ajzepp Posted January 28, 2012 Posted January 28, 2012 looking for a small town feel to medium sized city Interested in areas where you can have a neighborhood type feel in more country area while not being too far of commute to a city The two places I've heard fit that description are Columbus, OH and Elizabethtown, KY.
Fan in San Diego Posted January 28, 2012 Posted January 28, 2012 Moved from Buffalo to Los Angeles in 1983 to get married and to find work. 5 years later moved to San Diego and been here ever since. Weather is unbeatable, you can ski, surf and go to the desert in one day if you tried hard enough. But I have gone to the mountains and went to the beach with snow on the roof of my car. Real estate taxes are 1.5 % of purchase price. The purchase price can vary from 250,000 to 30,000,000 its up to you. Sales tax is 7.75 % What other questions might you have? Tech jobs are hot right now. Just go to Craig's List for San Diego. Biotech is big here and well as the military.
Jim in Anchorage Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 Moved from Buffalo to Los Angeles in 1983 to get married and to find work. 5 years later moved to San Diego and been here ever since. Weather is unbeatable, you can ski, surf and go to the desert in one day if you tried hard enough. But I have gone to the mountains and went to the beach with snow on the roof of my car. Real estate taxes are 1.5 % of purchase price. The purchase price can vary from 250,000 to 30,000,000 its up to you. Sales tax is 7.75 % What other questions might you have? Tech jobs are hot right now. Just go to Craig's List for San Diego. Biotech is big here and well as the military. I was born in Cortland NY but we moved to Carlsbad when I was 9 months old so I had no memory of NY. Until we moved back to NY when I was 8 I thought the whole world was 72 and sunny the year round
GaryPinC Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 Have a BA and currently work in logistics. My wife works and have kids. I'm close to my parents but its possible depending where I move they would consider moving as well. After thinking about it more I'm coming up with a better idea of what I'm looking for. Ideally no more than a 10-12 hour drive to buffalo LOW taxes. Low or no state income tax. Low property tax. Lower cost of living Interested in the mid south states NC. TN. KY VA or maybe even OH . looking for a small town feel to medium sized city Interested in areas where you can have a neighborhood type feel in more country area while not being too far of commute to a city looking for a "red" state with accessible pistol permits more individual freedoms lower taxes etc... So far everyone has great feedback and comments and its appreciated Mead107 had the best advice for you. You can find what you're looking for in a lot of places in the US. Just need to know what you want and go find it. When you've got a house to buy make sure you talk to your future neighbors before buying. I live on the east side of Cleveland on the edge of rural and still about 30 min from downtown. Plenty of things to do, good parks, concealed carry, taxes are ok, not great but ok. Columbus is an ok town too, but not to my liking (lot of yuppies still). But it comes down to what place fits you and your wife and has jobs to offer.
Jim in Anchorage Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 Mead107 had the best advice for you. You can find what you're looking for in a lot of places in the US. Just need to know what you want and go find it. When you've got a house to buy make sure you talk to your future neighbors before buying. I live on the east side of Cleveland on the edge of rural and still about 30 min from downtown. Plenty of things to do, good parks, concealed carry, taxes are ok, not great but ok. Columbus is an ok town too, but not to my liking (lot of yuppies still). But it comes down to what place fits you and your wife and has jobs to offer. Sorry I need to brag on this. No CC permit required in AK. Buy it and put it in your pocket.
The Poojer Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 based on your criteria let me make a second push for....midlothian, amelia, powhatan, ashland....any of the outer lying areas of Richmond seem to fit your bill. Richmond itself is a big city with a very small town atmosphere
Jim in Anchorage Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 I heard that property taxes are almost nothing in Tennessee--someone told me they paid something like $400 per year on a $200,000 house. As to the OP, I've lived in a bunch of places, and think in terms of liveabilitity, good schools, low taxes, Columbus, OH, and Indianapolis are good options based on my experience. Columbus is sort of like DC, in that it's a city with a bunch of transplants. I would recommend where I am living now--Pittsburgh, PA--but unless you live outside the county lines (30 miles from downtown), property taxes are bad. Thats it, I want to to move tennessee-I pay $4,500 on $280,00 apprised. In Alaska, the welfare state[according to lybob,nozzal nuts,etc].
Fezmid Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 Thats it, I want to to move tennessee-I pay $4,500 on $280,00 apprised. In Alaska, the welfare state[according to lybob,nozzal nuts,etc]. $4,500 on a $280 house?!
Chef Jim Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 Thats it, I want to to move tennessee-I pay $4,500 on $280,00 apprised. In Alaska, the welfare state[according to lybob,nozzal nuts,etc]. I have a friend who is selling their house in WNY. It's listed for $199,900 and the property taxes are $5,600. Holy crap.
