South Atlantic states

[astromeria]

I've only been down Beaufort way once--we went to Hunting Island State Park (nice), then stopped in Beaufort to walk around and get some grub. It's a very samll town compared to Charleston, seemed quite attractive, way more Confederate flags though.

I don't know anything about Habersham, except that it's heavily advertised Seems similar to the Daniel Island and Ion developmetns here, or some of those Florida master-planned towns like Seaside...all new and clean and a bit theme-parky...small towns remade as upper middle class. I am both intrigued and turned off by that sort of thing--sci-fi utopia crossed with dreams of middle America crossed with, well, Stepford. I would definitely spend a lot of time in a place like that before buying. I know a couple who fled Daniel Island for Charleston.

"The Big Chill" was filmed in and around Beaufort, so you could rent that and observe while you plan your trip. Do check out Charleston and environs, too! details in a PM...

[Rich_in_Tampa]

Originally Posted by astromeria

I don't know anything about Habersham, except that it's heavily advertised Seems similar to the Daniel Island and Ion developmetns here, or some of those Florida master-planned towns like Seaside...all new and clean and a bit theme-parky...small towns remade as upper middle class. I am both intrigued and turned off by that sort of thing--sci-fi utopia crossed with dreams of middle America crossed with, well, Stepford.

I hear ya. The Disney "Celebration" thing is distasteful to me -- artificial snow on the town square at Xmas time!!

Then again, at their best, these developments attempt a return to the past where the design and architecture encourage walking, interaction, etc. When I look at the various golf communities and such with giant "clubhouses" these others don't seem so bad.

It's probably not for us, but interesting nonetheless.

[astroboy]

Originally Posted by califdreamer

Astro,

Are you guys leaving now and finding work in NC or GA until ER or maybe I misunderstood?

What aspects of Chapel Hill and Athens appealed most to you?* I know both are college towns and have "culture" w/o big city hassles.* Was there something about the particular geography, weather, housing (something other than college town advantages)?

BTW, I'm is SD.

Haven't ER'd yet and still in LA area.* The college town atmosphere is what drew us to these places the most.* Then beyond that, the weather (I know humid as h-ll, but DW loves it, so if she's happy, .......), progressive nature of towns, low cost of living and new housing (relative to CA anyway), and desire to be close to East Coast topped things off.* I agree that Chapel Hill is expensive, but as someone else noted, we're looking at Chatham Co. to the south (property taxes alot less).* Same goes for Oconee Co. south of Athens.* Don't mind living 10-20 miles out.

[califdreamer]

Thanks for great info on Carolinas.* As Sarah asked, "are you urban, suburban, etc?" and I'd have to say I'd be looking for urban/suburban, college town or nice beach town.* I'm (relatively ) young and single so I'm not ready for rural.*

In looking at northern FL, I'm somewhat intrigued by Gainesville.* I've only been through on the interstate and that was a long time ago.* I've heard good things although it looks like access to the beach is not that convenient.* Have heard there are good springwater swimming holes in the area... that true?

Less intrigued by Jax, though I've never been.* Maybe someone can educate me.

Thanks again everyone for informative and interestsing posts.

[southern transplant]

Charlotte is more of a city. I live in Raleigh and consider it more of a large town. Raleigh is the smallest area I have lived in although it is growing.
One of the fun parts about the Raleigh area that I don't think anyone has hit on is that our weather is anything but average. In the last 10 years, all of our seasons have been so different! Some winters are cold - staying around 32 degrees for days (cold is a matter of prespective!) and other winters the temperature is in the mid 40's. Summer of 2005 was beautiful staying in the low to mid 80's until mid July.

Since Raleigh keeps hitting Forbes list of best places to live and raise a family, we have such a diversified group of people living here. It is a great place to live.

By the way, since Hwy 64 east has opened up, getting to the Outer Banks from Raleigh is just under 4 hours. Getting to Wrightsville Beach is about 1.5 hours. Mountains - 4hours.

Good luck!

[P.S.]

Grew up in Northern VA just over the border from DC. That area is so hectic and rat race central that retirement might be uncomfortable there. Maybe farther out in the suburbs.

Currently live in VA on the Eastern coast which is a bit too red-neck for my preferences, but both DH and I have good jobs here, saving alot, so no complaining. It is though, a culinary wasteland.

