Geographic Dissatisfaction

[StokeSmack]

The "I'm moving to PDX" thread got me to feeling reflective.

Apparently, I've been diagnosed with a syndrome, which applies to people who move often to escape their own spiritual/emotional/financial/etc. shortcomings, just to find the same problems in their new worlds. So, that being said, where to go next? I've pretty much been up and down the EC, to wit:

NYC, NY: Grew up there as a young kid, poor, was scared alot.

Catskills (Big Indian/Pine Hill/Phoencia/Woodstock): A great place for your avg 7-12 year old. Lots of outdoors stuff, skiing, always found some way to go to Bell. or Hunter Mtn (i.e., somebody's mom worked at the cafeterias, or printed their own lift tix, kids hitchiking was accepted back then), many friends w/hippie parents who let us get away with murder, communal living arrangments, parties. But the non-hippies could get scary.

New Haven/West Haven: Pretty horrible. Must've been adolescence.

Groton/New London/Norwich: Even worse - navy brat. Drinking either helped me survive that or caused my problems, not really sure which.

Charleston, SC: A great place to live, went to the College of, which is right in the middle of downtown, beautiful walking city, great arts scene, beaches nearby, taking a Hobie about a mile offshore with a cooler of bear and a tourist hottie, the tidal creeks for fishing and oystering, and working in a beach bar was the shit. There were a lot of ultra-conservative/Citadel-type asswipes there, but the city isn't as buttoned-down now as it used to be in the 80's.

Isle of Palms, SC: Cool little beach town (the kind of place where if you were a local who was pulled over for dui, the cops would escort you home) until Hugo. That cleaned out the riff-raff, which is why I ended up in

Athens, GA: Awesome college town w/great music, an absurd amount of coed hotness, and cheap living. Good hiking/kayaking/biking to be had in the NE GA mountains, an hour away. You could live there for almost nothing, if you had speed dial to the local college radio station to win free show tix and meals.

Cleveland, OH: (Motto: "Cleveland! We're not as bad as you think!") Friendly people, very interesting cultural mix. But as far as black/white, maybe one of the most segregated cities in the country. It is one of the poorest major cities. Littered with wonderful dive bars, and one of the best outdoor live music venues ever right in the industrial center of the flats.

Athens, GA (again): Turns out living in a college town isn't so great when you are grown up and have a family. Hard to find a decent job.

Cincinnati, OH: Been here for 3 years, pretty bland, can't think of anything that positive or negative. Sort of nice downtown, with hilly suburbs like Mt. Adams that try a little too hard to be hip. Really shitty chili. They put it on spaghetti, and put cinnamon in it. Close to KY - the Rednecks here could show the posers in SC and GA a thing or two. The airport is the most expensive in the country, which makes my skiing jones hard to support. We're thinking about moving - again.

Hmm... where to? We don't want much - just someplace with friendly people, a low cost of living, beautiful scenery and outdoors activities to be had, good schools, not a cultural backwater, near a decent sized, real walking city where I can continue my career as an underworked gov't employee, and an airport nearby that isn't dominated by one carrier (FU DELTA!).

(The biggest problem is that all our relatives are in SC, but I tell my wife we could move to Utah and get LOTS more relatives.)

[dogwonder]

Why leave Cincinatti? I mean, you got King's Island and the home of Carmen Electra. Oh yeah I forget, the skiing does suck there.

If major airports are important, the choices are obvious. Denver, SLC, Reno. My $.02.

[cranked]

Really shitty chili. They put it on spaghetti, and put cinnamon in it.

Blasphemy!!! You just knocked the ONLY thing Cincy has going for it...skyline cheese coneys. Other than that, Cincy is my least favorite city in the states...for many reasons. I went to school just north of cincy and got back out west immediately after - you've done your time.

[Adolf Allerbush]

If major airports are important, the choices are obvious. Denver, SLC, Reno. My $.02.

Reno a major airport? Interesting.

[yentna]

... an airport nearby that isn't dominated by one carrier (FU DELTA!).

SLC is out then - Delta practically owns the place.

But, that aside, it's got everything else you asked for.

[warthog]

Charlotte is the right answer for you.

Look at the northern suburbs for cheap living.

The skiing sux, but you can fly anywhere from Charlotte- direct.

[smmokan]

Yeah, you should probably move west. I spent my first 25 yrs on the east coast (NC, PA, western NY, back to NC) and moved out here to CO 3 yrs ago. I'm never going back east.

[smmokan]

Charlotte is the right answer for you.

Look at the northern suburbs for cheap living.

The skiing sux, but you can fly anywhere from Charlotte- direct.

After living in CLT for 3.5 yrs... if you're into outdoor sports and adventure, then Charlotte is NOT the right answer. Its a nice city, but shit, its got nothing going for you in terms of outdoor sports.

[Tippster]

Seattle.

[warthog]

After living in CLT for 3.5 yrs... if you're into outdoor sports and adventure, then Charlotte is NOT the right answer. Its a nice city, but shit, its got nothing going for you in terms of outdoor sports.

That's strange- my friends live in Huntersville, and all we do is hang out at Lake Norman. Wakeboarding, fishing, 1 hour to mountains(hills), kayaking, etc. I guess downtown Charlotte would be a different story.

Maybe Asheville is the answer. I would live there. Mtn biking doesn't get much better. Close to Charlotte.

[steve]

asheville is supposed to be great.
it is, after all, the closest city to this:


how bad can it possibly be?

[smmokan]

Warthog- you're right on. If I lived on Lake Norman, I probably would have never moved... but it costs $$$$ to live up there. I lived uptown, and in the South Park area.

[Tippster]

Asheville is a great (little) city. Lotsa hippies. College town. Good food & booze. Nice surrounds... It's also in the middle of nowhere - closest major airport is Charlotte and that's 2.5 hours away.

[warthog]

Warthog- you're right on. If I lived on Lake Norman, I probably would have never moved... but it costs $$$$ to live up there. I lived uptown, and in the South Park area.

If THEY lived on Lake Norman, I would never leave. They live pretty damn close, though.

He did say affordable.

If we could go back in time 10 years and buy something on Lake Norman, I think we would be onto something.

[bagtagley]

Maybe Asheville is the answer. I would live there. Mtn biking doesn't get much better. Close to Charlotte.

Asheville is a rockin' little town, but damn, housing has gotten expensive there.

Anyway, I recommend Colby, Kansas.

[Tippster]

...Anyway, I recommend Colby, Kansas.

Werd. Centrally located, n'shit.

[dogwonder]

Reno a major airport? Interesting.

Not as big as DIA or SLC, but the city subsidizes the airlines (I think) so flights are cheap. Not to mention there are a lot of flights catering to the gamblers.

[RootSkier]

We don't want much - just someplace with friendly people, a low cost of living, beautiful scenery and outdoors activities to be had, good schools, not a cultural backwater, near a decent sized, real walking city

Take out low cost of living or not a cultural backwater and its easy. Otherwise you are screwed, you will never find all that and cheap. Everything has been 'discovered'.

[fatback]

Take out low cost of living or not a cultural backwater and its easy. Otherwise you are screwed, you will never find all that and cheap. Everything has been 'discovered'.

Seconded

That being said I just moved west after 30 years in SC and I keep asking myself why I didn't make this move at least 10 years ago.

[P_McPoser]

Reno a major airport? Interesting.

Non-stop to Atlanta, Houston, Philly, Etc. Not Major, but it doesn't suck.