Where in the US?

paulmapp8306

Fractal Fanatic
Should I live :)

im thinking if Emigrating from the UK after my time in the forces is done, and The US is an option. I have looked in to jobs/criteria etc and it it possible - but where should I aim to live?

obviously the Job I end up doing will have an impact - but I will probably have a choice so.

I dont like heat much. Im OK up to around 30 deg - 35 at a push but wouldnt want to live where it generally gets hotter (or that hot for perlonged periods) than that in the summer.

I dont like cold. Im Ok down to freezing, and a little below on occasion, but I wouldnt want to live where it generally gets colder that that in the winter.

I dont want to live in a high risk earthquake area
I dont want to live in a high risk Hurricane area
I dont want to live in a high risk tornado area.

I like the sea, but nice lakes will do too. (not to live on or close, but within decent travel distance for weekends/days out if possible.
I like hills. I like mountains. I like woods/forests - ditto for travel distance.
I like (or rather my wife likes) decent shopping areas

I dont like deserts
I dont like very small communities
I dont like very large Cities

I do not believe in God, being a scientist at heart. While I have nothing against religion - I dont want to be surrounded by it, or have it pushed down my throat.
I want somewhere fairly safe for my kids to grow up in.

I want a good music scene.

So - what states/counties/towns/locations should I look at - or have I ruled everywhere out :) Obviously Its unlikely Ill get everything on my wish list, but the more wants I can tick, and do not wants I can cross off the better.
 
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It almost sounded like California, until you said no earth quakes. Personally I don't think what you are looking for exists in America. I live in Arizona, which is a desert, it gets hot during the summer and extremely beautiful during the winter. It is a desert and there is a big city, the Music scene isn't what it used to be, but I would find that if you really want a music scene, you go to Austin Texas or Nashville Tennessee, but then you get into the Bible belt and religion is part of your core being down there. My best bet is to just move from state to state You'll find everything then...;-)
 
I'm moving to Austin, TX next week. Sounds like maybe it might need to be on your list too. Might be too warm, though.

Now in the outlying areas around there, you might run into the religion thing, but I think you could avoid it in the city.
 
It almost sounded like California, until you said no earth quakes.

Frankly I have lived in California 35 years and can only recall one quake of note and it's impact overall was far more limited than news coverage would make you think. The real problem in California is cost of housing.
 
that looks interesting.

North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland area wa on my hit list.

The Atlantic isnt far away, and theres the Blue Ridge Mountains. I have no idea of the music scene/religion in that area though - but isnt it in Hurricane territory?

Other areas that look interesting (given my lack of actual knowledge) are oregon, Illinois, Indiana - and Ive always fancied Colorado as long as its not actually Denver.

The south - Austin and New Orleans area great draw for the music scene, but Im not sure theres a lot else there on my list.
 
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Portland, OR.

It's small for a big city but has tons of culture, character and kooks! Lots of cool neighborhoods, downtown is small enough to walk through and has free public transportation in the downtown area. Has forest and parks everywhere.

Sets the record for the number of micro-breweries per capita (more bars than churches). Not a lot of heavy rain, but constant drizzle in winter which explains the propensity for strong coffee during the day and drinking at night. The temperature generally stays above freezing, but it can snow once or twice a year. When the sun comes out in winter everybody ditches work and runs around in shorts and t-shirts.

In winter you can walk around wearing a hat with lights under the visor and not feel out of place, but being from Bellfast you will be moving further south so low light in winter might not be an issue. Think of it as 3 months of mood lighting!

It's like a cooler, wetter Austin, TX.
 
Also coming from Belfast Im used to wet stuff.

I was told when I first got here - you can tell the time of year by the temperature of the rain. they dont call it the Emerald Isle for nothing.

Ill look into Portland as well as Raleigh and Boulder.
 
I'll second the Raleigh N.C suggestion. Nice folks and good guitar stores (except GC). It was voted the best place to live in the USA a few years back too. Huge range of offerings within a short drive.

I live in Michigan but have had family there for some 30 years. Churches everywhere but you don't get beat up like many other locations in the south. Economy seems to be comparatively good as well.

A College town along with hi-tech medical is nearby and the music scene is healthy. It's also a tour stop for major acts.

Your list is interesting to me because it's very close to what my folks were looking for. They spent 6 months traveling the US looking for the right spot. My dad was from Florida and he didn't want the summer heat and big creepy bugs, my mom from Michigan didn't want freezing-ass winters and the summer mosquitos.

Manifold Recording just opened in nearby Pittsboro too. Spectacular, world-class facility. Studio | Manifold Recording and the Miraverse
 
Portland, OR.

It's small for a big city but has tons of culture, character and kooks! Lots of cool neighborhoods, downtown is small enough to walk through and has free public transportation in the downtown area. Has forest and parks everywhere.

Sets the record for the number of micro-breweries per capita (more bars than churches). Not a lot of heavy rain, but constant drizzle in winter which explains the propensity for strong coffee during the day and drinking at night. The temperature generally stays above freezing, but it can snow once or twice a year. When the sun comes out in winter everybody ditches work and runs around in shorts and t-shirts.

