Where is a good place to move to?

DichotoDeezNutz@lemmy.world to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world – 60 points –

I currently live in California, but it's literally impossible to afford to buy a house.

Where are some good places to move to? I was thinking about Washington State, but I'm not sure I could handle the snow.

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I’ve lived in Washington State (western) for 4 years total and have seen exactly 10 days of snow the entire time I’ve been here. Houses are still 3-400k. I want to move either closer to SeaTac or down to Vancouver because I bought a house in an area with a lot of flags on trucks if you catch my drift. We have more cloudy days than anything. We get lots of rain but it’s mostly just clouds and drizzles.

That's my ideal weather. But, yeah, I need to be near a metro area to be happy

I’d personally recommend Vancouver then. Lived there in an apartment for a year and it was a nice mix of urban, suburban and rural. Basically drive 15 minutes in any direction and you’re in a new biome. Personally looking to move back there once I get a new job and sell the house.

I've just assumed I'd be priced out of, well anything, there. But I've certainly considered it. Haven't been there in quite a long time though. I should visit there again

Tennessee still has some affordable housing in rural areas. Very little snow as well.

Are you prepared for no-flouride water, septic tanks, an awful education system, a sub-tropical climate that seems to get less "sub" every year, more types of pollen than you've ever dreamed of, more guns than people, and rampant meth/opioid abuse?

Or consider Rural PA, all the same problems, but with the climate of early 2000s Tennessee!

Don't forget the discrimination and frequent unreported assaults on queer folks and people of color!

Tennessee: The volunteer (to give up any reasonable expectation at a decent quality of life) state!

"No snow" and "Affordable housing" are going to be a tricky combo.

Eastern Washington gets lots of snow and is basically Idaho, but houses are around 3-400k. Western Washington doesnt tend to get much snow, but it does happen, and housing is averaging around 600k for a 2bd/2ba even out in more suburban areas, so not exactly affordable. Big cities think more like 750-850k.

Im also assuming you're looking for West coast vibes given the Cali to Washington idea. New Mexico/Arizona/Nevada might match what youre looking for.

Where I live it's lot of snow and also unaffordable housing.

Raleigh/Durham in NC. it's a little bubble of progressive in a red state. Houses aren't crazy yet. Lots of tech work. No snow.

Same as Austin, but housing is not really affordable right now, unless you're willing to live out in the burbs.

Been in this area for almost 35 years. Had to move further south (Johnston Co… like 30 min from downtown Raleigh) to find a house we could afford. Lived in Cary in a townhouse that more than doubled in rent in 10 years.

Can confirm there are quite a few IT jobs. Been in IT since mid 90s.

All in all would recommend this area.

I would recommend somewhere in Europe. You will have paid vacation and heathcare insurance and (almost) free school and … :)

I've looked into relocating there, but citizenship seems difficult?

I also think I read somewhere that there are stricter labor laws so I wouldn't be able to freelance as heavily (~30 hours a week) alongside having full-time employment?

The Working Time Directive means you can't work more than 48 hours per week and it also prevents employers from making you work more than 48 hours per week (there are some exceptions eg workers on ships and trainee doctors) but in most EU countries you can opt out of it.

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WE AREN'T INVITED

It's so frustrating hearing Europeans tell Americans to move there. As if we could just up and run and get visas and jobs. Trust me, if it were easy, I would have done it. I've moved across the pale blue dot multiple times and never found an avenue into the EU.

Do you have any idea how difficult immigration is? Maybe you've been listening to the Islamaphobes too much.... another great reason not to move to Europe btw, what if you're the wrong color... they have a very different brand of bigotry out there

It depends on the person, but some countries like Austria have points-based systems that will work for some people. It's how I'm getting a visa currently and I just needed a job offer.

Or you can go hard-mode and take the Svalbard route!

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A friend of mine just moved to California. San Diego. Couldn’t afford a house so he bought a boat and he now lives on the boat. He said the boat is much better than any house. It’s much larger than any house he could maybe afford there and if he doesn’t like San Diego, he could just float away to somewhere else.

How does electricity and sewage work for this? Does their slip have hookups?

Western Washington doesn't get a lot of snow unless you're in the mountains.

Are you working remotely or would you depend on the local economy for a job?

Because the big catch is, the places you can afford have no work.

Or even with remote work, you need broadband access, so no DSL, no Hughesnet.

This is why I moved to rural Oregon, paid mid-5 figures for a one-off trenched fiber line, and still came out on top.

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Snow? Realllllyyyy depends on where in the state

Western Washington gets almost none, and you’ve got the whole I5 corridor to move to. Vancouver is the biggest city with the most affordable housing ratio. Not that it’s an oddly deep red district which is counter intuitive considering its size and proximity to Portland.

Bellingham up near the border is next in line, but it’s smaller and further from city activities.

Tacoma and Olympia are both cities that Seattleites are starting to move to despite the commute due to more affordable housing.

Then there’s Everett, the home of Boeing and about 25 miles north of Seattle. Cheaper than Seattle and has reasonable access to Seattle or to head north to the border. Still expect to pay 600k plus for a house though.