Have relatives who retired to Charlottesville a few years ago, and they love it. And we love visiting. College town of the type that UVA alums wear neck ties to football games. clean, safe, very homogenous. Cost of living I think is moderate, much cheaper than LA/SF/SD real estate wise but food is much more expensive and not as good selection, although it does have several well-known restaurants.
Very green, lots of trees, landscaping, farmer's market in the downtown. Good private and public schools which probably doesn't directly affect the retiree but I think help determine the type of younger people/families drawn to an area.
There is a WholeFoods in Charlottesville, which is my personal barometer of a good place to live, since the marketing people at Wholefoods have basically done the research for you.
Close by is horse country, Virginia wine country, lots of antiquing. Blue ridge mountains with hiking skiing. Wintergreen resort close by.

Parents own and rent investment house in Charlotte NC, so have been with DH to check on property, etc (as paretns were in CA). We stay in the downtown Marriott, which is nice, but the downtown is very quiet on the weekends. All the activity is just outside the downtown.
Very family friendly city; it was a breeze travelling with a 4 mo old.
Because of the concentration of banking, the culture of Charlotte is a bit more sophisticated than other Southern towns of comparable size IMHO. Lots of good places to eat. Pockets of avant garde stuff, art, revitalization etc.

[califdreamer]

Just returned from a trip to DC and Northern VA. It had been a while since I'd been to DC so it was a lot of fun to do some of that again.

Originally Posted by P.S.

Grew up in Northern VA just over the border from DC. That area is so hectic and rat race central that retirement might be uncomfortable there. Maybe farther out in the suburbs.

I was astounded at how horrible the traffic was getting out of DC at around 3 pm on Friday. I know it was the Friday afternoon of Columbus Day weekend but, man, it was just awful. It made me long for "the 405". :P

[ijuba]

Charlottesville, Va.

We moved here a little over 3 years ago from San Diego County, CA. We were doing some pre-retirement planning along with raising a child - now 8. We researched the "best places" and tried to really evaluate those that met with our Quality of "life" needs.....

-University town - culture, educational opportunities, educated populace
-4 distinct seasons
-Manageable population (Albemarle County is 90,000 - making up part of Albemarle Co. is C'ville is @ 40K)
-Great schools
-Moderate tax structure
-Lower cost of living than where we were coming from.
-A manageable growth plan

All of these characteristics were needed, along with an eye towards early retirement.

The real estate costs are roughly 50% of SoCal.

There is a liberal side given the University of course and it blends very well with the more traditional southern rural aspect that is present here too.

The history is abundant too if one likes that....Monticello (home of Thos. Jefferson), Civil War, Revolutionary War, Colonial life, etc.

The move was a smart one for us as all we were looking for was present here.

I guess as further validation, we are always meeting ex-Californians who made the "quality of life adjustment" and chose Charlottesville too.

As far as location, we see the Blue Ridge Mtns. from our house and use them to play in often. The beach is 2.5 - 3 hours away. The town has an airport serviced by 5 or so airlines and you can jaunt to Richmond (1-1.5 hrs) or Dulles (2-2.5 hrs) if direct flights suit you better.

There is an air of preservation here as Mr. Jefferson (as he's referred to here) and his University (#1 or #2 Public Univ.) are an ever-present part of life. As well, you get the progressive thinking university/research influence.

The Arts are present via the University, the Downtown Mall (which is bricked over - artsy/shoppy version of the old downtown section of town). The Paramount Theater, which is a first-rate renovated theater, has a full line-up of stars throughout the year.

UVA is a Div. 1-A school which has a whole compliment of spectator sports-if that is something that you enjoy, as well.

Charlottesville is a great place to retire and/or raise a family. We certainly haven't regreted the decision to settle here.

[Rich_in_Tampa]

Can't help but jump in as a long-ago UVa alumnus. I played trumpet in the house jazz band at the Boar's Head Inn in the late 1960s, and was in the last class to graduate before UVa went coed.

My alumni magazine leads me to believe that retirement living in Charlottesville would be very pleasant, if seriously priced. I shudder at the traffic near "the corner" as we used to call it. Route 29 used to be a pleasant 2-lane rural highway but it still seems like a great area.

After 3 years in Tucson, and another 3+ here in Tampa, I might opt for something a bit warmer, but that's just our preference. We spent decades in and around Madison, WI (another top toer university town) so the warm weather has become a necessity.

So, what types of housing and communities are available in Charlottesville these days?

