If You Could Live Anywhere In The US...

Where would you live and why?

I'm asking because DH and I are thinking of moving in a year or two. We are currently in zone 5. I've had zone envy for sooOOoo long now. I'm thinking zone 7 would be nice...not too hot and still some seasonal changes.

So, whaddya think DGers? :)

Well, heathrjoy, I think it all depends on whether you want humidity or dry heat or wet snow or dry snow. Zone 7b where I live is humid although in the spring and autumn we have some wonderful weather that is neither too hot and humid nor too wet and cold. We don't have harsh winters although we can get some below-freezing weather several days during the winter. Then, too, I'm not sure every place in Zone 7 is necessarily humid. Don't the zones take the lowest average temperatures into account and not necessarily humidity or dryness? It also depends on the type of topography you like: flatlands, rolling hills, mountains, etc. Do you want an ocean view or a scenic view from atop a mountain. If I could choose where I would live, right now I am thinking of a beautiful ocean view from atop a cliff somewhere on the west coast or perhaps a cabin in the alpine forests of Colorado. It would be nice to have the cabin in Colorado during the summer months and the ocean view in the winter months because I don't like really cold weather. Then, too, right here in Arkansas we have some really beautiful places with fantastic views. The northwest Arkansas area would be a good place for you to visit in your quest for a different place to live. Try starting with the Harrison area (south of Branson, MO). Fayetteville, Rogers, Springdale are really pretty, too, but they have grown so much in the past decade that you may want to stay away from there--depends on whether you want an area with lots of people or one that's not quite as heavily populated. Harrison is a little more laid-back than the areas around Fayetteville although it is growing rapidly, too. My dh and I were up there recently looking at real estate because we are thinking of moving, too. The housing prices are lower there as compared with many parts of the country--you can get more house for your money and it appears to be a buyer's market right now. Anyway, good luck in your quest! I'll be watching this thread! -- marsue P.S. I was in the Philadelphia, PA area back in the 1980's for a visit and there is certainly some beautiful scenery up there. In many ways it reminded me of the NW Arkansas area which I mentioned above.

heathrjoy....you might want to consider Kentucky. We've had an exceptionally hot summer this year, but in the 20 years that I lived here, this is the only time I've seen it this hot.

Where I live in KY we are central to almost anything and everything is a day trip (except visiting my Mom in Massachusetts). Louisville is a great city to live around.

:)Kathy

Hubby and I are thinking of moving too. The Pacific Northwest has been holding a fascination for us that won't go away! It sounds like you'd like a little bit of everything as far as weather goes. East of the coastal areas would be my suggestion.

For the temperature, the gardening, the sunshine, the wonderful
weather, the beautiful seasons, the fresh air, I'll stay right here
in Northeastern Oklahoma.

OOooooh, look at that pic! That looks like a daydream I had, lol.

We were just looking at Arizona yesterday, but I don't know. One thing for sure is that I don't think I could live where it's flat and there's no trees...I've been in PA too long for that much of a drastic change. Rolling hills rather than mountains would be nice though.

I guess you could say we are the outdoors type...gardening, fishing, bird & critter watching. We'd love boating, hiking, camping, etc. We used to do those things when we had more time...and that's part of what this move is about.

As for population...I like small towns. I've always lived in a small town and don't care much for cities. We'd like a good amount of property because we'd like to have horses. I guess you could say we like our privacy, but on the other hand I don't want a 20 mile trip to the grocery store.

Isn't it wonderful that our country has so many spectacular places to live that it's so hard to decide?

Love your response Wuvie! DH keeps looking at Nevada because of tax breaks...but I don't know. Every time I hear "Nevada" all I can think of is Vegas and show girls with their many, many feathers, lol.

I was born in Pennsylvania . Arizona is where I have spent most of my life and it can be shock after all the green you have been surrounded with. It is a beautiful and diverse state. You should take a look around here. Alpine is beautiful!! (and small)
I have only been to the Las Vegas area of Nevada and all I can say is Yuck!!

This message was edited Oct 11, 2007 11:44 AM

heathrjoy, I very seldom respond to thread but found yours to be very interesting. I was born and raised in Central Florida left when i was 19. Have lived in north florida,Alaska and Texas and have been blessed to travel to every US state (with exception Hawaii) there is something wonderful and negative about most every place I have been although I tend to only remember the wonderful.

