Where would you move?

Nurses General Nursing

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I need help. I am a 38yr old nurse. I'm been an LPN 5 yrs. I'm married to a 25yr old loving guy. Both my kids are grown. I live in Central Louisiana and have been here all my life. I need to get away from here. I want excitment, arts, live music, museums, beaches, mountains, but not a city with over 500,000 people. I love the small home feel but there isn't anything to do around here. I'm not looking for the night life or clubbing.

We have enough money saved to move anywhere in the US but just don't know where to go. I'm also concerned about the cost of living I don't want to move somewhere where we have to pay over a grand a month for an apartment.

I'm also concerned about crime. Am I asking for to much?

Any suggestions will be helpful. Thanks in advance.

Mary

Specializes in EMS, ER, GI, PCU/Telemetry.
We lost our home in south Florida to Hurricane Francis, 2004. Our home owners insurance topped $11,000 in 2003 and we were 7 miles from the beach! The constant influx of snowbirds and illegal aliens has put a huge strain on the medical community and leaves a debt in the billions every year for the people who actually live there. From October-April driving is impossible and getting a table in a decent restuarant is impossible because of the snowbirds. Since 2004 (dubbed the "mean season" because of 4 back to back hurricanes) some 35,000 people have left the state each year. The crime rate in south Fl. is at an all time high. If you don't speak fluent spanish you will be in the minority! No state tax, but you get to pay for a lot of transients who come down every winter for a free ride!

Probably sounds like a downer but just make sure you do your homework

before moving to the land of Mickey and beaches!

thanks for the advice. im sorry you lost your home in frances. my parents lost theirs in jeanne. my boyfriend and i are natives and have only been gone for 2 years. south florida will always be home. we're used to the poor working conditions, high acuity in the hospitals, the wonderful little fluffs of grey hair you see barely peeking over the sterring wheel and the massive amounts of people who dont speak english. but its home. and we can afford a heck of a nicer house there than we can here!

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I'm also concerned about the cost of living I don't want to move somewhere where we have to pay over a grand a month for an apartment.

I'm also concerned about crime.

Mary

If a grand is your limit for rent, I would avoid the SF Bay Area. In fact, I wouldn't bother with California in general. There probably are some places under a grand a month, but I doubt they would fit your desires for low crime rate and high culture.

This is an interesting puzzle. I'm having trouble thinking of anything that meets all of your criteria. Museums are going to be found in large cities like Chicago and New York. You might find mountains, arts and music in some sort of artistic community. For example, I think someone mentioned Santa Fe and Taos earlier, which are like that, however I should point out that the crime rate in those places is actually a bit high. The murder rate in Santa Fe is higher, proportional to population, than New York.*

You might want to check out some of those city comparison web sites.

*From the FBI's web site, data for 2006:

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2006/data/table_08.html

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Specializes in ER/OR.

Somewhere where there's no other cougars.

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Specializes in Home Care, Hospice, OB.
we lost our home in south florida to hurricane francis, 2004. our home owners insurance topped $11,000 in 2003 and we were 7 miles from the beach! the constant influx of snowbirds and illegal aliens has put a huge strain on the medical community and leaves a debt in the billions every year for the people who actually live there. from october-april driving is impossible and getting a table in a decent restuarant is impossible because of the snowbirds. since 2004 (dubbed the "mean season" because of 4 back to back hurricanes) some 35,000 people have left the state each year. the crime rate in south fl. is at an all time high. if you don't speak fluent spanish you will be in the minority! no state tax, but you get to pay for a lot of transients who come down every winter for a free ride!

probably sounds like a downer but just make sure you do your homework

before moving to the land of mickey and beaches!

double amen!

mary, did i mention that fl is where we moved from!!! bugs, crime, traffic, hurricaines, "no hablemos ingles", overpriced houses made of cardboard and elmer's glue...ick! orlando is a nice place to visit but you would not want to live there...:no:

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

*sigh* I know, I know, Florida does have its problems, but if I really had to choose, I'd move a tad uphill to get out of the flood zone I'm in and stay right here. I just couldn't stand the idea of paying close to $5/gallon for heating oil for the winter and having to deal with snow, ice, and freezing temperatures every winter. Despite our complaints, hurricaines and sinkholes are less inevitable than freezing temperatures, snow and ice.

I know nothing about South Florida. I live in Central Florida. There's quite a cultural mix here and some of the best beaches in the world. If I had my druthers today, I'd choose to live in Pasco County, somewhere around Tarpon Springs. It's a beautiful area, cheaper than Tampa, less crime. Spring Hill and Holiday are pretty popular lately.

As with any move so life-changing, you'll want to check it out as much as possible before you do anything. Best wishes to you in finding your dream place.

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Astoria, Oregon? On the Columbia River and not too far from the Pacific. It's on my list of places to visit. Last I read, in 2007, population was around 10,000 and median household income was around $33,000. Not too bad for the Pacific NW. Looks beautiful too. http://www.oldoregon.com/

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Specializes in Home Care, Hospice, OB.

luckily, the bad winter weather dumps on the other side of the applachains here. we spend 66% more on a/c in the summer than on natural gas in the winter..of course, we like it cool!! hardest thing to get used to here was folks stopping for yellow lights and insisiting you go ahead in the grocery line when you have 2 things in your hand!:p

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We lost our home in south Florida to Hurricane Francis, 2004. Our home owners insurance topped $11,000 in 2003 and we were 7 miles from the beach! The constant influx of snowbirds and illegal aliens has put a huge strain on the medical community and leaves a debt in the billions every year for the people who actually live there. From October-April driving is impossible and getting a table in a decent restuarant is impossible because of the snowbirds. Since 2004 (dubbed the "mean season" because of 4 back to back hurricanes) some 35,000 people have left the state each year.

They're all coming to Tennessee.

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Specializes in Home Care, Hospice, OB.
they're all coming to tennessee.

..and north carolina..

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Specializes in Med surg, Critical Care, LTC.

Central NY is a nice place to live, especially due to the finger lakes. Hospitals pay fairly well, so to LTC facilities. There are theaters, museums, winery tours, snow skiing in winter, water skiing in summer, hands on science museums, many colleges (Cornell, Syracuse University). Scattered cities with small towns surrounding. You've got mountains for hiking and lakes for boating.

Downside, you have extremes in temperatures. Cold winters, sometimes hot summers. Mostly about 80 in the summer, and 30 in the winter - averages.

Homes in the small town areas, can range $78,000 to 200,00 for a three bedroom. Even at 78,000 - they are usually fixers, but they are NOT totally dilapidated - they are usable as they are but need cosmetic updates.

Just a thought. Happy hunting.

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