Wife has requested a 3 seasons move
 

Thought I started a thread about this but a quick search shows none listed under my user name. So I'll start a fresh one.


With the closure of my business on November 3rd of last year, and with the death of my mother-in-law on the 16th of that same month , my loving wife Deb (aka:she who must be obeyed ) and I are starting to consider a move to a 3 seasons area along the east coast. We still have another 3-6+ months of estate/family related work to do before we make a move, but are starting to wonder where the best areas, with the most opportunities may be for us.

Some things that are on our list so far:

Want to be able to walk to places, do not want to have to get in the car and drive forever to get to restaurants, theaters, shopping. Maybe even a train station to get to the larger metropolitan areas We do not want to live in a place that is surrounded by high crime areas We like the mountains, do not golf, maybe a few hours drive to the ocean. People our age (we are in or soon to be in our early 50's). Close (an hour or so) to a major transportation hub (IE: major airport). Decent and existing infrastructure (were we are in PA now our taxes have doubled in the last 5 years). Of course we'll need an area where we can potentially find employment.

So, there you have it in a nutshell, looking to see what you guys think, maybe you know an area we should check out. Maybe you live in an area we should check out. All assistance is greatly appreciated.

We have been to:

Jacksonville, Fl
Tampa, Clearwater, Beverlyhills, Fl
Charlotte, NC
Savannah, GA
Peachtree City, GA
Knoxville, TN
Charleston, SC
Richmond, Virginia
and a few not worth mentioning at this time http://forum.miata.net/vb/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

Some places currently on our list that we have yet to visit:

Greenville, SC
Raleigh, NC
Ft Laudedale/Hollywood, Fl

Any other suggestions, or advice from those that are in the areas we have yet to see are always greatly appreciated.


Sincerely,

Bill S.

PS: Yes, I already know to only buy a home out of the flood zones due to the growing cost of flood insurance...

We've been in Greenville for thirty years now and wouldn't swap it for most of the cities on your lists. Downtown is the best I've seen anywhere: clean, safe, popular, great restaurants, etc. (City government is dedicated to keeping it that way.) Job opportunities are very good since it has one of the most diverse economies in the southeast: Michelin, BMW, GE, Flour Daniel, several other large technical businesses produce a demand for all sorts of other businesses.

I'd be happy to give you a tour if you ever want to visit!

Hal

PS Will be out for a drive in my ERA tomorrow - no top or heater!

You may want to consider the state that's most tax friendly. With that being said Florida is high on the list and we like Naples.

Thomasville, Georgia, or Tallahassee, Fl both very, very nice.... George

I live near Peachtree City. It's a nice suburban city. City of Delta pilots. You probably know it has miles of golf-cart paths. The kids use the carts to go to school. People shop on the carts. Senoia is near, land of The Walking Dead. Anyhow it's been around 30 degrees at night lately. Savannah may have better insurance rates it's in the crotch of the southeast coast and harder to get hit by hurricanes.

A couple of areas you may want to research is The Redneck Riviera, AKA Florida Panhandle and west. Also Myrtle Beach I kind of liked. I hear Raleigh is well liked. Then there's Ashville, NC. Not to far from The Tail Of The Dragon and Pigeon Forge.

Hell Roads - Tail of the Dragon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K16YnmJN0fc

Web Site
Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, motorcycle and sport car two lane tourism serving Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, Cherohala Skyway, Moonshiner28, Devils Triangle, and Six Gap North Georgia.

Then you could always move near here on the north side of ATL. Not far from Road Atlanta.
http://www.atlantamotorsportspark.com/
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/i...bnDJshgZrEYxfE

Ralphy

I'm a desert rat so the southwest is where we are headed. For others I've heard that the Atlanta, GA area is really nice. Get inland so you don't worry about the coastal hurricanes and remember that street level is not necessarily flood level. Peachtree is one of the many areas that would qualify.

I notice that you're not restricting yourself to the US.

World's most livable cities - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good luck with the search
LB

Bill,

I also wish you good luck with your move. Have you had a chance to visit any of the places that you are considering? I have been to a lot of places on the East coast but not long enough to really know much about living there. Anyway best of luck on finding just then right place and I hope that everything goes smoothly for you.

Ron

We have, so far Savannah and Charlotte are at the top of our list. With trips to Greenville, SC, Raleigh, NC, and Ft Laudedale/Hollywood, Fl in the works for the new year. All others that you guys might come up with are subject to further study, and then may too make it on our travel list for the first half of the new year.

Find a area we like
Find employment
Find a home/condo/convertible commercial building (old firehouse, old bank, or old ???) that suits our wants and needs.

Our current house goes on the market in late January or early February if our game plans stay on track. We can always put our stuff in storage and rent to make certain we like an area/city.......


