Places If you HAD to relocate ...

[cololi]

Portland
San Fran
Sonoma
Jackson Hole WY
Vancouver
North shore Lake Tahoe
San Clemente, CA


Someone actually said St George, UT? Why?

 

[Tresmo]

Portland
San Fran
Sonoma
Jackson Hole WY
Vancouver
North shore Lake Tahoe
San Clemente, CA


Someone actually said St George, UT? Why?

It's close to all the national parks with great hiking.

 

[biscuit]

If I had to relocate I suppose it would be some locale that made it worth my while financially. Otherwise, and family withstanding, I'd love to go to some place on the Oregon coast, or Switzerland. I mean, I did take German in college just in case the opportunity ever arose..

 

[natski]

Hmm ok let me have a go at this...

1. Paris
2. New York
3. Darwin, Australia
4. Wellington NZ
5. Lake Taupo, NZ
6. French Riveria
7. Southern Highlands/snowfields NSW- Say Jindabyne/Kosiusko area
8. Whitsundays, Qld, Aus
9. Bath, Uk
10. Port Stephens area, NSW, Aus.

 

[tsc]

Ok... I don't stray fah from NY...

1. Provincetown, MA
2. Burlington, VT
3. Ithaca, NY
4. Larchmont, NY
5. Kingston, Ontario, Canada
6. Seattle, WA
7. Croton-on-Hudson, NY
8. Northport, NY
9. Mystic, CT
10. Portland, ME (although a bit too cold for me...)

 

[Hceux]

5. Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Just out of curiousity,would this be related to the unusually intact downtown core in this city, its downtown ending at the harbour area, and/or its variety or historic homes?

 

[EastCoastLoyalty]

nyc
philly
nyc
philly
nyc

the soon to be largest metro area in the world.

 

[TexanOkie]

In no order:

San Jose, CA
Phoenix/Tempe, AZ
San Antonio, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Chattanooga, TN
St. Petersburg/Tampa, FL
San Diego, CA
New Orleans, LA (yes, even now)
Tulsa, OK
Sherman Oaks/Encino, Los Angeles, CA
Albuquerque, NM
Kansas City area, MO/KS

 

[TexanOkie]

In no order:

San Jose, CA
Phoenix/Tempe, AZ
San Antonio, TX
Fort Worth, TX
Chattanooga, TN
St. Petersburg/Tampa, FL
San Diego, CA
New Orleans, LA (yes, even now)
Tulsa, OK
Sherman Oaks/Encino, Los Angeles, CA
Albuquerque, NM
Kansas City area, MO/KS

Ok, some foreign places to add:

Monterrey (Mexico)
São Paulo/Santos (Brazil)
Manila (Philippines)
Bangkok (Thailand)
Tel Aviv (Israel)
Murcia (Spain)

 

[CJC]

Ok, some foreign places to add:

Monterrey (Mexico)
São Paulo/Santos (Brazil)
Manila (Philippines)
Bangkok (Thailand)
Tel Aviv (Israel)
Murcia (Spain)

Ok, you've made me curious - why Sao Paulo? It's certainly an interesting city, but I'd be interested in why you would put it above all other Brazilian cities (my two faves being Fortaleza in the northeast and Curitiba in the south). Anything in particular?

 

[TexanOkie]

Ok, you've made me curious - why Sao Paulo? It's certainly an interesting city, but I'd be interested in why you would put it above all other Brazilian cities (my two faves being Fortaleza in the northeast and Curitiba in the south). Anything in particular?

Economics, predominantly.
That plus the immense density and area.

 

[Jeff]

If cost was no factor:

San Diego, CA
Cape May, NJ
San Diego, CA
Cape May, NJ
San Diego, CA
Cape May, NJ
San Diego, CA
Cape May, NJ

 

[jmello]

Ok... I don't stray fah from NY...

1. Provincetown, MA

Have you been there in the winter? It is like an isolated sub-arctic ghost town.