I keep going back to Alaska to visit but of course way to cold. However, I must say summer flowers are beautiful.

Areas of Texas are wonderful weather wise and the people are very friendly.

Having said all of the above I am back in central Florida and just try to leave for the hottest months.

I find the responses to this thread very interesting and by the way i do agree with Kwan the Pacific Northwest is beautiful!

Linda

Where ever we think we decide on we're going to have to visit for a while and see what we think of it. It's so easy to visit someplace and fall in love with it, but living there is a whole other story. I love visiting my family in Huntington Beach, CA...but I don't think I could live there. It's too big for me. It's a great, great place, but just too big for me.

I like the idea of the change of scenery with a move to Arizona, but I wonder if I really could deal with it long term.

Then there's times when the weather is like it is today...cold, damp, gray...and it makes every bone in my body ache (back problems)...and I think a move to anywhere warmer would make me happy despite the view out the window. Hey, I could always paint trees and hills on the glass on the windows, right? LOL!

heathrjoy wrote: "Rolling hills rather than mountains would be nice though.
I guess you could say we are the outdoors type...gardening, fishing, bird & critter watching. We'd love boating, hiking, camping, etc. We used to do those things when we had more time...and that's part of what this move is about.
As for population...I like small towns. I've always lived in a small town and don't care much for cities. We'd like a good amount of property because we'd like to have horses. I guess you could say we like our privacy, but on the other hand I don't want a 20 mile trip to the grocery store."

Heathrjoy, it sounds like North-West Arkansas (or north central) is just the place for you. Lots of beautiful lakes: Table Rock(mostly in Southern Missour), Beaver Lake, Bull Shoals, Norfolk, and a little closer to central Arkansas is Greers Ferry Lake. Also there is the Buffalo National River, White River, Little Red River--all great areas for camping, boating, fishing, floating. Check out on the internet about Mountain Home, Mountain View, or Harrison and the areas I mentioned in my first post above. Great scenery, not-too-high-mountains (our highest elevation is less than 3000 ft. above sea level) and the weather in that area of our state is usually cooler in the summer than it is down here in the central part of the state and further south.
Is it just too cold for y'all up there in Pennsylvania in the winter time? Because I would think you could do all of the things you like to do right where you are and have beautiful scenery too.

Linda, I missed your post while I was typing. I do like the idea of Texas. It doesn't hurt any that my sis lives there! We visited a few years ago and I do think it kinda turned my DH off a bit...but there were many reasons for that. We stopped to get gas in this little town, and the name was so familiar and we couldn't figure out why...till we got to DS house and asked her why Jasper sounded so familiar. OMgosh, we felt like fools. Then my DBIL scared us half to death saying there were copperheads in the backyard...but DBIL thinks that kinda thing is funny. Also, there were water restrictions at that time, so no grass growing anywhere, just Texas dust, lol. Personally, I enjoyed the trip!!! I think if I took DH back to TX he would enjoy himself and see all the benefits of being there. I could really get into the Lone Star State!

I think we need to get an RV and travel this great country, meet the people, and see what the towns/places are all about. How else will you know for sure?

Marsue is right, almost all of Missouri is beautiful, but the southwest is the best. Bigger towns when you need them, lots of space for living. I'd move if I could.

Most of what we like to do is right here for us, but it is too cold in the winter. Too much snow in the winter. Too much moisture in the air which makes it either damp or humid. It's great for growing things in the summer, but our growing season really is too short.

heathrjoy, I forgot to give you this website: www.arkansas.com You can go there to find out about Arkansas and see some photos of different areas of the state. Also, I am sending along a couple of pics that I took last spring when my DH and I went up to Petit Jean State Park. Their are cabins there that overlook a gorge and are available for rent year round. We stayed in one of the cabins a couple of nights back in the spring and really enjoyed our little "get-away" We met a couple from NY state, as a matter of fact, and they were checking in as we were. They just loved Arkansas!

and here's another pic

hearthrjoy, hey u have the right idea get you a motorhome and try them all. We lived in one for 5 years and traveled all over this wonderful USA. Five incredible years. You have to be really compatible to live in a 40' motorhome tho. I would not trade the experience for anything and we knew when the time was right to settle back into a home. We are now thinking about one again for summer travel.

