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Where to live??

6K views 47 replies 33 participants last post by  dhays 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello Folks,

My wife and I are moving in April. As of right now, we don't know where. I am hoping you can help. I started a thread in the "Learning to Sail" forum a while back and got some good ideas, and am hoping for more now. That thread was

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/learning-sail/53611-where-live-learn.html

After thinking hard about what we want we have more constraints on where we would like to live. Here are our requirements.

-My wife is a elementary teacher, so a few nearby schools

-Close enough to salt water that I could easily drive, less than an hour, to a harbor and learn to sail by volunteering, working, or some other means.

-We want to be able to grow a garden.

-Four seasons every year.

-Ability to live outside a town or city of more than 10,000, less than 20 minutes away, and rent or buy a small house with at least 2 acres for less than 120,000.

-Access to hiking, climbing, and outdoor recreation in general.

-I want to be able to play 5 on 5 basketball twice a week.

We are in our mid-twenties, love the outdoors, have an Alaskan Husky, and are no strangers to travel. We have been living in Alaska doing seasonal work for five years now and want to settle down for a while.

If you have made it this far, thank you for reading and I hope we get some suggestions.

Matthew
 
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#28 ·
Research

If you are thinking of getting a job in home construction in the lower 48, please re-think, unless you have a connection you haven't mentioned. Oil-rich Alaska has not been hit by the recession as hard as the rest of us, even though your budget surplus checks may have been curtailed up there. Around here, housing starts are 'way off, and existing houses take months to sell. People are not building. The builders can't get financing, and neither can many potential buyers. If she can find one, your wife's teaching job will likely be providing you with health insurance. In our town and in others near here, teachers have accepted contracts with no raises for next year. The school district I work in, with about 250 teachers, had NONE retire last year, so there were no openings or new hires this year. As a teacher, I would suggest the first thing you might want to do is research what states accept your wife's certification credentials without her having to take additional classes or coursework. You might also want to research teacher pay levels in the various places you're considering. Finding out the the Bond Ratings of the different towns or school districts is also a good idea - you don't want to move to a job in a town that has trouble paying their teachers, or squabbles over every dime in the education budget. You don't want to be on the wrong side of a last-hired/first-fired school district policy in such a town. Others have mentioned the tax rates in their areas.
What about transportation costs? Is there public transportation? Probably not much in places that offer 5 acre spreads. Would you need two cars instead of one, then? That might offset the benefit of higher salaries. There are a lot of variables involved in your move. Giving yourself until April doesn't leave a lot of time to find out what they all are and weigh them in. Guess you'll have to get to work! Good luck!
 
#29 ·
If you are thinking of getting a job in home construction in the lower 48, please re-think, unless you have a connection you haven't mentioned.
As i said, building would be a last resort. Also, I wasn't specifically talking about home construction. And although new home construction is down, some companies are starting to build again, as well as an increase in government projects. But I am hoping to get out of building anyway.

Oil-rich Alaska has not been hit by the recession as hard as the rest of us, even though your budget surplus checks may have been curtailed up there.
I really wish this was true. If it were, my wife would not have been laid off. Tourism makes up a large percent of the economy, and companies were happy if they were at 60% of last summers numbers. So we do understand the implications of the current economy and what it means to our search for a new home.

Your points about teaching definitely hit home. My wife found herself in the last hired/ fist fired situation. The is exactly why her finding employment initially is more important than mine.

Thanks for all your other advice, we do have lots of work to do. Hoping for more suggestions from everyone, and I will try to keep everyone updated along the way.

Matthew
 
#30 ·
Look into the area around Temecula, CA, its beautiful, not too far east of the coast in Southern CA (about a 45 min drive to the ocean, San Diego about an hour). The area is great for hiking (San Jacinto Mts close by), at least 2 lakes for sailing and an abundance of local wineries.The city of Temecula has had a population boom in the last 10 yrs, so there should be great opportunity for teachers. I live in Palm Springs, Ca and it takes me about an hour to get there, driving there I have noticed just outside the city an abundance of secluded land for sale at pretty affordable prices. It might be worth looking into........Good luck
 
#31 ·
After having spent a lot of time out in the pacific North West I would have to say Puget Sound and all the way up to the northern part of AK has to be some of the most beautiful coastal waters in the US. Port townsound is awesome. You have to get a wooden boat though if you’re going to live and sail out of there. I think they shoot people if you have anything other than wood just kidden. Yeah I would say the Puget Sound area. You have everything you could ever want out there. My first whale, fist close call with a sub. My first salmon my first day at the wheel of a fishing boat was all there. The San Juan Island are just the best and if you do make it there you have to stop in at Friday harbor and drink a Guinness Go west young man or stay west young man, stay west.
 
#32 ·
Hello Folks,

-Ability to live outside a town or city of more than 10,000, less than 20 minutes away, and rent or buy a small house with at least 2 acres for less than 120,000.

