Researching a Move to Another State--What Resources are Avaliable?

[Big_Hitter]

where is the link that gives the various grades?

 

[Midpack]

where is the link that gives the various grades?

https://www.areavibes.com

Here’s an example using the place we currently hope to relocate to [It doesn’t take much to get an F in Cost of Living due to real estate].

 

[Big_Hitter]

thanks!

 

[Qs Laptop]

where is the link that gives the various grades?

Enter a city and state and when the page pops up click on DETAILS under the city you selected.

 

[RunningBum]

https://www.areavibes.com

Here’s an example using the place we currently hope to relocate to [It doesn’t take much to get an F in Cost of Living due to real estate].

It's funny how your place (and I figured out the specific place on my 3rd try, knowing where you've been looking) gets a C in Housing, which is almost all about price, but an F in cost of living where housing is the only outlier.

A+ in crime...there used to be a saying there that the biggest crime was someone serving the wrong wine with cheese. I did get my wallet stolen from my car though. Left it in the car in my driveway and didn't lock it when I got home late from a trip. My fault, but still, I don't know if I just had terrible luck with timing, or if someone was often checking cars at night in my neighborhood. Ah well, one crime in 14 years there. It only took a few months in Austin to get my car window broken and cheap stereo stolen.

 

[Qs Laptop]

A+ in crime...there used to be a saying there that the biggest crime was someone serving the wrong wine with cheese. I did get my wallet stolen from my car though. Left it in the car in my driveway and didn't lock it when I got home late from a trip. My fault, but still, I don't know if I just had terrible luck with timing, or if someone was often checking cars at night in my neighborhood. Ah well, one crime in 14 years there. It only took a few months in Austin to get my car window broken and cheap stereo stolen.

I lived in South Minneapolis for three years after I got married. Every single neighbor on my block was some sort of a crime victim in those three years, mostly home or garage burglaries, except for us. We moved to the 'burbs before they got to us. Been here for 21 years now. Only crime I know of is a neighbor who left his garage open overnight and had a bicycle stolen.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Some people want warm weather all the time and some want 4 seasons. We went on a big driving trip this summer and Wisconsin had such a wet spring that in July you couldn’t sit outside without getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. We rented a Airbnb apartment above a farmhouse so we could swim and kayak in their private lake, walk the trails, etc. We couldn’t use anything even during the day with the mosquitoes. I lived there for many years and glad I don’t now.

 

[gretah]

Some people want warm weather all the time and some want 4 seasons. We went on a big driving trip this summer and Wisconsin had such a wet spring that in July you couldn’t sit outside without getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Does anyone know of a site with a bug map? I'm serious. I hate bugs.

 

[Teacher Terry]

No but northern Nevada doesn’t have many. We don’t have to use flea and tick medication for our dogs either unless we leave the state. We sit outside at night without being bothered. We rarely see a mosquito and have some flies, bees.

 

[COcheesehead]

Colorado with a few exceptions doesn't have bugs either, at least not the biting kind. We do have snakes. Lots of them.

 

[Big_Hitter]

No but northern Nevada doesn’t have many. We don’t have to use flea and tick medication for our dogs either unless we leave the state. We sit outside at night without being bothered. We rarely see a mosquito and have some flies, bees.

same just north of you - we have some yellow jackets that's about it

 

[MRG]

Colorado with a few exceptions doesn't have bugs either, at least not the biting kind. We do have snakes. Lots of them.

And bears that can break into anything, big cats to eat you, moose that stomp you to death, suicidal deer and elk that run out in front of your vehicle at just the right time, but not many bugs. [emoji23]

 

[COcheesehead]

And bears that can break into anything, big cats to eat you, moose that stomp you to death, suicidal deer and elk that run out in front of your vehicle at just the right time, but not many bugs. [emoji23]

I discovered when I moved to Colorado 25+ years ago that there are more ways to die here than in most other states. Rocks will fall on your car on the interstate. Mountain lions will snatch you off the trail without a trace. Hail kills here. Cars fall off mountains. Now let's talk about the uranium deposits in the soil.

 

[MRG]

I discovered when I moved to Colorado 25+ years ago that there are more ways to die here than in most other states. Rocks will fall on your car on the interstate. Mountain lions will snatch you off the trail without a trace. Hail kills here. Cars fall off mountains. Now let's talk about the uranium deposits in the soil.

+1

Lot of folks die or go missing. There was a guy last year, they found his car at Wolf Creek overlook, never found him. No bits and pieces either. Dunno, but I'd like my remains to be found, some day at least. I don't care if something eats me but I'd like someone to know what happened to me.

Since seeing a lion in the neighbor's yard I carry a 10mm while out in the trails. Pain to carry until you need it.

 

[misshathaway]

"I'm doing the same research you are now, except that I've narrowed it down to Arizona, mainly because there was a huge thread here where people who had lived in various cities in az contributed."
"Can you post a link to the thread?"

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f29/living-in-arizona-15304.html

It's from 2004. I was interested in people's observations about their way of life and climate comparisons for different areas.

 

[misshathaway]

Oh also, city-data.com

Arizona Forum - Relocation, Moving, General and Local City Discussions - City-Data Forum

General AZ and city specific threads. Some parts of the thread "Arizona is a terrible place, do not think about living here" cracked me up.

 

[Another Reader]

Phoenix and environs are far different today than in 2004. Same with Tucson. The increase in the state population has changed everything. The Valley is really the most easterly suburb of LA now.

 

[misterantsypants]

I've got a friend that lives in Wake Forest, NC, and he's urging me to look at his area. He loves it. He grew up in Minnesota and left because of the weather. Moved to NC in 2013. My wife is hesitant because of humidity and hurricanes.

You will love Wake Forest, if for no other reason than Shorty"s Hotdogs which was known as the bootleg whiskey center of the US. It sold hotdogs in the front and shine in the rear. My two best friends live there, and love it. Two SF transplant, so I visited a few weeks ago and Mill Dam Rd is like being in paradise, lakes with roaring dams, heavily wooded with hardwoods and traffic was 1 car per hour. Beautiful, huge homes for much less than a 2 bed bungalow in LA.

Lots of big hospitals, premier dental care, Dr Suh.
Great schools, and art school let out the line of cars in amazing, there are teachers with cell phones who call the parent when their child is at the pickup point. Pretty cool.
Close to 4 very large universities, the huge Research Triangle complex, high tech campuses. We visited NC State library, the book delivery was same design as Amazon, a robotic system literally places your book on the desk for you, in 1 min.
And close to the state capital, 20 min drive with an Amphitheater' lots of concerts, street events every Sat/Sun 30-40 food trucks with any thing you can think of including Baozi dumplings, Moroccan tangines, Sitti Lebanon, soul food.
A very nice warehouse district with micros, bistros, clubs.

Was there for only 6 days but went to likely 10-12 outings and all fun. Did I mention The Pit BBQ, pitmaster has a huge reputation.

If you go east coast Wake Forest is a gem. First time there and left impressed.

 

[Cessna152]

Does anyone know of a site with a bug map? I'm serious. I hate bugs.

Here's a site with a set of alleged Mosquito Distribution Maps of various species of said pest:


https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/2565


According to Wikipedia, the most widespread (according to those maps,) is Aedes vexans, its "abundance depends upon availability of floodwater pools." So locations with variable wetlands are going to be great hosts.



Next they list Culex pipiens wherein "Both males and females feed on various sugar sources, such as nectar, honeydew and juices from fruits. Only females feed on blood, and will do so preferentially, over sugar, when they have mated. Blood provides proteins essential to the development of their eggs. Their primary blood meal hosts are considered to be birds, but they will feed on humans and other mammals."


Wikipedia has naught to say on Culex restuans or Culex salinarius. Though other sites of academic import seem to have stuff to say about them I'm too lazy to find which is most relevant to retirees looking to find their Shangri La.

 

[Scuba]

So Ca doesn’t have many bugs. The three reasons we prefer it over FL are hurricanes, humidity and bugs.

 

[FreeBear]

Following thread with great interest, like a communal hunt for the proverbial Unicorn, that place that is has the culture of an urban center, but not too crowded or too expensive, lots of sunshine to enjoy outside but not too hot or too cold....

If I had more $$, I'd be very tempted to move to the SW or CA (call me crazy). Can't deal with super hot or long summers so would need some elevation. The discussions of NC and TN (other threads) sound facinating, but I don't think I could hack the humidity or hurricanes.

Coming back to reality, I really don't see moving any time soon. We love where we live 6-7 months of the year from a regional weather perspective. We live in our dream home with wonderful neighbors and nearby friends. Unfortunately, like the OP we live in the "frozen north", but not as bad as in MN. To make up for it, we live in one of the most corrupt and financially challenged states in the nation. Still it would take a financial miracle, say 10 more years of a bull market, or a complete statewide financial meltdown for the numbers to make sense.

 

[braumeister]

According to Wikipedia, the most widespread (according to those maps,) is Aedes vexans, its "abundance depends upon availability of floodwater pools." So locations with variable wetlands are going to be great hosts.

I can't dispute that, but anecdotally the two worst mosquito problem areas I've ever encountered were Denali NP in June and the Montreal area in July. Neither were near wetlands (very dry) but the swarms of mosquitos were unbelievable.

I've heard it said that the mosquito is Alaska's state bird, and I wouldn't doubt it.

 

[Cessna152]

I can't dispute that, but anecdotally the two worst mosquito problem areas I've ever encountered were Denali NP in June and the Montreal area in July. Neither were near wetlands (very dry) but the swarms of mosquitos were unbelievable.

I've heard it said that the mosquito is Alaska's state bird, and I wouldn't doubt it.

A little while after the still ponds around Denali thaw is when the mosquitoes hatch or emerge. Allegedly anytime before June 20 or after end of July is when one would be relatively safe from mosquitoes in Alaska. About a decade ago we drove through Denali late August and I don't recall any problems with bugs. Found this tidbit about Denali area mosquitoes:
"All hail to the mighty beavers at Horseshoe Lake. It’s because of them that there are no clouds of mosquitoes pestering park visitors at that popular body of water.Visiting entomologist and mosquito researcher Andrew Guinness came to this conclusion last week after wondering why there were so few mosquitoes at the lake. The beavers, he concluded, disturb the water just often enough to drown the mosquito larvae. Each larvae has a respiratory siphon that allows it to breath as it develops. When that little siphon is continually covered by a wave or a splash, the larvae drowns." From:

Everything you didn't know about Alaska's mosquitoes | Community Features | newsminer.com

 

[gooddog]

Like to put my two cents on this, as I did a very exhaustive search on places to buy a retirement home last year. Did the same as you, climate, taxes...then realized that was a very small part of it. What I ended up doing was making a list of everything that was important to me in an area, and asked my wife to do the same. Then we weighted the importance of each item, and started scoring places. As I said, like you climate and taxes were important. With climate, there is no perfect place, but there are two that are close: Reno, NV and Sequim, WA. Most people haven't heard of Sequim, and think that all of Washington gets buckets of rain. Sequim lays in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountain Range, so it only gets about 13 inches of rain a year, and about 1 inch of snow. Back to Reno - Reno has a very good year around climate, with a little snow in the winter and has tons of things to do. Reno actually lives up to it's name 'Biggest little city in the world'. Make that list out, see what areas have everything you want to do, then go from there. We decided to have a place on the Pacific Ocean, and a place on the Atlantic - bounce back and forth with the weather. Perfect weather all the time, and different things to do on each side of the country. Not a bad way to go if you can pull that off. Have an excel sheet with dozens of criteria in it, and can send it to you if interested.

 

[meleana]

We plan on leaving Hudson Valley, NY when my husband retires and moving to the "Live Free or Die" state because we love seasons and mountains and lakes and the ocean and more importantly, our son lives there. Property taxes are high there, as is the COL. Winters are long, but I have snowshoes and there is nothing like a nice wood fire and a hot toddy when the snow is falling down. Summers are pretty nice in the mountains. The weather is a bit cooler than here, but similar. In general, the people there are pretty cool and we actually like the Massachusetts tourists that have second homes and vacation there. Love New England!