[Eddien123]

Originally Posted by Doc Oc

We thought the Carolina's were nice too, until we moved here 20 years ago. North Carolina has some great areas around the smokies or the outer banks, but stay away from S.C, at least the part not on the coast. Tremendous heat (it never dips under 90 between May and September) combined with lots of crime and chemical dependency. Great place to get meth though if you're into that. And the southern charm thing disappears real quick.

Not to mention we have some of the worst driver's in the country too.

Damn that actually bums me out I was looking forward to it someday. I suppose every place has its bad attributes. do you have plans on leaving?

[C1Boston]

I've heard good things about San Diego. If I were to leave the northeast it would be for California...just not LA.

[Fundguy1]

Florida. No state income tax, no snow, low property and sales tax.

[vividracing]

I grew up in southern California, and i cal tell you that its terrible in every way (except maybe the weather). Terrible smog, terrible traffic, stupid laws, no gun rights, high DVM costs, liberal idiots, high cost of living, high sales tax rate, terrible traffic, stupid gun laws, dirty crowded beaches, terrible traffic, did i mention terrible traffic?

I moved to Scottsdale AZ, and i can honestly say that i love it here. If you can put up with really hot weather for just a couple months, the rest of the year is beautiful. I can hang out by the pool from March to October, if you like sports, we have all the major sports leagues in a 30 minute radius, tons of concerts, AMAZING dining, casinos, beautiful lakes, tons of hiking, snowboarding in the winter, traffic isnt bad at all, cost of living is low, and i can shoot my 30 round AR-15 if i want to lol.

[davis449]

Originally Posted by jarsdad1

Denver. You won't notice or care about the weather.

Parents live there, fuck that, I notice the weather and so does my skin as it falls off my body. I thought the weather changed every 5 mins. in TX...nah, it's got nothing on Denver. Like someone said about MN, all four season in one day.

Moving on. I've lived in every corner of this state. There is winter or winter-like weather in every area of the state with the exception of the very tip of the Rio Grande Valley (Brownsville) where it rarely gets cold. So, no matter where you live here, it's pick you're type\length of winter. This is a big ass state. You better enjoy driving. There's roads for curves and straights for 100's of miles. We have the best set speed limits, too.

Let me break this down:

West Texas - I'm from Midland. Lived there off and on for 15 years. I've traveled all over that region including all of SE and Central New Mexico and out into Far West TX (Van Horn, Marfa, Big Bend, El Paso). Don't move there. Not even to try and get a piece of the petroleum action. Just don't...I promise it won't end well for you. Wind all the time at ~15-20 MPH, hot as hell mostly dry heat in the summer, massive dust storms (like AZ), and then random actual "windy days", or a series of them, where it's sunny outside and gusts are 40-60 MPH. Dust EVERYWHERE. Your home will never be clean...ever. Water is gross, R.O. systems for drinking water are std. equipment for a home there as are water softeners. Many of the later model homes have whole house R.O. systems in addition to a water softener. Small town people, small town minds, and still pretty self-segregated. Even if you actually live in Midland or Odessa where the populations are over 120K. Unless you just like desert arid scenery, tumble weeds, and mesquite trees there's absolutely nothing to see. I don't think the "mountains" around El Paso are pretty or value adding.

The Pan Handle - Not even an option as it pertains to this thread. Amarillo gets cold as fuck, snow, and, to a lesser extent, so does Lubbock. In addition, both are crap holes in and of themselves. I'd rather live in Midland.

Houston - Pretty much what everyone else says it is in regards to demographics, traffic, housing etc. Mild humid winters, hot and humid summers. Trouble with humidity is that when the temp is 50 degrees, it feels like 30. It's bone chilling. Despite what I said about CO, I can handle 16 degrees with a jacket and some gloves up there better than 40 degrees in San Antonio\Houston. I lived here for a while in the late 90's and frequent it due to it's close proximity to San Antonio. I have my cousin there in Katy.

DFW - Again, like Houston it's how everyone else says it is demographics and housing wise. They get very little snow...mostly it's ICE. That said, it's there and gone the next day when\if it does happen. Dead of winter temps are a good 10 degrees lower than Central and South TX and it can get seriously bitter as it resides on prairie lands. The nice thing is, like SA and Houston, winter doesn't last long. Usually around 2-4 weeks longer. Weather roller coasters in Dallas as it does almost everywhere in TX during the fall\winter. Then there's the spring to early summer or what we term "The Fifth Season". Severe thunderstorms with high winds, ultra-frequent lightening, HAIL (dime to softball sized), and Tornadoes. My GF was SMACK in the middle of the EF4 that tore through Rowlett. Traffic sucks in Dallas as bad as it sucks in Houston. Road construction in Dallas is never-ending. It's worse than Houston. Why? Because they didn't plan right of ways for practically ANY of the freeways so when they have to be rebuilt\expanded, they have to be literally dug into the ground with access roads overhanging or separated into ground level and elevated\tolled structures. IDC, though, I love Dallas and would move back there in a heartbeat if I could take my exact job situation with me.

