Best Places to Live

[kat_h]

If you're looking worldwide I'd say southern Sweden.

[crazycanuck]

Ummm if you don't want to spend a fortune on a house, Australia & NZ aren't great options atm...

[tulip]

If it weren't for the surfing, I'd suggest Asheville. How would he like white water kayaking and rafting instead??

I'm currently in a similar quest. I've always wanted to live in Europe. I lived there once for a few months, but circumstances were different, and it did not work out. Now, however, I think I could do it. Paris, Dublin, Bordeaux, and some smaller cities in western France come to mind for me. I'm fortunate in that I am an EU citizen, so that really cuts down on the hassle.

My criteria are near the sea, access to a city, good cycling, fresh markets (European markets or farmers markets), and as few shopping centers, cul-de-sacs, and SUVs as possible. Oh, and good gardening climate.

[snowtulip]

Thanks for input everyone. It's amazing how hard it is to decide! DH and I even did a search on a small town we loved when we were in Slovenia, but don't think we are ready to leave our families that far away.

Our friends keep mentioning Asheville or Portland, I love Portland and have never been to Asheville. The whole surfing thing is throwing the formula off.

FindSpot seems to want us to move to Arkansas?

Thanks everyone!

[froglegs]

I live on the central coast of CA, in Santa Maria which is probably the least expensive central coast city with a beach climate (once you get past San Luis Obispo, it gets to be more of a desert climate).

It is about 10 miles from the ocean and there are plenty of mountains, quiet beautiful roads to ride on, and good places to surf all within a few minutes to an hour's drive. The weather simply can't be beat (average high for January is 64, July is 74). It really is a great place to live if you can find a local job, or don't mind having a (possibly very long) commute.

It does have a movie theater and a bookstore, but the bookstore is pretty small and is in the mall, which sucks. If I want to go to a bookstore I usually go up to SLO, or go one right next to my work in Goleta.

I probably would rather live in SLO (I did in college) but it is pretty expensive.

[Tuckervill]

Little Rock and Fayetteville, AR are great places to live (I'm sure those are the two places findyourspot recommended--and did you get Albuquerque, too?). If I had my choice, I'd choose Fayetteville, but just because of more progressive politics. Cultural amenities are more accessible in Little Rock, though Fayetteville has its opportunities, mostly due to the university, which brings a diverse and educated population from other places.

How many states have their very own encyclopedia? http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/

If you like outdoor stuff, Arkansas is a great place to live, although the economy seems too skewed towards fishing and hunting, and not so much towards more physical stuff. It's coming along, though. We have lots of places for paddle sports, including the pristine Buffalo National River. Lots of mountain biking opportunities. Of course, the roads are wide open for cycling, but we have some ways to go to educate drivers. The Ozark Highlands Trail is one of the best hiking trails in the country, and is pristine and mostly undiscovered.

I live only 30 miles from Fayetteville. I lived in the Little Rock area for many years and still own a house there. Hundreds and thousands of retirees from the North (Yankees!) have settled in the Harrison, Hot Springs and Mountain Home areas, so there must be something good about Arkansas.

Karen

[Blueberry]

Hmmm....maybe it's time to re-think where I live

I did the find your spot, and ALL of my results (except for 3) were in AK, WA or OR. I had one each in Maine, Vermont and Mass.

I think perhaps NC isn't the best place for me