Jim in Anchorage Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 (edited) $4,500 on a $280 house?! I was using Minnesota money. Beaver pelt's. F#$% French Edited January 29, 2012 by Jim in Anchorage
Chef Jim Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 I was using Minnesota money. Beaver pelt's. F#$% French
Jim in Anchorage Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 (edited) All they forgot was a Coleman stove And a bottle of Le-Batts Edited January 29, 2012 by Jim in Anchorage
Navy Chief Navy Pride Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 Moved from WNY after graduating from RIT in 1984 to the Dallas TX area. Reason - lack of entry level jobs. Company provided me a huge amount of career opportunities that I still use today. Area was ok, but the level of haves and have nots was huge. Plenty of things to do almost every hour with all kinds of diversity. No state income taxes, but plenty of usage fees. 1994 - moved to Raleigh NC to get out of the defense industry. Really liked the area, enough city goings on while being very close to the country. Weather was a plus. 2001 - moved to Columbus OH as my work assignment in Raleigh was eliminated. Very satisfied with living here. 3 hours to my in-laws in Indy. 5 to Buffalo if a trip home is needed. Don't see us leaving any time soon. I have to agree with Bud here. I have been in Columbus for almost 3 years now and love it. Great schools, decent economy, 5 hours to B-lo. Tons of stuff to do all year round with camping, hiking, boating, fishing, bar scene, sports, etc etc etc. Tons of burbs all over. I currently live in Westerville which is on the North side of the city and if I need to or want to go dowtown its 15 minutes away.
Mr Info Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 Simple enough I'm looking for some advice on those who have relocated from wny. I'm seriously considering moving out of the area. After really thinking about how frusterated I am. My main complaints are high taxes on everything and a high cost of living comparative to salaries here Where did you move to ? I grew up in WNY and after college, I moved to NJ and worked in Jersey and NYC. After too much time commuting and too much traffic, I went south to Norfolk (Ghent area) for a couple of years and then moved to Ashland, VA (~ 15 miles N of Richmond). What about that area interested you ? NY/NJ - jobs, VA - jobs (but for less $). After moving around a bit, I settled in Ashland because it has the small town feel and felt it was the perfect place to raise a family. We can walk to the library, restaurants, and parks (with fishing), and grocery store. We can easily take the train to DC if we want something more. The train station is three blocks from our house but we don't hear the trains due to a town rule that they have to slow when entering the town. Most of the people in this area are friendly and welcoming and I run into a number of former WNYers that have relocated here. I can get door-to-door from our house to my job in Richmond in 20 mins in a car, 30 mins on my cycle (back roads), and 1 hr on a bicycle (again back roads). New companies are opening here regularly. It was announced in Dec that Amazon will open two distribution centers employing 1,350 people. Capital One is a huge employer in the area and the state offices/administration is in Richmond. How are the taxes real estate and cost of living? In VA taxes are a whole lot less than NJ/NY. The cost of living is less (I got gas today for $3.24/gal). I am helping my wife start a business here and find the resources and opportunities to start a business to be very available. What advice would you have to someone thinking of fleeing wny with a young family ? It depends why you are fleeing (jobs, weather, etc.). I wanted to raise a family but have some fun (live in NYC area) before I decided to do that. After I met the right woman and a family became a focus, we started to consider where we would like to be where there would be plenty of job opportunities, four seasons of weather, and a small-town area where we could walk to most places. After looking around and visiting some places, we decided upon Ashland. Ashland is a lot like Batavia where I grew up except it is warmer, has more sunshine, and more jobs. When I grew up, WNY was a great location and I still love and miss the area. But job opportunities in my discipline were limited so I left. I have season tix to the Bills and most of my family still lives up there. We combine a trip to the Bills game with a family visit. Just be sure you evaluate the reasons why you wish to leave WNY and then do your research where you want to go and travel there to determine if that is the right place. If Central VA is one place you would like to consider, contact me via PM and I will provide more info and show you around or lead you in the right direction if you come to the area to visit. You could probably find others on this board in different localities who would also help you out.
