Page 2 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast
Results 16 to 30 of 69

Thread: Looking to move out of New York City

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Feb 2003
    Location
    Yorktown, VA
    Posts
    2,754
    Early fifties? Is your means of making a living mobile, or will you need to find a job at your new location? If you can work from home, then you might need reliable high speed internet access as one criteria. Take a look at shifting global weather patterns and their affect on long term water availability...water is life. Look at last years forest fire map for an indication of what extended drought is doing to a large portion of the west. I'd be looking for moderate climate...four seasons, but no extremes, and easy access to essential shopping, banking, medical, entertainment. I got out of New York as soon as I could, just to escape the Syracuse winters and high taxes. We looked at Virginia and North Carolina and settled on Virginia because it met most of our criteria and we were familiar with the area. Never regretted the decision. We did live in SC for four years and would not go back because of the oppressive summertime heat and humidity. Gotta be worse as you go south.

  2. #17
    I have lived my life in Southeast Pennsyvania. so I am not well versed in other areas. I do believe this area is a pleasant moderate compromise of other places I have seen and myself as well as 4 generations of my family have been happy here.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298

    Tennessee

    I grew up in Southwest PA. Moved south for college, never went back. I've lived in a several places in the country (midwest, northeast, further east, but settled in Tennessee. This question has come up before on other forums and I sometime tell why I like TN. So far, several people decided to move here after that and love it. I can't remember everything I said but a few things:

    We live about 30-45 minutes from Knoxville on a 27 acre farm in a rural area but just 6 minutes from the drug store, 10 minutes from a grocery store, 8 minutes from the hardware store, 1/2 hour to good medical and eye care.
    Lower taxes, in general, than much of the country.
    Lower real estate cost compared to much of the country, especially away from the cities. We bought our 27 acres with a timber frame house and barn for less than a house in a typical subdivision.
    Gasoline is often cheaper than I hear it is in other areas. There are major gasoline depots here since it is central to the east - at the crossing of major N-S and E-W routes (I-75 and I40.)
    From TN it's a reasonable drive to the east coast beaches (Cape Hatteras, Myrtle beach etc) to Florida and the gulf coast, and to points north in Ohio and PA.
    There is a lot of tech and good job opportunities. I worked at the Oak Ridge National Lab for 30 years.
    Plenty of culture: museums, playhouses, orchestras, and more.
    The Smoky Mountains are almost a stone's throw away, wildlife, hiking, beautiful forested mountains. Mountain biking is big. Hunting is popular.
    Lakes, rivers, boating, water skiing, fishing, scuba. Whitewater is big, there are many rivers, some dam fed. I used to go whitewater kayaking almost every week.
    For a woodturner hardwoods are free - walnut, cherry, maple, persimmon, sassafras, black locust, osage orange, more and more. Woodturners are everywhere.
    For the woodworker, there are sawmills everywhere. I have a Woodmizer behind my barn.
    Smack in the middle of the Bible Belt - those who attend church have plenty of options, usually close.
    It is humid in the summer but only rarely snows in winter and when it does it's usually gone the next day. 3-4 inches of snow is rare. What's a snowblower?
    My gardening brother in Ohio said we probably have two more months of growing season than his area.
    Want cities? From Knoxville: Atlanta is 3.4 hrs drive, Nashville 2hrs, Chattanooga 2 hrs, Asheville NC less than 2 hrs, Cincinatti 4.5 hrs, Washington DC 7+ hrs
    People are friendly. I've lived in other areas where people rarely spoke outside their bubble, some even seemed rude - almost like Paris!

    Currently people are moving to TN from all over the country - from the arid and burned west, the frozen north, the hot deep south. The woodworking and woodturning clubs have been getting a lot of new members.

    farm_house_P6162388e.jpg olivia_IMG_5620.jpg garden.jpg llamas_IMG_20140913_154543_.jpg

    JKJ

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Jul 2021
    Location
    Northern California
    Posts
    9
    I'm all the way across the country in California. Great weather, but too expensive, don't move here we already have too many people.

    I spent my first 30 years (I'm in my early 50s so a bit more than 1/2 my life) in the San Francisco Bay Area. I still like the area but it is way too crowded now so it is just a place to visit occasionally and that is fine with me. I've moved around quite a bit since leaving the Bay Area, mostly in somewhat rural to fairly remote areas. The past 9 years we've lived in a small city (16,000) in a rural county. I like this mix, still have easy access to emergency services, and a variety of stores including things like Home Depot and Costco, but don't have the traffic or a lot of the other sillyness you find in the big city. We are still close enough to make a day or overnight trip to a major city reasonable for the things a big city can offer as well as having major airports available within a few hours if we want to travel. My job has allowed me to travel the US extensively, usually by ground so I was able to see a lot of the areas where I went. Between work and personal travel I've been to 20 of the states from Hawaii to Florida (most of the west, Southwest and Southern states).

