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Thread: Looking to move out of New York City

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    Queens, New York
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    Looking to move out of New York City

    Hi,

    I've lived my entire life in New York City, mostly in the outer boroughs not Manhattan, so it semi-suburban. My wife and I are in our 50s and we don't take advantage of what the city has to offer anymore our kids are grown and we're just getting fed up with New York. We want to move somewhere else but haven't a clue where to start.

    I realize this is very subjective but would some of you mind telling me why you like where you live. Bonus points if you came from a large city could talk about how you adjusted.

    Thanks in advance.
    Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known
    - Carl Sagan

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
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    South Coastal Massachusetts
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    I would recommend moving to an area that gets reliable precipitation, or has access to fresh water year round. Beyond that, your favorite cuisine should be readily available.

    Lastly, get into a smaller house so that if your kids come back - they won't stay long.

    Not for nothing, but Hudson covers many of those bases along with rail access into The City if you desire.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    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.
    Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known
    - Carl Sagan

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Kansas City
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    2,652
    Do some traveling and see some places you haven't been. Pick up local newspapers and magazines to get a feel for a city. We have a lot of transplanted New Yorkers here, and I think they were surprised to find that NYC doesn't have a monopoly on good food, culture, entertainment, sports, etc. And the lower cost-of living makes it easier to enjoy the golden years.
    < insert spurious quote here >

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    SE PA - Central Bucks County
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    65,675
    A lot of folks from the city have moved into this area of SE PA and western NJ over the years...still commutable via train for those who work and need to go in...and a whole bunch less expensive. Many of the folks who have considered the property we have for sale in Bucks County are from the NYC area. (message privately if you want details)
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
    Some of the answer depends on why you are fed up with New York, doesn't it? Taxes too high? Crime rate? Too crowded? Tired of the climate? Etc. Lots of options - give us more insight.

    Close to you is "Upstate". Colorado is lovely. Western PA has some nice communities. The Carolinas are pleasant. Parts of Texas are nice. The Midwest has some nice communities.
    "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

    “If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Lewiston, Idaho
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    28,504
    I agree with an earlier poster. Do some traveling. Check out various sections of the country. In my life, I have lived in Illinois, southern Indiana, various towns in Wyoming, southern Utah, SE Georgia, Meridian, MS, south Texas, Charleston, SC, central Oregon, NW Colorado, and finally Idaho. Each place has its own pace of life, cuisine, outdoor activities, weather, cultural events, medical institutions and sports events. Take time to experience these places carefully, check out the real estate market, tax situation, etc.

    Once when I was considered for a promotion to management for a corporation, my wife and I traveled to Phoenix where we spent a week staying with a great-aunt of my wife's while looking at real estate every day with an agent. On a Friday evening on the way back from Prescott, when I saw all the locals fleeing the city for their cabin in the mountains to escape the heat, I made up my mind. As we flew on a red eye back to Chicago that night so I could take three semester finals on the next day, we couldn't afford 2 homes in Phoenix and the surrounding mountains. I turned down the opportunity.
    Last edited by Ken Fitzgerald; 11-21-2021 at 11:04 AM.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Lebanon, TN
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    1,719
    We've lived in several places since moving from England to the USA back in 1982.

    Spent one year in downtown Chicago.

    The next seven years just outside New Haven, CT.

    Then eight years in Gaithersburg, MD, just outside Washington DC.

    Then a few years in Kinnelon NJ, just to the left of NYC.

    A stint in Orlando FL for two to three years.

    Followed by a move to a suburb of Nashville TN for four years.

    Out to Dallas, TX for 4 years.

    And finally retirement.

    For this, having lived in all the above places, we decided to moved back to the Nashville, TN area and have no regrets.

    We like Nashville as it has all the typical convenience of being near a biggish city, lots of open space, i.e. natural countryside if we drive a few miles away.

    Property taxes $3400 for a 5000sq/ft property on 1.2acres and no state income tax. Very reasonable cost of living.

    Four seasons of weather, minimal snow fall and for the most part, very friendly people.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Mar 2019
    Location
    Los Angeles, California
    Posts
    961
    +1 on Pennsylvania and especially near Pittsburgh. A little hilly, but mild winters, close to restaurants, shopping, museums and sports. Great weekend forays to areas outside Pittsburgh

    I recall one, can't remember the town, but it was in Amish country (Intercourse, PA perhaps?) where we stopped for coffee. Inside were two guys right next to me, one Amish, one Mennonite, and they were in a heated argument, not a discussion, with yelling and finger stabbing into the chest, over get this whether it was acceptable to kill (or was it shoot or trap) Possum on Sunday.

    I was laughing so loud, the manager escorted me away, lest I got involved.

