Best place to live

  • Guest, it's time once again for the massively important and exciting FoH Asshat Tournament!



    Go here and give us your nominations!
    Who's been the biggest Asshat in the last year? Give us your worst ones!
Arden

Arden

Blackwing Lair Raider
2,782
2,087
BrutulTM_sl said:
Little to none. It's a short drive to San Francisco or even Oakland/Berkeley though.

I don't know how old you are, but if I were you I would stay close to your family. "Amazing" places to live are just places once you get there and you have to ask yourself how much you will really participate in the cultural stuff. I used to hear from people in California all the fucking time "I would never live far away from the ocean" but then when you ask them when they last went to the beach it was 10 years ago. News Flash - You can go to the beach every 10 years no matter where you live. Part of that is the fact that the beaches in Northern California are cold and windy and generally unpleasant, but the point stands. You will always want/need to see your family. Having access to an authentic Laotian restaurant is very optional and something you're probably not going to take advantage of that often. Also, with the money you save by not living in these so-called cultural centers, you can afford to take more vacations and visit all of the cultural centers instead of the one you're paying an extra $2000 a month for the privilege of living close to and if you're close to family you won't have to waste your vacation time going to see them either.
Click to expand...
Well that's disappointing to hear about San Jose, but for some reason it doesn't surprise me. Your advice about staying near family is pretty good.

I was worried about the cold/windy thing with the beaches in Northern Cal. For me, the beach is only so much fun if you can't go swimming etc. I lived in the San Diego area briefly and it was great (that's why I'm looking to potentially go back), but no one is ever swimming in any of the beach pics I've seen much north of L.A. Everyone is walking along the beach wearing a jacket.
 
Arden

Arden

Blackwing Lair Raider
2,782
2,087
a_skeleton_03_sl said:
I spent 20+ years living in San Diego, CA and I would recommend it. The place we lived and enjoyed the most was San Marcos, CA it's in the northern county area of San Diego. Crime is low, weather is good. accessibility to the 15 or 5 freeway is equidistant pretty much. Just the community alone you can find whatever you need to shop for. The housing can range from $1M down to $300k or lower so you can find the area that suits you the best. Schools are not bad depending on the age of any kids you have. High school you get better choices the elementary schools aren't bad, the middle schools are a little terrible. Overall loved it.

Only moved to come over to Raleigh, NC area. We aren't directly in Raleigh, about an hour south, but the wife works there. We like this region of NC a lot so far which has only been about 6 months. Has everything we need without insane price markups like San Diego was just for being southern California. There are areas with crime for sure but I don't live or work or shop in those areas. So far pretty obvious where not to go. I am not sure about the schools, our kids start high school this fall so we will find out how good or bad they are. We get mixed reviews on the school we chose for them.
Click to expand...
I lived in Encinitas, CA, next door to San Marcos. Encinitas was far and away the best place I've lived. If I go back to the SD area I will definitely try to get back there. It's just at the absolute top of my price range though.

I probably over represented my finances- with my single income, $350k is the absolute max I could do for a house (preferably $300k). That just doesn't buy much in SD.
 
Royal

Royal

Connoisseur of Exotic Pictures
15,077
10,643
Well Raleigh doesn't have beaches, but it's ideally situated between both the beach and the mountains for visiting either. It's a straight shot down I-40 to Wilmington that takes a little under 2 hours. A lot of folks from the Triangle come here in the summer.
 
Arden

Arden

Blackwing Lair Raider
2,782
2,087
Royal_sl said:
Well Raleigh doesn't have beaches, but it's ideally situated between both the beach and the mountains for visiting either. It's a straight shot down I-40 to Wilmington that takes a little under 2 hours. A lot of folks from the Triangle come here in the summer.
Click to expand...
Raleigh is probably the best situated of all the places I'm considering. I love Wilmington area beaches and the Outer Banks (2-3 hours away), it's close to family (2.5 hours away), and it's close to the mountains (2-3 hours away). Plus Google Fiber. I'm single, how is the night life/downtown living scene in Raleigh? I'm not quite ready to retire in the suburbs.