Austin - First of all, 6th Street is the most overrated place I've had the displeasure of visiting multiple times (friends...they drag you into shit).

It's always been a Mecca for the trendy hipster types. City politics are just like the state of CA. They city ordinance their way to SF level horseshit. Same type of idiots I encounter in Denver. Hyper enviro-conscious asshats who criticize everything and drive around in RR's that get 10 MPG. Way overpriced housing and traffic...OMG the traffic. Austin flat out refuses to build\expand ANY freeways unless they are toll roads. So, since that's the only way anything gets done, you can imagine that very little gets done at all and you'd be right. I absolutely HATE going there. I thank God every time I drive to Dallas that they built the SH 130 toll road so I can go around that mad house at 90 MPH. People are like, "Oh but the HILL COUNTRY! OMG that makes it SO worth it!" and I'm like...

San Antonio - Lived here 14 years. I bitch and moan about this city, but I love it. I really do. I have felt at home here since the day I first set foot here back in college. It's just big enough to be a big city and just small enough to not be Dallas or Houston. S.A. is 60% Hispanic. It is cholo in many places, I'm not gonna lie. But it's tolerable. Our drivers are horrible..no really. I won't compare it to other places for you, it's something you just have to experience for yourself. We are slow to build roads and there's a lot of freeway intersections that make no sense (as in "So why is there is awesome interchange HERE, but not over at the intersection of...freeways?). But we are MILES ahead of Austin in that respect. It used to be just as bad here, but we've finally accepted that we're 2.3 million, rapidly growing, and just have to buck up and build the roads, expand the freeways, and build the interchanges. We have three seasons: Early summer, Summer, back to early summer, Winter. "Winter" here is a roller coaster that sucks royally, but it lasts roughly three months. We don't experience "Fall". The leaves change and are blown off the trees inside of two weeks after the first cold snap (down in the 40's) and that usually happens in Dec. They come back almost as suddenly as they disappear. Overall, winters are mild. If you have allergies, they'll get infinitely worse. If you don't have them...well, you just THOUGHT you didn't. So-called Mountain Cedar blows down during the winter time and it will straight fuck you up. There's a thing called Cedar Fever where you literally feel like you have the flu that can present with all or some of these symptoms: body aches, fever, chills, sinus drainage, sore throat, coughing, and sneezing. Worst part is: you're not ACTUALLY sick! Go to the medclinic, get shot up with steroids, and go to work. But don't let that scare you away...it's just around for a month and a half and, maybe, like me nothing really happens outside of a stuffy nose. The Hill Country is just as beautiful and accessible here as it is in Austin and, just like there, you can live in it and drive into the city. The Riverwalk really is something to behold now. I know in the past it's always been a small attraction that was, IMHO, made a much bigger deal than it really was. They've expanded it so much now that you really do need the river taxis and bicycles you can now rent. Me and my buddy go down there and it's nothing for us to put 10+ miles on our feet. Unfortunately the North and South ends that were and are being gentrified are ripe to be overpriced hipster villages just like they have in Austin. They're nice areas now, but the Austinites and would-be Austinites are discovering it as of late...I'm enjoying the good times while they last.

Rio Grand Valley - NO.

[delmarco]

best answer so far!

I like NC...If you find a nice quiet 'progressive' spot like Asheville or sleepy college town then you will be happy.

I've lived in El Paso, TX for a year during a work thing I did with the National Parks and I loved the open spaces and endless traffic free/police free roads for driving there. It's hot but it is a dry heat so it's not too bad. It can get lonely and depressing if you like being around lots of people.

Most of my Dad's family live in Florida (Ft Lauderdale, Jacksonville, Orlando-area, Miami, Ft Meyers) and I really can't see myself there at all. It is too hot all the time and there never seems to be any healthy food options or afterwork socializing beyond beach-life and Church's Chicken.

I lived in San Fran for a year as well and I'm on the fence about California. I really love it there but like New York City so does 100 trillion other people. As a result I found it to be a congested, polluted place with just way too many people! San Diego is nice but I would NEVER live there unless I was making 1 million a year. Yeah you literally gotta be making or banking serious coin to raise a family properly there. 3 Series money don't go to San Diego to live, not even 7 Series money will get you in someplace nice there.

Yeah but before you move think about what your money gets you once you get there.

For EXAMPLE and this is a great story!
I have a cousin who is a RN-Nurse in NY and married a male RN-Nurse. In NYC they were making $100,000 each but living in a $6,000 a month tiny apartment and renting a parking space for $12,000 a year in their building. So they were pretty much breaking-even barely surviving.

