My little acre of North Carolina. Right now. Period. Okay Okay I know there are a whole bunch of things wrong with it, BUT when I go out there on my patio and look at all the flowers blooming, and listen to the frogs singing, and watch the dragonflies flying and see the butterflies arriving, and watch the lizards, there is no better place in the world to be. (Okay MAYBE at a cafe in England eating Meat and Potato pie, chips, peas and gravy but that is a dream).

I have lived in a lot of placed, and lived with people who have lived in a lot of places. Dusseldorf, Munich and Frankfurt Germany are OK, but Bonn/Cologne is better. If you live in France, nearly anywhere, life is good. Holland and Belgium, too. New Zealand is OK, but Oz (Australia) is bigger, therefore better.

UK and Ireland are pretty OK, too. Lots of affluent cities, suburbs and small towns where life is good.

Then, there's the good ol' USA. Compares well to Canada. Except taxes are lower and health care is a more risky bet. If you have money, you're good. If not, you'd better hope you're lucky.

Italy, Spain and Andorra are mostly OK. Israel is great; except for those bad passengers on the buses and bombs that rain down from Lebanon. And their screwy, heated politics.

Sweden, Norway and Denmark are hard to beat, too, except for Muslim extremists trying to take over those lily white, liberal democracies. Today you get your watch stolen. By 2025, who knows! If you could only be sure that today's bonhomie would last forever!

And Japan, PI, Taiwan, Tahiti and HK all have their merits! Traditional, clean and developed, they are great places to visit as long as you speak some of the local language.

"placed" = "places!"

I definitely have fond memories of NC while hiking the Appalachian Trail. Probably that's why I moved from home (Milwaukee) to the Front Range (Rockies). Been here almost 35 years and I think I'll never grow tired of watching the sunrise light up the Continental Divide, or listening to the Meadowlarks in the purple sage, or getting a really deep whiff of Ponderosa Pine after a thunderstorm. Home may be where the heart is and I'm lucky my heart is here.

I'm moving out of California soon so I'd appreciate any and all suggestions on "best places to live in the USA." Skip Arizona and Nevada -- I'm tired of desert climate states. Also forget Alaska and Hawaii. Montana and Idaho might be too rustic. NJ and NY - too high in taxes. Otherwise, I'm ready to hear other places some of you might recommend and I'll save this thread it a file I've put together. I've decided after I find a city which seems it might be a good place live I'm first going to rent there (6 months to a year) and check it out thoroughly before putting money immediately into buying a home. I don't want to make the mistake of immediately buying a place and then finding out I really don't like the area. Preferably with maybe lakes nearby, or river, or near an ocean or bay. Medium sized city is fine. No more big cities for me. Thanks in advance for any ideas.

I've already touted Nashville, which I think you'd love. 2 large lakes, lots of State Parks, mountains 2 1/2 hours away, friendly and safe. Low housing prices compared to many mid-sized cities.

You know where I am......

We were recently #1 on the 'Best Cities in the US to Live".

If you don't check it out you'll really be missing the boat

OK, I've said all I'm going to say on that.....

AU

I've already got Nashville in my "places to consider" folder. You and a couple others had recommended some places to consider on another thread awhile back and I had saved the info. It was appreciated. Thanks.

I lived in Clarksville for a while. I worked part time at a call center in downtown Nashville. I drove 2 Black Men down there and back upto Clarksville. I was the only White stupid enough to drive down the projects in Clarksville with confederate flags on My Vehicle. The people I was staying with said I was one dumb SOB. I had to agree.

Larry Mohr

"I'm moving out of California soon "

Let me know when to plan the party.

Let me know when to plan the party.

-- Jomama

Buy me a home in another state and Jomama's bubblebath and beer party can start the very next day. I'll be gone and outta here. And the day I leave I'll make sure I send over a couple of kegs for your long awaited "CC's farewell to CA" party.

In a few years it's Belize for me and mine.

MSGT

Nice place!

I can certainly understand Sydney as top 10 quality. It was one of the nicest cities I've ever had the pleasure to visit for awhile while Zurich is one of the most beautiful & clean cities in the world for sure...

AU

I really appreciate your taking the time to post all the links, etc. above for me.
I've saved this thread in my "places to move" folder. Thanks a lot.

