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08-16-2011, 06:17 AM
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#1
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,596
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100 Best Small Towns
From CNNMoney:
Best Places to Live 2011 - Top 100: 1-25 - from MONEY Magazine
Here are the top 10 -
1. Louisville, CO
2. Milton, MA
3. Solon, OH
4. Leesburg, VA
5. Papillion, NE
6. Hanover, NH
7. Liberty, MO
8. Middleton, WI
9. Mukileto, WA
10. Chanhassen, MN
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08-16-2011, 08:43 AM
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#2
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 8,368
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One place, (out of many), I recall enjoying was Danville, VA......4 or 5 years since we were there, but they were fixing up the old tobacco warehouse area, turning some old buildings into condos, etc.
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"Exit, pursued by a bear."
The Winter's Tale, William Shakespeare
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08-16-2011, 08:54 AM
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#3
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2008
Location: No fixed abode
Posts: 8,764
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As a current legal resident of Leesburg, there's no way it's a small town. Basically a DC suburb (used to be rural), and is directly connected to Ashburn and Lansdowne. I can guarantee there are more people/cars on Rt 7 at 8:00 AM in a one mile stretch than whatever their definition of a small town contains. Having said that, it's still a good place to live. DGD starts kindergarten there in two weeks.
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"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." - Anonymous (not Will Rogers or Sam Clemens)
DW and I - FIREd at 50 (7/06), living off assets
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While Belmont, NC isn't Top 100...
08-16-2011, 10:12 AM
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#4
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Belmont
Posts: 160
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While Belmont, NC isn't Top 100...
We will be moving there next spring . It is west of Charlotte, has a lovely small town feel, and 10,000 residents. While we will live in a smaller town, it's 10 minutes to the airport, and 20 - 25 minutes into "uptown" Charlotte, and the eclectic near south side ot the city. Mt brother & SIL live just 7 minutes awy, across the Catabwa River.
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Work is the curse of the partying class!
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08-16-2011, 10:20 AM
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#5
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gone traveling
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Eastern PA
Posts: 3,851
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harley
As a current legal resident...
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Do I need to ask you for your green card?
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08-16-2011, 11:11 AM
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#6
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Smith
Posts: 743
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These kind of lists are good if you remember that the criteria used to develop the list isn't always the criteria you would use. For instance, I notice a lot of these take outdoor activities like kayaking, mountain climbing, etc. into account, but rarely fishing and hunting. They aren't PC and rarely practiced by the urbanites that write these articles. Other bias can be found too. Not that the lists aren't useful, you just can't assume the reasons used to pick the best would be the same reason you would use.
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Retired July 4th, 2010 at age 43
Trout Bum, Writer, Full-Time Dad and Husband
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08-16-2011, 11:28 AM
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#7
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Citrus Hills
Posts: 235
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I used to work in Solon OH and lived one town over. It is a nice town, great for a family with small kids. It would not be my choice for my retirement
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08-16-2011, 11:32 AM
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#8
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Scottsdale
Posts: 91
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flyfishnevada
These kind of lists are good if you remember that the criteria used to develop the list isn't always the criteria you would use. For instance, I notice a lot of these take outdoor activities like kayaking, mountain climbing, etc. into account, but rarely fishing and hunting. They aren't PC and rarely practiced by the urbanites that write these articles. Other bias can be found too. Not that the lists aren't useful, you just can't assume the reasons used to pick the best would be the same reason you would use.
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We are looking around Norfork Arkansas. Bass fishing, fly fishing, deer, turkey, bear.
Also mosquitos, humidity, and no economy.
Hmmmm....
Anybody here from small town Arkansas?
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08-16-2011, 12:01 PM
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#9
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,440
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No thank you! All the towns have one thing in common...SNOW.
Some less, some way more, but any snow is not in my retirement cards.
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08-16-2011, 12:24 PM
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#10
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 507
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Purron
From CNNMoney:
Best Places to Live 2011 - Top 100: 1-25 - from MONEY Magazine
Here are the top 10 -
1. Louisville, CO
2. Milton, MA
3. Solon, OH
4. Leesburg, VA
5. Papillion, NE
6. Hanover, NH
7. Liberty, MO
8. Middleton, WI
9. Mukileto, WA
10. Chanhassen, MN
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We had dinner and walked around Louisville, CO on our trip to CO last year. Was one of those perfect days (weather, vacation, vacation). Had a real nice downtown within walking distance to a lot of the homes. Did not suprise me when I saw it in the top.
