Trojan Man

I know I am out of line by posting this question here, but not enough people respond in the proper OT area. Please forgive me. Now then:

I need some opinions from people with good taste.

As my beautiful State of California has slowly turned into the Socialist People's Republik of Kalifornia, I may want to venture out of paradise and find a new place to live.

Please help me find a good alternative to living in So Cal.

My ideal place to live would have the following traits:

1. Be somehwhere in the contiguous U.S.

2. Have a mild climate similar to So Cal

3. Have a state and local government consisting of people who actually make sense and don't want to simply tax, spend, and regulate me to death.

4. Have a major airport & good shopping nearby (to satisfy the woman)

5. Have a good supply of newer homes at reasonable prices (which should be easy compared to L.A.)

6. If possible, it should be a coastal community, or within a decent drive of some sort of large body of water.

Specifically, I am looking for not only metropolitan city names (ie. Miami) but the actual neighborhood names (ie. Aventura) that are recommended. I ask for this because there can be quite a bit of variance in the quality of individual communities within a large metroplex.

I have strongly considered Austin, TX and the greater Miami/Ft Lauderdale/Palm Beach area because these areas satisfy most of my requirements except for the good weather part. I would love it if people could expand on these areas and individual neighborhoods within them. Of course, I definitely want to hear about other areas besides these also.

Thanks very much!!!

fc-racer

It doesn't meet your US criteria, but you can't beat Vancouver, B.C. for one of the best places in the world to live. I take advantage of the outdoor activities so I absolutely love it here. You can go from boating to snowboarding in 30 mins and be comfortable in both evironments. The weather is mild and the people are awesome.

jp56

I've lived in many places and still have not found the ideal place. I lived in Victoria , British Columbia for two years. I left for the same reason you want to leave California. Too high taxes and a nanny government that doesn't think people can take of themselves. The people are nice there, though. Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

The natural beauty in BC is fantastic although I found Alaska better for spectacular natural beauty and the people more independent and able to care for themselves, although the season is a bit shorter.

I live in South Florida now. Palm Beach county. It's nice to see the sun and have a government that is less intrusive than some other states but one thing I don't like about it here is the lack of natural beauty. It's flat and boring looking except the beaches. The weather is nice , but the roads are very boring. Long straight and flat. I am a short drive to Sebring, Moroso and Daytona. That's nice.

When my last child graduates high school I would like to spend October to December in Florida. Leave Florida when the bulk of the tourists come down and go to Colorado from December to March and ski. Then move back to Florida from April to June. Then back to Victoria from June to October. Victoria is great in the summer and the roads are fantastic, but the speed limits are real low.

Thers' no perfect place. Move around with the seasons and pick a residency with low taxes like Florida.

Steve N.

Ryan: No place is perfect. Proximity to the ocean typically means high humidity, exposure to tropical weather, etc. ( the desert climate of Southern California being the execption in the U. S.) - so you make your trade-offs. I can tell you that Austin would be on my list of great places to live. I can't help you with a neighborhood, but I think you would find a lot to your liking, with housing prices that look like a bargain compared to SoCal.

rushing23

I've lived in the Austin area for 5 years now since graduating
from college. I absolutely love it. No state income tax,
reasonable property and sales taxes, low gas prices.
UT austin, one of the best overall schools in the nation, especially
for engineering and business is right downtown. Also, I don't
find the humidity to be that bad--we're far enough away
from the coast to not get all the rain that Houston gets. The
people of austin are great too--many of the younger residents
have moved from Kalifornia or major cities of the northeast, so
there's a wide range of personalities down here. Bottom line,
there's a reason that Austin has been about the fastest growing
city over the past several years--it's a great place to live. If
you're looking at cool neighborhoods to live, I'd look at Westlake,
Northwest hills area near arboretum, Southwest/Bee Caves area,
or Round Rock if you don't mind a 15 mile drive from downtown.
If you have more questions, let me know...

Trojan Man

wow it's amazing how much more helpful the Turbo board is than the OT board.

I posted this question over there, and while I have received more than double the number of responses, most of the responses are "what do you mean california is bad" or "sorry, you should move to Utopia."

About the people talking about Canada - I have heard from many people that BC is an awesome place to live, however I strongly disagree with the taxation, healthcare, and extreme gun control that all of Canada posseses. Maybe I'll take a vacation there.

