officerripley
Well-known Member
- Location
- Porlock, Calif
I read somewhere that the smaller the town gets than 2,000 people, the less and less friendlier it gets; so they said it's best to stick with prosperous towns of 2,000 and above.
Relocating from California in 2025
- Thread starter LadyRecluse
- Start date
LadyRecluse
New Member
I was actually thinking like 20 thousand or even a bit more. But it would be nice to know my neighbors by name.
LadyRecluse
New Member
Than you.
officerripley
Well-known Member
- Location
- Porlock, Calif
20,000 sounds pretty good. For me, I'd want a place big enough to have a good hospital and library. As to how friendly the neighbors are, sometimes you get lucky with good ones, sometimes you're not so lucky and they're all introverts, and tragically sometimes they're worse than introverts; it's all luck, really. (When I moved here, it seemed pretty friendly compared to where I grew up, but I had someone who'd lived in both small towns and one big city that she found this place to be the unfriendliest she'd ever lived in. IDK why that would be, maybe because it's a university town, who knows?I was actually thinking like 20 thousand or even a bit more. But it would be nice to know my neighbors by name.
Beware of mobile home parks and space rent that goes up and up and up. I lived in one in Orange, down in Orange County. I now pay half what I paid for space rent for PITI mortgage on my 3+2 bedroom, plus full basement, home on half an acre In a lovely small town in Kansas. I love the 4 seasons, friendly people, atmosphere. I lived nearly all my years in Southern California so it was a big move 4 years ago, but a good one.Oh, my Goodness! Thank you so much for letting me know, I had no idea. I must say, part of the plan was to move away from San Andreas Fault and into a cooler area. But with Ventura County being literally next door, I should definitely explore this possibility. And a new construction home sounds like heaven. I shall do my research. Thank you sooooo much.
When DH got early retirement from his DC job and we decided to see what life was like on the west coast, I went on an exploratory trip by myself. We thought we would like the west coast, our children were all grown, married, and living all over the country, and we were still young enough to take crazy chances. Things that become important as you advance into old age (such as the difficulty of climbing stairs) didn't even come into the picture.
I started in CA and stopped overnight at each of the towns I had heard of, or we had visited before, which we thought were possibilities, but didn't feel I had found the right one until I accidentially discovered Bainbridge Island, WA, which I fell in love with instantly. We both returned there shortly, and DH loved it just as much. So we sold our house, packed up, and drove across the country, an adventure in itself.
We bought a brand new house still being built, just from seeing the plans. Crazy, but turned out to be the best decision we ever made. We lived there very happily for 18 years, until we finally did reach old age, and his health required us to live near at least one of our children. So we returned to Maryland and got a lovely apartment in a 55+ community. Our son lives nearby, and we already had lots of friends here.
So, our dream home was great for our needs at the time, but sometimes life changes what you need. (The stairs are one example.) I guess my point is, check your emotions when you visit the place you are thinking of moving to. All sorts of factors come into it, such as closeness to family, climate, affordability, general vibe of the place, how it suits the stage of life you are in right now. If it feels right for you, almost like falling in love with a person, you will know.
Getting friendly, welcoming advice from all over is helpful, but ultimately, the decision is a highly personal one, and the place has to be right for you... that's really all that matters.
I started in CA and stopped overnight at each of the towns I had heard of, or we had visited before, which we thought were possibilities, but didn't feel I had found the right one until I accidentially discovered Bainbridge Island, WA, which I fell in love with instantly. We both returned there shortly, and DH loved it just as much. So we sold our house, packed up, and drove across the country, an adventure in itself.
We bought a brand new house still being built, just from seeing the plans. Crazy, but turned out to be the best decision we ever made. We lived there very happily for 18 years, until we finally did reach old age, and his health required us to live near at least one of our children. So we returned to Maryland and got a lovely apartment in a 55+ community. Our son lives nearby, and we already had lots of friends here.
So, our dream home was great for our needs at the time, but sometimes life changes what you need. (The stairs are one example.) I guess my point is, check your emotions when you visit the place you are thinking of moving to. All sorts of factors come into it, such as closeness to family, climate, affordability, general vibe of the place, how it suits the stage of life you are in right now. If it feels right for you, almost like falling in love with a person, you will know.
Getting friendly, welcoming advice from all over is helpful, but ultimately, the decision is a highly personal one, and the place has to be right for you... that's really all that matters.
LadyRecluse
New Member
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, very kind of you. Unfortunately I am still working full time and traveling is not in the picture right now. Also driving alone at 65 across the country is not tempting either. I have to narrow down my search using internet. And then get plane tickets to fly directly to a place (or a few) of choice and see it before I buy anything. Thank you again.