They moved to Atlanta a few years ago kept the same income (incomes in the healthcare field doesn't vary like other industries as you move state to state) and purchased a $150,000
5 bed/5bath/3 car garage house and 3 acres of land. Was able to buy another car. And both of them have something like 3 day work weeks. SO that money they were throwing away in NYC they are literally filling their bath tubs with and bathing in it! I've never seen two people more happy to move from NYC to the dirty south.

Originally Posted by Axius

Out of every state I've been to, I was living in NC for the past 4 years or so, by far my favorite place to live. You still get all 4 seasons, if you station around the Raleigh area you're two hours to the beach and less than two to the mountains. Tons to do outdoors and compared to the north spring and fall are extended. Great places to eat, real estate was very affordable on my single income, taxes weren't terrible, cost of living was reasonable.


I've decided to figure out a way to move back to NC at some point. If OP wants nice weather year round and money / job market isn't an issue then I would say SoCal, but then you deal with traffic, shitty government, liberals, cost of living, etc. A lot of variables that can dictate how/where someone moves.

[Doc Oc]

Originally Posted by Eddien123

Damn that actually bums me out I was looking forward to it someday. I suppose every place has its bad attributes. do you have plans on leaving?

Yeah every place has its down side I suppose. We are eventually going to move further north, someplace that has actual seasons. Asheville is one of our considerations as well. Very nice. Not much for winter but doesn't have the horrible heat that S.C does. Great scenery and roads around too.

[sixburgh]

I have lived a nomadic life and would recommend metro Atlanta, Georgia. This is where I have settled. It's like Disneyworld for this single guy. Mountains, lakes, great airport and plenty to do. It's a BMW town. But, make sure you like to cook at home because all the restaurants are valet parking and nobody drives my car but "moi".

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by Doc Oc

Yeah every place has its down side I suppose. We are eventually going to move further north, someplace that has actual seasons. Asheville is one of our considerations as well. Very nice. Not much for winter but doesn't have the horrible heat that S.C does. Great scenery and roads around too.

My wife and I (and dogs) love visiting Asheville but our last trip there in May 2016 left me wondering if they have a growing problem with homelessness / panhandlers (not to mention an over abundance of wannabe hippies), particularly downtown. We still love it there and will continue to visit but would need to think a lot before moving there.

[Naz24]

OP, i'm a jersey guy too, been toying with this idea myself.


What is your profession? Do you have limitations on where you can move because of the industry youre in? Will you be searching for a new job in that location?

[capo180]

Originally Posted by Naz24

OP, i'm a jersey guy too, been toying with this idea myself.


What is your profession? Do you have limitations on where you can move because of the industry youre in? Will you be searching for a new job in that location?

This is key. For me I need somewhere with industry, so I would move somewhere like North Carolina. When I was in Florida I searched for jobs that fit and found practically zero.

[E92 M Sport]

Originally Posted by vividracing

I grew up in southern California, and i cal tell you that its terrible in every way (except maybe the weather). Terrible smog, terrible traffic, stupid laws, no gun rights, high DVM costs, liberal idiots, high cost of living, high sales tax rate, terrible traffic, stupid gun laws, dirty crowded beaches, terrible traffic, did i mention terrible traffic?

I moved to Scottsdale AZ, and i can honestly say that i love it here. If you can put up with really hot weather for just a couple months, the rest of the year is beautiful. I can hang out by the pool from March to October, if you like sports, we have all the major sports leagues in a 30 minute radius, tons of concerts, AMAZING dining, casinos, beautiful lakes, tons of hiking, snowboarding in the winter, traffic isnt bad at all, cost of living is low, and i can shoot my 30 round AR-15 if i want to lol.

Good to hear! Scottsdale is on my list. Ty.

[smoosh]

wyoming, utah, and arizona are beautiful

[Zajac1]

Originally Posted by Naz24

OP, i'm a jersey guy too, been toying with this idea myself.


What is your profession? Do you have limitations on where you can move because of the industry youre in? Will you be searching for a new job in that location?

Hi, I'm working as a machine operator in manufacture with over 3 years experience. From now on I'm jest free looking around and trying to read all the opinions and reviews.

[Zajac1]

Originally Posted by shoei

Anything below 60 in the winter is "brutal" for some of us...

form me around 10-0 F is brutal. I'm was born and raised in Northern-east part of Poland, so cold loooong winters are normal for me and now I want to avoid them

[Germanauto]

The San Diego area is one of my favorite places in the country. It doesn't have the big city "feel" like LA, SF, NY, Chicago, Miami, etc. but there's still plenty to do cause of the weather and outdoor activities around. Plus, it's not like you're that far of a drive/flight away from the big cities. Having lived in Seattle for a decade, San Diego has a similar "smaller" town feel without the horseshyt weather and subhuman hipsters.

