Help me decide where to live

[Anonymous]

Pittsburgh.
Anything in the south will give you a similar culture to what you are experiencing now and disliking.
Pittsburgh has some great neighborhoods and there is a lot to do there. You will have wider net of people to meet in an urban environment. You can take trips to coastal areas. Hurricanes and coastal erosion aren't going away. That goes for New York and New Jersey too. I wouldn't buy near the coast these days.

[Anonymous]

DH and I lived in Pittsburgh for a few years, and we loved it there. It's a great city, so much to do. I honestly didn't feel like the weather was that gloomy, although objectively they do get a lot of gray days. I'd happily move back.

[Anonymous]

Pittsburgh

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Due to a confluence of events, landed in an Appalachian college town four years ago and have not taken a liking to it despite my best efforts: its homogenous, dull, ugly, the people are kind of boring/cliquey - this is a really difficult point for me, as I’ve never had trouble making friends (have lived in multiple US states and overseas) - and I’m in a state that’s much maligned, and I’ve come to understand why.

I’m in a new remote role, with the understanding I’ll be on site a couple of times a year. My husband is also fully remote and just secured a five-year contract continuing his remote status.

Our options:

1-Stay. Obviously the easiest, but I really can’t see it. I *hate* it here and get depressed if I don’t get out of town at least once a month. It has had no redeeming qualities in my eyes.

2 - Move to Pittsburgh. This is the closest “large” city to us and is kinda sorta midway between DHs family and mine (2h 40m drive to his, 4 h drive to mine). I’ve identified a few neighborhoods I like and would enjoy the proximity to culture (again, finally, thank goodness) but it’s still a very snowy, cloudy, grey place, which is one of the things I don’t like about where we are now.

3 - Move to Baltimore County. I’m a DC native but for a variety of reasons do not want to live in DC again, not least of which is cost. BC will provide me/us proximity to my family with enough distance. IF my husband were ever to go back into an office, it would be in DC and I think Baltimore County would be manageable for this. Like I said though; they’ve been remote since Covid and are assured to be remote for the next five years. My company is fully remote and has employees across the country.

4 - Move somewhere we really want to live, likely a coastal town in the south. I’m sure this will get no votes but every time we travel to the beach we fantasize about moving there.

Three kids, 10, 8, and 2. HHI $330k. Love to hear your recommendations/thoughts/if you’ve BTDT.

#3 sounds the most logical by far.
#4 is bad idea because any place you like to vacation, you won't like long after living there for a while, then you are stuck in a place you don't want to stay and also ruined your vacation spot.
#2 is Pittsburg. Pitts. It is. You won't like it if you don't like where you are now.
#1 is obviously out since you are suffering there.