Lastly there’s everything between. It’s all small towns, rural areas, trees, and hills. The spot about smack dab between Tacoma and Portland gets more snow than most of the west side of the state, so maybe not for you. But the rest is good. And these places will all be cheap as hell to buy in. You just won’t have city amenities.

Consider SW Michigan. 2h drive/train to Chicago, proximity to large bodies of water for summer enjoyment, and if you live in a reasonably-sized town they're probably good at clearing roads when it snows.

Besides, our winters get milder each year. There's a couple of big snow/ice events, but the trick is to not be on the road while the heavy stuff is coming down. Wait a few hours for it to ease up and for the snow plows to do their thing.

You want less snow than Seattle??

Nowhere can you buy an affordable house, unless you move out to middle of nowhere. I've heard they're still affordable in Appalachia

I live in appalachia, come on in! Cheap real estate and beautiful scenery. Seen houses in my small town for 40,000$. Jobs that pay well can be hard to find, but if you don't mind traveling, or can work from home I'd recommend it.

Fuck off! We don't want more people here! And the affordable houses have been abandoned for a decade and are just foundations without any copper wiring or pipes.

"here" as if I didn't name a third of the nation with "Appalachia"

Just live where other people don't want to live. Living in desirable places drives the prices up.

Find a purple voting district, move there and vote blue - the republicans need more social services to use regularly while they complain about people expecting "handouts"

So many comments suggesting American cities... I would rather suggest humbling yourself to the point where you can beg for EU citizenship. There's no point in the US anymore.

Do you know how hard it is to actually get citizenship outside of usa? If you don't work in a field that a country wants the website essentially says lol no (Ireland/Canada). They'd also quarantine the shit out of pets and traumatizing fluffy isn't really top of the list.

I got German citizenship. Took starting over and doing a degree in the country for it to be possible. I also brought fluffy and we did a rabies antibody test and some other things so they didn't need quarantine.

Edit: This is why I said you need to humble yourself. Maybe that was a poor choice of wording, but the US is a sinking ship and I'd sell all my belongings again if things start looking that dire here too.

Well, Germany is on that track, I'd say, with the Nazis on the rise and the general opposition to just about any kind of change at every level of daily life, absolute digital incompetence and a bureaucratic apparatus that mainly works for keeping itself alive.

LMAO

But look a little closer: OP hasn't mentioned outside of Usa. He hasn't even mentioned that he's inside. That means, it is much better for the world and for him if he stays there.

Living in Canada I can assure you they let in hundreds of thousands of uneducated low wage workers each year. You just have to live in Africa first.

Upstate New York or maybe Michigan. Just not Buffalo. That is some snow hell at times. As for driving in snow in general? It really isn't that bad and I moved up here from the South. Just buy good quality tires, or if you are really paranoid, snow tires. I have always regretted my life decisions when I got shitty whatever the crooked mechanics had on sale tires. I have never needed chains in the areas I live in. You cannot be any worse than every other idiot in snow. Promise. You will be fine.

Split the difference. Go somewhere in northern CA or southern OR (Portland is pricy too).

What's your issue with snow?

I've never lived in it, so I wouldn't want to be a menace on the icy roads

I have lived in a snow area for decades after moving from California.

Nobody knows how to drive in the snow here. They forget every year, so you will fit right in. Get a car with AWD, leave room to stop, accelerate slowly, no throttle when sliding to regain traction(don't put your foot to the floor), and keep your tires where others have driven. Snow tires are amazing, but not necessary and are a hassle. Keep a small snow shovel in the trunk and non-folding traction mats if you can. You should also keep a charged jumper pack in your car because the cold don't give a shit about you needing to start your car.

Get a car with AWD

Be prepared to pay 4x as much when you need a replacement tire (you have to replace all 4)

I've never heard of replacing 1 tire. it's usually in pairs. never been told to replace all 4 with my awd either.

Depends on how much wear is on the existing set, 5/32nds difference is where you need to do all four to avoid damaging something.

Can't be any worse than most of the people who have lived in it their whole lives.

Seriously, I'd take someone new to driving in snowy/icy conditions over someone who has a bunch of misplaced confidence in their driving skills because they've "been driving in worse than this for decades!" in a heartbeat.

The newbie is much more likely to actually adapt to the conditions and drive more cautiously.

Don't worry, loads of people that live in a snowy climate also are a menace on the road.

You'll get used to them. Just remember to check if your tire profile is deep enough (4 mm), and slow down before curves + start accelerating halfway through them. And obviously keep more distance than usual.

Oh and always carry chains. Putting them on the tires isn't too hard, but try it once before (when your hands aren't cold and you aren't stressed). Most of the time you won't need them but when you do need them you really do.

not an issue if you live in a city centre where you won't need to drive, or on the outskirts of somewhere that has good public transit. hard to say what your requirements are though; if you're planning to have to commute or otherwise.

