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Anonymous wrote:Yes, I left with a job that paiys more than I was making in DC. Housing is 50% less per SF, daycare is half the price. Schools are good and private/parochial schools are reasonably affordable for mere mortals. Spouse works PT for his old employer and travels back 1x/month; is also doing consulting on the side in the new location. It's been the best decision we ever made and everyone is happier. Grateful for my time in DC and the opportunities and friendships it afforded me, but I don't miss it for one second.

Where did you move to?

PP from Charleston here. It is true about local schools; they are not too hot. Mt. Pleasant area seems quite liberal though, at least in terms of taxes. I have not researched the schools, but medical care is excellent. I guess every place has a feel, and different people don't have to like the same things. I moved here from southern New Hampshire, and the place instantly surprised me with the number of people who can actually pronounce my name correctly. As far as taxes... Honestly, I'm tired of paying and not getting shit for it. I would gladly pay a much higher rate if we had some real safety nets to show for it. But as things stand now, I'm looking to move to a state without a state income tax.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would look out west. Though places like Charlotte, Research Triangle and Charleston actually are pretty cool, I could never live in a Red State shithole with draconian laws and backasswards policies that would treat my wife, minority and gay friends like 2nd class citizens. No way I would raise my kids around such privilege.

Denver/Boulder would probably be my first choice, if wanting cheaper cost of living, good jobs, and laid back lifestyle. Philly would also be in consideration, though you'd need to go to the 'burbs to get good schools. I have good friends in Santa Fe and they absolutely love it and have small children. Not sure what the school situation is like out there.

Yikes! So angry!

I'm not angry; my eyes are just open to the truth of the place

Many more people would actually consider moving there if the Southern governments would stop actively discriminating against and demonizing anyone who isn't a straight white male or a submissive white Christian wife.

Until then, there's no way in hell I would expose my children to such a toxic environment. Those aren't the values I'm looking to pass along to my children. Furthermore, we have no family there and very few friends. There's no reason for us to make that move.

The South is also cheap and low COL for good reasons. Low wages, low educational levels, lack of marketable skills, etc. It's the plantation economy in a modernized form, IMHO.

Sorry, PP, but you do sound angry, or at least secretly envious of a place you would love to move to but for whatever reason think you won't fit in. A "toxic environment?" Please.

Charlotte is a nice town, but it is true that a lot of it is suburb. If you want to live in the core area it will be expensive. Myers Park, and Dilworth and Uptown are just as expensive as the close in DC areas, albeit you will get more square footage for your million bucks. The difference is that in DC the suburbs with nice schools are still crazy expensive, where they are not as expensive in Charlotte. The traffic is terrible there and there is No Public transportation to speak of.
We almost took a job there and heavily researched the real estate market. The city was fun and we would have loved living there, but it's not as exciting as DC.

We lived in Charleston, SC for 9 years. Great city, but the schools are not so hot. The cost of living is better than DC, but not terrific if you want to live close to all of the cool things it has to offer. The proximity to the beach was nice. It's getting better, but most of the jobs are in tourism/medicine. It won't have nearly the opportunities. I'm a southerner, and while I don't bash the South, I will say that the general demeanor is tiring. It's very conservative, even in Charleston, which is the most liberal part of the state. While, the social implications of this can be annoying, the really bad part is that people don't want to pay taxes for services like good schools.

We lived in Ann Arbor, MI for four years. This was awesome. Growing in terms of tech jobs. Affordable living even close to downtown, vibrant city center. Close to activities and pro sports in Detroit. U of M there for activities and employment. Just awesome college town. Awesome Schools. Winters not terrible since you are on the eastern part of the state, and summer were glorious. I'd move back in a heartbeat.

We currently live in Madison, WI. This is very similar to Ann Arbor. The things to add are lakes and proximity to Chicago. The Winters are bad though. The schools are very good. Even more of College town feel than Ann Arbor I like it here a lot.

We are still looking to go to DC for job opportunities and because We want to try living in a real city with all the amenities while we are still young. I hope we don't regret the decision.

Anonymous wrote:One thing I would consider about where I'd move is the effect global warming is/will have on the area over the next decades: drought and wildfires in the West, rising seas in coastal areas, larger tornadoes/hurricanes in the South.

Which is precisely why I chose to live in the Midwest at the top of a hill.

Anonymous wrote:Would love to move but can't due to husband's job based here...

I would go back to the Midwest. To many of you, that is flyover country. I want my big house and friendly people and easy commutes again.

salivate when I think of it...

Don't give up the dream. . .just made it back after 10 years in exile and it's great!

Yes, I left with a job that paiys more than I was making in DC. Housing is 50% less per SF, daycare is half the price. Schools are good and private/parochial schools are reasonably affordable for mere mortals. Spouse works PT for his old employer and travels back 1x/month; is also doing consulting on the side in the new location. It's been the best decision we ever made and everyone is happier. Grateful for my time in DC and the opportunities and friendships it afforded me, but I don't miss it for one second.

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Anonymous wrote:my wife and i have been here for over 4 years and plan to head back to the philadelphia area in the next 1-3 years. dc is a great city but the COL is prohibitive, even if you make a very good living. we still plan to spend a lot of money on a house ($1 million +) but I am excited at the prospect of an actual large house and yard.

good choice. main-line realestate stock is much nicer than stuff worth 2x-3x here.

this is what we are trying to do but having a difficult time with my husband breaking into the job market there. I can do EA work from anywhere, but him....it's much harder. We want to move to Philly to be closer to family. the job thing seems daunting though

Yes, the ability "to support a blog" will be the deciding factor in where I will live LOL

If these other places are so great, why are they on Dcum to discuss? They probably are unable to support blog like this. That's a telling sign. Good luck!

The southern bashers are morins who have no idea what they are talking about.

I visited Crestview, FL and fell in love with the beaches. I am a big beach buff, so if I had an employment opportunity in the Pensacola area, I'd move in a heartbeat. The area seemed like a bunch of very typical coastal communities.

We’re in the same boat. From this area but tired of the COL, traffic, and fast pace. We started looking at the RTP but I think we’ve ultimately decided on the FL panhandle. Specifically a town called Gulf Breeze outside of Pensacola. Is anyone else familiar with that area? Thanks

Anonymous wrote:If you are used to DC, and have no existing family ties to the South, be VERY careful about moving there. It may seem to be all good weather and low housing costs but in many ways, you are essentially moving to a different country.

YMMV. We moved to Charleston, SC. Love it, love it, love it. Love the South overall. I guess I am not to hung up on "draconian laws" as a PP put it. In fact, I have no idea what he or she is talking about... I am as foreign as they get (1st generation immigrant), and expected a fair degree of alienation. I got nothing but acceptance though. (This place is full of transplants anyway, maybe that's why.)