Also, if I did move to Raleigh, what are my best options for location? Both inside and outside the city?
 
A

a_skeleton_03

<Banned>
29,948
29,763
Arden_sl said:
I lived in Encinitas, CA, next door to San Marcos. Encinitas was far and away the best place I've lived. If I go back to the SD area I will definitely try to get back there. It's just at the absolute top of my price range though.

I probably over represented my finances- with my single income, $350k is the absolute max I could do for a house (preferably $300k). That just doesn't buy much in SD.
Click to expand...
Yeah Encinitas or Carlsbad is where I would choose to live but both were just a bit above my price also so we did San Marcos. You are right $300-350k will not get you a ton in SD but it might do well in San Marcos, it all depends on where you are working or if you are working from home. Beautiful areas to live and not expensive but far from the beaten path if you need to drive to work 5 days a week.
 
Arden

Arden

Blackwing Lair Raider
2,782
2,087
a_skeleton_03_sl said:
Yeah Encinitas or Carlsbad is where I would choose to live but both were just a bit above my price also so we did San Marcos. You are right $300-350k will not get you a ton in SD but it might do well in San Marcos, it all depends on where you are working or if you are working from home. Beautiful areas to live and not expensive but far from the beaten path if you need to drive to work 5 days a week.
Click to expand...
I would be working downtown SD, but only need to commute 1-2 days and have some flexibility with my commute time.
 
Royal

Royal

Connoisseur of Exotic Pictures
15,077
10,643
I haven't been to Raleigh for the night life in ages and never went very often anyway so I really don't have any idea as to what it is like now.
 
A

a_skeleton_03

<Banned>
29,948
29,763
Arden_sl said:
I would be working downtown SD, but only need to commute 1-2 days and have some flexibility with my commute time.
Click to expand...
Wife worked at Children's Hospital and Sharp Mary Birch and we lived in San Marcos and it wasn't bad for her to drive back and forth.
 
Springbok

Springbok

Karen
<Gold Donor>
9,524
14,108
If you can go abroad, Cape Town really is the perfect city based on the criteria listed. Weather is amazing, city is vibrant, cultural and more importantly - drop dead gorgeous. The Rand is shit atm so your dollar will stretch a ton and a $500k home puts you in the best neighborhoods (camps bay, Clifton, etc). Plus, there are tons of cool hot chicks everywhere. Honestly, it's probably the best city in the world and if it was located anywhere other than lolafrica I think it'd be the most popular city around.
 
Arden

Arden

Blackwing Lair Raider
2,782
2,087
Springbok_sl said:
If you can go abroad, Cape Town really is the perfect city based on the criteria listed. Weather is amazing, city is vibrant, cultural and more importantly - drop dead gorgeous. The Rand is shit atm so your dollar will stretch a ton and a $500k home puts you in the best neighborhoods (camps bay, Clifton, etc). Plus, there are tons of cool hot chicks everywhere. Honestly, it's probably the best city in the world and if it was located anywhere other than lolafrica I think it'd be the most popular city around.
Click to expand...
Well, my max is like $350k. Never considered Africa, but pics of the Cape Town area look pretty nice and it's in a true Mediterranean climate zone. I'm pretty ignorant about South Africa, but isn't race violence and crime a pretty big concern there? And can I go swimming on those nice beaches without getting immediately eaten by a goddamn great white?
 
C

Column_sl

shitlord
9,833
7
Austin imho is the best place to live in the country right now, but you can't get anything affordable anymore since everyone knows about it.

I'm glad I live here, but the traffic does suck.

If you want the most bang for your buck, big house, all white neighborhood, lowest crime rate in the country, next to a metropolitan. Suburbs like League City right out of Houston are perfect for that, and you will never run out of things to do.

If you have to live inside a city tho then stick with your California plans.
 
