Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Honolulu (and Island of Oahu) is similar with GREAT bus service. You can live without a car in most places on Oahu though we choose to have a car.
In Your City - What Are The Most Desirable Neighborhoods and Why?
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I always get a kick out of these questions. Just like the click-bait articles listing the "best cities" for whatever.
I don't live in a city. I hope I never have to live in a city. Living in a city is not "desirable" to me. Oh, I like to visit, and I could find a way to get by in some of the smaller, friendlier cities. If I had to.
I just chuckle at the implication, right there in the title, that everyone wants to live in a city.
I'm not demeaning anyone here, obviously I'm in the minority. You do you!
I don't live in a city. I hope I never have to live in a city. Living in a city is not "desirable" to me. Oh, I like to visit, and I could find a way to get by in some of the smaller, friendlier cities. If I had to.
I just chuckle at the implication, right there in the title, that everyone wants to live in a city.
I'm not demeaning anyone here, obviously I'm in the minority. You do you!
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Those of us who do live in a city thank you for not driving house prices up by increasing demand.
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
...And those of us who don't live in a city would thank you to not come here and do the same. But, if you do come here to live (and who could blame you!) please don't try to make our town into the city you left behind. We don't need streets and yards lit up like Times Square. We have these things called stars. You may have heard of them. Sometimes we like to actually see them.
[All of the above was written in the spirit of good fun and jest.]
folivier
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
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Good fun and jest, but yes it is a problem. At our condo our unit is lit up from a store next door beyond the fence. But that's ok since we expect that in a city. And it gives us a measure of security.
Now at our mountain cabin there are a few owners up here who leave their outside lights on all night every night. That is very annoying and does disturb our night views of the stars and does affect our wildlife. If they're scared of the dark they should go back to where they come from.
Now at our mountain cabin there are a few owners up here who leave their outside lights on all night every night. That is very annoying and does disturb our night views of the stars and does affect our wildlife. If they're scared of the dark they should go back to where they come from.
Moved to a community a couple years back with a very active community center/clubhouse. We absolutely love it! The social connections with people has been great for us. That is pool/billards/pingpong/gym/pickleball/dogpark/clubs/etc/etc/etc.... That's a criteria we didn't have before but it's been incredible!
Desirable would depend on the lens of the person making that definition. To us, and the season we were in, being close to our parents as we began a young family was the most desirable outcome of our housing search.
That brought us to a very small part of the city to begin with since both our parents live in the north metro suburbs of our city.
The next was moving somewhere with privacy. We had tertiary desires for a good school district as part of our family planning, and we wanted to be near a lake, as we enjoy lake related activities.
We looked at over 100 houses some of those outside the criteria of the above, but eventually found a home that met the criteria.
The home itself wasn't the style, look, materials etc etc that DW desired, but that was not as important as the aforementioned desires.
We also wanted somewhere we could afford. A lot had to do with finding a 2-story that had enough space, and privacy close to our folks, a bonus being near the lake.
We have grew to love our community. Our street is one of the most desirably upper middle income streets in our community, but I admit not everyone would feel comfortable living here or being able to afford living here...Property tax is $6,800 and climbing (we have beach access, but cannot dock a boat in this section of the lake, which is actually a net pro, not a con).
I am deeply involved with Baseball, and own a local small business. I am heavily involved in all of my children's activities and the place we live has really allowed us to nurture a ton of different opportunities for our kids so far. Wouldn't change it for the world.
We do get feet of snow in the winter...can be a deal breaker for some. But it's been Mid 70s and sunny and will be for most of the next four months.
Oh wait, you meant for those ALREADY FIRE'd. This is not our forever home. We will Rent it out in short term rental and buy a second home when our youngest leaves the nest.
That brought us to a very small part of the city to begin with since both our parents live in the north metro suburbs of our city.
The next was moving somewhere with privacy. We had tertiary desires for a good school district as part of our family planning, and we wanted to be near a lake, as we enjoy lake related activities.
We looked at over 100 houses some of those outside the criteria of the above, but eventually found a home that met the criteria.
The home itself wasn't the style, look, materials etc etc that DW desired, but that was not as important as the aforementioned desires.
We also wanted somewhere we could afford. A lot had to do with finding a 2-story that had enough space, and privacy close to our folks, a bonus being near the lake.
