Where should we move to?
Where would you like to live or retire in the US?
The question becomes difficult to answer when family, friends and work are NOT part of the equation. Usually people relocate based on one of those three things.
Most people want to live in an area with a low crime rate, great schools, a warm climate, affordable housing, plentiful jobs and good hospitals.
Even so, not everyone will agree about the best place to live. Some people prefer mountains, some prefer the desert or maybe the ocean.
We are still not sure where to go, even after going through the Forbes “Best Places to Live” list and other similar web sites.
We are self employed and have a child with special needs. We are originally from Illinois but we have lived in Arizona for the past decade. We are looking for a change outside of these two states but we will likely travel back to Arizona in the winters if we will be living in a cold climate.
Criteria
We need to be within a 10 or 20 minute drive to a very good hospital.
Must be within a 45 minute drive to a reputable children’s hospital.
Must have excellent schools and a low crime rate.
There must be fun things for kids nearby, like a big city zoo, parks and recreation.
Fair weather with four seasons (or at least a little snow in the winter).
Elevation must be less than 4,000 feet at all times (cannot travel above this altitude).
We want to live in the country and we need a minimum of 7 acres for horses.
We are looking for privacy, nice views and clean air.
We like trees and green grass, not so much rocks, sand and cactus.
Shouldn’t be too cold in the winter or too hot or humid in the summer.
Cannot be further east than Ohio.
Oregon, Washington state, Colorado, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee are all out of the question.
Needs to be within a 50 minute drive to a big city with an international airport.
We don’t want to spend more than 5k for a 2400 square foot house in nice shape on at least 7 acres for horses, just a little outside of town.
Tax rates, short term economic growth and real estate trends do not concern us much, however we don’t want to live in an unclean area.
I work at home and do not need to commute anywhere. Satellite internet and a regular telephone keep me in business.
We realize that not all of the criteria can be met, so everything is listed in descending order of importance.
You can either respond here or visit our site at http://www.relocationcontest.com
2 Responses
sea monkey
06 Feb 2010
Putts
06 Feb 2010
Well, other than the climate, Fargo North Dakota may fit all of your criteria. I moved here from the west coast about seven years ago, and love it. The winters suck, yes, but there is almost zero crime (a string of bike thefts made the news last month), our economy is rock solid, very good hospitals, housing market is down but improving (you can find a brand new house in town for around 130k), lots of property available out of town too. For a larger town (98,000 city, 170,000 metro) it has a small town feel. People help each other out here. But at least look into Fargo. Other than that, I’d say Oregon, but the economy is pretty shabby right now. Fargo also has an international airport with direct flights to a lot of places and usually just one stop to anywhere else.
i suggest either going to the library reference section or buying this book – places rated almanac. i have used it for several moves. it rates over 350 places in north america. i think this will help you.