Borzak

Borzak

Bronze Baron of the Realm
25,983
34,047
I guess I'm totally out of touch. No suprise. In the job I currently have they offered 3x salary to work in the bay area and 1.5 to move to Phoenix. Both were listed in this thread. No thanks.

On the Austin deal. Money is flowing in left and right. The company put me up in an apartment for 2 months while I looked for more suitable housing. These weren't high rise apartments or whatever. They were nice but just apartments. The guy next to me drove a maserati, the guy who parked a few spots from me drove a new ferarri. All that money flowing in is not helping housing cost I would assume outside of supply.
 
Springbok

Springbok

Karen
<Gold Donor>
9,524
14,108
Arden_sl said:
Well, my max is like $350k. Never considered Africa, but pics of the Cape Town area look pretty nice and it's in a true Mediterranean climate zone. I'm pretty ignorant about South Africa, but isn't race violence and crime a pretty big concern there? And can I go swimming on those nice beaches without getting immediately eaten by a goddamn great white?
Click to expand...
In my experience, in the nicer areas (350k is plenty) crime is no worse than in major US cities. Crime from the townships really inflates the crime statistics overall. The beaches in western cape are a lot like Cali - pretty cool water year round, but the further east you go the warmer the water. Race relations are definitely a concern, but no worse than Deep South usa
 
C

Column_sl

shitlord
9,833
7
Borzak_sl said:
I guess I'm totally out of touch. No suprise. In the job I currently have they offered 3x salary to work in the bay area and 1.5 to move to Phoenix. Both were listed in this thread. No thanks.

On the Austin deal. Money is flowing in left and right. The company put me up in an apartment for 2 months while I looked for more suitable housing. These weren't high rise apartments or whatever. They were nice but just apartments. The guy next to me drove a maserati, the guy who parked a few spots from me drove a new ferarri. All that money flowing in is not helping housing cost I would assume outside of supply.
Click to expand...
They just ran out of room it's a college town. They are starting to build out tho. Next 10 years it will get better, or worse depending on what side you sit on as an Austin resident.
 
Quaid

Quaid

Trump's Staff
11,801
8,199
Arden_sl said:
I'm ready to leave my current city and my job allows me to move just about anywhere, so I'm looking for an amazing place to live.

FoH/Rerolled community has been a fantastic resource for all kinds of great stuff over the years, so I'm turning to you guys now for your opinions on where I should go.

Here is my rating criteria. Note- *Everything* on this list isn't a necessity. I'm just looking for the best combination of things.

-Climate: Prefer mediterranean or semi-arid. Lots of sun. Long, warm, and dry summers with cool, short winters. Avoid places with excessively long, hot, humid summers or places with long, cold winters.

-Affordability: Pretty self-explanatory. I would like to buy property in the near future and would like to get the best bang for my buck. I can't afford somewhere like San Fran, DC, or NYC, but could probably swing most other places.

-Culture and Cuisine: Culture- Is the city a paragon of progressiveness or a stagnant backwater? Does the city have history? Style? Cleanliness? Personality? Does it get good music venues? Nightlife? Cuisine- how many good restaurants? Organic grocery stores/farmers markets?

-Convenience: How much of a headache is traffic? Easy public transportation? Overcrowded? High crime? Factor in the ability to live downtown and walkability. How is the shopping? Do you have to order everything online?

-Local Points of Interest: Fun things to do within 45 minutes of where you live. I'm big on the outdoors. Waterparks, music venues, beach, parks, mountains, hiking, rivers. General outdoor activities. Proximity to water/mountains is a big factor here.

-Nearby Points of Interest: Obviously, there are plenty of great places that don't necessarily have fun out door activities right in their back yard. Nearby points of interest include places that are a 3-hour or less drive away.

Cities currently on my short list:

Boulder, CO
San Diego, CA
Raleigh, NC (close to family in VA and that's another factor)
San Jose, CA

Obviously, all of those place aside from Raleigh have affordability issues.

