If you left California, where would you move?

ringer

Tom Curren status
Aug 2, 2002
11,341
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Huntington Beach, California
Thought long and hard about where I would live next and decided surfing was no longer a factor in the decision making process for a multitude of reasons. That then lead me to base my search around my two other favorite pastimes, mt biking and snowboarding.

After an exhaustive online search of what was available for purchase in every single town of the mountain west I struck gold.

There is still affordable land/homes in Southern Colorado but it is going fast. In the time it took to complete the title process my property had appreciated significantly.

One thing that can be factored into the budget if you play your cards right is the lack of property taxes. My property retained the agricultural zoning of the OG ranch they created the subdivision from. $68.14/year
My daughter lives and works in Durango, in southwestern Colorado. She loves it there, and we love visiting her. That town is kind of in a higher real estate bubble than other areas in southern Colorado. Gorgeous scenery around there.
 

SeaFoamGreen

Gerry Lopez status
Apr 10, 2009
1,250
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NorOR
Never lived in SoCal, but if someone in say Encinitas or Ventura who's owned as long as I have in Portland, said lets trade houses, I probably wouldn't have to think about it for to long. Always wanted to live in SLO having worked for a company that had an office there and on many projects in the area, just could never land the jobs I interviewed for.
 
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casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
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Petak Island
I would love to move to Australia or New Zealand, but apparently they don't accept old, broke losers like me. My grandparents were Canadian on one side and English on the other, so I'm kind of wondering if I can get dual citizenship somehow. The U.S. is no place to be old and broke.
I hate the idea of giving up surfing, but it's so f*cking crowded now I'm hardly doing it anymore anyway.

 

Sharkbiscuit

Duke status
Aug 6, 2003
26,252
19,081
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Jacksonville Beach
That's the thing, though. I'm kind of over the heat here. I spend half the year dreading the other half. I just want to sit inside on a rainy day and listen to Joy Division while I cut myself and eat haggis.
Is the cost of living worse than Los Angeles? Jeebus. :foreheadslap:
I don't know about cost of living in the UK at large, but London will lighten your lootcount. Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, Vancouver, Toronto, and London are regularly at the top of unaffordable lists, often a bit above LA.

If you want to turn the temps and the costs down, Buffalo, Rochester, Detroit and Cleveland will deliver on those fronts. Promise.
 

stringcheese

Miki Dora status
Jun 21, 2017
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Wanted a slower pace of life, some acreage in the "country" and still be near some bigger cities. Another big reason is that Tennessee is one of 7 or 8 (i forget) states that has no state income tax. Will be especially nice when I retire. So got a flying job out here.

So far, the people out here have been really great. Its just different than California and that's exactly what we wanted. It's weird though, since I was born and raised in Southern California. It's all I've ever known.

Stringcheese, bless your heart... :cheers:
Hope you could tell I was just joking, good luck out there! Try not to pick up the accent, or bring back any recluse spiders to Fresno when you visit. They certainly don't need a breakout of necrotic wounds to go with their meth problem. Oh and get your season tickets now with the playoff package. This year, from all Jaguars fans, fvck you Tennessee, and the Julio Jones-Derek Henry two horse carriage you'll in all likelihood ride into the afc championship on.
 

Sharkbiscuit

Duke status
Aug 6, 2003
26,252
19,081
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Jacksonville Beach
Hope you could tell I was just joking, good luck out there! Try not to pick up the accent, or bring back any recluse spiders to Fresno when you visit. They certainly don't need a breakout of necrotic wounds to go with their meth problem. Oh and get your season tickets now with the playoff package. This year, from all Jaguars fans, fvvk you Tennessee, and the Julio Jones-Derek Henry two horse carriage you'll in all likelihood ride into the afc championship on.
Jacksonville is going to trade Minshew to Houston for a 2022 sixth rounder, and Minshew's going to drop like 4 toucherinos while Sunshine slings picks in their divisional games.

I love Timmy and I liked Urbans tenure with my Gators but I don't think this college meme sh!t works in the NFL.
 
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Bob

Michael Peterson status
Apr 23, 2001
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Oxnard
My daughter lives and works in Durango, in southwestern Colorado. She loves it there, and we love visiting her. That town is kind of in a higher real estate bubble than other areas in southern Colorado. Gorgeous scenery around there.
Good resort nearby. Great riding!
 

ringer

Tom Curren status
Aug 2, 2002
11,341
611
113
Huntington Beach, California
Jacksonville is going to trade Minshew to Houston for a 2022 sixth rounder, and Minshew's going to drop like 4 toucherinos while Sunshine slings picks in their divisional games.

I love Timmy and I liked Urbans tenure with my Gators but I don't think this college meme sh!t works in the NFL.
Laviska Shenault is the baddest receiver in the NFL and will have a breakout season with the Jags if he can stay healthy.
 
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Sharkbiscuit

Duke status
Aug 6, 2003
26,252
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Jacksonville Beach
Laviska Shenault is the baddest receiver in the NFL and will have a breakout season with the Jags if he can stay healthy.
Buffs homer detected!
Rookie coach, rookie QB, no O-line? Drugs are bad, mmmkay.