 

[jread]

1. Portland, OR
2. Seattle, WA
3. Galway, Ireland
4. Auckland, New Zealand
5. Adelaide, Australia
6. Tokyo, Japan
7. Singapore
8. Honolulu, HI
9. San Francisco, CA
10. Chicago, IL

 

[tsc]

Just out of curiousity,would this be related to the unusually intact downtown core in this city, its downtown ending at the harbour area, and/or its variety or historic homes?

yes...I have stayed at the marina a few times.

 

[eightiesfan]

In no real order...

Madrid
Sevilla
NYC
SF
Tokyo
London
Germany, but not sure which city I would choose...
Paris
Rome
Carmel, CA

I'm sure I could list more, there really are so many wonderful cities to choose from.

 

[illinoisplanner]

Excluding cities in Northern Illinois, and in no particular order:

Grand Rapids, MI
Milwaukee, WI
Naples, FL
St. Petersburg, FL
Dallas, TX
Minneapolis, MN
Oklahoma City, OK
Denver, CO
Phoenix, AZ
Cedar Rapids, IA

I think I'd remove Cedar Rapids from the list, and I'd also add the Indianapolis area and the Northern Virginia portion of the D.C. metro area to my list.

 

[JNA]

Back to NJ

Indeed

Breckenridge, CO

Oh how it has changed in the 20 yrs since I lived there.

St. George, UT

Serious consideration

 

[Bubba]

Realistic choices, given work and family constraints:

Savannah, Charleston, St. Augustine, Chattanooga

Timely re-emergence of this thread, as work and family constraints can shift. My wife's parents, while still in metro Atlanta, are both retired and RV-ing it around for most of the year, and there's a possibility that the federal contract I'm on could change or go away, which could lead to a transfer within my company. So, I'm considering possible destinations (if it comes to that) within an arc sweeping from Texas across to the east coast and up to the NoVa area of metro D.C.

Change indeed.

 

[teofilo]

Interesting thread; glad to see it re-emerge. I just got back from a major road trip during which I went through a lot of places, so this issue has been on my mind.

My list, in no particular order:

Madrid, Spain
Montreal, Quebec
Cambridge, MA
Washington, DC
Philadelphia, PA
Durango, CO
Flagstaff, AZ
Jackson, WY
Kanab, UT
San Luis Obispo, CA

Kind of all over the map, there, in several ways. Part of that is just that my travel experience has been fairly limited, especially outside the US.

 

[Zoning Goddess]

Lake Mary, FL
St Simons Island, GA
St Augustine, FL
Sarasota, FL
New Orleans, LA
Key West, FL
Charleston, SC
Naples, FL

 

[jmello]

Naples, FL

My parents just moved to Naples. I will be making my first trip there in April. I have spent a significant amount of time in SE Florida, but I have not been to SW Florida yet (with the exception of Sarasota). Much difference?

 

[illinoisplanner]

My parents just moved to Naples. I will be making my first trip there in April. I have spent a significant amount of time in SE Florida, but I have not been to SW Florida yet (with the exception of Sarasota). Much difference?

I've been to SW Florida, but not SE Florida. But from what I understand, Naples is sorta similar to W. Palm Beach. Sorta ritzy and upscale. The Fort Myers area, on the other hand, seems a unique place all its own. Hard to compare it to anything. Also, SW Florida is uber-conservative in comparison to SE Florida. Also, it seems that SW Florida, like St. Pete and Sarasota, have larger numbers of Midwestern transplants, while SE Florida is mostly East Coast transplants.

 

[Zoning Goddess]

My parents just moved to Naples. I will be making my first trip there in April. I have spent a significant amount of time in SE Florida, but I have not been to SW Florida yet (with the exception of Sarasota). Much difference?

Naples is RICH and RITZY for Florida! It's the only part of the state that's had a rash of thefts of expensive metal sculptures from a bunch of front yards. Sculptures worth tens of thousands of $$. Plus, it's on the gulf, love the water. Great shopping and restaurants.

I will be interested to hear your impressions after you visit. I haven't been there in a coon's age (channelling Ellie Mae...).

