We are often asked, “You guys have traveled so much; where is your favorite place?”
This is hard to say, a bit like being forced to choose just one ice cream flavor. I haven’t even tried them all yet.
In a similar vein, people inquire: “Where would you like to have a home base?”
This is a regular topic of conversation for us: finding our forever home.
Finding Our Forever Home
For most people, the location of home is predetermined… by family or funds. (birth, marriage, or employment.)
A few more adventurous souls might seek out better weather or culture, or even go full nomad. But if/when the nesting instinct calls, when you can truly live anywhere, where do you live?
Nesting Criteria
Were we to “settle down” one day, or to establish a somewhat regular home base, this is what we would look for (or maybe even have been looking for?)
Weather / Climate – lots of sun, not too hot, not too cold. If there is a “bad” time of year, it should be summer, when school is out of session.
We really enjoyed living in Seattle, but winters were miserable. While trapped in an office 60+ hours per week it was somewhat tolerable, but I prefer to see the sun more than once every 90 days. Earlier in life I had to leave the Midwest to avoid frozen eyeballs at -40 degrees F/C.
On the other end of the spectrum, we also enjoy Taipei. But summer is disgustingly hot, and stepping outside of an air conditioned building often feels like diving into a bowl of hot soup. It’s a good time to go elsewhere.
Food and Food Culture – We love good food. Places with a strong food identity and culture are really attractive, with an abundance of farm to table dining options, regular farmers markets, creative chefs, and food based celebrations. Spain and Italy come to mind, as does California’s Central Valley. Places where “gas station hot dogs” are common fare don’t make the list.
Diversity & Tolerance – diversity is the spice of life, and the basis of an incredible restaurant scene. We are a multi-cultural family and enjoy multi-cultural environments.
Biking Culture – I love to ride bikes, and it is a great form of transportation… if the city culture is right. Dedicated bike lanes and friendly drivers are a must. A city that embraces the bicycle as a primary form of transportation is a beautiful thing; See Davis, California.
The Great Outdoors – whether it be sea, mountains, or rivers/lakes (or all of the above), access to the great outdoors means a whole world of free adventure awaits . Combined with a great climate, we would never lack for sun and fun.
Easy Access to International Airport(s) – We like to travel, so close proximity to a busy airport is essential. If said airport has direct flights to Taipei, even better.
Good Value – when housing prices are high and rocketing skyward, literally everything from groceries to utilities to transportation increase in price. This isn’t a big problem for us, but for median income households and up it can create a seriously toxic environment. Forgive me for preferring a city that actually allows new housing to be built at a sufficient rate where existing and new residents both can thrive. (I’ll even pay taxes.)
Quality Education – ultimately education starts at home, but a strong partnership with a strong school system and educational community can be invaluable. When every student can move upward, everyone benefits.
Devil Is In the Details
It’s great to have a sense of what you want, and even better to have objective criteria to conduct a search for a forever home.
Alas, it seems far easier to identify places that don’t meet said criteria than ones that do. This is partly what inspired our wandering, as no place seems to meet most of the criteria most of the time.
In the US, maybe places like Sacramento, CA, Austin, TX, and Reno, NV score well.
Outside the US, Girona, Spain is a favorite. Caveat: we’ve only been to ~50 countries.
Of course, we would rent. :)
Where would you have your Forever Home?
Seattle meetup
We’ll be in Seattle and hosting a meetup on Monday, August 27th at 6 pm at Gasworks Park.
Come hang out with like minded people, some with forever homes and some forever home free. More details HERE.
Come join us on the shores of Lake Michigan. You’ll find at least one other multi-cultural family. ;)
I used to live in Port Washington…. can’t do those winters anymore :/
You don’t do the winters, that is when you head somewhere else. The spring, summer and fall are great! Even before we retired, we had to have our “thaw out vacation” each year, now we just lock the door on the condo and leave.
winters are the middle of the school season…
We moved to what we consider to be our forever home about eight years ago, namely the hills of TN. The climate suits us with never the oppressive heat that hits other areas in the South, our winters are mild (maybe 5″ of snow max in the season), and the rest of the year is outstanding. Costs are some of the lowest in the country. And while the small town where we live is not that diverse, you can have that in the major cities and locales like Nashville and Knoxville.