We have grew to love our community. Our street is one of the most desirably upper middle income streets in our community, but I admit not everyone would feel comfortable living here or being able to afford living here...Property tax is $6,800 and climbing (we have beach access, but cannot dock a boat in this section of the lake, which is actually a net pro, not a con).
I am deeply involved with Baseball, and own a local small business. I am heavily involved in all of my children's activities and the place we live has really allowed us to nurture a ton of different opportunities for our kids so far. Wouldn't change it for the world.
We do get feet of snow in the winter...can be a deal breaker for some. But it's been Mid 70s and sunny and will be for most of the next four months.
Oh wait, you meant for those ALREADY FIRE'd. This is not our forever home. We will Rent it out in short term rental and buy a second home when our youngest leaves the nest.
Back on that light pollution theme, it was nice to be able to find a dark spot in the yard last night to enjoy the aurora. I do have to talk to one neighbor about a flood light he has on his driveway, but I'm pretty sure we can come to some agreement.
To those who might be thinking about moving to a more rural area, consider that maybe you'd be happier staying in the city if you're afraid of the dark. Thank you!
To those who might be thinking about moving to a more rural area, consider that maybe you'd be happier staying in the city if you're afraid of the dark. Thank you!
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The one thing I never understood about why someone in the country would keep a light on at night is, don’t they see how many bugs are drawn to the light and therefore, your house? When I moved to a more rural setting about 30 years ago, I came from a suburb. It was quite common for people to keep their porch lights on at night. When I moved to the rural area, I couldn’t believe how different the amount of bugs there were. Initially, I did turn on the porch lights at night but I quickly figured out that light brings more bugs. Not something I wanted on my house.
Now I’m back in a suburb and I do keep lights on. I see very few bugs around my house. Also, the lights that I have for “safety”, are motion activated and therefore are not on all night.
Now I’m back in a suburb and I do keep lights on. I see very few bugs around my house. Also, the lights that I have for “safety”, are motion activated and therefore are not on all night.
Markola
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Some of the things that make our neighborhood probably the most desirable in our midsize city of 300,000:
- It’s the capital of our state, so filled with educated people with stable incomes.
- We have about 7 colleges within a mile or two, also attracting educated people with stable incomes, and cultural opportunities.
- It’s very walkable in every direction.
- There’s a commercial street through it with restaurants, creative shops and nightlife.
- Plenty of hospitals all around.
- 15 minutes to the airport but we are not under a flight pattern and get no noise.
- There’s a mix of housing choices from apartments to bungalows to very large.
This is a different strokes for different folks topic but we’re happy with our choice.
- It’s the capital of our state, so filled with educated people with stable incomes.
- We have about 7 colleges within a mile or two, also attracting educated people with stable incomes, and cultural opportunities.
- It’s very walkable in every direction.
- There’s a commercial street through it with restaurants, creative shops and nightlife.
- Plenty of hospitals all around.
- 15 minutes to the airport but we are not under a flight pattern and get no noise.
- There’s a mix of housing choices from apartments to bungalows to very large.
This is a different strokes for different folks topic but we’re happy with our choice.
It depends. Some people like 3000+ sq ft homes w/ 3 car garages. These are mostly new homes in neighborhoods with no trees and mini ponds. The homes are 90% siding with fake (sorry I forget what that’s called) brick fronts and manicured lawns.
Our neighborhood is lined with mature trees, sidewalks, lots of birds and squirrels. Most of the homes are brick, built in the 50s. Some of our neighbors have prairie yards. They’re beautiful with butterflies and bees. What I like about our neighborhood, you can walk for miles in any direction and still be in shade in the summer. Several parks are within walking distance.
Our neighborhood is lined with mature trees, sidewalks, lots of birds and squirrels. Most of the homes are brick, built in the 50s. Some of our neighbors have prairie yards. They’re beautiful with butterflies and bees. What I like about our neighborhood, you can walk for miles in any direction and still be in shade in the summer. Several parks are within walking distance.
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I agree. The older, established neighborhoods are much more desirable than the newer "ticky-tacky" homes that seem to be springing up in our old home town.
Our eldest is building one of the homes you mention and it is huge with 3 car garage. But they simply scraped off all the trees (down to the clay) and started from there. She's gonna have water issues and grading and landscaping issues galore. Also, it's miles from shopping and services.
I would have done what we did when we got our kids - look in the older neighborhoods for lots with trees and drainage and a track record of good building practices of the past.