 

[jmello]

I will be interested to hear your impressions after you visit. I haven't been there in a coon's age (channelling Ellie Mae...).

Well, the 'rents are not right in Naples. They are to the east in the Everglades. Their neighborhood apparently is chock full of snakes, gators and black bears. I'll report when I get back. Maybe I'll even do a photo tour. I hear that Lehigh Acres, north of Naples and east of Ft. Myers, is ground zero for forclosures in FL. I'd like to take a look at the fallout.

 

[wahday]

Seattle. WA (my family is there)
Portland, OR (also near the family)
Portland, ME (cold, yes, but a neat, small city)
Pittsburgh, PA (I have a strange love affair with this place)
Santa Fe, NM (if I could get a job that pays enough to afford it)
Silver City, NM (a very cool town. If I had a good job to move there, I would)
NYC (again, if I had a job that we could live on there...)
Austin, TX (used to live there and loved it. Again, its all about the job and making enough to move and raise a family there)

 

[azmodela]

Four pages of responses, and not one person who said their dream local is where they're currently living! I'll have to admit that I'm not in my dream place either, but someday I hope to be!

So, why aren't we living in our dream locations?

 

[jmello]

Four pages of responses, and not one person who said their dream local is where they're currently living!

Last time I looked at the dictionary, in order to "relocate," one had to move from where they currently were. The question was not about our dream local. I have already relocated to a more amenable place than the one I grew up in.

Unfortunately, due to differences in the cost of living, many people cannot afford the quality of life they seek in their dream local. That was the case with my wife and I.

 

[Zoning Goddess]

So, why aren't we living in our dream locations?

I married this guy on Cyburbia... it's a long story.

But at least I'm still in Florida/ the South!

 

[mike gurnee]

Somewhere along the Shenandoah Valley.

 

[wahday]

So, why aren't we living in our dream locations?

Well, jmello is right that "dream locale" was not really the original question. Assuming you are in that place already, the forced relocation would take you to some second tier choice...

Personally, I'm not even sure if I am in my dream location or not. I am afflicted with perpetual wanderlust and have a hard time wondering what other lives might be waiting out there. So I look at jobs a lot and occasionally apply to them. Life's an adventure and there is no real good reason we are where we are (we have no family here, but after 10 years, a lot of friends).

But, to get down to it, the reason I don't live in any of the places I listed is simple: no job opportunities (that pay enough to merit a move), high costs of living, and having children (where you have to consider schooling and other facets of such a transition). But mostly, its just about the money. If I had an offer for enough elsewhere, we would likely strongly consider a move (and by "enough" I also include housing costs). There are actually a number of cost of living calculators out there that can help give one a good idea of what you need to make to maintain your quality of life in a new city. They're estimates at best, but it gives you some reference point.

 

[Otis]

In no order, and for no particularly understandable reasons:

Washington, DC
Berthoud, Colorado
Pacific Grove, California
New York, NY
Chicago
Pietrasanta, Italy
Copenhagen
London, UK

 

[azmodela]

Well, jmello is right that "dream locale" was not really the original question. Assuming you are in that place already, the forced relocation would take you to some second tier choice...

Well, I guess a few want the strict literal interpretation of the question then. Pardon me...

I guess since "dream locale" wasn't part of the question, then how could one be "forced" to relocate into their area of preference? Rarely does that happen.

I was just asking the question, since most seemed to come up with their ultimate place to live, and not one said they were in their ultimate location, and wouldn't relocate at any cost.

 

[CJC]

I was just asking the question, since most seemed to come up with their ultimate place to live, and not one said they were in their ultimate location, and wouldn't relocate at any cost.

I'm in my ideal US location. There are a few places outside the US that I might move to if money and career opportunities were disregarded (for both me and my fiance), but I can't think of another place that I would rather live based on real world scenarios.

 

[wahday]

Well, I guess a few want the strict literal interpretation of the question then. Pardon me...

I guess since "dream locale" wasn't part of the question, then how could one be "forced" to relocate into their area of preference? Rarely does that happen.