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08-16-2011, 12:44 PM
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#11
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,856
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Purron
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And in 100 towns across the nation, residents are saying "Aw, crap, there goes the property taxes neighborhood..."
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08-16-2011, 02:44 PM
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#12
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 13,203
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Quote:
Originally Posted by harley
As a current legal resident of Leesburg, there's no way it's a small town. Basically a DC suburb (used to be rural), and is directly connected to Ashburn and Lansdowne. I can guarantee there are more people/cars on Rt 7 at 8:00 AM in a one mile stretch than whatever their definition of a small town contains. Having said that, it's still a good place to live. DGD starts kindergarten there in two weeks.
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Likewise, Papillion is a suburb of Omaha. It looks like they went strictly by the town population, but I would say that most anything in a large metro area does not really qualify as a "small town".
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08-16-2011, 03:24 PM
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#13
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,474
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RunningBum
Likewise, Papillion is a suburb of Omaha. It looks like they went strictly by the town population, but I would say that most anything in a large metro area does not really qualify as a "small town".
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Same for Webster Groves, MO, which is an older suburb of St. Louis and is on the list.
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Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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08-16-2011, 03:25 PM
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#14
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Chicago
Posts: 13,151
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Quote:
Originally Posted by slingshot
We are looking around Norfork Arkansas. Bass fishing, fly fishing, deer, turkey, bear.
Also mosquitos, humidity, and no economy.
Hmmmm....
Anybody here from small town Arkansas?
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You'll find few, if any, mosquitos in northern Arkansas. But, yes, heat and humidity are bountiful in the summer.
My mom was from Arkansas and she and dad retired near Norfork in Mountain Home. We visited often and enjoyed trout fishing on the White and North Fork rivers and fishing Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes. Lots of Chicagoans living there as well as folks from Iowa, Mich, Wis and, lately, Calif.
Definitely a spot for the outdoorsy crowd. It's about a 1.5 hour drive to either Little Rock or Memphis for urban activities.
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"I wasn't born blue blood. I was born blue-collar." John Wort Hannam
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08-16-2011, 05:12 PM
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#15
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 410
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Most of these places on the list aren't true small towns. They're in or on the fringes of large urban areas. I think if you're within an hour's drive of the downtown area of a big city, you don't really qualify as living a small town lifestyle. True small towns are 90 minutes or more from a metro area, and have a Super Walmart and not much else. The writers for Money magazine wouldn't consider living in one. Also, their selection criteria is likely different than what an individual considering a small town lifestyle is looking for.
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ACC USN-(Ret)
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08-17-2011, 09:36 AM
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#16
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 2,171
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa99
No thank you! All the towns have one thing in common...SNOW.
Some less, some way more, but any snow is not in my retirement cards.
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Mukilteo is near Seattle. It does snow sometimes, but not every year and (except the amazing winter of 2008) the snow usually stays for less than a week. I will say though that when there is snow on the roads around here, it messes up traffic and transportation like you wouldn't believe.
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08-17-2011, 10:08 AM
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#17
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,483
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My town is on there.........
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Consult with your own advisor or representative. My thoughts should not be construed as investment advice. Past performance is no guarantee of future results (love that one).......:)
This Thread is USELESS without pics.........:)
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08-17-2011, 10:17 AM
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#18
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 17,773
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Very very hard to move into a true small town that's not a suburb (you'll be considered a newcomer for the rest of your life). The three Illinois "towns" on the top 100 list are all suburbs that run right into other suburbs but do have cute downtowns and fall within the income qualifications (less than 200% of the state average per the article).
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“Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?” J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
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08-17-2011, 10:41 AM
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#19
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 143
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Liberty, MO is a suburb of Kansas City. It is an old town that has retained it's town square, but in recent years has grown by leaps and bounds with lots of housing and shopping additions. Nice enough place to live, but not really a small town atmosphere.
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08-17-2011, 03:14 PM
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#20
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 410
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bestwifeever
Very very hard to move into a true small town that's not a suburb (you'll be considered a newcomer for the rest of your life). The three Illinois "towns" on the top 100 list are all suburbs that run right into other suburbs but do have cute downtowns and fall within the income qualifications (less than 200% of the state average per the article).
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Come to the extreme southern end of Illinois, and I can show you at least a couple dozen of "true small towns". 6 hours from Chicago and 2 hours from St. Louis, and nothing close to being suburban. But the good thing is, you don't need a 7 figure portfolio to ER in them.
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ACC USN-(Ret)
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