where would you move if you could live anywhere in the US?

[Anonymous]

If we won the lottery and didn't have to work, we'd move back to San Antonio, TX, where my family lives and where we lived for three years. We adored it there. We lived in a neighborhood close to downtown with lots of diversity and very progressive neighbors. I visited a few weeks ago and felt very nostaligic. I would love to retire there someday.

[Anonymous]

OP, now we have more detail, it sounds like SF would be perfect for you, and you two would be among the few who could afford to live there. Do it! It has everything you are looking for. We would be there in a heart beat if we could afford it.

[Anonymous]

Boulder, Denver, Portland, Seattle, Chicago... I would consider any of those, leaning toward Colorado--it is just soooo beautifully laid back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If we won the lottery and didn't have to work, we'd move back to San Antonio, TX, where my family lives and where we lived for three years. We adored it there. We lived in a neighborhood close to downtown with lots of diversity and very progressive neighbors. I visited a few weeks ago and felt very nostaligic. I would love to retire there someday.

what neighborhood? My husband's cousin lives in a nice neighborhood somewhere close to downtown. I want to say Alamo Heights? I could be wrong. My in-laws call them "oh-niners", which is some reference to their zip code. I frankly dislike the rest of the area, but their neighborhood is nice.

[Anonymous]

Those of you who say Philly - any recommendations for nice towns in the suburbs? DH may have an opportunity to work in his Delaware office, but we'd prefer to live in Pennsylvania.

[Anonymous]

Back home to Berkeley, CA. In a heartbeat...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those of you who say Philly - any recommendations for nice towns in the suburbs? DH may have an opportunity to work in his Delaware office, but we'd prefer to live in Pennsylvania.

Cheltenham is diverse, and has good schools, and a train line to the city. But its at the north end, which might make a longer commute to DE.

Ardmore sounds like a place you might like a bit west of the city.

Merion and Lower Merion have some diversity, but not quite as much, I think... Excellent public schools though.

In the city, you might like Chestnut Hill & Mount Airy. Possibly sections of West Phila. but there's less green there; it's grittier, though it's around Penn.

Same for center city/"down town."

[Anonymous]

Another vote for San Diego!

[Anonymous]

Another vote for Raleigh nc. Dc's my favorite city, but Raleigh's a close second. It's beautiful, well designed and people are nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Those of you who say Philly - any recommendations for nice towns in the suburbs? DH may have an opportunity to work in his Delaware office, but we'd prefer to live in Pennsylvania.

Cheltenham is diverse, and has good schools, and a train line to the city. But its at the north end, which might make a longer commute to DE.

Ardmore sounds like a place you might like a bit west of the city.

Merion and Lower Merion have some diversity, but not quite as much, I think... Excellent public schools though.

In the city, you might like Chestnut Hill & Mount Airy. Possibly sections of West Phila. but there's less green there; it's grittier, though it's around Penn.

Same for center city/"down town."

Thanks pp, I'm not the OP, but I have similar desires for a new town.

[Anonymous]

I posted earlier with Vancouver/Denver/Dallas. With those details I think you would really like Seattle. Specifically Mercer Island or Bellevue. Seattle has a well-educated population and thriving arts scene.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here

thanks to all! I am going to comb through this post and make a list and start researching areas one by one. As I mentioned in my initial post, we're both in healthcare (physician and nurse practitioner) so we're very flexible when it comes to finding employment. Our salaries would likely be similar (if not higher) elsewhere than they are in DC.

However, that is besides the point. We're moving mostly because we want to drastically simplify our lives. Also, I'd love to live in a community where there are some white collar professionals (academics, doctors, lawyers, IT professionals) but also the whole range of blue collar jobs. I don't need to live on the same block as my plumber or hairdresser but I'd like to rub shoulders at the grocery store, attend the same church, have our children attend the same school, etc. In NW DC our world is almost 99% wealthy and ultra educated. It's fine and exciting and stimulating but it's just not for us and not what we want to live around for the next 40 years. Also, in DC (outside of Takoma which we live no where near) there are no hippies, no artists, etc. Even the college kids around here are ultra preppy (where are the starving artist alternative/grunge kids?) I hope to find some of that where we move next.

Someone else mentioned SF for you, but honestly, I think San Diego could be a great fit for you. Tons of healthcare but not as ridiculous expensive and lacks the NorCal snobbery (think the South Park episode with SF being infested with "smug").

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here

thanks to all! I am going to comb through this post and make a list and start researching areas one by one. As I mentioned in my initial post, we're both in healthcare (physician and nurse practitioner) so we're very flexible when it comes to finding employment. Our salaries would likely be similar (if not higher) elsewhere than they are in DC.

However, that is besides the point. We're moving mostly because we want to drastically simplify our lives. Also, I'd love to live in a community where there are some white collar professionals (academics, doctors, lawyers, IT professionals) but also the whole range of blue collar jobs. I don't need to live on the same block as my plumber or hairdresser but I'd like to rub shoulders at the grocery store, attend the same church, have our children attend the same school, etc. In NW DC our world is almost 99% wealthy and ultra educated. It's fine and exciting and stimulating but it's just not for us and not what we want to live around for the next 40 years. Also, in DC (outside of Takoma which we live no where near) there are no hippies, no artists, etc. Even the college kids around here are ultra preppy (where are the starving artist alternative/grunge kids?) I hope to find some of that where we move next.

OP, you might consider Indiana, actually, especially a college town. We don't have too many "hippies" per se but we have a lot of organic farming types. And Amish which is sort of like a hippie in a bonnet. Everything else we fit your description perfectly.

[Anonymous]

To the PP discussing San Diego and San Francisco - I have been considering moving to the west coast as I'm really tiring of DC after being here for a long time. It'd be just me picking up and moving, though only after finding a job. I've been told to try either San Diego or San Francisco, but I really don't know which is for me. How big are the cultural differences between the two cities, if there are any?

I'm also nervous about a big move to the other side of the country because there are a lot of things I like about DC: the internationalism and global awareness and the fact that it's not a huge city (which is part of why I don't really want to move to NYC). I also like the fact that we experience all four seasons. I'm not a hippie or hipster. I'm a fan of the walkability of NYC and DC. I just want to try something new while I'm still relatively young and not tied down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those of you who say Philly - any recommendations for nice towns in the suburbs? DH may have an opportunity to work in his Delaware office, but we'd prefer to live in Pennsylvania.

why? I assume the office is in Wilmington. there are some nice parts of DE, too. Many of my former classmates lived in the more upscale parts of town, and they were lovely. Plus, no sales tax