I was just asking the question, since most seemed to come up with their ultimate place to live, and not one said they were in their ultimate location, and wouldn't relocate at any cost.

Sorry. Didn't mean to be snotty. I'm very anxious about the possibility of having to move in search of work these days as the turmoil is settling into New Mexico now. The wife and I have been turning possibilities around and around - what if I lost my job and couldn't find anything else here - what would we do? where would we consider going? Plan B preparations seem very far from the days when we dreamed about our favorite places to start a new adventure. And with kids in the mix, it seems even more tenuous.

So, the possibility of HAVING to relocate (which could be to a better situation, or not, who the hell knows?) is weighing on me. Follow a job?, move closer to family? Its all so confusing!

Anyway, didn't mean to be persnickety. Just feeling unsettled.

 

[azmodela]

No worries wahday.

I was in that situation not too long ago before I landed my current position. While I'm not in my dream location, I didn't have to relocate. I was considering it though, and was going through similar excercises with my family to determine where we wanted to be vs where we never wanted to be.

Good luck in your search, hopefully you'll end up in a preferred location!

 

[Linda_D]

Well, I'm sort of in my dream location ... just about 30-35 miles south of my hometown ... and for the same reason as many others: lack of jobs in my field (not a lot of jobs for computer programmers in a small town of about 3000 people).

Anyways ... here's my alternatives to moving back to my home town:

Dunkirk/Fredonia, NY ... This is my second choice of retirement relocation spots, although I don't think I will relocate to any village or city. I'm a country girl, so I plan on retiring to the country but having a nice small city or large village near by is good, too!

Other places I might consider with no consideration of costs:

Saranac Lake, NY
Ithaca/Watkins Glen, NY
Newark, Delaware
Gloucester/Rockport, MA
Portland, ME
West Virginia

 

[newbieplanner]

-Portland, Portland, Portland, however, I'm not sure how I'd fair the winter months, I need sunlight!
-Savannah, GA
-Boston, MA
-Richmond, VA (I lived there for two years and it was pretty great besides the crime!)
-Guam (1/2 Chamorro)
-Amsterdam
-Tokyo
-Prague
-Bad Kreuznach (my birthplace!)


I've only visited all the stateside places and Bad Kreuznach. Everything else just looks really cool; I've lived a pretty sheltered life!

 

[truthteller4life]

1. London
2. Orlando, FL
3. San Diego, CA
4. Sydney, Australia
5. Knoxville, TN
6. Washington, DC
7. Columbus, OH
8. Portland, OR
9. Singapore
10. tie between Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC

This is my list right now. This could change anytime, of course :-D

 

[anh]

new york
london
hong kong
paris
san francisco (though i'm already kinda close)

immediately come to mind.

 

[TexanOkie]

Find Your Spot

http://www.findyourspot.com

It's kind of cheesy and if you're really savvy it's easy to manipulate your results, but this is still an fun activity! When I first took it, it introduced me to some places I had not considered or thought about (and a couple I'd never heard of). Upon further research, turns out I think I would like most of the suggestions they give, including the ones I'd not heard of/considered (like Carlisle, PA and the Hampton Roads, VA).

My list today:

Charleston, South Carolina Cosmopolitan Southern City
Fort Sumter, the scene of the first shots of the Civil War, overlooks this city's harbor...
Metro Population: 603,180 | Average Home Price: $285,000 | Precipitation: 52" | Snow: 0"

Jacksonville, Florida Florida’s First Coast
Here in Florida’s “youngest city” the median age is just 32…
Population: 773,800 | Average Home Price: $291,000 | Precipitation: 54" | Snow: 0"

Houston, Texas City of Excitement
Texas won its independence from Mexico at a battle fought here in 1836; the city became the capital of the Republic of Texas...
Metro Population: 4,420,000 | Average Home Price: $180,000 | Precipitation: 48" | Snow: 0"