[ijuba]

Rich,
Charlottesville real estate is roughly 75-80% of Northern Va pricing....not cheap. The cost of living is manageable though.

The median home price is about $225,000. Because of the university, the market typically stays fairly strong.

Options run the gammut from condos to estates with older and newer neighborhoods in between. In the county, it seems as though pricing is driven by school location with the higher scoring schools commanding top tier pricing.

The Boar's Head is still in operation (thriving) but Rt. 29 has 4 lanes in each direction within 2 miles of the city. The Corner at UVA is still active especially given the 25K+ student body. The Corner is one of the more revered locations to browse and hang out and keep up with the trends of college students.

[Rich_in_Tampa]

Originally Posted by ijuba

Charlottesville real estate is roughly 75-80% of Northern Va pricing....not cheap. The cost of living is manageable though.

The median home price is about $225,000. Because of the university, the market typically stays fairly strong.

Options run the gammut from condos to estates with older and newer neighborhoods in between. In the county, it seems as though pricing is driven by school location with the higher scoring schools commanding top tier pricing.

The Boar's Head is still in operation (thriving) but Rt. 29 has 4 lanes in each direction within 2 miles of the city. The Corner at UVA is still active especially given the 25K+ student body. The Corner is one of the more revered locations to browse and hang out and keep up with the trends of college students.

Sounds like things are not as bad as I might have imagined, especially given the proximity to DC.

Favorite dish at the corner: "fried with" - basically a fried donut of the Krispy Kream type (though long before Krispy Kream became a cult), the "with" or "without" referred to a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

HoJo hotel was the place to entertain your date for the weekend. Shifflet was the most popular last name amongst the "townies."

Maybe I'll make a trip back to scope it out. Thanks for the update.

[cmy1176]

I relocated from Seattle to Atlanta 4 years ago.

Things I miss:
Puget Sound, Lake Washington and the Mountains
Numerous unique local restaurants

Things I don't miss:
Long overcast winters
High cost of Living

Atlanta is a very liveable city. Relatively low cost of living, easy travel access through the worlds bussiest airport, beautiful spring and fall. Winter isn't bad but I still don't like July and August due to the heat and humididty. But overall I really enjoy the weather and having seasons. Atlanta is a very diverse city since most people are transplants. (less so in the outlying areas where you have the redneck factor) Atlanta has great cultural activities too.

[polloloco]

The Rednecks from Scotland were the first to settle in the South and did so before the advent of air conditioning and the Yankee hords following soon after. Many of us regret the fact that we cannot persuade the Yankees to go home again.

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by polloloco

Many of us regret the fact that we cannot persuade the Yankees to go home again.

Never!

[RE2Boys]

Check on Huntsville, AL You would be suprised. See thread under Fire & Money.

RE2Boys

[lifeisgood]

Hey, Rich. It's Krispy Kreme, not Krispy Kream.

The Williamsburg, VA area has attracted a lot of retirees. Gets some glow from College of William and Mary, and Colonial Williamsburg.

[califdreamer]

I got a good report on Gainesville, FL from a friend recently. My understanding of possible pros and cons:

Pros: college town, mild winters, access to Atlantic and Gulf beaches, attractive looking

Cons: humidity and high rainfall, relatively high crime rate, some isolation (nearest major airport?)

Looks like you can do very well in the 250 to 350k price range for housing.

Anyone have any first-hand observations about the place?

PS From reading "Ocala" thread I assume there are plenty of thunderstorms in the area.

[newguy88]

Originally Posted by califdreamer

I got a good report on Gainesville, FL from a friend recently. My understanding of possible pros and cons:

Pros: college town, mild winters, access to Atlantic and Gulf beaches, attractive looking

Cons: humidity and high rainfall, relatively high crime rate, some isolation (nearest major airport?)

Looks like you can do very well in the 250 to 350k price range for housing.

Anyone have any first-hand observations about the place?

The humidity for 6 months of the year is well nasty, sure everything is AC BUT if you like to workout run exercise outdoors the summer gets awfully long.

Hurricaines thunderstorms, mold etc. I dunno, I have moved to the carolinas and when sept showed up I had had enough of the heat and humidity, which did break, FLA is still muggy and hot.

PS From reading "Ocala" thread I assume there are plenty of thunderstorms in the area.

[REWahoo]

Hey Newguy. You need to make your comments underneath, not within quotations. When you do what you did above and what you did here, we don't know who is saying what.

Thanks.