I guess it is our forever home until things go to heck in a handbasket in this country, then it will be time to look elsewhere. Can you say Ecuador?
Portland meets a lot of your criteria. I just moved here and I could see myself living here for a while even though I love travelling and don’t plan to “settle down”. Great post!
Portland weather is very similar to Seattle so that’s out for the GCC family.
I don’t know where the perfect place for us would be. We went to school in Santa Barbara and we loved it there. It’s too expensive now, though. Santa Cruz, CA is pretty neat too.
Currently, I’m thinking of a few acres on the Big Island. The bad thing is the lack of a good international airport and no biking culture. Oh well, the search continues.
I’m with you Joe! Santa Cruz is rad, I lived there for many years! Big Island is nice too – I also lived there on a farm. But sadly both are not very affordable. Santa Cruz prices are as ridiculous as Santa Barbara! I was looking at SLO or Morro Bay area but indeed it is quite far from any big airports. Mendocino county is on my list too. At least in my dreams.
I think you can buy land on Big Island for not too much but the COL is a bit high unless all you do is eat tropical fruits and fish, don’t have a car and never leave the islands. That doesn’t sound so bad at all actually. :)
I think the perfect place may not exist.
My Mom and sister live in Santa Cruz. I like to visit, but the costs are a bit ridiculous.
Hey Joe. I’ve spent most of the last 3 winters in Hawaii. Mostly on the big island. There are quite a few cyclists on the Hilo side who both road ride and mountain bike. But, ya, no real cycling culture or infrastructure. Oahu has organized rides but again, not too bike friendly. Land and some homes are still relatively inexpensive in Ocean View and Pahoa on the big island. For now Hawaii is snow bird escape territory for me.
I feel like you are describing Oro Valley. AZ, which is a suburb north of Tucson, AZ. Wonderful mountain views, great outdoors, plenty of bike friendly lanes (and the town is not done with improvements), low cost of living, safe and perfect for families, great schools (charter schools like BASIS), no traffic — Tucson is a city with a small town feel. The local (Tucson) airport is so easy to travel from, although it has limited flight options for international travel, but the Phoenix Airport is just a 1.5 hours away by car. The weather is perfect year-round except for summer (which is scorching, but that’s the time we also plan family getaways). You’re welcome to visit and explore the area and we would love to host you and your beautiful family!
Agree with you . Phoenix is better for a bigger city feel and flagstaff or Payson / Prescott for more cooler weather
Any thoughts on any of the numerous island nations in the Caribbean? I am partial to it, but would love to hear your perspective. I don’t think I have seen much in your writing about this region. Proximity to the US, direct flights to NY so Taipei is a connection away (albeit 15 hours), good weather (except for the occasional hurricane), great food, great diversity, culture, schools. The only thing that does not check of is the biking, but the dollar vans are a great way to get around.
I’ve been interested in the Caribbean nations for a long time. I would love to hear more about them!
What about Raleigh NC? Charlotte is pretty good too.
Far too humid for me. I melt.
I once had a job interview in RTP in April or May, and I decided I wouldn’t accept the job as soon as I stepped off the plane.
Humidity is bad about two-three months of the year but we absolutely adore everything else about Davidson (just north of Charlotte). Amazing food scene, diversity, low cost of living, great hub, stuff to do all year long, great weather. Close to skiing and somewhat close to beaches. Great public schools. Of course, we chose this place to be our forever home so it naturally ticks all our boxes!