Linda

Not from the USA but have travelled most states..if I were to choose another location to live in, it would be Tennessee..very similar terrain to where I now live, still has season changes, little snow at times, not overly humid..that would be my choice...

Hubby and I were entertaining a new place to live a few weeks
ago, mainly in humor.

We decided New Zealand was the place. A little cooler than
preferred, but if we could have hobby equipment, home could likely
be just about anywhere.

:-)

Arkansas is certainly gorgeous...can't you just smell that fresh air? I'm going to visit that site and check it out, thanks for the link.

I've talked to a few folks about TN before, and it really does sound like it has everything we're looking for...plus it's not that far from home for us.

My problem is that every place I think about or look at seems so great. This is going to be a very hard decision, and I'm glad I won't be making it on my own.

I don't know if I could do 5 years in an RV, but I'd love to do a year I think. Five years is a loooong time, lol! I think it's so awesome that you did that! DH and I are very compatible so that shouldn't be a problem, I'd be more worried about storing all of our junk.

One thing for certain though...before we leave this part of the country I want to visit New England. We've never done that, we've always gone south where it's warmer. I'd love to visit New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont and especially Maine. There is a town in Maine that was named after my Great x5 Grandfather. Hodgdon is the name of the town. I once found the homestead of one of the family members for sale online, it was going for a half million. I'd really like to see any history of my family that's there before I'd move too far away.

My first thought in moving is always to check the crime rate in the area,
then the state, then the country.

:-)

I agree Wuvie. Especially for me, coming from such a small town. I would say that nothing ever happens here, but recently we've had a bunch of burglaries/robberies and arson fires in town. The police have arrested 2 men (who used to be my neighbors!!!). But still, this is a very safe town....I don't know if I could sleep in a city, I've been in the woods too long.

Western Kentucky...small towns, 4 seasons, low crime rates, low cost of living, central location..

4 hrs St Louis
3 hrs Louisville
2 hrs Nashville
5 hrs Indianapolis
6 hrs Atlanta
7 hrs Chicago

It is pretty rural, but Paducah has 2 hospitals, 2 malls, 2 Super Wal-marts, Lowes, Home Depot...shoot, we even have a Super Wal-mart in Benton

We have Kentucky and Barkley Lakes.....(pages of google stuff between them)
Lots of camping and recreation facilities...there's even a campground where you can take your horse.
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
Good BBQ and Catfish....(and there's actually other food out there that isn't fried or pig)

Very small town...and very easy living. You don't have to make a lot of money to live here.
Murray, Kentucky voted #1 retirement town in USa several years ago.

Check us out....JustmeLisa left Louisiana and settled here last year....

My DS and DBIL lived in Paducah for a short time. My DBIL travels a lot with his work and can be in any place for 3 months to 3 years. I think they were in Paducah for about a year. I'll have to ask her more about it. If I remember right she really liked it there. If they don't like a place the family stays in TX and DBIL goes on his own.

Reminds me of the old indian that came here (to the south sierras of California) from back east. No chiggers, no mosquitos, no ticks, no no-see-ems, no deer flies, no horseflies, no humidity, and no snow. 100 miles to the coast (where most can't afford to live), 60 miles to Death Valley, 150 miles to skiing in the Sierras, 150 miles to Las Vegas. and zone 7b to grow just about everything. You should be paying me for this!

I grew up in Buffalo, NY (similar to PA). There is only one thing better........alternating between the rainforests of Alaska and the deserts of California!

Whoa! rainforests in Alaska? you could have knocked me over with a feather. I always thought the rain forests were in Oregon and Washington, at least here in the U.S.

Alaskan rainforest...yup!


http://www.akrain.org/aracbill

I hope I don't have to move from where I am. It doesn't get too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. Snow stays in the mountains which I can see from my house, but don't have to shovel. Beautiful skies, nice people. 1 hour from a major airport and shopping if I ever wanted to do that. Roses love it here. Small town, but you can get anything you need here. No smog, pollution or traffic. I love walking at White Sands National Mt. which is 20 miles from me or hiking in the Sacramento mts. which is 25 minutes from me. I hate snow and cold, but those who like to ski can do that 45 miles from me. Nothing I don't like about it!