    I mention this because maybe just getting a bit further out from NYC is enough for you, but just getting a couple hours away still leaves the things you might enjoy about your current location remain available on occasion rather than daily. Maybe you want completely different scenery and need an extreme change.

    We have lived where it was 1-1/2 hours to a major grocery store, hardware store or gas station and over 2 hours to see the doctor or to go to a store to buy a major appliance. That takes some adjustment in life style, so we can now really appreciate having stores, and restaurants within 10 minutes again. If you are in your 50s definitely consider access to doctors and hospitals, as unfortunately as you age these become more important.

    Weather and flavor of the popular local natural disasters is also well worth considering. We get wildfires and earthquakes here, I spent a career dealing with fires so I'm comfortable with that problem, and I've been around earthquakes most of my life so living with that threat is just ingrained into me. I would not be real happy having to live with the threat of tornadoes, hurricanes, ice storms or regular winter weather below 20-30 degrees. I've lived with temperatures that sit around 100 degrees in the summer, not my favorite but it is something I can live with. I've experienced daily temps in the 120 degrees range (Phoenix in the summer) and did not like it. High humidity is right out, I've visited much of the south and while I enjoyed much that was offered and would return, I could not live with that kind of humidity on a long term basis. Same goes for the critters, bears and mountain lions I can accommodate, knowing every body of water is likely a home for alligators and poisonous snakes, nope I like swimming and that would ruin my enjoyment.

    I would suggest making a list of must haves, and nopes to help you start weeding out options. Once you have a good list of possibilities, then as some have suggested start taking some trips.
    Last edited by Aaron Woods; 11-22-2021 at 2:35 AM.

  5. #20
    Wherever you go, stay away from Tennessee. It is awful. Pay no attention to that ChrisA Edwards person or JohnKJordan. They are delusional or under the influence of honeysuckle blossoms.

    Truthfully, my wife and I grew up in East Tennessee and we moved back mid career to be closer to family. That part worked out well. Like John, I worked at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Now retired, we live mainly on a lake. It is what I always dreamed of.

    We have high school friends who reached the same decision point in life and chose to try out a few different places. They rented places in Hood River, Oregon; Tucson, AZ; Atlanta, GA; and a few others for a few months at a time. They enjoyed the gypsy lifestyle for a while but settled in Colorado Springs. I think they enjoyed the search and final destination.

    We also have a condo in Atlanta for things the city offers. As it turns out, two daughters are in Atlanta now too with two grandchildren. We are able to be involved with them regularly. Two places is also an option.
    Last edited by Thomas Wilson; 11-22-2021 at 6:47 AM.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Millstone, NJ
    Posts
    1,590
    I thought the next move is NJ, then maybe PA/NC/SC/FL. You have to slowly transition to rural life out of the city

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Feb 2019
    Location
    Grafton NY
    Posts
    275
    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Kilroy View Post
    Thanks I've been thinking about along the Hudson but it also seems like it might be fun to throw myself into someplace completely new.
    Nice area! You can go a little farther north and get a lot more for your dollar. The best part about Hudson is easy access to Ghent Wood Products. https://ghentwoodproducts.com/
    Some Blue Tools
    Some Yellow Tools
    A Grizzly Collection
    ShapeokoXL
    Blue and White 50 Watt

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Somewhere in the Land of Lincoln
    Posts
    2,547
    To add to my original post. When people mention New York images of New York City come to mind and it's no different here in Illinois. People think of Chicago when you say Illinois. That said I've saw lots of New York state and it has a lot of beautiful areas. I'm sure a move of a couple hours away would get you into some great areas within your own state. With that you would still have access to most things easily and the benefit of a slower easier lifestyle. If that's something you seek. I'm sure the cost of living would drop as well. Real estate options would be much more open ended as well. Beyond that it still all falls upon what your needs are to make a move happen.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    South Dakota
    Posts
    1,627
    Stay away from South Dakota. Nothing to see here. (I will never leave!).
    The Plane Anarchist

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    South Dakota
    Posts
    15
    I agree with Leigh. Stay away from South Dakota. Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Mountain, the Black Hills, the Badlands and the Missouri River Lakes are all photo-shopped. I will never leave either

  11. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by Leigh Betsch View Post
    Stay away from South Dakota. Nothing to see here. (I will never leave!).
    ROFL.