Bill S.

Charleston, SC
Columbia, SC
Athens, GA

Find a place with winding roads nearby!

Some friends of mine just moved to Maryville, TN ( about 20 miles south of Knoxville ) and absolutely love it. The city is large enough to have all the modern conveniences, but still small enough to still be charming. Low crime, beautiful countryside being at the foot of the Smokey Mountains, and it is end point for Tail of the Dragon. We are considering a move to Farragut, TN ( another Knoxville suburb ) in the next few years.

Bill reading your criteria north of Atlanta would fill most of it. First off not knowing what work your looking to do. ATL has a population of 5 million plus. So the variations of jobs are high. You have the mountains just north, Lake Lanier is a large and nice lake. The gulf coast and the east coast are just hours away. As you go north up GA 400, Roswell, Alpharetta and then Cumming are all nice suburban cities. I've lived north of and south, north is a bit cooler in the summer. I guess due to higher elevations. Other auto related things here are Cobra Restorers, Year One, not far away in Braselton. Summit Racing to the south down I75 and Atlanta Motor Speedway. Orlando is 7 hours south.

Cobra Restorers
Shelby Cobra parts - at Cobra Restorers, Ltd.

Caffeine and Octane Alpharetta, GA
Caffeine and Octane Atlanta's Best Car Show

Year One
https://www.yearone.com/

The Mitty and Petite Le Mans
https://www.roadatlanta.com/

Ralphy

The wife and I are "snow-birds". We live in Virginia Beach, Va. during the summer while heading south to Port Charlotte on the gulf coast of south Florida for the fall/winter.

Port Charlotte was the #1 place to retire in the United States as listed by US News and World report in 2012. The cost of living there is really cheap.

We bought a real sweet 2K+ sf home with solar/heat pump heated pool, a 40'x12' covered lanai along with every amenity know to man for a paltry $139K.

No income tax, no personal property tax and very cheap real estate tax makes it a retiree's dream.

...the finest carpet bagging since the war between the states.%/

Take a look at The Villages, Florida. My in-laws used to live in Naples, but grew weary of the way that city does business, and bought a nice house in The Villages. I just visited them over Thanksgiving, and thouroughly enjoyed the visit. They have a LOT of stuff to do, and it's an hour and twenty minutes from the Orlando airport.

Eric

Raleigh NC or one of its satellite cities. Best combination of weather.

Well I tried googling '3 seasons move' and it looks like a movie I might consider watching sometime. ;) Three Seasons - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Good luck. We'll have to get together sometime before you leave.

Bill ... my suggestion is for you guys to visit Charleston , Charlotte , Richmond , Jax etc sometime in July or August . If you haven`t spent time down here , the heat and humidity can come as a surprise . Not saying those aren`t great areas , just be aware that you have about 4 to 6 weeks that can be uncomfortable , but it`s a small price to pay for the rest of the year .
I`ve lived in Charlotte and wouldn`t go back . Lots to do , but horrible traffic . If you locate in the Huntersville , Mooresville area and work in Charlotte , figure on about an hour commute both ways , and that`s on I 77 . I`m originally from VA and the Richmond area also can be nice and lots to do .
Where I live now , I`m about 2 hrs max from Charleston , 1 hour from Columbia , 2 hours from Greenville/Spartenburg , 20 minutes from Augusta and 3 1/2 hrs from Atlanta .... and it snows maybe every 10 years ! If I want cold weather , I go to my place up in Wilkes County , NC .
VIR is a 5 hour tow , Road Atlanta about 3 to 4 hours and Roebling Road about 2 1/2 hours . Carolina Motorsports is around 2 hours .

Bobcat, snows once in ten years? We get more snow here in atl, wow. Must be your nearer the ocean.

Ralphy

Ralphy .... we are somewhat closer to the ocean , but we`re in the Central Savannah River basin , and south of Atl . Atl is north of my location . People look at me strangely when I say this .... Atl. is really in north GA .... at least further north than I am .

Bob

Shucks! You need to think out side the box.......move to the southwest. How about AZ, Lake Havasu City. Beautiful desert, Colorado River and all the lakes, fishing , boating, great town with about 50'000..swells to 100'000 in winter (75 degrees in winter). Best part, giant Hot Rod culture and car club scene in town. boat drags, balloon Festivals, no end to all the activities. New modern homes with giant RV and boat storage garages... priced right. Oh you can carry a gun here if you want, only you got to check them at some bars and restaurants ( if it's posted). Perfect weather except for July & August 100+, but that's when you visit your old state and travel, or just go fishing.
What's not to like.....conservative people with traditional values. I've been here 14 years now...love it!
Bill.... Oh you can drive your cobra all year.