The only thing deterring me? Home prices. Aside from Orange County, SF, and NYC, I've never seen such a high cost of living in my life.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by C1Boston

I've heard good things about San Diego. If I were to leave the northeast it would be for California...just not LA.

The first time I went to SD I was shocked because all my prior experience in SoCal was in the cesspool known as LA. When you enter southern Orange County and SD county you feel like you're seeing the "true" southern California, and it's absolutely stunning.

[Ross61]

Originally Posted by C1Boston

I've heard good things about San Diego. If I were to leave the northeast it would be for California...just not LA.

What, are you an America hating commie?? (and I laugh only to make you feel comfortable as you change your analysis.)

See below and read my previous.

I was raised in San Diego and the only nice thing about CA in as a whole, is the general, year round weather. NOTHING else - the highest taxes in the land, the desire to give sanctuary to those here illegally (not just food an water and free ride back home), the inane ability to spend trillions on a forever to be subsidized high-speed train to nowhere (instead of desalination plants), and some of the most hypocritical people in the world (tree hugger in San Francisco who refuse to tear down the Hetch Hetchy dam which was built on a lie).

And ask yourself - why is gas +$1 more per gallon than it is in Arizona? (hint: any attempted excuse can be easily debunked )

Originally Posted by vividracing

I grew up in southern California, and i cal tell you that its terrible in every way (except maybe the weather). Terrible smog, terrible traffic, stupid laws, no gun rights, high DVM costs, liberal idiots, high cost of living, high sales tax rate, terrible traffic, stupid gun laws, dirty crowded beaches, terrible traffic, did i mention terrible traffic?

I moved to Scottsdale AZ, and i can honestly say that i love it here. If you can put up with really hot weather for just a couple months, the rest of the year is beautiful. I can hang out by the pool from March to October, if you like sports, we have all the major sports leagues in a 30 minute radius, tons of concerts, AMAZING dining, casinos, beautiful lakes, tons of hiking, snowboarding in the winter, traffic isnt bad at all, cost of living is low, and i can shoot my 30 round AR-15 if i want to lol.

[Germanauto]

Question for the Texans, is there much to do in the DFW and Houston metropolitan areas? I've always had the impression that they're a lot like metro Detroit (where I grew up): suburban sprawl, strip malls, not much the way of nightlife compared to other cities, pretty dead downtown, not much outdoorsy stuff, etc. In other words, a perfect place to live once you're married and have kids but uninteresting otherwise. Honest responses please.

Home prices are very reasonable and the construction is beautiful. They use a lot of brick, marble, etc. which you don't see on the west coast.

[C1Boston]

Originally Posted by Ross61

What, are you an America hating commie?? (and I laugh only to make you feel comfortable as you change your analysis.)

See below and read my previous.

I was raised in San Diego and the only nice thing about CA in as a whole, is the general, year round weather. NOTHING else - the highest taxes in the land, the desire to give sanctuary to those here illegally (not just food an water and free ride back home), the inane ability to spend trillions on a forever to be subsidized high-speed train to nowhere (instead of desalination plants), and some of the most hypocritical people in the world (tree hugger in San Francisco who refuse to tear down the Hetch Hetchy dam which was built on a lie).

And ask yourself - why is gas +$1 more per gallon than it is in Arizona? (hint: any attempted excuse can be easily debunked )

haha well taxes are pretty high out here as well, NYC and MA are probably top 10 in states with highest tax rates. Taxes would not factor into my decision to pick up and move since I'm already accustomed to the ridiculous tax rates.

[davis449]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

Question for the Texans, is there much to do in the DFW and Houston metropolitan areas? I've always had the impression that they're a lot like metro Detroit (where I grew up): suburban sprawl, strip malls, not much the way of nightlife compared to other cities, pretty dead downtown, not much outdoorsy stuff, etc. In other words, a perfect place to live once you're married and have kids but uninteresting otherwise. Honest responses please.

Home prices are very reasonable and the construction is beautiful. They use a lot of brick, marble, etc. which you don't see on the west coast.

DFW has plenty of night life all over the place. Speaking specifically to downtown, for sure. N. McKinney Ave. has it and it's very upscale. There's also Lower Greenville Ave. and Deep Ellum. As I understand it, Deep Ellum is making a comeback from it's glory days in the 80's and 90's with live music venues coming back.

Houston's done a great job revitalizing their downtown as well and there is some nightlife in Uptown. Perhaps someone else on here would be more qualified to answer nightlife questions about Houston.

[MightyMouseTech]

Hawaii.

Get as far away from mainland US as you can.