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What about Pensacola, FL? It meets your criteria, and the large military population mitigates any overt southern culture.
Pensacola, Destin, Tallahassee or JAX would definitely be a better choice than Mobile. I think most people when they say that are worried about it being good ol boy in terms of jobs and rednecky culture. Mobile is pretty rednecky IMO, might be shocking coming from Atlanta (of course already southern.) The rest of the Panhandle cities like Live Oak or Marianna is pretty redneck.
I currently live in Atlanta and am now looking to find the next chapter of my life by going out to be in someplace new and refreshing. I'll cut right to the chase and share what I want out of a new place to live:
Primary:
-It MUST be warm almost year round (Preferred a winter low in the 50s but the 40s are fine too)
-Inexpensive rent (average of $500 would be ideal but more or less by $200 works as well)
-It should be sunny most days. I have Seasonal Affective Disorder so cloudy and rainy days bring me down quite a lot.
Notes:
-It does not have to be in or near a major city but it would be a plus.
-When I lived in Los Angeles, I surfed for over 12 years. It'd be nice to be at least a day trip away from the beach though again it's only another plus and not necessary.
-Having Public Transportation is a plus though I have my own car.
-Having relatively friendly people is another great plus. I have an open mind but it makes things so much easier when the people aren't too difficult.
-It'd be nice to have basic things to go out and do (restaurants, movies, activities) though it doesn't have to be anything over the top like New York or L.A. because I'm the type of person to stay in than go out most nights.
-A healthy and active place is a plus too.
-It can be rural or urban. It does not matter to me. I grew up in L.A. but I also grew up an Eagle Scout outside of it.
Hope I can get some replies for this. I'd truly appreciate it! Thanks!
Quote:
Originally Posted by kyle19125
South Florida (basically anything south of Jupiter) is far too expensive for your rental budget. The Space Coast would fit most of your criteria plus it's in your price range and has some great surfing options. Check out Melbourne which has a fair amount of things to do (restaurants/bars/shopping) as well as outdoor recreation and public transit.
While I agree with this suggestion, the OP should know that Brevard County's economy has been devastated by the massive layoffs at NASA.
^^^ I agree though the unemployment rate has dropped in Melbourne and it's not all doom and gloom in the Space Coast's future as local government is pushing for diversification, and succeeding somewhat thanks to it's highly skilled workforce. Furthermore the OP made no reference to employment needs.
Personally, employment opportunities don't matter as much as the other things. I worked in Hollywood ever since I was old enough to work and I was in productions/movie crew. I have 4 years experience in retail (with promotions) from here in Atlanta. My education is in Banking/Personal Finance. I also am a licensed personal trainer. I am pretty well rounded but I don't have to search for a career in my new residence. I just want to be able to work anywhere enough to support my living standards in the initial year. I also am a big time saver so starting out unemployed is fine for me since I'm financially secure; I would like to get a sustaining job (given my budget) within the first couple of months. The sooner the better of course but the bottom line is that work doesn't have to be the most important thing.
-It MUST be warm almost year round (Preferred a winter low in the 50s but the 40s are fine too)
A winter low? You mean the lowest it gets all winter or the average daily low? If you want the former, then you're probably limited to Hawaii or MAYBE South Florida. (The latter CERTAINLY gets colder than that -- in 2010 Miami hit 37 one day, for instance, but not every year).
If you simply mean an AVERAGE low in the 40s then you can choose from the California Coast from the Bay area south, parts of Arizona (Phoenix metro area), parts of Texas (Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and all points south would do), pretty much anywhere on the Gulf Coast will also work (but don't go too far inland), and pretty much the entire state of Florida.
Pensacola, Destin, Tallahassee or JAX would definitely be a better choice than Mobile. I think most people when they say that are worried about it being good ol boy in terms of jobs and rednecky culture. Mobile is pretty rednecky IMO, might be shocking coming from Atlanta (of course already southern.) The rest of the Panhandle cities like Live Oak or Marianna is pretty redneck.
Mobile is no more "rednecky" than Pensacola. All of the panhandle has Southern culture except maybe the tourist areas of Destin and FWB (which wouldn't be affordable). Ever hear of the Redneck Christmas Parade?
You might want to research the Texas Gulf Coast - fits your weather requirements and budget to a tee. Also - lots of sun. Since being near a major city is a plus, consider Galveston which is just an hour from Houston but feels a world away. Other places on the Texas coast that might fit the bill include Corpus Christi and Brownsville. Since you don't mind rural, there are also sleepy towns strung all along the coast.
Consider Georgetown, Texas and the retirement community of Sun City. If you want to have a great lifestyle and live affordably, this is the place! It is close enough to the Texas State Capital, Austin and also enjoy the Texas Hill Country. Georgetown is centralized so you are conveniently located close to Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston.
That sounds interest mentioning all of those places in Texas. I knew about Austin and how it seemed to fit my cultural interests but I totally didn't even consider Galveston, Corpus Christi, or any of the smaller cities along there. I'll have to put those in the front of the list with CA, AZ and FL.
LA's a 5 hr drive from PHX, but that might be too warm.
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