    I spent 2 weeks in Montana several summers ago (near Canyon Ferry Lake). My BIL mentioned to our host, "This is so beautiful; I could live here!" Our host replied, "We get a lot of Texans say that. They move back to Texas in the spring."

    ...maybe change your avatar to a snow shovel???

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    West Tennessee
    Posts
    99
    I worked in design & construction of manufacturing plants and spent my career relocating every 5 years or so. Having lived in TN, WI, CA, OH, & PA I saw the +/-'s of various locales, their tax bases, politics, and climates. I retired back to West TN away from larger cities I'm about midway between Memphis & Nashville, making an occasional heap of sawdust.

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Feb 2018
    Location
    N CA
    Posts
    1,279
    My first thought on this is “stage of life.” Are you set income wise or going to keep beating the drum? Have you had it with winter? Do you want to stay within range of the coast or is inland ok? Having spent the last 10 yrs in CA, it’s climate is vastly different from when we were here in the early 80’s. That statement covers much of the west. OR & WA are great, but refer to previous sentence. I always thought we would end up back in WA, but it never came about. I grew up upstate and do not miss NYS at all. My view on NY other than the NYC-Albany corridor is that it never recovered from the industrial exodus. Ithaca is ok due to having Cornell and the Finger Lakes are terrific. I do miss the New England area and would go back in a heartbeat but he kids and grands are driving the train now. If I could drop a pin there, Mattapoisett, MA is a great spot. Just off cape with access to about everything. The comments about fresh water leads me to the Great Lakes region. Michigan is great. Traverse City is a fine community. University towns are a good bet for cultural diversity and opportunities. I kinda timed out of winters in MA. If I was back there now I’d be traveling somewhere more temperate Jan-March.

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by Thomas Wilson View Post
    Wherever you go, stay away from Tennessee. It is awful. Pay no attention to that ChrisA Edwards person or JohnKJordan. They are delusional or under the influence of honeysuckle blossoms.
    ...
    You are right Thomas. Everyone, stay away from TN. It's a big sacrifice to have to live here.


    Quote Originally Posted by Thomas Wilson View Post
    ...we live mainly on a lake. It is what I always dreamed of....
    But Thomas, if you really do like that silly "living on the water" thing and want to branch out I have land on the Clinch a few miles from Norris Lake I might trade for a few nice dogwood turning blanks and a Thompson skew chisel.

    However, it would be a horrible place to live. Taxes are pocket change, there's no traffic congestion or smog, no crime to keep things interesting, pesky neighbors and even strangers try to help if you have a flat tire or need something, in the fall they keep trying to give everyone fresh veggies and fruit. The river water is cool, almost like having outdoor air conditioning in the summer. The isolation is terrible - you'd have to drive 8 long minutes to get to the nearest I-75 exit, walmart, restaurants, etc, and it's 2 whole minutes to a boat ramp and little park on the river. And don't forget the worst thing, the awful E.TN scenery - I took some drone shots to show you how bad it is:

    D_DJI_0287_es.jpg J_DJI_0263_es.jpg

    And the soil here is terrible, it's way too fertile and no there are no fun rocks to dig up! Drop a seed on the ground and the next thing you know you have a pumpkin patch or green beans you have to pick.

    OTOH, I think I'll keep it and build a house in case I get tired of the farm some day. It's an area hot spot for fly fishing.
    Or maybe move to New York City?

    PS, just to be clear the property I described is not for sale now, just an example of the kind of places available. There are similar places all over TN and surrounding states, lots of undeveloped properties/acreage but many with nice houses ready to move in! A few years ago we sold a house with 9 acres in the same valley and it sold for what we asked and went quickly. My wife tells me she sees many inquiries for properties and houses on a local Facebook group, mostly from people from northern and western states looking for a place to move to. I had no idea people used Facebook to find real estate!

    JKJ
    Last edited by John K Jordan; 11-22-2021 at 3:02 PM. Reason: clarify

  15. #30
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Longview WA
    Posts
    27,347
    Blog Entries
    1
    Scott, be sure to research a state's tax systems if you move out of state.

    Candy & I didn't but we got lucky. We could have moved to Oregon with no sales tax but they do have high property taxes and an income tax. We chose Washington. There is a sales tax and a reasonable property taxe but no income tax. Funny that not too long ago our richest resident, Bill Gates, supported an initiative for an income tax in Washington state.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •