CuppaJoe
Moderator Emeritus
The short anwer to the OP question is NO!! I live in the kind of Eden OP describes and it is the ONLY reason I am still w*rking.
Well, water is very important to me. (So I moved to a desert, go figure. ) So is being around nice people. Where I lived before there were a lot of nice, single, and well educated people and, dare I say, it was a rather liberal place. I love natural beauty and diversity (love Asian supermarkets and international stuff) and little quaint hole-in-the-wall type restaurants. I like shady trees and wind and a place not packed with mega freeways. A good transportation system is important, as I don't like driving everywhere. A land not dominated by chain restaurants is nice too. I've only lived in California, Oregon (for a brief period) and now in AZ. Oh, weather is important too - I prefer no snow, love thunderstorms, dislike humidity, dislike big bugs, and I like a combo of sunny and cloudy days (unlike here where the sun shines day after day and I keep my house dark just to compensate for it). I've only always lived in big cities in CA and where I currently reside (except for Minneapolis - born and raised, and Portland which I think are good size or something smaller might work too) and would like to try something on a smaller scale than where I've lived most of my life. Oh, and a good job market, just in case, is important too.
Do I ask for too much? I don't know the east coast and sometimes think the perfect place could be in that half of the country, but I don't know that part of the country, as I said - some nice community where I could buy a house free and clear (and hopefully pay less than I did for my current one). Anyone know of a place that meets the above criteria? It would be great if there were a few places out there like my description. Thanks for asking!
My experience has been that you do take your attitude whereever you live, so if you don't find nice people in one location it's unlikely you'll find very many nice ones in other locations, no matter how lovely the geography.
On the other hand, people do make the place. Bible belt Missouri is a very different place to live than, for example, Denver, Co. because the people have created different cultures and those places attract like minded people.
So I've probably just contradicted myself, which is nothing new.
Anyway, to address the OP's question.
Boulder, CO
Nice people: Yes but lots of 20-30 somethings.
Public transport: Excellent
Bugs: not many but mosquitos carry West Nile in summer/fall
Political bent: extra liberal
Weather: cold/hot but always beautiful
Near water: lakes and streams nearby
Decent job market: Denver is within commuting
Real estate prices: Expensive! But surrounding areas are affordable.
Boulder also will have light rail all the way to Denver and to the airport within the next decade.
My experience has been that you do take your attitude whereever you live.
OK, let me trot out my amateur marketing guy's hat and try to match your list of features with your desired benefits and see how those benefits can be satisfied in some way.
Anything natural and bigger than my pool. Just kiddin'! I am from the land of 10,000 lakes (MN) and spent 13 years on the CA coast, so anything in between works great! Just please no lame man made and filled in "lakes" like the ones here. I don't swim in anything with critters so it would just be for walking around, contemplating or maybe boating.How large a body of water do you need? Would a lake do? Do you own a boat or simply want a place to sit and contemplate. Do you need a place to swim or do you need the waves to surf?
Absolutely! I like the vibrant downtown part the best!Would you trade walkable/bike-friendly neighborhoods with a vibrant down town for a good public transportation system?
The former is fine!Would a good concert series featuring world-class classical musicians be enough, or do you require a world-class orchestra to be resident in your city?
I seldom eat out and my favorite restaurants are ethnic little holes-in-the-wall. I am not fond of chains.How often do you eat out, and what is your pattern for dining out? Do you like sampling different restaurants every week without repeating, or do you have a favorite 3 to 4 restaurants that you frequent?
Liberal enough to make me feel too conservative, as in San Francisco. Politically I am right up there with the best of 'em in the Bay Area. However, the weird liberal stuff I'll take a pass on.How liberal? I used to think that I'm very liberal until I experienced ultra liberal first hand. It was just as unpleasant as ultra conservative.
Agreed, there are exterminators. I just cannot do snakes or Florida size bugs.As for critters, there is no much you can do about that. I hate bugs, too, but you can get away from having to deal with a lot of bugs and critters by living in condos and townhouses.
That must have been one heck of a day! .....But I can tell you that one of the happiest days in my life is the day I woke up in New England and went to bed in Venice CA. So even when they are all good, some are better for a particular individual.
Ha
Well, water is very important to me. (So I moved to a desert, go figure. ) So is being around nice people. Where I lived before there were a lot of nice, single, and well educated people and, dare I say, it was a rather liberal place. I love natural beauty and diversity (love Asian supermarkets and international stuff) and little quaint hole-in-the-wall type restaurants. I like shady trees and wind and a place not packed with mega freeways. A good transportation system is important, as I don't like driving everywhere. A land not dominated by chain restaurants is nice too. I've only lived in California, Oregon (for a brief period) and now in AZ. Oh, weather is important too - I prefer no snow, love thunderstorms, dislike humidity, dislike big bugs, and I like a combo of sunny and cloudy days (unlike here where the sun shines day after day and I keep my house dark just to compensate for it). I've only always lived in big cities in CA and where I currently reside (except for Minneapolis - born and raised, and Portland which I think are good size or something smaller might work too) and would like to try something on a smaller scale than where I've lived most of my life. Oh, and a good job market, just in case, is important too.
Do I ask for too much? I don't know the east coast and sometimes think the perfect place could be in that half of the country, but I don't know that part of the country, as I said - some nice community where I could buy a house free and clear (and hopefully pay less than I did for my current one). Anyone know of a place that meets the above criteria? It would be great if there were a few places out there like my description. Thanks for asking!
That must have been one heck of a day! .....
I've concluded there is no affordable perfect place to live, every choice is a compromise. We will FIRE somewhere that is some of the features we are most interested in, but ultimately it will be the least of all evils and therefore not someplace we hate. Not very optimistic I guess, but what we've concluded...
I am not fond of chains.
But I can tell you that one of the happiest days in my life is the day I woke up in New England and went to bed in Venice CA.
Ha
One thing people have not mentioned is the fact that you dismiss the idea of a condo or even renting. At some point I want to move to a bigger city and I want to be in an area where I can walk to the store, the library, and a few decent restaurants. I have a neighborhood in mind. The houses are very pricey but condos not so much. I'd compromise on the condo for the walkable nice neighborhood.
One thing people have not mentioned is the fact that you dismiss the idea of a condo or even renting. At some point I want to move to a bigger city and I want to be in an area where I can walk to the store, the library, and a few decent restaurants. I have a neighborhood in mind. The houses are very pricey but condos not so much. I'd compromise on the condo for the walkable nice neighborhood.
I saw on another thread that you speak Spanish. Have you considered moving south of the border? There are many places in Central & South America that would meet all your requirements.