Augusta, Georgia Georgia’s Garden City
The Masters golf tournament is held in this Georgia town each year…
Metro Population: 500,000 | Average Home Price: $236,000 | Precipitation: 42" | Snow: 0"

Gainesville, Florida The Heart of Florida
Consistently ranked as one of America's best spots, this city is surrounding by undeveloped forests, lakes, and wetlands…
Population: 98,100 | Average Home Price: $183,000 | Precipitation: 51" | Snow: 0"

Cincinnati, Ohio The Queen City
This big Ohio city with the small-town feel is home to baseball's first professional team: the Reds started in 1869…
Metro Population: 1,690,000 | Average Home Price: $161,000 | Precipitation: 39" | Snow: 19"

Orlando, Florida Florida’s Entertainment Capital
In this entertainment mecca, you can wrestle alligators at Gatorland or have lunch with Mickey Mouse…
Metro Population: 1,650,000 | Average Home Price: $272,000 | Precipitation: 50" | Snow: 0"

Knoxville, Tennessee Gateway to the Smoky Mountains
In the shadow of the Great Smoky and Cumberland Mountains, this spot served as Tennessee's capital from 1796 to 1812…
Metro Population: 704,400 | Average Home Price: $180,000 | Precipitation: 47" | Snow: 11"

Norfolk, Virginia Heart of the Hampton Roads
This spot was the only American city completely destroyed and rebuilt in the Revolutionary War; a British cannonball in St. Paul's Church wall is a reminder…
Metro Population: 1,606,000 | Average Home Price: $182,000 | Precipitation: 45" | Snow: 7"

Biloxi-Gulfport, Mississippi The Sparkling Gulf Coast
This city started as a French settlement in 1699; its name means "First People"…
Metro Population: 193,800 | Average Home Price: $202,000 | Precipitation: 60" | Snow: 0"

Tallahassee, Florida Florida’s Grand Old Capital
This city is home to the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, site of the most intense constant magnetic field on Earth…
Population: 154,440 | Average Home Price: $185,000 | Precipitation: 62" | Snow: 0"

Greenville, South Carolina The Rising Star of the South
The Peace Center for the Performing Arts presents theater and concerts in this South Carolina city's rejuvenated downtown…
Population: 56,000 | Average Home Price: $190,000 | Precipitation: 51" | Snow: 7"

Chesapeake-Virginia Beach, Virginia The Southern Tidewater Region
This Virginia beach town's annual Neptune Festival features sports competitions, an arts and crafts show, and a Grand Ball…
Metro Population: 624,000 | Average Home Price: $252,000 | Precipitation: 45" | Snow: 1"

Memphis, Tennessee Home of the Delta Blues
This city's famous Beale Street gave birth to Blues, Rock 'n' Roll, and legends such as BB King and Elvis Presley…
Population: 650,000 | Average Home Price: $150,000 | Precipitation: 49" | Snow: 3"

Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hub of South Mississippi
This southeast Mississippi hub has been rated the #1 small city in the nation for health care…
Population: 46,200 | Average Home Price: $115,000 | Precipitation: 58" | Snow: 0"

Tuscaloosa, Alabama The Big Apple of the South
This important city on Alabama's Black Warrior river is home to Stillman College and the University of Alabama...
Population: 79,300 | Average Home Price: $237,000 | Precipitation: 52" | Snow: 1"

Ocala, Florida Kingdom of the Sun
This tree-lined spot on the Silver River has been nationally recognized for its prize-winning horses…
Population: 52,320 | Average Home Price: $185,000 | Precipitation: 50" | Snow: 0"

St. George, Utah Utah’s Dixie
This town is known as “Utah’s Dixie” because of its history of growing cotton…
Population: 49,700 | Average Home Price: $200,000 | Precipitation: 8" | Snow: 3"

Jackson, Mississippi Old Capital of the South
This historic Mississippi city is the home of the largest planetarium in the Southeast…
Metro Population: 449,000 | Average Home Price: $132,000 | Precipitation: 49" | Snow: 1"

