridor. The scenery in beautiful, it is not congested, real estate is not outrageous, the climate is fairly moderate apart from the occasional blizzard, and you are not too far from the big cities of the east coast.

Some other nice places that haven't been mentioned are the Berkshires of Massachusetts, pretty much the entire state of Vermont, and the Finger Lakes area of New York. All of these places have long and sometimes brutal winters, though.

 

[Etienne]

Brutal winters....hmmm We're talking about a guy here who refuses to spend his retirement shoveling snow! (Ah, yes, we are spoiled.) Colorado sounds nice, and we have friends up in the Colorado Springs area, but SNOW??? I don't know about that. Oh, this is so hard! We really had hoped our grown kids would be settled somewhere so we could be at least within striking distance of them and (hopefully) be near our (God willing) grandchildren. But they are not settled down anywhere as of yet and time's a-wastin'! We've already sold our home and are renting so we can just GO when we find the right thing. Who knew it could be so hard to spend money???!

 

[raiderrescuer]

On a serious note...

Try Oregon...No Sales Tax, Already have a bunch of Californians here so you would fit in.

In the Salem area you are 1 1/2 hours to the Beach, 30 minutes to PDX Airport in Portland. Dozens of Golf Courses around. There are plenty of Country sized towns nearby as well.

In Oregon, We don't Tan...We Rust !!! As far as Snow goes...get more than 2 inches and they close school. We just don't get that much. (But Mt Hood Skiing is only an hour & a half away.)

 

[mysterygal]

You know, with all my years of living down here, I haven't ONCE been to Mt. Hood....I really want to go in the winter time! We should get some loungers from the surrounding area and plan a get together there!

 

[Clyde R.]

I have family in the Newport News/ Hampton Roads area of Virginia. My sister and brother in law are fairly cosmopolitan people who have lived in places as diverse as California, Texas, NC, and Germany before moving to Virginia. They really like it and have been there about nine years. The weather is pretty decent, and there is a lot to do in that area. A thing I really like about Virginia is the wealth of historical sites and attractions there, as already alluded to by VintageJess.

In fact, if I was going to move to another state close by it would certainly be Virginia. I'm still in NC primarily because at the moment my wife's job would not transfer very well and we have family here we wish to remain near.

There's really some absolutely beautiful country in Virginia, and compared to California the cost of living and real estate would probably be much better.

 

[Irena]

I vote for... Clatskanie, Oregon! It's very close to the Great Columbia River (water-sports, fishing), almost smack-dab in between Portland (with its airport and shopping) and the Oregon coast. The mountains aren't far away, if you wish to cool off in the summer or have fun in the snow. Clatskanie is a great little community, with wonderful spirit and pride. If you wish to cross the river to Washington, either take the ferry from Westport (not very far downriver from Clatskanie) to Puget Island, WA, or drive 15 miles down Highway 30 (formerly the Lincoln Highway, there are still many original pieces left, now back-roads) to the Rainier-Longview Bridge. As for the weather, nothing could be better! And the green... what could be better than year-round greenery?

I don't actually live in Clatskanie, but 15 miles upriver. But I could not recommend a better place!

 

[raiderrescuer]

You know, with all my years of living down here, I haven't ONCE been to Mt. Hood....I really want to go in the winter time! We should get some loungers from the surrounding area and plan a get together there!

I never been there myself either, We could do something there...I'm not into skiing but I am not against being a Lodge Lounger !

 

[Wild Root]

Yuba City!

Up old 99 there's a city just two hours north of Sacramento CA... I have an Uncle and Aunt up there who love it, they married and moved there in the late 70's... it's a beautiful 1932 English cottage styled home, great place, small town atmosphere and some great antique shops! Lots of orange groves and other types of agriculture. If you'd like to move to a small town, I live in Monrovia, just east of Pasadena, I love it here, it's close to everything and has a small country type of feel to it. Also, don't forget Red Lands, lots of open land out there and stuff to do! One of our newer members lives down that way, my good friend Josh lives down there... it's fun!

Just my two bits.

=WR=

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Yreka?

 

[mysterygal]

I never been there myself either, We could do something there...I'm not into skiing but I am not against being a Lodge Lounger !

sounds good to me! we can stay inside the lodge, look out on the beautiful scenery while drinking our hot cocoa's!
I do want to try cross country skiing though...need a few girls to go with me

 

[Irena]

sounds good to me! we can stay inside the lodge, look out on the beautiful scenery while drinking our hot cocoa's!
I do want to try cross country skiing though...need a few girls to go with me

Count me in! I've always wanted to try cross-country skiing, also! And I LOVE hot cocoa, and pretty scenery.

 

[Etienne]

Despite the high cost of gas, maybe we should just get a big ol' motorhome and hit all of the places you all have mentioned! That would take, um, about 2 years and then maybe our kids would be all settled down somewhere and we could pick a place to live Not a bad idea at that...!