So, did Heatherjoy ever move?

I have lived half my life in MO and half in TX. So I kind of feel like they are both home. MO is beautiful, with all 4 seasons, and rolling hills in the central/southern part. But so is east Texas. Houston and Dallas areas are fine, but the scenery etc in North east TX is much like MO. And there are some small towns and rural areas there. Check out the Jacksonville/Henderson/Nacodoches area

Well, I want to live in too many places so if I had tons of money, I'd have a house in the following places ~ in no particular order:

Blue Ridge Mtns of Va (love Smith Mtn Lake)
Vermont (cause I love New England and the little towns)
Florida Keys (cause I love the winds and the water!)
Wyoming (cause I love the Tetons - got engaged there!)
Alaska (cause I'm a hopeless romantic and love the ruggedness)

Outside the US:

St. John (cause it's BEAUTIFUL!)
Tuscany (cause I'm Italian and it's gorgeous!)
Ireland (the romantic thing again!)

I don't think Heather moved yet, morus springs.

Nope, I didn't move yet. I only started this thread a little over a month ago and we're planning our move in a year or two. I've got a while to plan (and pack) yet. But, as I'm putting laundry away today I'm starting to think it might not be a bad idea to start packing now!

I do have good news though. I think we have decided on an area. VERY Northern California. Somewhere around the Redding/Lake Shasta area is looking really nice to us. It has everything we are looking for as far as we can tell. We still have some research to do, but for now it's where we are zeroing in on. It's just gorgeous there. There's seasons, but depending on the elevation it's a zone 7, 8, or 9.

We've been discussing it a lot and we are most likely going to keep a home in the area we are in now. Maybe not the home we have now, but something.

I want to live in Thomas Jefferson's house, Monticello, in Virginia. I want his gardens especially! Meanwhile, I love New Mexico. So much diversity, color, history. Not without problems, you understand. But, really great people and abundant beauty.

Heather, I think you are making a good choice. DH and I are thinking of the PNW. LOVE the ocean and the area. I have a friend who lives in Concord, CA. She loves it there.

That area seems to have so many things that are important to us. Rivers/streams/lakes, hills, trees, great weather....it makes me wonder why we've stayed here so long? From what I've been told by the folks on the California Gardening Forum this area is also just filled with wildlife, which also sounds great to us. We love the outdoors, right now we don't get to spend enough time together doing things we enjoy....part of this move will be "simplifying" our lives....less stress, etc. This sounds like close to paradise for us, seriously!

I've looked up the crime rate in this area and was surprised how low it was, and it is continuing to fall. (!!!!!!) At first I thought there were a lot of violent crimes there until I compared it to the county I currently live in. I think I'll feel safer once we move. I was very impressed.

I think the PNW is so, so, so gorgeous. The only reason we didn't opt for some place more north is because of the amount of rainfall. I think I would just love living there if it weren't for the rain. Whenever I see a pic of the PNW I can just smell the fresh air, it always looks so peaceful. So, if you do move to the PNW and we move to N. CA we'll kinda be neighbors and I'm betting we could get into a lot of trouble together! That's one point I won't be bringing up to DH.

So, now y'all know what I've been dreaming about every night when I go to bed....moving to Northern Cali. I'm so excited. I can't wait to visit.


I really appreciate everyone's input on this thread. This is such a big decision, and it's certainly not final yet. All of you have helped me out and made such wonderful suggestions. Wouldn't it be great to have about 10 homes and just not have to choose?

Only ten? Boy, you think small! LOL One of my DBs lives in Keiser, OR. He says the rain isn't really that bad except in winter. But then, it's snowing here then and I would much rather have rain that snow.

And yes, it would be kind of be like we're neighbors. The trouble you and I could make! Our DH's wouldn't know what hit them! LOL

How about earthquakes--is that area on one of the big faultlines?

Here's a link that might help.

http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00758/en/disaster/earthquake/faultlines.html

You are a goldmine of information, Kwan! Where do you find all this stuff? Of course, on "google"!

I noticed that the website pictures didn't show the New Madrid fault line which goes through Missouri and Arkansas. Maybe I didn't investigate enough but I know it is there so I don't have to look it up. LOL