I think most of us can agree with your list of criteria for a forever home. Sounds pretty ideal! Add Amsterdam to your list although the weather is decidedly Seattle like. So maybe not. But it is a quick escape to sunnier climes. Ok, yeah, forget it – just live in Spain. What am I saying. :)
Please do another meetup in the future… maybe in Spain..or Portugal!
Oh man, I feel like I have the exact requirements as you! It feels like this elusive “perfect place” is just so hard to find. Especially for bike-friendly cities with good weather. I’m currently based in New England and the winters are really getting to me. My problem is I have a SO who doesn’t want to be a nomad, so we’ll probably end up settling SOMEWHERE. I think right now the perfect situation could be summers in New England, winters in the Caribbean (only 3hrs apart by plane, and you avoid hurricane season by only going Dec-Apr). However it could make early retirement more expensive. Thoughts?
Cape Town!
I could do a stint in Girona, such a cool little spot :)
We have a lot of the same criteria, and a lot of our travel has been focused on trying to find a place that meets them. Unfortunately there is no one place that has it all. But at least in looking, we’ve started to realize maybe we’re happy enough right where we are in CT. At least for now :)
Are you thinking find a new home base sooner than later?
The idea of a home base is something we’ve been tossing around since we decided to be parents. Pre-school has already started so we are only traveling when school is out, so yeah…. sooner than later.
Girona is pretty sweet.
I’m surprised you didn’t list tax policy as a criteria (ex: state tax on capital gains). Here, Sacramento vs Austin would be considerably different…
I’m OK with paying taxes to match the other criteria
Sacramento has terrible air quality- not sure if that’s a criteria for you. That, flood risk (we like to buy for personal, not financial, reasons) was also an issue, but the insane heat and smog ruled it out for us. You only get one set of lungs :)
Sacramento air is bad in summer due to ozone. That will improve with transition to electric vehicles, and we wouldn’t be there in summer anyway.
Incidentally, I did review a list of the top places in the US for great air quality. My home town is on the list.
Phoenix AZ could be a great place.
99% of the days blue skies.
Bike lane are plenty.
It is a planned city. Every thing is conveniently located
No Snow [ Drive 2 hrs to find snow]
Cheep house.
Low tax.
Best weather for outdoor activities.
Unlimited hiking opportunities.
It is hot during summer but at 4% humidity it is not too bad. 110 in phoenix will feels like 90 degrees in Houston with humidity.
Better roads than any other city.
City Looks new especially east valley.
Want to go to a warm beach, drive 3 hrs to rocky point mexico.
Check this place out.
I am sorry CA Central valley is a foodie paradise??
it’s where the food is grown, no?
The Central Valley is an insanely awful place to live. High crime, poor schools, lack of culture, 2 hours from where you would rather be, no oceans, no mountains, that air quality issue. We could make mad money there in our fields and housing is comparatively cheap, but the quality of life is so bad we’d never consider it. Admittedly they have some good farmer’s markets.
Air is badly polluted in Central Valley but I thought Visalia less affected and seemed like liveable country towns / cities offering proximity to large cities, and large diverse outdoors. Not lived there, no idea about education, or crime. Earthquakes.
Visalia ranks #3 on ALA’s list of worst cities due to ozone. It seems to be common across much of California during the hottest months of the year. Conveniently, the hottest months of the year are outside the school season.
All of our friends who live in the central valley say the opposite re: quality of life is so bad
We want to be in a city, so 2 hours from where you want to be is off. It’s nice to go to the ocean and mountains on occasion, but 90% of our time would be in a city or traveling.
These are great points. I find it to be kind of overwhelming, honestly. Because we homeschool, and specifically because we’re secular homeschoolers, it’s important to us to find somewhere with other like-minded homeschoolers so kiddo can have social interaction and such. We are making a trip to Portugal in a few months, I’ve heard it meets a lot of our criteria ;) Spain would be great but homeschooling is a pretty gray area there in terms of legality.. :(
Portugal is really nice. I think it could be a good match for us as well
We spend about 12-weeks a year in Lagos, Portugal and love it. Ticks all our boxes.