boyst Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 Growing area that is very nice is the Concord and Mooresville area in NC. Also, the Lake Norman area. It is small enough to be comfortable, great climate and atomosphere with Charlotte nearby. Raleigh may have more jobs - depends on the type of work you're in. It is also closer to the beach. Of course, I was born in Brockpor, raised from 10-24 in Toledo and now in rural NC. I would vote against many midwestern cities except for Columbus. I have little knowledge of Indianapolis but never thought much of it. Cleveland, Cinci, Detroit, Chicago, etc I would avoid if I had to move up North. I would take Pittsburgh or Buffalo first or possibly Syracuse. I would avoid Phili - it's too big for me. NYC - see previous. I would avoid Boston because I would be too tempted to burn down Gillette Stadium. As far as me, I grew up in the upper-middleclass suburbs of Toledo for most of my life. I had more negatives then positives. The positives were that anything was near enough by that I could get what I needed and there was great selection. The negatives were that it was just a suburb of snotty brats that really did not know what it took to work. The women in the midwest are known for being pretty hot and where I lived it was the upper echelon of hotness. Now in the Carolina's I can forget the snow and the cold. It has been in the mid-50's for the better part of the winter as an average this year. Al Gore's global warming initiative is really working well here, the winters are lovely but I do miss snow.
billsfanmiami(oh) Posted January 29, 2012 Posted January 29, 2012 I have to agree with Bud here. I have been in Columbus for almost 3 years now and love it. Great schools, decent economy, 5 hours to B-lo. Tons of stuff to do all year round with camping, hiking, boating, fishing, bar scene, sports, etc etc etc. Tons of burbs all over. I currently live in Westerville which is on the North side of the city and if I need to or want to go dowtown its 15 minutes away. Another vote for Columbus. Have lived here since graduating undergrad in '06. Wife and her family are from here (Westerville actually), so thats how I ended up here. I like it a lot. Very easy to get around town. Lots of great drinking & dining spots. Some really unique "areas" of the city that can offer very different vibes (German Village, Short North). WInter much milder than Buff or Cleveland being so far off the lake. Still can get some snow but not nearly the amount you see up that way. Temps generally stay warmer later into the fall and get warmer a little earlier in the spring. Ohio State football is king and it's fun to be in a place that is crazy about college football since I was really indifferent to it growing up in WNY. I live in Bexley which is just east of downtown. 5-10 minutes to downtown but its a very nice neighborhood that has a small town feel to it. Houses in this particular area are pricy but you can get a lot for your $ in many of the burbs a little further away (Westerville being one). Economy is better than a lot of other places. Overall a nice all around medium sized city.
Navy Chief Navy Pride Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 Another vote for Columbus. Have lived here since graduating undergrad in '06. Wife and her family are from here (Westerville actually), so thats how I ended up here. I like it a lot. Very easy to get around town. Lots of great drinking & dining spots. Some really unique "areas" of the city that can offer very different vibes (German Village, Short North). WInter much milder than Buff or Cleveland being so far off the lake. Still can get some snow but not nearly the amount you see up that way. Temps generally stay warmer later into the fall and get warmer a little earlier in the spring. Ohio State football is king and it's fun to be in a place that is crazy about college football since I was really indifferent to it growing up in WNY. I live in Bexley which is just east of downtown. 5-10 minutes to downtown but its a very nice neighborhood that has a small town feel to it. Houses in this particular area are pricy but you can get a lot for your $ in many of the burbs a little further away (Westerville being one). Economy is better than a lot of other places. Overall a nice all around medium sized city. You had to use German Village and Short North??? HAHA..Thurmans is good. I would have used the Arena district and the Brewery district myself. The Columbus Zoo is rated #4 in the nation as well. But to anyone considering moving here I would recomend Westerville, Worthington, New Albany, Gahanna, and Bexley (in no particular order) as the top places to live and the top rated schools. This is always the most important to me as my childrens education comes first. I will pay a little more to ensure we have great schools.
BuffaloBud Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 You had to use German Village and Short North??? HAHA..Thurmans is good. I would have used the Arena district and the Brewery district myself. The Columbus Zoo is rated #4 in the nation as well. But to anyone considering moving here I would recomend Westerville, Worthington, New Albany, Gahanna, and Bexley (in no particular order) as the top places to live and the top rated schools. This is always the most important to me as my childrens education comes first. I will pay a little more to ensure we have great schools. As a point of reference, I live in Lewis Center. I can get 50-75 miles on my bike and not have to worry about a lot of traffic. I've seen plenty of deer and turkey on my rides. Columbus has a growing cycling community. Olentangy school district is one of the largest in the area and one of the biggest spenders.
Navy Chief Navy Pride Posted January 30, 2012 Posted January 30, 2012 As a point of reference, I live in Lewis Center. I can get 50-75 miles on my bike and not have to worry about a lot of traffic. I've seen plenty of deer and turkey on my rides. Columbus has a growing cycling community. Olentangy school district is one of the largest in the area and one of the biggest spenders. Lewis Center is also nice. Also very close to the lake. I spent alot of time on there this past summer...Good Times!
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