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Advice/Suggestions on places to live on the East Coast?


EvilC

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Hey Clive,

 

Consider central Virginia. I was in a situation similar to yours when I chose Richmond. I moved before the Internet made research simple, but the resources available then (early-mid '90s) suggested that the mid-Atlantic region was the place to be.

 

It's economically diverse, with a well-established infrastructure and a business-friendly regulatory and tax environment. We're close enough both to the ocean and to the mountains that the great outdoors is very easily accessible, and we get four (relatively) mild seasons in which to play. The cost of housing depends on the neighborhood, of course, but I consider it reasonable in light of the pay scale around here. Most states are hard pressed to offer public education comparable to the quality of schools in New York, but Virginia gets high marks there too. (There are also plenty of good private schools, if you've got the budget for them.)

 

Most of my extended family is still in New York, so I wanted to live someplace that would offer a convenient stop-over when they were headed north or south, and that was within one day's drive.

 

Since I was self-employed, I could put down roots wherever I chose. I took a close look at the Research Triangle, and at Charlotte, NC. I also considered the DC suburbs, and Charlottesville, VA. ...Then ultimately decided on Richmond.

 

VIR (Virginia International Raceway), NCCAR, and Summit Point are all close enough to drive to and from track events on the day of the event.

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Thanks for the info guys!

 

Cherry all good info and exactly what I was looking for. We have plenty of time to know what we are doing but doesn't hurt looking ahead. At 27, I would think a good 2-3 years is enough time to figure out where to end up. Winter is coming....now I wish I was in a warmer place! :D

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Money Magazine recently had an article rating "the best" towns to live in the USA. Their system of rating was pretty decent, and took into account factors such as job opportunities, economy, rising or falling real estate prices etc. Can't remember where I put it but you should also be able to find it online. It's not personal experience, but since I can't recommend anywhere I've lived (Jacksonville NC, Pensacola FL, Wilton CT. All terrible choices from either quality or living expense) on the East Coast, the statistical analysis that Money did is worth checking out.

 

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2011/

This is the general gist, but the actual magazine article was much more informative.

Edited by Oddmanout84
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And hey, Washington DC area is getting MORE and MORE like Southern California every year... We now have:

 

Earthquakes

Forest Fires

The mountains

The Ocean

 

And more liberals than you can shake a stick at...

 

Oh yea, and jobs... Lots and lots of jobs!

 

Mike

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I dont live on the east coast but the local utiltiy company is always looking for engineers at $100k or so to start.Just saw a 3000 sq/ft house with 3 car garage for $225k.Every place has its positives and negatives.The same $225k house would be $800k to $1mil 80 miles west of here in the san francisco bay area.Being from central cali i cant handle the humidity of the east coast.

 

 

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There was a brief, shining moment recently when the Arizona Legislature considered that since ONLY 10% of the state's revenue was coming through property taxes that they should really consider simply cutting expenditures by that much and doing away with the administrative headache of collection and relieving taxpayers of the nuisance!

Somehow that didn't fly, but man it was a nice thought!!!

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Hey Evil

 

I'm in Boston (Newton actually 15 mins outside of Boston) Theres some nice places in MA but I'm sure you're sick of all the snow and cold in the NE. I'm looking for property too but I'm sort of locked down here b/c of work/education at the moment I work in IT. I'll tell ya NE property is NOT cheap at the rate things are going I might be able to afford a house in a few decades lol. If you ever need a guide or want to visit Boston let me know I'd be more than happy to oblige. :)

Edited by sito
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If you do move to NoVA, it will be difficult to find a home with a garage (im sure just about everyone on this forum would have that as a must have requirement!) in the 200k to 250k range...at least in loudoun or fairfax county. Although the opportunity landscape is fantastic, you got to pay to play here....and commit to horrific daily commutes. Those two counties are in the top 5 highest income level averages in the nation.

 

Prince William county is still reasonable with just a slightly longer hike in to the dc metro area.

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Sito thanks, yeah kinda sick of the snow but it comes with living here.

 

T-Bone, I use to visit Fairfax often and know for sure the prices are high! The traffic is def a negative too. I would just be changing locations for about a month or so of nicer weather and cleaner than nyc, lol.

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If you're willing to "commute", you can find homes much cheaper, and at a much larger spread... Clive, you've been to my home... 5 Acres, bought at the peak of the housing boom, and it was $500K... Now homes similar to it are selling for 2/3rds... There's a lot of work in the Richmond/Charlottesville/Fredericksburg region... Yes, some NOVA area population is very dense... But not all...

 

Mike

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Commute - I hate traffic! Don't mind a driving to work like most people have to do but sitting in traffic is the worst.

 

Went looking at a place yesterday in northern Jersey. Built in the 50s, .24 acre, 3 small bedrooms...blah blah blah...needs updating. $330k asking price with taxes $8200......needless to say the gf wasn't thrilled. Me, I am thinking that isn't too bad. Cost of living in the tri-state area. Taxes would only increase as improvements are made of course. Hmmmmm.....

 

Looks like we will be giving first thought to the Raleigh/Durham area in NC if this move is to happen out of the area. Now to look up all the road courses around there, lol.

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