Love Lagos! I could totally see retiring there.
Not a gray area. It’s illegal unless your child has an overwhelming need-something like severe social anxiety might qualify.
On a positive note, the school day is shorter than the US (9-2), and it’s much less frowned upon to miss a few days here and there for homeschool type educational opportunities.
We are in Hawaii, but I have an eye on New Zealand. Truth is though, I want to live close to wherever my kids are so I can have a relationship with my grandkids, have help close by when I needed it and have people to visit. My grandparents really needed people close by to combat loneliness and to be healthcare advocates for them.
Proximity to family is probably a high ranking criteria for most people. Maybe I can convince my extended family to move wherever we end up
“a strong partnership with a strong school system and educational community can be invaluable. When every student can move upward, everyone benefits.”
All I can say is what a load of crap. You can’t have a “relationship” with a system, and certianly not with a coercive govt agency. All gov’t schools are brainwashing hell holes. All the workers’ main goal is to get paid for doing as little as possible and pad that pension.
Nice.
We like Raleigh which has pretty much everything you’re looking for except friendliness toward bikes. Tthough give it another 20 years and maybe it will be better – the city is making progress as we get more techy and liberal :)
I’m getting back into bike riding after a 20 year hiatus and although I can make my way around some parts of town it’s pretty daunting dealing with no bike lanes and motorists that rarely or never encounter bicyclists. Great Greenway system around town, and that’s one thing I’d be tempted to move to a new part of town for. We have a half mile stretch of ‘greenway’ in the neighborhood but it doesn’t connect to the larger 100 mile greenway system. I’d love to have a direct car-free connection to that network!
Our airport is pretty decent. Lots of non-stops to other places in the US and some abroad, plus southwest, jetblue and frontier are here so you aren’t paying a ton of $$$.
Summer kind of sucks because it’s a toned down version of Taipei. 90F+ weather is sporadically present during a couple months and the humidity can get pretty bad. So we leave and go elsewhere every summer when school is out :)
where in Seattle did you live? just curious as you said you didn’t have a car.
U-district/Ravena
https://www.gocurrycracker.com/home-sweet-home/
I’ll always miss Seattle for everything about the culture and food scene, but the cost of living (particularly housing) and the weather are awful.
St Petersburg in the Tampa Bay area hits every single one of your points. It’s not too hot when you’re around the beach. Tons of outdoor activities from kayaking, fishing, exploring springs and wildlife, running off to the Keys or New Orleans for weekends. Huge bike (and brewery) culture reminiscent of the PNW. International airport, but for more extensive flight options, Orlando, Atlanta, and Miami are all close collections. You can rent an apartment for under $700. And the food scene is ridiculous both for local and the well diversified huge communities from Vietnam, Russia, India, and other groups.
HAHAHAHA! As someone who grew up in Tampa Bay, no. The long summers are brutally humid. Pretty much the whole east coast of the US sucks for humid summers.
I hear that southern France has pretty great year round weather, and definitely great food culture.
My sister lived in St Pete Beach for many years, and each time I visited it was either crazy humid or there was a hurricane approaching.
Algarve, Portugal (Lagos) for us. The weather is near perfect year-round! Excellent selection of outdoors activities, great (affordable) food, reasonable (affordable) housing options, friendly people, good (affordable) healthcare, international airport (Faro), close proximity to United States (visit family), etc….
You can afford a very nice life in southern Portugal for $25K annually….cheaper yet if you move inland a bit.
Life is tough with so many options :). I’ve been thinking about the same topic a bit and recently and journaled to try to organize my thoughts: https://interestinlife.com/early-retirement-blog/global-home-hunting-guide. Community connection is still the biggest difference maker and hardest to capture from behind-the-screens research.
Quito, Ecuador . . .or really anywhere at altitude in South America. Eternal Spring, low COL, great culture and people.
