Good place to move?

[rburganmckinley]

Dh and I are considering moving out of Michigan, but we aren't sure where to go. We both grew up here and have always felt that we are on the outside of the norm for the area (very conservative communities, we are white collar middle class and I work outside the home as an engineer, not very well accepted). We're hoping for a more balanced community, something that is less conservative but not swung too far left either. Something that has more diversity. Right now we live in an old small town (population is around 3,000). I like the feel of a small community that has older homes, but that doesn't mean a big city wouldn't fit, since big cities are made up of smaller communities. :) Oh yeah, I am sick of 6 month long winters too. Maybe around 3 months instead would be nice. :)

Anyone have any suggestions?

[slknight]

Ah, I understand your itch to move. I've got it too. :)

A great resource is:

http://www.findyourspot.com

You can plug in what features are important to you (i.e. medium city, semi-liberal, etc) and it will give you a list of results.

[rburganmckinley]

That is a great site isn't it? I've checked it out several times. I kind of wonder if that site may be paid for by the cities that pop up.? Even so, it does have great info though. :)

I'm hoping to get some personal opinions.

Thanks!

[kristalsnow7]

I've never seen that site before and I just took the test. My result: Portland, Oregon. EXACTLY where DF and I would like to move!!! :)

[Laura]

I'll put my plug in for the town that I wished I had moved to but didn't: Fort Collins Colorado. It is about 100,000 pop. and is a college town with a very cute downtown area. Lots of trees that look fabulous in the fall, relatively close acess to skiing and Rocky Mountain National Park, Denver is an hour away if you want the amenities of a big city. Areas of old historical homes and new subdivisions. Sunshine probably about 300 days a year, and winters that are very tolerable.

[MrsReber]

I did this, too. I answered the questions and the number one spot was Roanoke, VA! Amazing since we've been there a few times in the past year to look at houses.

Fort Collins also appeared on my list.

[wallycat]

DH is retired and has spent the last 3-4 years researching, spreadsheeting, visiting, blah, blah...for our new home location.

If we hand lots more money, we'd kill to live in Bend, Oregon. BEAUTIFUL (this is not to say any other place is not beautiful, but just to point out this one is :) ). I loved the topography...very high-desert look but not all-desert (dry and sandy and, well...desert-like; more like old west flicks with the cool juniper trees). People are educated and trendy. Very nice library.

Corvalis, Oregon is very pretty as well. It is a little more low-keyed; very nice college town. Quiet town but lots to do and a BEAUTIFUL library.

As DH and I were not concerned about job availability, he looked at Sequim, WA. Very nice area but not as cute-sy as we wanted...which Port Townsend, WA did have. It is a town of about 8,000 and is an old victorian town. GORGEOUS ocean coastlines and stunning tree-lines. The weather is mild but the summer will never get hot (YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) if you need hot summers.

Hendersonville and Asheville are very close by each other and Asheville is a very nice college town...but DH was hung up on being near the ocean.

HAve fun searching :)

[tobykitty]

Hmm. Well, its hard making a personal suggestion without really knowing more about you, but...I'm thinking Spokane,WA. It is in Eastern Washington so it has the four seasons-snow and hot summers-so it isn't that different from Michigan (I lived in Traverse City for 5 years). Western Washington is much more liberal and Eastern Washington is more conservative, but not so much that working outside the home would be frowned upon. There is plenty of farm land, so thats great for fresh fruits and veggies. I think it has a small town feel but is large enough for good job prospects. Plus it is close to Coeur d'Alaine, ID. Anyway, here is a link so you can take a look.

http://www.visitspokane.com/

[hlao23]

Wonder if a University town would be a good fit for you. We moved up to Morgantown (West Virginia University) about 5 years ago and simply love it. The actual town is about 25,000 and the university brings in a little over that again.

There is definitely a small-town feel, but we have a lot of great non-small-town restaurants, events, and just diversity in general due to the university.

[rburganmckinley]

What awsome suggestions! A college/university town probably would be a good fit. I loved living in one when I was in college, since it kinda offered the best of both worlds. Too bad that particular one is lacking in jobs (like the rest of MI). :) I'll check out some stuff on the places you've noted this weekend.

Thanks!

[Laura B]

Have you looked at the Chapel Hill/Raleigh area? Chapel Hill is a college town. We lived there for 6 years and loved it.

There are lots of good restaurants (and there is the famous A Southern Season gourmet food store). Even living now in NYC, my husband and I frequently wish we could go to some of our old favorites in NC! Anyway, CH is about a 30-40 minute drive to Raleigh, which is the capital and the second largest city in the state. There is a great mall in Durham just outside of Chapel Hill that has a Nordstrom and tons of other great shops and great restaurants.

As far as the winter goes, there is usually at least one good snowstorm, but the winters are very mild compared to Michigan. I would say the winters are only 3-4 months long, but it gets very hot and sticky in the summer!

I would characterize Chapel Hill as white collar, middle to upper class and fairly liberal. I am kind of middle-of-the-road politically and I didn't feel out of place there. You certainly would not feel unaccepted because you work out of the home!

If DH and I ever move out of NYC, I think we would seriously consider going back to Chapel Hill.

[zackaboo]

Originally posted by MrsReber
I did this, too. I answered the questions and the number one spot was Roanoke, VA! Amazing since we've been there a few times in the past year to look at houses.

Fort Collins also appeared on my list.

That is too funny...Roanoke also appeared at the top of my list...4 days before we move away from there. Fortunately, Charlotte, NC also made the list (or I might be panicking about now).