If you know anything about those places (especially Boulder) or know of another cool place you would recommend, let me know!
Click to expand...
If I were you I'd give serious consideration to Asheville, NC. What you are describing is almost exactly that city. Only about 100k population, too. Place is legit.
 
Vaclav

Vaclav

Bronze Baronet of the Realm
12,650
877
CyrusReij_sl said:
Please don't recommend Florida to people. I know there are enough of us on this board to say that you should NEVER live here. Too much fucked up shit in this state. Awesome place to visit/vacation, but don't live here. The only positives is that real estate is dirt cheap across the state with obvious exceptions of say Miami, and no state income tax. However the people are generally horrendous (albeit the diversity is nice), and you have a shit ton of northeast transplants.

The fact that this subreddit is as popular as it is shows you just how much dumb shit happens in Florida:Florida Man!
Click to expand...
Since being here, I've heard of one oddity that occurred - in Titusville-ish which I directly recommended against. For Brevard that is.

As areas go Brevard is incredibly normal. =P
 
Arden

Arden

Blackwing Lair Raider
2,782
2,087
Quaid_sl said:
If I were you I'd give serious consideration to Asheville, NC. What you are describing is almost exactly that city. Only about 100k population, too. Place is legit.
Click to expand...
Yeah, had several friends from here (Savannah) recently move to Asheville. Pretty progressive place with an outstanding craft brew scene. Lots of mountain fun to be had, too. I took a long look at it. Just turned down a job opening there, actually, after some thought.

Problem is that it doesn't get me any closer to home (7+ hour drive) and if I'm going to be that far from home, I might as well pull the trigger on Boulder or SD.
 
Xeldar

Xeldar

Silver Squire
1,546
133
Phuket, Thailand. Where men are men, and so are half the women.

Tim+sharky+-+pro2.jpg
 
Borzak

Borzak

Bronze Baron of the Realm
25,983
34,047
Cousin posted a video on his faebook he took (as a passanger) behind a google self driving care in Austin yesterday. Good luck. They'll have to reprogram it since everyone knows "rules of the road" are just a suggestion in TX. I like it that way lol. Speed limit signs are really the minimum speed you need to not get run over.
 
AladainAF

AladainAF

Best Rabbit
<Gold Donor>
12,941
31,084
Borzak_sl said:
I guess I'm totally out of touch. No suprise. In the job I currently have they offered 3x salary to work in the bay area and 1.5 to move to Phoenix. Both were listed in this thread. No thanks.

On the Austin deal. Money is flowing in left and right. The company put me up in an apartment for 2 months while I looked for more suitable housing. These weren't high rise apartments or whatever. They were nice but just apartments. The guy next to me drove a maserati, the guy who parked a few spots from me drove a new ferarri. All that money flowing in is not helping housing cost I would assume outside of supply.
Click to expand...
lol, you couldn't pay me a million bucks to move to California. It's a great place to visit but after a week I'm ready to get the fuck out.

About Austin -- TBH, and I'm not kidding, its all the fucking people from California moving here selling their 3 bedroom 2 bathroom 1000sq ft shack for $900k, and then moving to Austin and saying "OMG I can buy a 5 bedroom 3 bathroom 3000 sq ft house for 250k brand new!?", buying it and then having 500k+ left over to .. buy a ferrari with, of course.

Seriously, Austin is really a bad ass place, but I've lived here since 1992, and I can tell you that Austin today is no where even remotely close to how amazing it was then. In typical Cali fashion though, they have moved in in droves, bulldozed everything cool, put urban rail here, and peppered the skyline with nothing but condo towers. It's really gone downhill from what it was, but is still considered by most to be an amazing place. But know that its still no where near as great as it was. Not even close.

I live in Bee Cave, which is basically rich whiteville much nicer than Austin itself (for my style). But when people are looking for a really cool city to move to, Austin is still pretty nice overall.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.