We’ve been looking for awhile and have many of the same criteria. It’s difficult to find a good mix of all the components..
Places in CA could qualify for many of your attributes, but they’ll probably fail the value criteria. Hawaii has a really nice climate and diversity, but again fails the value criteria. It’s also not terribly bike friendly. Easy access to asia though.
Pretty much anywhere else in the U.S. has some form of climate extreme, it might be cold or wet in the winter, extremely hot or humid in the summer, or just extremely hot and dry (AZ).
If you don’t mind slightly colder (but sunnier) winters than Seattle, I’ve heard Colorado is nice.
San Diego meets all your criteria and more, except for the house price. But renting price is not too bad.
Okinawa Japan
If you are interested in France, you might find Montpellier checks a lot of these boxes. It’s in southern France (less than 3 hours drive from Girona, Spain), has direct TGV train connections to Paris. Diverse, tolerant, great food, lots of wineries, close to water, very sunny, a fast-growing university town of 250,000+, beautiful architecture, museums, markets, etc.
Here’s a piece from UK’s Telegraph on it: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/articles/montpellier-what-to-see-and-do-city-break/
I agree with everyone that your list looks great!
Pretty hard to have it all. That doesn’t stop us from trying though!
My recommended solution- school year in a place that comes close to ideal with vacations to get your fix of what you’re missing. Then summers in another place that offers things place 1 doesn’t provide.
Europe has the advantage of cheap plane tickets and a great train system. Perhaps Taipei is similar?
Also, check out Valencia, Spain. It seems to check all your boxes. You might be more likely to find a school that teaches Castilian Spanish. Girona and other areas of Cataluña are leaning more and more toward school instruction in Catalan. Valencia has a few international flights (1 hour to Madrid or Barcelona), an amazing biking greenway through the heart of the city(the old riverbed was diverted), delicious food, decent beaches, nearby mountains (smallish), and finally, it’s not overrun with tourists.
San Francisco. It matches all your criteria. For me, it’s even good value, because you get what you pay for. And just a direct flight away from Taipei. You have Lake Tahoe, Sierra Nevada, world class ski resorts, Yosemite, redwoods, the ocean, all within driving distance.
Too cold. We both like Seattle a lot more than SF, for overall vibe of the place.
But the Seattle winters… it even snows sometimes. I spent two years in Seattle in 2003-2005, I liked it but the weather is way gloomier than SF.
Yeah, winters are challenging. I lived in Seattle for 12 years, and winter weather is the main reason we don’t consider it a long term option for us.
SF isn’t on our list for other reasons. Weather is one of them. NIMBYism is another. Tim Ferriss articulated many of the others.
I see. I didn’t know about NIMBYism or what Tim Ferriss said until I looked it up just now. I guess I’m not much of an activist and don’t run around in the same social circles as Tim. I also have very moderate political views. I just know I had a pretty good life here – grew up in SF, went to UC Berkeley, and then worked in Silicon Valley companies and they were all good to me.
My parents had all their properties taken away by the Chinese government including one a block away from the Forbidden Palace, whatever issues NIMBYs are objecting to are probably minor in comparison. :-D
When you at at the top of the economic food chain almost any place will be good to you.
I wouldn’t mind if the Painted Ladies were bulldozed under eminent domain and replaced with housing for 10,000. Then repeat across the city.
I actually started out at the very bottom of the economic food chain here (orphaned, lived off of food stamps, social security, and church donations) and worked my way up, which is another reason why I am grateful for my opportunities here.
Hmmm… what you described there is exactly what happens in China all the time.
I like your thinking on the summer weather trade-off. Just moved to Sacramento area, some reasons overlapping with yours. We came from Santa Cruz – loved it but prices have gotten insane. Lots more to explore in Sacramento, but so far enjoying it.