I would have to say one of the best places to live would have to be California is certain places for sure.

Ventura County is nice climate, and not that populated yet.

San Clemente sure is nice.

Solana beach is nice, in Sand Diego county.

I live in Orange County, and it sucks, there is too much traffic, and too many mother fucking illegal aliens everywhere. Its turning into upscale mexico here.

Kuma

I live in Orange County, and it sucks, there is too much traffic, and too many mother fucking illegal aliens everywhere. Its turning into upscale mexico here.

Kuma

Posted by Kuma

Justice for being 'Reaganville'!!!!!!

Hey CalifChris if you have allergies and are considering moving to Nashville, find yourself an allergist pronto. You'll need one.
Also prepare for extreme humidity.

Belle Meade, Belleview, Franklin, Brentwood, Lepers Fork, are all great areas to look into.

Good luck.

Chris, I suggest you move a few hundred miles north. In my short experience here I have learned there are two Californias. The smelly, polluted, over crowded, concrete home to every degenerate, criminal, r8r fan (I know it's redundant) in the south. And the oft quirky, touristy, absolutely beautiful landscape to the north.
I moved to Eureka nearly a year ago from Denver--originally imported from the south east--and I don't think I'll ever leave. I always planned on retiring in London where my family still has a home, not any more.

p.s. I've lived in TN. The Dead had it wrong, stay the fuck outa TN, Jed. Redneck cops, local politics defined by race wars, talibabtists, and a general unacceptance of folks who 'ain't from round here', espically hippies from California.

Chris,

I'd suggest you check out Boise, Idaho. The city itself is very cosmopolitan, and in 15 minutes you can be in the middle of spectacular mountains or prairie. It's like Denver, but without the pollution and attitude.

I personally love Kansas City, but the climate may be too extreme for somone accustomed to California.

Based on vern's recommendations, looks like Boise and Kansas City are two places that should be avoided at all costs.

Chris,

Believe it or not SLC or Provo areas in Utah are nice places to live.

Desert to the west and Rocky Mountains to the east. Clean and quiet with lots to do. Lakes and streams abound.

Anyway, I'm not going to spend allot of time 'selling' it but at least do some research on the place.

Yuck...I have to make the trip home to western N.Y. this week, to visit family.
It is east of 101's habitat.

Unless you are near lakes Ontario or Erie it sucks.

Depressed and depressing!

looks like Boise and Kansas City are two places that should be avoided at all costs.

Posted by Dave at 2008-06-13 02:56 PM | Reply

I'm certain people in both places are thankful that you won't be there

Boise is nice and the climate isn't too hash. When I lived there the trafic was bad but I think they have that fixed now.

Salt Lake is nice but colder than Boise. It is real easy to find your way around there.

Both places you can get out of town and into the mountains real fast.

Bobotto, Vernon, 2112, R8RH8R

Thanks! I may not have posted a response to each of your posts but I read them all and I'm saving this thread and then will put together soon a list of places to check out.

Chris - I know I am biased :) but Jacksonville, NC is a great place to live, you have the beaches just minutes away, (and deserted beaches at that) you have the mountains 4 hours away, you have Raleigh and all its culture just a few hours away, and you have the rural south, sitting in a house on the edge of a swamp, sipping tea and listening to the cicadas, tree frogs and crickets. It really doesn't get any better than that.

We need to start an Intrade account named:

"Where will Chris Move"

LOL

( Intrade is a site you can wager on things like the Presidential election, primaries, and all manner of other things :-)

What is wrong with CLEVELAND OHIO? The winters are fun and the summers are mild due to the lake.

When you're both naked, kissing, caressing, and touching from head-to-toe under the sheets, Motel 6 in Moore, Oklahoma can seem like paradise! Ahhhhhhhh.....yes.

I travel for a living (in fact, I just spent a week in Zurich), and nothing makes me feel better than coming home to Buffalo.
If we can convince Chairpoodle to move away the place would be perfect.

FF RASTA!!

Frankfurt???????

I was walking downtown one night, not far from the train station, and there were junkies shooting up right on the sidewalk. And not just a few, they were all over the place.