If we're being homers, my Giants drafted Kadarius Toney from my Gators. He chased a bookie named Tay Bang across campus with an AR-15. As a true freshman. Laviska, Shmashmiska.
 
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Chocki

Phil Edwards status
Feb 18, 2007
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My daughter lives and works in Durango, in southwestern Colorado. She loves it there, and we love visiting her. That town is kind of in a higher real estate bubble than other areas in southern Colorado. Gorgeous scenery around there.
Good for her. From what little I know about Durango I’m not surprised you all love it. I call the stretch from there to Del Norte the land that time forgot.

Pagosa’s nice but not cheap either and when you Google map the affordable property listings they’re pretty far from town when you consider how sketch the road could get in the winter. That and it isn’t exactly cheap to buy a house in town either.

The area in general isnt going to be undiscovered for much longer.
There’s no Whole Foods anywhere, yet. But there are new businesses that are indicative of change.
Compared to every other mtn town in the west the area’s a steal.

The only 2 bed condo in Telluride under 2 mil. 1.9 lol. They’d bought it 4 mos ago and then jacked the price by $250k. Wtf.

There was some other town in Washington or Idaho where it was a full on superfund site and still expensive.

Or Bozeman Montana where $500k = zero listings/access denied

I read on two occasions on the TGR forums where people said as good as the skiing was at insert name of big mt here it was too crowded too expensive too played out etc and despite living there for 20 years they were over it and leaving for a small town with a small ski area nearby.

That said life in the valley isn’t for everyone it’s always windy, can get really cold at night, and there can be large snow accumulations in short periods of time (72”/36 hrs). People leave.

I was very tempted to purchase in the Ghost Mine Ranch just so I could say I lived there.
 

stringcheese

Miki Dora status
Jun 21, 2017
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Jacksonville is going to trade Minshew to Houston for a 2022 sixth rounder, and Minshew's going to drop like 4 toucherinos while Sunshine slings picks in their divisional games.

I love Timmy and I liked Urbans tenure with my Gators but I don't think this college meme sh!t works in the NFL.
Gardner Minshew in scizor cut jean shorts jumping off a rooftop into an above ground pool with a coor's light in each hand is Florida's state bird. He isn't going anywhere, I mean my man rents an apartment in a complex with a shared grill, he's committed.
 

VonMeister

Duke status
Apr 26, 2013
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JOE BIDENS RAPE FINGER
I don't know about cost of living in the UK at large, but London will lighten your lootcount. Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, Vancouver, Toronto, and London are regularly at the top of unaffordable lists, often a bit above LA.

If you want to turn the temps and the costs down, Buffalo, Rochester, Detroit and Cleveland will deliver on those fronts. Promise.
If you want to go midwest...Detroit and Americas hidden gem...Indianapolis.

Bath in the UK is a great town and a bit more affordable than London....the surrounding villages even more so. You would still be within a couple hours to most anywhere in London. Sydney is ridiculously expensive but a kickass city. Toronto is Canada's answer for Cleveland. I would say the only thing Canada has of any value are strip bars. Auckland sucks. There is no where on earth more overrated than New Zealand. Shitty surf, shitty weather, shitty food. Some nice areas to look at but spare the expense and drive up Highway 1 to Monterey and then head over to Yosemite.

If you have the time and a nest egg start in the Netherlands and figure out where to go from there.
 
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PeterDj

Legend (inyourownmind)
Jul 11, 2018
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Nicaragua and El Salvador are looking like better options every time I visit. Especially considering El Salvador is now using Bit Coin as currency with Geothermal power to do their mining etc... I won't be surprised if Nicaragua follows soon and does the same.
 

casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
43,203
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Petak Island
If you want to go midwest...Detroit and Americas hidden gem...Indianapolis.
I have lived in Indianapolis.

You don't want to live there.

Really, you don't. I mean it.

There is a reason they call it "Indiana Noplace".

And it's absolute torture knowing it can be firing in New Jersey and you're a 12 hr easy freeway drive away.
 
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casa_mugrienta

Duke status
Apr 13, 2008
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IMO the hidden gem of that zone is... Kentucky.

Beautiful state. Hiking and rock climbing. Cozy feeling small towns.

Fall colors there are jaw dropping.

You'll hear residents of Indiana bash it as hicks and hillbillies... probably because their state just sucks so bad.

Lexington is a 9 hour drive to Virginia Beach.
 
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bluemarlin04

Michael Peterson status
Aug 13, 2015
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IMO the hidden gem of that zone is... Kentucky.

Beautiful state. Hiking and rock climbing. Cozy feeling small towns.

Fall colors there are jaw dropping.

You'll hear residents of Indiana bash it as hicks and hillbillies... probably because their state just sucks so bad.

Lexington is a 9 hour drive to Virginia Beach.
Kentucky is really nice.

Esp the City area.