Park City, UT. There is no better biking culture if you like to mountain bike (and there is plenty of great road biking as well). Locals will tell you we moved here for the winter/skiing, but stay for the summers. Live music somewhere every night of the week. Great restaurants (though pricey). Cost of living is not cheap but it’s not CA either, and the property taxes for full time residents are super low. Very happy with the quality of public schools here (due largely to high parental involvement plus outside funding from the community). Kids sports are excellent from the traditional to the very unique and in the case of any of the snow sports, as good as you can find anywhere in the world. SLC airport is adequate and a 30-40 minute drive. Park City is an island of outdoorsy folks in UT and the stereotypes you may have about religion and culture are inapplicable.
You mentioned Sacramento, Ca? It is a great place to live. Sunny about 6 months of the year. Fall and spring are short. Winter is very mild. But we do have about 2 weeks over 100 degrees in July. It is more bearable than Taipei since it is dry heat. It is rated one of the most diverse city in the US. It has a lot outdoor activities. Lakes, river, mountains and snow are within a short drive.
We spent a few days in Sacramento in August, and standing in the direct sun at noon (100F) was actually quite comfortable. Step a few paces to the side into the shade of a nearby tree and it was perfect. We probably wouldn’t be in town during the hottest 2 weeks anyway.
What do you think of the comments re: terrible place to live, poor air quality, bad schools…?
I lived in Sacramento for 3 years and Davis for 4 years. Sacramento is awesome. Your typical tier 2 city (500k people, COL managle, bikeable, los traffic city). Reminded me of Portland and minneapolia (I have had other family members live in those cities)
Pros
1. UC Davis is a top 50 university and affordable. The medical center is in Sacramento (while the university is in Davis. Medical care care is top notch.
2. Called the city of trees prior now called the farm to table city so shows you the right priorities. (Eco, bukeable, and restaurant scene).
3.They’ve really developed a nice downtown with the Sacramento kings arena and the cool restaurant scene in midtown.
4. 90 min from sf Bay Area driving
5. Davis, is as bike friendly as it gets and cool college town.
6. Felt really cool to bike past capital building
Cons
1. My allergies were out of control
2. Housing crashes hits hard here. Was one of the hardest hit markets in the last crash with a very high unemployment rate as prior to 2007 besides gov jobs and health care.. Could get a good deal in the next crash. Housing prices have doubled since last crash. Housing prices seem to go extreme here with sharp crashes during market downturns as not as diverse job markets and sharp rebounds as people from bay get priced out.
3. Schooling was a bit of concern for some. Davis, ca has great schools and about 20 min from sac. Certain neighborhoods they were good too in sac but may have to investigate. Many of my collegeues lived in suburbs but imo were more yuppy conservative types. I don’t actually think this is much of an issue. To be frank I think there is a bit of white flight when a place gets too diverse (Too Asian or too black or brown) and those that can move their kids to more racially segregated (read richer) suburbs.
Terrible place to live?? I don’t know. No city is perfect. Schools are hit and missed. There are great ones and bad ones like every other big cities. It has both public and private options. If you look for good public ones, they are located in the surrounding suburbs, such as Elk Grove and Roseville, Land Park and East Sacramento. Air quality is bad when it is hot and no breeze in the summer days. Otherwise, it is not so bad. It has Delta Breeze in summer help with the air. Hope you find it useful. Good luck on home searching.
I moved to Roseville which isn’t to far from Sacramento. I’m originally from San Jose and I bought a brand new house for much less than my San Jose condo. The schools in a Roseville and Rocklin are rated very high. Our school score is a 9 across the board at all three schools. I have a 2 year old so this is a top priority for me.
It seems everything is 2 hours away if you want to get out of town. Tahoe is beautiful and a worthwhile trip. We also did Yosemite this year before the fires. I’m retiring in 5.5 years and I would love to move internationally if I can find good schools. Im checking out Girona that you recommend.