    I did not know that Possum killing-trapping was a thing in PA, let alone whether it was controversial.

    Anyway, I digress.

    I live in the City in Los Angeles. Close to shopping, restaurants, bars, sports, museums. Great weekend forays with snow capped mountains, changing leaves in the fall, dessert, beaches and incredible forests. We have a remote cabin in the forest. Love it. While traffic needs adjustment, having those weekends is special to us.
    Regards,

    Tom

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Upland CA
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    5,547
    Suggestion: Decide where you will, then RENT for a year before buying anything. While there join groups, neighborhood functions, clubs, church... You won't know what an area is like unless you participate in it.
    Rick Potter

    DIY journeyman,
    FWW wannabe.
    AKA Village Idiot.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Scott Kilroy View Post
    ... why you like where you live. ...
    Quote Originally Posted by ChrisA Edwards View Post
    ... we decided to moved back to the Nashville, TN area ....
    I was in 11 schools in 10 years while growing up, so perhaps like Mr. Edwards, a bit of vagabond was engrained in me. But my mother is native Texan (my g.father from Tennessee) - so here I am. It IS a state of mind, and whether you want big city or open spaces, salt-of-the-earth ranchers or men in women's thong leotards roller-skating on main drag, the people are wonderful.

    Rumors to the contrary, we have true 4 season climate in Texas: early summer, summer, surface of the sun, and still warm. (Where else in the world can 4" of frozen precip be called snowmageddon?) Except in Amarillo. They have wind. It could be hot wind or freezing wind, but the velocity sort of obviates the temperature.

    Seems like other states are wearing a rut in the interstates to get to 1 of 2 places: Texas and Tennessee. Beyond that Mr. Kilroy will need to provide some insight on what intrigues him: art, wilderness, airport access, mountains, work, lakes, snow allergies, ....?

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Pickens, SC
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    I would say look at the Greenville, SC area.
    Greenville has a great downtown and a good beer and arts communities.
    Clemson College is 30 miles to the west.
    Great lake side living on the local lakes.
    The small towns offer good housing prices and low taxes.
    The beach is 5 hours way, 4 hours to Charleston, SC, 2 hours to Atlanta or Charlotte.
    The Blue Ridge is visible from here.

    I am sure others have their favorite, but this is mine
    Howard Garner, Pickens, SC

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Somewhere in the Land of Lincoln
    Posts
    2,545
    To some degree it's relative to what you want to have available to you. Rural living has it's positives and negatives. The negatives are you might have to travel to access some things. Look at the quality of available healthcare. I live in the land of Lincoln and while I've been to nearly every state this is the only area I have lived in. A traffic jam is 3 cars behind a tractor most of the time. We have broadband internet here and good healthcare locally and for specialists a 40 minute drive away. I'm in the city limits but I can walk a 100 feet and be in a field. If I want to fly somewhere then I have to drive 1-1/2-3 hours for access to an airport with access to anywhere in the world. I will rarely or possibly never fly now that I'm retired. Yes the taxes are higher than I like. If I were looking to move Missouri, Tennessee, and Kentucky would get a good look from me. There are many other places that have their own appealing attributes as well. Good luck.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    Modesto, CA, USA
    Posts
    9,876
    San Diego claims the best climate by government test. Also some of the highest prices.. Will you need a job or not.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
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    Longview WA
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    We want to move somewhere else but haven't a clue where to start.

    I realize this is very subjective but would some of you mind telling me why you like where you live. Bonus points if you came from a large city could talk about how you adjusted.
    Do you want to stay close to your current area?

    We moved from the San Francisco area to a fairly rural area in Washington. Much more rural than the outskirts of the Bay Area. We used to live within a mile or two of large grocery stores, hardware stores and a shopping mall. We could walk to the closest convenience store. Now the closest convenience store is about 10 miles.

    One thing we really appreciate is the quietness of our surroundings. The San Francisco area has a constant roar from the industry and traffic. Up here we can hear the creek flow a couple hundred feet from our house. A week or so ago it seemed terribly quiet in the afternoon. Usually cars on the road a few hundred yards across the creek can be heard driving by every few minutes. There were none. It bothered me so a check with > https://wsdot.com/travel/real-time/map/ < confirmed my suspicions. The road was closed by a fallen tree.

    Occasionally one or another of the neighbors will have a party but that isn't even once a month. There are a couple neighbors who target shoot on their property. Where we used to live it wasn't target shooting. Again, not even every weekend. It doesn't bother me as much as in the past.

    What comes with quiet sometimes is a feeling of isolation. Most of our family and old friends are many miles away. We do keep in touch online and over the phone, but sometimes personal contact is preferred.

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

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