OldGuy

Trojan Man how bout the UCLA campus!! Just kidding!!
you know I live 150 miles north of you and have been
through the same exact thought process. here are
my suggestions. the ocean makes it hard because
most of the west coast places have the same socialist
tendencies. Oregon and Washington. But if you go to
austin its not like real close either. I am from Texas
by the way.
Boise Idaho
including Nampa and Caldwell are growing have lots
of lakes and rivers. and the climate is similar but
hotter in the summer. It has an airport and
they are building lots of houses. nice ones in the
100-160k range Which I find hugely affordable.
If I sold my house here I could get a mansion there
and if I sold my Condo in mammoth I could get a
castle there. Or a nice log cabin home in the country
on acreage. Boise has a high tech sector and other
business oppurtunities. If I was not so specialized
I would go myself (GPS systems engineer)
Its close to skiing in the winter but really a mild winter climate
compared to other places in that area. Man you gotta
have mountains!!
I forgot--- if you go there get your plates switched immediately
and dont tell anyone you are from LA!!!!
OG

EuroCarNut

Dallas, Texas - preferably the Park Cities (University Park/Highland Park). You can drive to Austin in 3 hours, and with DFW airport, you are only about 2 hours away from either coast. The hill country is not too far, and people in Texas are just friendlier than in other states. Dallas has all the best shopping that you find in other major international cities, and it's far north enough that it's usually 5-10 degrees cooler than Austin, but not too far north to have the harsh winters.

Oh, and did I mention there are 3 Porsche dealers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area?

OldGuy

Karl NOT Dallas!! My mom/brother/sister live there!!
thats why I live in California!! (Cowboys looked good!)
no mountains! 90% humidity kills ex californians!
OG

MKW

There are a couple of great places to live along the California coast that are slow lifestyle , beautiful and undiscovered. We go there all the time to avoid the Bay Area / SoCal weekender types. Sorry, can't tell or you'all will " Orange County " it in no time , likes what's happened all over the formerly nice areas of the West that Californians move to to " escape " , but they then drive up home prices that exclude the locals , look down on them as hicks, create traffic with wall to wall OC-type tract "communities" , lead to increased taxes to support the overcrowded schools and want to build brew pubs and yoga / pilates studios and "Anytown USA" power centers with a Home Depot/Old Navy/Starbucks/Linens and Things/ WalMart / Sportmart,etc. There goes the clean air,water and natural beauty as formerly desperate ranchers become developers and laugh all the way to the bank as they luxuriate at their new digs and yacht ,where ? ... Laguna or Newport Beach in beautiful California !

EuroCarNut

But OG, it looks like Trojan Man said he is trying to get OUT of the Socialists Republik of Kalifornia. At least in Texas, you know that there will always be electricity. Plus, the humidity in Dallas is a lot better than it is in Houston or other Texas coastal towns. Dallas is centrally located enough that you are not that far from the mountains either (by plane, that is). We do have the Texas Hill Country, and there are wineries popping up all over the place (not quite Napa Valley, but still it's there). Texas is kind of like California, but without the perfect climate and the crazy liberal faction and messed up politics, or the state income tax.

Does your mother/sister/brother enjoy it here?

Lydon

I would choose Toronto, , , 5 hr from NY city, 2 hours from cottage country, free health care, best universities this side of the Atlantic, and very friendly people. I won't go into political arena's, because we tend to vote for the worst of the best. We have massive international investment, highest among the G-7 nations. Big city feel, without the big-city attitude, CLEAN, with some of the best resterants in NA.

An excellent place to raise a family.

Our real-estate market is booming, and we saw little economic slow down, compared to the rest of the Contienent, over the last 4 years!!!

OldGuy

Karl we were all born and raised there, no other place like it.
Goat cookoffs, BBQ's and beer, and lots of guns!
But my mom is 70 and is a meddling type. I still follow all the
Teams and even my high school in Garland,( I went to college out
here). I live on the eastern side of the Sierras where Kalifornia
has normal rural people just like Texas in a galaxy far far away
from LA and the Bay area. WIth cows, guns and everything!
OG

MKW

I have had huge extended family /grandparents in Toronto for past 60 plus years . Nice place to visit. Guess where all the relatives hang out every summer? Visting our equally large California family for weeks or months ( nothing beats mooching free lodging in Bay Area or Laguna/San Diego) . They spend lots of winter months here , too, LOL. They all say weather there sucks. Two weeks of Spring and two weeks of Fall , and you know the rest : Pass the mosq repellant / snow shovel , will you , ehhh ?

BTW, for those who don't live in California, once you are more than 50 miles away from the coast, you have farms,hicks, 90%country/spanish stations,people talking with Okie accents who drive pick-ups that actually haul dirty stuff just like any place else. Problem is, the coastals started moving into the " hick" Central Valley ( Bakersfield, Antelope Valley,Manteca,Patterson,Modesto ) 15 years ago, now are invading the Sierra foothils like Mariposa and Grass Valley - always looking for the " better life" of affordable housing , but enduring 3 hour commutes to the high paying jobs ( to feed their previous lusted for "lifestyle") on the coast or in Sack-o-tomato. The kids are all latch key from 6am until 8 pm - lotsa a time for drugs and sex with no parents around - but hey, we got the pool !

Lydon

Oh, ya, you have to like the snow, and a 4 month winter. Nothing a 150 HP Yamaha RX-1, and a meter of powder wouldn't solve!!!! EH