Vienna? I think Salzburg Austria is nicer.

Frankfurt was my home away from home.

When were you there Roy?

Wow. So many choices. It depends on what you like to do. _2112_ was on the money with SLC, and Boise is nice, too. Don't automatically scratch Arizona until you've been to Flagstaff. Boulder, CO - another good choice. But the tops of my list would include Spokane, WA and Eugene, OR. Eugene has more miles of bicycle trails than roads, mild climate, zilch for humidity, it's a college town, you can be at the beach in 3 hours and skiing in 2 or less. Hard to beat.

These things are highly subjective. I once read two surveys in the space of a year that listed Naples, Fla. as both the best and worst city to live in.

The islands of the Caribbean are the best places to live. Here are my favorites: St. Lucia, St. Thomas, St. Martin, and St. Kitts.

"But the tops of my list would include Spokane, WA and Eugene, OR. Eugene has more miles of bicycle trails than roads, mild climate, zilch for humidity, it's a college town, you can be at the beach in 3 hours and skiing in 2 or less. Hard to beat."

Nawww...you have to eat tofu and bean sprouts every meal to live in those places. Drinking all that latte and Perrier turns all those Oregonians' and Washingtonians' brains to mush. They look down their noses at ribs and beer.

I suggest Las Cruces NM. Within an hours drive you can be in Mexico. anything you need or want is available on K street in El Paso

St. Martin is hot!:>)

I'd suggest you check out Boise, Idaho. br />

Posted by vernon

Boise...ha, ha...only time this life so far I've ever had food stamps for a month occurred while I was living here in 1973 after almost ripping my right hand's fingers off in a potato combine incident @ Beaver Creek Ranch which was then outside of Rexburg.

Never ever will forget the view of the backside of the Tetons we could see from the combines all day long...

My father's sister's family later moved to Alta, Wyoming...just over the border there on the otherside of Jackson Hole. They tell me they see Harrison Ford in town there alot:>)

I'm moving out of California soon so I'd appreciate any and all suggestions on "best places to live in the USA."
Posted by CalifChris at 2008-06-12 11:11 PM

Chris,
Take a good look at Wisconsin. Madison is one of the best, although not necessarily cheapest, places for quality of life. If you want a little more rural environment, southwestern Wisconsin -- not Iowa -- qualifies for "Is this Heaven?"

BANI-
Mrs Oohrah and her father went with me to Big Sky, Montana this past fall. We took a couple days to drive to Jackson, WY, and then back thru Idaho to get back to Big Sky.

The Tetons were magnificient. So was Mesa Falls. We took photos - though the ones you linked to are much better than ours.

OohRah, I lived/worked & was a ski bum at Big Sky when Chet Huntley's Lodge opened in the winter of '73-74.

I was rebuilding my right hand from the potato concubine accident near Dubuis, Idaho as I pursued a lawsuit against Beaver Creek Ranch for neglience ~ although I must say ~ a hangover from marijuana fueled haze with AIM Sioux/peons in a small Dubois bar & so forth the nite before didn't negate some of my responsibilities in the eventual accident either...

Anyway, my main claim to possible eternal other foolheartly fame is at Big Sky ~ aside from being reprimanded for singing Bette Midler's "Superstar" over the outdoor intercom late a nite on the mountain when I was cleaning the main restaurant in chalet ~ was that I skied the main couloir @ on Lone Mountain in late June or 1975 before the huge tram
was built years later to the bowl there.

http://www.skidream.com/ images/resorts/89_130_Lone% 20Mountain%20close-up.jpg

How can this be we have told by those Right Wing Assholes on the Media that America is the greatest place in God Earth. If you don't believe me go on ask Hannity or O'Rielly or Limbaugh they will tell you it America an America alone....

Having traveled through out the World I know that there are better places to live than here. I was born in Honolulu and raised in the San Francisco Bay area most of my life I'm not sure about the ranking but is there 20-30 more places better to live than here in the United States WITH OUT A DOUBT....Those that doubt that really should travel they may learn something......

Love Malaysia, but Muslims there have to stay Muslims or else...

Welcome to bbeing controlled for life by the Religous dogma one is born into this particular life:>)

Church Hill, Tennessee. Great place to live.