Athens, Georgia The Classic City
The world's only double-barreled cannon rests in this Georgia town; it was "a spectacular failure" in tests in 1864...
Population: 103,600 | Average Home Price: $169,000 | Precipitation: 50" | Snow: 0"

Charlotte, North Carolina The Queen City
Home to First Union and Bank of America, this spot is renowned as a financial center…
Metro Population: 2,335,000 | Average Home Price: $232,000 | Precipitation: 43" | Snow: 6"

Tampa, Florida Paradise on the Bay
This Florida town's annual Gasparilla Pirate Fest includes a parade, an arts festival, and a "pirate invasion"…
Metro Population: 2,500,000 | Average Home Price: $230,000 | Precipitation: 49" | Snow: 0"

Fort Worth, Texas Where the West Begins
Although a BIG city—it's larger than Denver, Seattle, and Boston—with big city amenities, Fort Worth’s bluffs and hills enfold an energetic, small town, "cowboys and culture" atmosphere…
Population: 534,700 | Average Home Price: $135,000 | Precipitation: 32" | Snow: 3"

Austin, Texas City of the Violet Crown
This "Hill Country" capital boasts 12,000 acres of greenbelt and undeveloped land used for recreation…
Population: 656,600 | Average Home Price: $154,000 | Precipitation: 31" | Snow: 1"

 

[kalimotxo]

In no particular order, and based only on places I've visited:

Bern, Switzerland
Amsterdam
Barcelona or Bilbao, Spain
Asheville, NC
Staunton, VA
Some mountain town in West-by-God Virginia

 

[Rygor]

An interesting question and one I'll need to be considering in about a year (when wife finishes her PhD).

Portland, OR
Vancouver/Victoria, BC
Coeur D'Alene, ID
Asheville, NC
Charlottesville, VA
Austin, TX
London, England
Sydney, Australia
Barcelona, Spain
Panama City, Panama

 

[jmello]

Fort Worth, Texas Where the West BeginsAlthough a BIG city—it's larger than Denver, Seattle, and Boston—with big city amenities...

It is NOT larger than Boston, which has a city population of >580,000 and a metro population of >2.5 million.

The descriptions in this list are really cheesy. Why would I move to Orlando for Gatorland? Are there high paying jobs in the field of gator wrangling?

Also, what is Find Your Place's fascination with Asheville, NC? I have been there a few times and, while I can see the draw, there are many other very similar cities throughout New England and the West.

 

[Coragus]

Having been forced to relocate in the last year to a city that I feel is less than preferable, I've actually been thinking about his quite a lot.

Ann Arbor, MI
Cornwall, England
London, ON
Rogers City, MI
Greensboro, NC
San Antonio, TX
Orlando, FL

I'd like to say Berlin, but I haven't seen it yet, so I don't know that.

 

[Veloise]

I'm here!

Four pages of responses, and not one person who said their dream local is where they're currently living! ...

This is where I want to be.

When my mother got sick (March '97) I had just returned from a February business trip to Seattle, where I'd purchased a pair of shorts to wear. Folks had hanging baskets outdoors. Flower markets. Cycling. Sunshine (yep, in Seattle). friendly happy healthy people. A lovely downtown. Etc. I was ready to reserve a U-haul...

...and then I spent hours every week driving back and forth to the hospital (Ann Arbor --> Royal Oak), dealing and coping with what turned into home-based hospice care. It was around then that I started planning an exit strategy from the "D."

I knew I wanted to stay in Michigan (something about our ten-cent deposit law, and feeling comfortable here, and being close enough to an important monthly activity in Dearborn). Needed a larger city with enough activities and events to fill up a single's calendar. Looked at a map and made a couple road trips. Subscribed to Grand Rapids Magazine, did some recon. And when my contract gig ended (June 2004), I finally did rent the U-Haul.

Fortunately my career path has meandered enough that I am not locked into one type of business or job. On my to-do list: Ten Reasons Why I Love GR to share with my Facebook pards.

 

[Rygor]

Also, what is Find Your Place's fascination with Asheville, NC? I have been there a few times and, while I can see the draw, there are many other very similar cities throughout New England and the West.