And 2 car garages are fine for most people - even with kids. We had our son park his car on the through street around the corner from our house rather than on our street. Folks just didn't park in front of their houses in our neighborhood. Cars broke up the beautiful walking areas, shaded by trees and bounded by nice landscaping.
The house our kids grew up in would (even today) cost half what our eldest is paying to build a new house in a tract - miles from anything. But YMMV.
Just checked Hillcrest on Redfin. The cheapest is a 1 BR that is less than 600 sq ft for $420k. I foresee myslef moving back to Arizona because I just can't come to terms with paying that much $$ for a tiny place, even though the walk score of 94 is perfect. Can rent a 1BR for $1500/mo though.
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W2R
Moderator Emeritus
Our neighborhood is absolutely the most desirable one here, because (pardon the brag!) WE live here, and so do a lot of other very nice older people who are a lot like us. Our neighbors have our values and also get along with each other (and us) very nicely.
Also we are located in an urban inner suburb. So, we have 80+ restaurants and 5 grocery stores within a mile of us, and the "medical corridor" with the best local hospital and labs and doctors' offices is just 1-2 miles away, and so on. We are just maybe 1/4 or 1/8 mile from a huge Mardi Gras route, so if we want to see any parades we can do that easily. Usually we don't, but I like hearing the music and marching bands from my house.
I love this neighborhood!
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RetiredHappy
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When my husband wanted to move out of California, he suggested Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina and Texas. I told him no way no how I would live in an area where there is risk of hurricane and/or tornado, and humidity. So he asked me to find a place. I searched "Most desirable cities for retirees" and found Henderson in Nevada. The one thing that stood out was low on crime, which is very important to us. He thought it would be too dry for my skin and I told him that I could overcome that with lotion.
We love where we live, and it is certainly still low on crime and favored by lots of wealthy retirees. Post Covid, we have a huge influx from Oregon, Washington and California, which also meant driving up the prices of homes.
We rarely go to the LV strip, but it is there if we wanted to go to a show. There are several hundred restaurants in an area called Spring Mountain and there you can find the best ethnic food - Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Mediterranean etc.
There is an area called Summerlin South, which is part of Las Vegas and weather is cooler than Henderson by about 10 degrees throughout the year, which meant cooler summers and cold winters. The city of Summerlin has its share of crime because it is a vibrant "sub-" city. Homes are more expensive and there are a ton of great restaurants in the area. For us, we prefer where we live, the outskirts of Henderson. We have virtually no crime, a 320 acre privately owned lake/reservoir and we have the best views of the colorful mountain and lake. It is in a development called Lake Las Vegas.
We love where we live, and it is certainly still low on crime and favored by lots of wealthy retirees. Post Covid, we have a huge influx from Oregon, Washington and California, which also meant driving up the prices of homes.
We rarely go to the LV strip, but it is there if we wanted to go to a show. There are several hundred restaurants in an area called Spring Mountain and there you can find the best ethnic food - Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, Mediterranean etc.
There is an area called Summerlin South, which is part of Las Vegas and weather is cooler than Henderson by about 10 degrees throughout the year, which meant cooler summers and cold winters. The city of Summerlin has its share of crime because it is a vibrant "sub-" city. Homes are more expensive and there are a ton of great restaurants in the area. For us, we prefer where we live, the outskirts of Henderson. We have virtually no crime, a 320 acre privately owned lake/reservoir and we have the best views of the colorful mountain and lake. It is in a development called Lake Las Vegas.
marko
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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We got tired of a changing neighborhood where there was an increasing level of new neighbors who had no respect for their property, their neighbors or themselves. It was once the most desirable area in town, in a private cove with our own small beach. Things changed almost overnight.
After the third drug bust, a new Little League speaker blaring until 10pm all summer long and impromptu basketball games with boomboxes at 3am, we decided to leave our oceanfront "forever home" for a gated community with a (I know this is controversial) HOA that keeps things in order. No junk cars, no grass 2 feet high, no abandoned boats on the front lawn, no political signs, no barking dogs. Yes, it's the most expensive place in town ($1M+) but we're quite happy to be where there are expectations set and enforced. You don't have to live here if you don't like the rules and you know what they are before you sign.