In winter you can walk around wearing a hat with lights under the visor and not feel out of place, but being from Bellfast you will be moving further south so low light in winter might not be an issue. Think of it as 3 months of mood lighting!

It's like a cooler, wetter Austin, TX.

+1 Sounds like it may be the ticket. It is really a cool part of the world. And you didn't say anything about volcanos. NC is a nice state- nice mountains, and great coast, plus low cost of living compared to CO or OR. California is a cool place to visit, but they're bankrupt. They'll tax you worse than the UK.
 
+2 on the Portland area there are some really nice suburbs that are close but not right in the city, Tirgard and Tualatin are rally nice... Duram has a very nice mall, upper crust for sure.
 
Frankly I have lived in California 35 years and can only recall one quake of note and it's impact overall was far more limited than news coverage would make you think. The real problem in California is cost of housing.

I disagree the real problem with Cali is the leadership in that state. Too many years of sissification by the Dems. I would rather deal with the quakes that quite honestly don't happen that often then have to deal with the idiots that run the state :lol.
 
I disagree the real problem with Cali is the leadership in that state. Too many years of sissification by the Dems. I would rather deal with the quakes that quite honestly don't happen that often then have to deal with the idiots that run the state :lol.

I don't disagree with the leadership issue. However, the stupidity is party neutral. Republicans did their part to screw things up too.
 
- I dont like heat much. Im OK up to around 30 deg - 35 at a push but wouldnt want to live where it generally gets hotter (or that hot for perlonged periods) than that in the summer.
-I like (or rather my wife likes) decent shopping areas
-I dont like deserts
-I dont like very small communities
-While I have nothing against religion - I dont want to be surrounded by it, or have it pushed down my throat.
-I want a good music scene.

Definitely avoid Southern Utah :p
 
I live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Absolutely beautiful here. The Appalachian Trail is literally on a ridge in front of my house. The music scene is not that great unless you like Bluegrass. Please understand, I'm not knocking Bluegrass...just not my thing. This website gives you a pretty good idea of what it's like here:

Blue Ridge Parkway - Home

In the East, our highest mountains are in the 6,000 foot range so certainly nothing as high as what you'll find in the Rockies but still a lot of fun. We experience all four seasons but nothing too dramatic, hot or cold.

We also used to live in Raleigh, NC. LOVED it for the proximity to the coast but the scenery in Western NC and VA is better in my opinion. I always missed the mountains this time of year when we lived in Raleigh and I miss being closer to the coast when Spring rolls around. I work in technology so if anything happened with my job where we are now, Raleigh would be the first place we would look. A LOT of technology companies in Raleigh.

I have family in Austin, TX and absolutely agree with a couple of the prior posts here. Austin is a great city with an incredible music scene. My brother in law says his main complaint is that they feel land locked in the Summer when the temperatures soar above 100 degrees. You can get to the coast but it's still really hot. My sister in law is German and the biggest adjustment for her has been the heat. They've been there several years now and she REALLY likes it.

Charlotte, NC could be an option too. They're right at the base of the mountains and not too far from the North Carolina/South Carolina coast (3 hours or so). It would be interesting to see if anyone in the Fractal forum lives down there. Not sure what the music scene is like but we drive through there every so often and it looks nice to me.
 
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Raleigh, N.C.
LOL - guess he left humidity off his original post :)

Paul, what you've listed, pretty much rules out most places in the US (or the rest of the planet for that matter). LOL
You're going to have to weight factor some of your requirements needs...
Big Cities = Good Music Scene (generally).
Good music scene in Las Vegas, but scratch it 'cus it's in the middle of a desert..
Your dislike of temperatures extremes excludes most places but California - but then you have the "fall into the Pacific" challenge :)
Unless you can afford multiple locations [for example].. move from Miami (winter base) to North Dakota (summer base) you are pretty much SOL. New England is GORGEOUS !! Except for the 6 months of sub-zero temps, 4 feet of snow for half that and the recent raging torrents from the massive rains.. LOL
If you move to Denver, bring oxygen. There's not much air up there.. but the weather's nice... in June!

My $0.02 is to find a place that you like (people, musak, weather) and deal with the negatives as part of the package.

I live in North TX. I like the heat (hate the cold) for the most part - tho' the 69 days of consecutive +100 degree days we had this summer is a TAD excessive!! We get the edges of hurricanes from the gulf so lots of HEAVY rain at times -with associated flash flooding. We get the more than occasional, but not frequent tornado (bottom end of tornado alley). We seldom get snow (14 inches in 12 hours last year - totally unheard of), but freezin rain with ice buildup on highway bridges plays havoc with the daily commute.. and altho' we're firmly in the Bible Belt, the only time we see God here is when the Dallas (Arlington??) Cowboys play on Sundays <tongue in cheek> :) There's tons of bars to play in but they are NOT paying much more that gas $$ right now... hardly worth the time to venture out right now.

Looks like my neck of the woods doesn't match a single thing on your list.
You can't win, so come on down podner :D

PS: If there's any part of the country I have not upset.... ?
 
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