I think it has a lot to do with the location, at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, one of the most beautiful places on earth. There is also a certain appalachian, antebellum charm that you won't find in the northeast or the west.

 

[TexanOkie]

It is NOT larger than Boston, which has a city population of >580,000 and a metro population of >2.5 million.

Actually, Fort Worth's most recent (2009) estimated population, according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, is 720,250 and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex has >6.5 million. The latest Census estimates show Fort Worth's population as 681,818 (July 1, 2007) and the Metroplex's population to be just over 6.3 million (July 1, 2008).

The descriptions in this list are really cheesy. Why would I move to Orlando for Gatorland? Are there high paying jobs in the field of gator wrangling?

The tag lines are cheesy, but considering the site was designed for people who aren't geography/urban buffs like us, it's designed to catch their attention. The reports generated are actually quite useful about average climate, costs of living, economics, health care, education opportunities, etc.

 

[Suburb Repairman]

http://www.findyourspot.com

It's kind of cheesy and if you're really savvy it's easy to manipulate your results, but this is still an fun activity!

That was fun. Here's the top ten from my list:

Little Rock, Arkansas Where America Comes Together
All Maybelline products distributed in the U.S. are made in this fashion-conscious spot…
Population: 595,600 | Average Home Price: $177,000 | Precipitation: 48" | Snow: 5"

Portland, Oregon City of Roses
This Oregon city has the nation's largest forested municipal park, the aptly-named Forest Park…
Population: 2,000,000 | Average Home Price: $259,000 | Precipitation: 36" | Snow: 5"

Fayetteville, Arkansas Light of the Ozarks
Near the University of Arkansas campus, this town's Dickson Street is filled with lively bistros, night clubs and galleries…
Population: 62,000 | Average Home Price: $193,000 | Precipitation: 42" | Snow: 10"

Charleston, West Virginia The Home of Hospitality
For a taste of yesteryear, catch the boat races at this West Virginia city's annual Sternwheel Regatta...
Population: 248,000 | Average Home Price: $216,000 | Precipitation: 41" | Snow: 26"

Salem, Oregon The Heart of Oregon
This capital city is the home of the Oregon State Fair, as well as the state's largest on-going fine arts & crafts fair…
Population: 143,000 | Average Home Price: $200,000 | Precipitation: 39" | Snow: 6"

Baltimore, Maryland The Sparkling Harbor City
This Atlantic seaboard city is home to the National Aquarium…
Population: 651,000 | Average Home Price: $310,000 | Precipitation: 40" | Snow: 18"

Baton Rouge, Louisiana The Cajun Capital
This town was named after the red stick its founder saw on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River…
Population: 603,000 | Average Home Price: $159,000 | Precipitation: 61" | Snow: 0"

Eugene, Oregon The Emerald City
This Oregon city is home to the Hendricks Park Rhododendron Garden, famous all over the world for its beautiful blossoms...
Population: 142,000 | Average Home Price: $226,000 | Precipitation: 48" | Snow: 7"

Corvallis, Oregon Heart of the Willamette Valley
This Oregon city hosts "da Vinci Days," a festival of unique events revolving around art, science and technology...
Population: 50,000 | Average Home Price: $225,000 | Precipitation: 43" | Snow: 6"

Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana Cities of Three Flags
This spot on Louisiana's Red River was named for a steam boat captain who cleared a logjam known as the "Great Raft" in the 1830s…
Population: 392,000 | Average Home Price: $140,000 | Precipitation: 45" | Snow: 0"

 

[JMplanner]

I am suprised more people do not have Santa Barbara on their list. I went to school at UC Santa Barbara, and would practically kill to be able to afford to live there. Beautiful climate, strong community feel in downtown and just off the beaten path enough to enjoy it.

1. Santa Barbara, CA
2. San Francisco, CA (Cheating, I know)
3. Boston, MA
4. London
5. Portland, OR
6. New York, NY
7. Washington DC
8. Tel Aviv
9. Rome