I didn’t have time to read all the responses, but Florida would be good, if that was not already mentioned. The U of Florida is a good state university with a good acceptance rate, there is no state income tax and Disney World and the beach are just a drive away.
I like Orlando … all the theme parks, restaurants, performing arts center and an international airport that will get you anywhere, including to fly to see your oldest kid. It’s also not too hot. I lived in Miami Beach for 11 years …. too bloody hot.
And when your kids have kids of their own, you can lure them home to visit with built in trips to the Magic Kingdom.
She did. I believe it was a two fold reason…IIRC she moved from California…and the cost of living in NC coupled with the great public universities at a reasonable cost were her reasons.
Here is a reply she posted when I commented that some folks moved to NC…
“ @thumper1 Yep we sure do. MOVED 3200+ miles in a Uhaul. And still here!! 3 of the 5 kiddos have 6 degrees from the UNC system ( BS and grad degrees)!
Being in-state for NC is such a gift. The 4 year universities are fantastic and the junior colleges provide such a treasure trove of academic opportunities and some of the lowest prices in the US.
Where else can you pay such low tuition for community college and medical school?? And we left CA for NC! Best move we ever made.
Be sure to double check the ‘in state tuition’ rules for whichever state you’re seriously considering. There can be some variation from 1 state to another. Sometimes, you just have to have spent senior year in that state, whereas for other states, it has to be the last 2-3 years of high school.
Austin TX. It’s a booming place with a lot of tech companies. Real estates are still relatively cheap.
Charlotte NC climate is nice, but housing is quite expensive now.
I have siblings at both of those places. My niece went to chapel hill for almost nothing. I also have a sibling around SAn Fran. The weather is great, but very expensive. My nephews from SF ended up going to school in NY.
California community college in-state tuition is lower than North Carolina community college in-state tuition. However, North Carolina definitely wins for in-state public medical school tuition.
My family is a Jersey family since coming over here in the late 1800’s early 1900’s, heck my mom was the youngest to ever move from Jersey City in 1966. It’s the same with my husband’s family. We love most things here except COL and traffic, and everyone we know who left the state misses everything here except for COL and traffic. My husband and daughter are Rutgers graduates and got a great education. It’s not for everyone, no hand holding, but everything you need is there, you just need to find it. New Jersey public universities are still expensive for in state students compared to other state schools, are there are no good programs for top students, unlike FL, GA or TX to name a few.
Lol that might be in our future! I have family in Wall and Manasquan, friends in Toms River (but they want to move south) and outside A/C (all from up here), friends in Allentown and Pennsauken. My daughter at Clemson just asked us to retire somewhere and get a boat, friends down there have boats. My husband is 100% remote, and I see many moving down the shore on my Facebook feed and IRL.
We moved from upstate NY to NC 25 years ago - best decision ever!
Anyone considering NC is a little late to the game for affordable housing. If you’re looking at the Raleigh or Charlotte area (both cities are fantastic) and even Wilmington, the housing prices are skyrocketing, and inventory is very low. Many people making offers sight unseen. Shortages on building products is a huge contributing factor. If you choose the rural areas, there will be more affordable housing but you’d be sacrificing better school districts and close proximity to shopping, entertainment, restaurants, etc.
Even just over the border into SC (commutable to Charlotte), housing is getting very competitive and schools are capping enrollment.
I would think the housing market in general will also make an impact on your decision of location. With housing prices up, inventory down and above-asking offers rampant, location could really impact the type of house you can get for your $500K. Are you looking to be city-near? Suburbs? Rural?
Not sure what type of home you’ll be leaving behind but what are your home needs? While $500K would still buy a very nice home in our area (Ohio), other popular regions it might just buy your standard 3 bed, 2 bath home???
I tell ya, Michigan is looking better all the time…
Colorado does tick a lot of your boxes except for housing affordability. The average home price in Denver is nearly $700k. After the devastating Marshall Fire, prices will likely go higher as more buyers compete for a limited supply. Homes in excellent school districts will cost more.
If you want the west at an affordable price, check out Albuquerque, Bozeman, Boise, or Salt Lake City.
ETA: Although Denver is not the only city in Colorado, it fits the other criteria: close to a good airport and less than three hours from major ski resorts. The better school districts are also in the Denver-Boulder corridor.
Politics may or may not affect day-to-day quality-of-life, depending on the person and particular aspect of politics.
For example, some “very conservative” politics may not be too friendly to minorities (example from a few years ago). Obviously, members of minority groups may be more concerned about such things than those who are not members of minority groups.
Another aspect where politics can intrude on quality-of-life is COVID-19 mitigation – mitigation measures can be an “infringement on freedoms” or lack of such can be an “imminent danger to life and health”, depending on the person.
I know that Utah would not fit the bill as being liberal, but I think it checks a lot of your boxes. Our family does a lot of skiing in the winter (20 plus days) and we always enjoy our time staying in Salt Lake and skiing the various resorts nearby. Utah also has beautiful National parks and lots of hiking.
Thanks for this. If my D22 ends up studying and then settling in the US, there’s a good chance we’d come back. So, just thought I’d get a sense check of how political differences might play out in daily life in a region I am less familiar with.