Icy roads are generally ok if you have a front or 4 wheel drive and you know they're icy so are on high alert and ready to deal with other motorists doing reckless shit which is 99% of the issues you'll face (like driving their rear wheel drive car round a corner up a hill, then spinning out as they accelerated too hard and ending up sliding back down the road towards you, which happened to me but as I was driving reasonably I just pulled over to the side)

What you've gotta watch out for is wet leaves though... Sounds innocent enough but in the wrong conditions they're as slippy as if not more than ice and because usually they're fine your brain just dismisses them until the day you slide/spin on them

I think New Mexico is where it’s at for low/no snow and affordable housing. Not coastal vibes at all, but neither is it anywhere close to Texas feeling. They just kind of have their own thing. Almost anywhere on the I-25 between Albuquerque and Las Cruces might suit your desire.

I worked in Red River for about a year and a half and it was pretty great. It was like Colorado Lite up there, and presumably much more affordable--I just had a condo paid for by my employer so I dunno. It'd be tough to live there without a remote job, I admit.

Taos was cool, but a little small/touristy. Santa Fe seemed great, but I heard it was expensive so I dunno. The rural areas did feel very impoverished overall.

I agree that it had its own feel. The native New Mexicans I met out there were just kind of their own people doing their own thing. The state had those fruit/pepper/produce stands here and there on the side of the road that you'd see in like Brazil. The landscape and terrain was this pretty mixture of desert shrubland right adjacent to mountain cypress-type ecosystems, at least in all the places I went to.

Would be worth going back again one day.

I'm told Seattle isn't bad. And you're close to Vancouver.

What's in Vancouver? Genuine question, I moved away from the Vancouver area last year and don't miss anything.

When it comes to Canada I only ever see the really popular artists perform in Vancouver or Toronto.

But I assumed one of the biggest Canadian cities would always have something going on, also driving distance away from the Shambhala Music Festival.

It's an 8 hour drive to get to Shambhala from Vancouver...

That's significantly better than from where I'm at, but I get it.

Upstate NY, VT, ME, NH, basically new england, some snow, but pretty nice places

NE is nice but it has also been hit hard with housing cost increases. I have family there and it sounds really rough ATM

You can get a lovely former meth lab in Providence for $350k. It might need some structural work. Also it doesn't snow here anymore.

Arizona. I plan on evacuating California too and Arizona is the most decent close place I have looked into. Vegas has already become too expensive unfortunately.

The thing that everyone complains and deters it for is the heat. We have had heat in California thats in the upper 90s before and I survived so I will take my chances. Good luck escaping California.

I did this. I'm currently in Phoenix. Yes, it gets hot, but it's really not a deterrent. There's certainly still affordable housing here too, especially if you're okay with manufactured housing.

I know this will be unpopular, but if you're ok with heat and traveling out of state if you need an abortion, Texas may be an option. Yes, our governor is terrible, but day to day life is not the horror that you see on tv. Our big cities are blue and populationwise we're not as red as you think (52-46% in 2020). Snow and ice are pretty minimal. The topography varies tremendously across the state - mountains, desert, coastal, etc. - and each big city has it's own vibe, so there are lots of opportunities for weekend getaways. We have great food, good airports, and colleges and universities of every size and focus. Housing prices have increased since COVID but are still much lower that the east or west Coast. I'm in Dallas and i like it here. San Antonio is a very fun city and a little cheaper.

Nah, Texas is way worse than you say.

Just having a baby is dangerous. Pregnancy complications can quickly lead to a death of both. Doctors are leaving the state. A miscarriage could be prosecuted as murder.

Abbott is really pushing the school vouchers because private schools can set "standards" so specific as to keep certain people out of getting an education.

If you ever need unemployment, Medicaid, or social security, Texas does everything possible to refuse money from the federal government to fund these programs.

Non-cis people are losing rights. The DPS for driver licenses is a mess because not having a driver license makes people think they can't vote

Voter rolls have been purged.

Many places receiving state money have closed their diversity programs. Abbott doesn't understand that wheelchair ramps and wide doors are "inclusion."

And if you think DE&I isn't important, imagine trying to wash your hands at an automatic sink, only to find out the faucet sensor was only trained on a different skin color so it doesn't see you.

What city are you in? Do you actually see those issues in your day to day life? I'm not discounting how terrible Abbott is at all! And yes, he's definitely trying to make things worse, but we have plenty of people (44% in 2022) who disagree with him. I live in Dallas and work in public education with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. My husband works in Ft. Worth, where it's considerably more conservative, and his company is very invested in DEI. Yes, there are difficult places and situations, but it's really not the shitshow you see on tv. Gerrymandering has given us a government that's not representative of our population. Extremes make the news.

I'm in Austin. Mexican. Family has been US citizens for 5 generations and live all across the state.

Most of my family is women. Many of my family are teachers.

My family has run into all these issues, except the faucet not recognizing their skin.

But we have been pulled over for driving through very white neighborhoods on either business or to see friends.

We have lighter skin, so rarely the target of hate from strangers. But we have been out with darker friends who do get the hate while standing next to us.

Sharing too much, but miscarriages have happened decades ago. On top of the unearned shame the mother feels, even back then there was worry about law enforcement questioning them.

Decades of being good citizens, serving the military, serving the community. And we are now wondering if we need to move to a new state.