LadyRecluse
New Member
againstthegrain
Senior Member
- Location
- Sun Valley, ID
Ventura looks nice, but fire prone (homeowners insurance) like my neighborhood. California might not be ideal but I would want to see how the next couple years shake out before making a move out of state or to the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). Also any prop 13 implications?
Just to clarify, I didn't drive alone across the country. (I wouldn't try that!) I flew to CA and rented a car to drive north from there, and flew back home from Seattle with my notebook full of observations.
We did drive across the country (both of us) when we moved. It was fun. We got to see a lot of the interior of the country that we had never seen before.
We did drive across the country (both of us) when we moved. It was fun. We got to see a lot of the interior of the country that we had never seen before.
LadyRecluse
New Member
LadyRecluse
New Member
I did check Ventura county, but it would not resolve my issues. Firstly, I'd like to get out of CA and far away from San Andreas Fault. Secondly, I am looking for places with the lower cost of living, yet having access to organic groceries and quality hospital near buy. Prop 13 would not benefit me. And to top it, I just came back from a DMV office, had an appointment, yet terrible experience.Must keep looking. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
officerripley
Well-known Member
- Location
- Porlock, Calif
Make sure you stay away from the New Madrid fault; it's 125 miles long, 45 miles wide and runs through Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky; it caused that terrible earthquake back in 1811 that made the Miss. River run backwards. Unfortunately, it's an active fault and with what the population is today, it'd be a lot more catastrophic.
I suggest you look into Kansas… I moved alone at 68, bought a house for $135K, and live exclusively on my social security income. I have a good hospital and medical center about a mile from home, and drive to Wichita about once a month for extra shopping adventures that my town might now have, although it really does have anything I need. It’s an agricultural area so I get lots of home grown produce, and local meat, not mass produced foods.
LadyRecluse
New Member
Thank you so much for letting me know. I have not yet "moved" in my research that far south, but I'd like to. I am fascinated with the US South, its people, history, and love country music. So I am very tempted. And now I'd make sure to check the area carefully when looking for a place. Also would like to say, the info you've provided is exactly why I signed up with this forum. Because the "good" is easily found on many sites. But very few sites mention faults, floods, landslides and fires. And unless someone knows exactly what to look for, such important info could be easily overlooked. So thank you for sharing your knowledge with me.
hearlady
Homebody
- Location
- N Carolina
LadyRecluse
New Member
Thank you.
Teacher Terry
Well-known Member
Lady Recluse, I would caution against Kansas as a possibility to move if I were you. I have lived there twice in my life. If you have allergies, it is the worst place in the country to live according to my Allergist. I was absolutely miserable there and many people that don’t have allergies develop them after they lived there for a while. My Allergist said if I stayed, I would eventually develop asthma.
The people are friendly and the cost of living is very low. The weather is awful. The wind blows every day and if the wind isn’t blowing, you are shocked. It is very humid. Sometimes it rains so hard you can’t see to drive and occasionally, the hail is baseball sized.
From April through the end of September we spent a lot of time in the basement because of the tornado sirens going off. We didn’t even consider buying a house without a basement because I had lived there before and knew better. We ended up there because of our careers. Both times I lived in a nice suburb of Wichita. We actually bought a weather radio to wake us up so that we didn’t sleep through any tornadoes.
The difference in the cost of real estate from Wichita to the West Coast is quite a bit. For instance, I paid 211 K for a 855 square-foot condo in Reno and the building was built in 1978. We built a brand new home in a suburb of Wichita in 1994 and that home is only worth 230K now. Everything is cheaper there such as groceries, car, gas, and eating out. It definitely would not be worth it to me to live there.
The people are friendly and the cost of living is very low. The weather is awful. The wind blows every day and if the wind isn’t blowing, you are shocked. It is very humid. Sometimes it rains so hard you can’t see to drive and occasionally, the hail is baseball sized.
From April through the end of September we spent a lot of time in the basement because of the tornado sirens going off. We didn’t even consider buying a house without a basement because I had lived there before and knew better. We ended up there because of our careers. Both times I lived in a nice suburb of Wichita. We actually bought a weather radio to wake us up so that we didn’t sleep through any tornadoes.
The difference in the cost of real estate from Wichita to the West Coast is quite a bit. For instance, I paid 211 K for a 855 square-foot condo in Reno and the building was built in 1978. We built a brand new home in a suburb of Wichita in 1994 and that home is only worth 230K now. Everything is cheaper there such as groceries, car, gas, and eating out. It definitely would not be worth it to me to live there.