Matthew
I imagine you can find a lot of places in the country where you could rent a house on two acres for 120k.:rolleyes:

I have read a lot of the responses as i hope to be in a position to move soon, when the economy turns around. Is there really a place where you can sail, find employment and get a home for less than a quarter million?

I am not sure of the rest of the country but here in the Rocky Mtn region home building is non existent, the talk in the hardware stores is about lucky to be employed at anything.

FYI
Puget Sound
Carolinas
Portland OR

are on the wish list if I could find employment there.
 
#33 ·
You can live very affordably in Downeast Maine and the sailing is INCREDIBLE. Plenty of homes with land under $120 (fixer uppers mostly, but not all). That said, the sailing season is short and also occurs during the time when it's easiest to find work. It is also much easier to find work here than it is to find jobs, if you get my meaning. Lots of folks here are self-employed and resourceful and get income from a variety of sources. The economy here is always a bit on the slow side even in high times. You'll never get rich living here (that's why land/homes are still inexpensive), but it is a wonderful place.
 
#34 ·
Update

Well, I thought I would give an update for all of you that have been sitting on the edge of your seats.

After a lot of research, we have narrowed where we will move to down to the Puget Sound area, and the Maine coast. Our first choice is Port Townsend and the surrounding area. Now it will come down to where we can find work, most importantly where my wife can find a teaching job.

If any of you are principals looking for an excellent elementary teacher, get in touch.

Thanks for all the suggestions and I will update this thread as things fall into, or out of, place.

Take care,

Matthew
 
#35 ·
Not that this should be a deciding factor, but since you mentioned climbing I would point out that the Maine Coast (and points farther south) will give you access to great waterfall ice (New England probably having the best variety in the lower 48) and very good rock climbing in the spring/summer/fall.

Puget Sound area will provide limited waterfall ice (but you can go to Canada) and excellent mountaineering and rock.

Being a climber and a sailor, I'd have a hard time picking between them. I live outside of NYC, but before the kids arrived the wife and I did a lot of climbing in the Northeast. I also do a lot of work in the Seattle area and have climbed out there a fair bit. Either way, it's all good.
 
#36 ·
Yeah, it sounds like you've narrowed it down to two very good options. I've only visited PT once, but I liked everything I saw out there. I also like Maine, but I think the climate would be much colder then coastal Washington/PT.

I think you need to ask yourself, "How much do I like winter?"
 
#37 ·
We're basking in the PT winter right now. High temp for the month (January) already 54F. Yesterday I was working on the boat in my yard (sure-fire PT indicator species) and peered out from under shrinkwrap to see Whistler and the mts. above Vancouver lit up like pink cotton candy. 100 miles away, straight up Rosario Straight, they looked like they were just across the road.

I will say that all my teacher friends here have trouble finding permanent positions and those that do covet them greatly.

Have you come for a visit yet?

You'll love it,
chuck.
 
#38 ·
"-Ability to live outside a town or city of more than 10,000, less than 20 minutes away, and rent or buy a small house with at least 2 acres for less than 120,000." And be within an hour of salt water?

I'd be shocked to find those criteria can be met. A condo on Florida's Gold Coast for half of that, but someone please, tell me where you can find two acres within an hour of salt water for $120k, with or without a cabin on it.

Of course Florida is out of the question for school teachers, they've been laying them off in mobs and that entire line would have seniority over your wife.
 
#40 ·
Hellosailor, let me shock you. Meeting these criteria is possible where I live, but just barely. Further south on the coast of Maine land prices go up, and north town sizes go down. Even here, most homes in that range would be mobiles or small cabins. Of course, jobs are very hard to find here, even in the best of times. Odd jobs are easier to find and you can piece together a living from a mixture of income sources if you're clever and motivated. So, it is doable, but not neccessarily easy.
 
#41 ·
I would agree with the washington coast idea. If you do want to be inland and close to some lake sailing I would suggest Sandpoint Idaho. Skiing sailing and great people. A wee bit of the 60's rolled up in a 21 century california/idaho wrap.
 
#42 · (Edited)
UPDATE:

Hey guys,

Wanted to give a little update, and see if I could get a few more suggestions. We have decided on the Puget Sound area of Washington. As we expected, its going to be a challenge to find work. Especially a teaching position for my wife.

We are looking at quite a few towns and cities on the Sound, but are wondering what places people would recommend. We are looking for a place that has strong ties to the ocean, not just a town located close to it. We are drawn towards small communities, or at least has the feel of a small community.

This thread has been a big help, so thanks to all those that have contributed.

Thanks,

Matthew
 
#45 ·
Well,

We are headed to Port Townsend. My wife has a teaching job in the area, and I will be looking for work, and hopefully hitching many a ride out in the sound. I will be the confused looking mid-twenties guy looking to learn how to sail.

Thanks for all the help.

Matthew
 
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