IMHO, a good choice in the US is Northwest Arkansas, particularly south of Fayetteville. The temperatures are always 10 degrees less than Dallas (where I’m at now), and the XNA airport acts like a mini-hub for major airlines (as it supports Wal-Mart in Bentonville). You can go from XNA to DFW, ORD, LAX, NYC, etc. daily, as a result. House prices are very reasonable, and the area has some nice attractions (e.g. Crystal Bridges Museum, Beaver Lake, Eureka Springs). Since it’s a college town (home of the Razorbacks), there’s always something going on. Check it out sometime!
Taxes in CA are obsurd, and now that Trump passed the new tax law capping SALT taxes at $10k, buying real estate and paying outrageous property tax is out of the question. You’re right, there is no perfect place. Just keep traveling, everything will work itself out.
It’s not so bad, really. I will share details in a post in a few weeks
Welcome to Tucson!
Weather / Climate – Only “bad” weather is in the summer
Food and Food Culture – Great international restaurants, Mexican and Asian foods are my favorites
Diversity & Tolerance – University and the retire population bring diversity
Biking Culture – viva the loop, I bike to work everyday
The Great Outdoors – hiking, mountain biking, the loop again, skiing in Northern AZ
Easy Access to International Airport(s) – PHX has direct flights to many international destinations, perhaps even Taipei
Good Value – Numbeo gives Tucson a cost-of-living index of 64. That is only slightly higher then Taipei (62.85).
Quality Education – Basis is top 5 in the country. University high is also very very good!
Have you been to Boise ID? That is our pick for the early retirement years for a landing pad. We plan to travel a lot so won’t be there full-time but it’s a very worthy city that ticks off a lot of your requirements. The airport is sleepy which we love but there could definitely be more flights. The city is super bike able and has a great food and beer scene. The Sawtooth mountains are only a few hours away and loaded with great hiking and backpacking. The river action is off the hook if you’re into water sports (along with tons of natural hot springs). Skiing super close. The list goes on and on. Winters are relatively mild but as a life-long Californian, we’ll see how I feel about that once i’ve experienced one or two… I can’t wait to live there though.
We haven’t been to Boise, or Idaho at all. I suppose we should change that. Thanks for the suggestion!
You mentioned Reno, Nv as a possible spot to consider. I considered it also due to beautiful mountains, great airport, city size is great with some great biking etc. But I monitored the weather during the winter and it was surprisingly super cold. Im like you and would rather have nice winters and hot weather in the summer when I can travel. Places Im currently considering are Sedona/Prescott area of Arizona. Sedona maybe on the small size and kinda expensive and touristy but great weather and great outdoorsy options nice restaurants. Not sure on schools however if thats important. Good air quality. Airport close by would be Phoenix. Oceanside/Carlsbad, Ca. Great weather all year. Rents are cheaper than some of the surrounding areas after researching maybe due to jobs not close by or having to commute into San Diego. Good air quality. Downside being theres too many people here for my liking. Like you said theres no perfect place with pros and cons to many.
Irvine, CA! One of the safest cities in the USA. My home base the past 9 years but planning on moving overseas (ie, Paris) this summer. I literally walk to the airport (SNA – aka John Wayne Airport). LAX is also $60-70 Uber ride. Lots of parks, great schools, 10 minute drive to world class beaches (ie, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach). Also, lots of new condos putting a pressure on prices.
Do you have a specific neighborhood you are looking at in Paris?
Alameda CA, a little island opposite SF city. Shhhh! A hidden gem. Small town feel, great schools, lots of diversity, great food and bike lanes through most of the Island. Cost of housing at least 20% less than sf and peninsula. Great weather year round and no fog!
I’m seeing lots of positive comments for the Southwestern U.S. My question is… is anyone considering climate change? The Southwest is running out of water along with CA. And then there is the fire and smoke issues in much of the West.
Water. Fire. Hurricanes. Flooding. Blizzards. No place is safe from climate change.