CaliS
girl next door
- Location
- West Coast, USA
Hello and Welcome! My husband and I are in the same boat (so to speak) and have been narrowing in on Kingman, Arizona.
We visited last year and it checks several of our boxes. I'm not big on desert scape, but aside from that - it's a strong maybe!
I've looked all over (online) and you can get dizzy trying to figure out the cost of living balanced with weather etc ... not an easy task.
Best of luck to you!
We visited last year and it checks several of our boxes. I'm not big on desert scape, but aside from that - it's a strong maybe!
I've looked all over (online) and you can get dizzy trying to figure out the cost of living balanced with weather etc ... not an easy task.
Best of luck to you!
why Kingman?
CaliS
girl next door
- Location
- West Coast, USA
More affordable, small town (less people), weather that's about what I'm used to - a bit hotter than I would like, but I can't afford to live at the beach.
Close to Laughlin, so my DH can visit his money now and then. And, it's not TOO far from our kids.Cons = overall higher crime rate than the national average - but with a much lower violent crime rate - according to the internet.
We looked at Myrtle Beach, SC pretty closely too. We have friends that moved their to retire and it sounds nice. We have not gone to check it out yet, but it's SO far from our kids... I would LOVE to live near the ocean, but it is in hurricane territory.... so.... always a balancing of good vs bad stuff.
LadyRecluse
New Member
Indispensable info, thank you. The idea of experiencing a tornado puts me in a state of panic, so Kansas is definitely out. If you don't mind, would you share your thoughts on living in Reno? I've been there a few times and it was very hot. Los Angeles seemed cooler at the time, although we do have a few months in 100F. Is it possible to take a walk during a day in summer or walk to a grocery store? And how is real estate now? I've noticed that in spite of "lower trends" prices are actually much higher than I expected in areas that used to be very affordable a few years back. Thank you again for sharing, I am very grateful for anything that comes from personal experience.
Teacher Terry
Well-known Member
I absolutely love Reno and it has a mild four seasons. I’ve been here almost 30 years and the summers have been getting hotter. However, it always cools off at night so I walk the dogs either early in the morning or in the evening. The people are nice and it’s not difficult to make friends. I think that has to do with the transient nature of Nevada so there’s not a ton of people that are natives. Politically it’s purple so you can find your tribe no matter who that is.
It’s really beautiful and we’re only 45 minutes from Lake Tahoe. There are many festivals and events that go on all the time. If you like to hike, fish or swim, it’s a great place to live. I like having all four seasons that are mild. In the almost 30 years I’ve been here we’ve only had five real winters. Most of the winter a sweater is my winter coat. I no longer own boots.
Houses have become expensive because people from California sold their houses for a lot of money and came here and drove the housing prices up. However, in the past year housing prices have started to go down.
To give you an idea I bought a 855 square-foot condo in an older building for 211K in 2021. Within two years the same condo was selling for 250 K. Now a condo my size in this building is only selling for 195K. Grocery prices, dining out and car gas are also expensive compared to the Midwest.
It’s really beautiful and we’re only 45 minutes from Lake Tahoe. There are many festivals and events that go on all the time. If you like to hike, fish or swim, it’s a great place to live. I like having all four seasons that are mild. In the almost 30 years I’ve been here we’ve only had five real winters. Most of the winter a sweater is my winter coat. I no longer own boots.
Houses have become expensive because people from California sold their houses for a lot of money and came here and drove the housing prices up. However, in the past year housing prices have started to go down.
To give you an idea I bought a 855 square-foot condo in an older building for 211K in 2021. Within two years the same condo was selling for 250 K. Now a condo my size in this building is only selling for 195K. Grocery prices, dining out and car gas are also expensive compared to the Midwest.
LadyRecluse
New Member
It sounds so sweet and lake Tahoe is really beautiful. Everything sounds great. I would need to check the roads as I recall my brother putting chains on the wheels when coming back to SF from his skying trip. That is a bit intimidating for me. But everything else sounds wonderful. I can tell you love that place. Tthank you so much for sharing info about your condo too. Reno re prices are clearly incomparable to LA. I shall look at what's available. Thank you. And you are 150 miles from San Andreas fault !!!
Teacher Terry
Well-known Member
If you are going over the mountain in winter, you do have to watch the weather as sometimes in a bad snowstorm people need chains. I just choose never to go over the mountain in bad weather. If you have all wheel drive, then you don’t need chains or if you have winter snow tires that’s all you need. I don’t need the stress of going over the mountain when there’s a big storm. There’s always plenty of warning about the storms.
That’s the nice thing most of the snow stays in the mountains so I can stay in the valley and look at the snow and not have to drive in it. It is fun to go up to Lake Tahoe in the winter to snowshoe or sled.