After the third drug bust, a new Little League speaker blaring until 10pm all summer long and impromptu basketball games with boomboxes at 3am, we decided to leave our oceanfront "forever home" for a gated community with a (I know this is controversial) HOA that keeps things in order. No junk cars, no grass 2 feet high, no abandoned boats on the front lawn, no political signs, no barking dogs. Yes, it's the most expensive place in town ($1M+) but we're quite happy to be where there are expectations set and enforced. You don't have to live here if you don't like the rules and you know what they are before you sign.
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I recently moved from an area where an excellent school district, proximity to high paying jobs, and newer construction many bedroom homes were considered desirable.
I'm now in a small retirement, tourist, and farming community and I think people are looking for views, quiet, and some want small acreage hobby farms.
I'm now in a small retirement, tourist, and farming community and I think people are looking for views, quiet, and some want small acreage hobby farms.
I saw this article in WSJ about Rockford, IL being the top housing market in the U.S.
Sorry if this is behind a paywall.
"Rockford is one of 11 Midwestern metro areas that dominate the top 20 in the latest WSJ/Realtor.com Housing Market Ranking. The region’s relative affordability makes it attractive when home prices in much of the U.S. are near record highs. Three of the four top-ranked cities—all in the Midwest—had median home price listings in March below $250,000. That compares with the national median listing price of $424,900, according to Realtor.com.
"Another inducement: Homes in the Midwest are usually less vulnerable to natural disasters. Surveys show that wildfires, floods and hurricanes—and exploding insurance costs associated with these events—are a growing concern among home buyers."
"For the first time, the ranking also looked at the percentage of homes in each market that are at risk of being affected by extreme heat, wind, air quality, flood and wildfire over the next 30 years. (News Corp, owner of The Wall Street Journal, also operates Realtor.com.)"
Sorry if this is behind a paywall.
"Rockford is one of 11 Midwestern metro areas that dominate the top 20 in the latest WSJ/Realtor.com Housing Market Ranking. The region’s relative affordability makes it attractive when home prices in much of the U.S. are near record highs. Three of the four top-ranked cities—all in the Midwest—had median home price listings in March below $250,000. That compares with the national median listing price of $424,900, according to Realtor.com.
"Another inducement: Homes in the Midwest are usually less vulnerable to natural disasters. Surveys show that wildfires, floods and hurricanes—and exploding insurance costs associated with these events—are a growing concern among home buyers."
"For the first time, the ranking also looked at the percentage of homes in each market that are at risk of being affected by extreme heat, wind, air quality, flood and wildfire over the next 30 years. (News Corp, owner of The Wall Street Journal, also operates Realtor.com.)"
Koolau
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Yeah, lots of good stuff about the midwest (except maybe tornadoes.) In the midwest, it may come down to state gummint and the fiscal responsibility thereof. YMMV
Sunset
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
When we visited Honolulu, we found the buses fantastic, easy to use and frequent.
The one downside to HI, is a person has to take a fairly long flight to go to any other State.
Sunset
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
While this is great for new home buyers, the downside of this low cost is that for us, it means the price of our house over 21 yrs has gone up a whopping 20% in total.
Yes about 1% per year on avg.Will new home buyers find out they are buying at the bottom and enjoy a rise to "normal" levels, or is housing in the Midwest a value trap going forward, like it has been for us.
Chuckanut
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I read somewhere (WSJ?) that a new resident of Illinois inherits over $80,000 in state debt that needs to be paid. About half of that amount is unfunded pension obligations.
Sanstar
Recycles dryer sheets
We’ve moved a few times, 3 times since retiring 7 years ago. What I’ve learned is: stay in tax free TX, able to walk to nature laden park with paved walking trails, nearby year round lap pool, low crime, well kept neighborhood, lots of close health care choices, military base not too far away (we’re both veterans), quiet neighborhood, sidewalks and street lights and no mailboxes that take up sidewalk space in case one of us is ever in a wheelchair, no more than 30 minutes from international airport.
For us, that’s a new house in Bexar County.
Basically, how do I want to spend my time, energy and money. Location is then a matching game.
For us, that’s a new house in Bexar County.
Basically, how do I want to spend my time, energy and money. Location is then a matching game.
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Of course, the “debt per capita” is not a meaningful number, because it doesn’t consider business or any other economic activity, which also pays for and benefits from state spending. The Illinois GDP is a bit over $1T and the debt is $65B, so around 6%. There is future unfounded pension obligation, but there is also future economic activity to pay it.
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7 years FIRE'd and doing way better than expected. Why does that worry me?- Latest: jollystomper
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