Where to relocate?

[Let'sgoflying!]

This 'find a new place' tool was fun. Seems like I am going to move in with Tom; it lists Whidbey Is as #1 for me, Fredericksburg Tx as #2 (doubt I'd ever move there).

 

[Jay Honeck]

Highs can be limited to the low 90's and lows to low 40's with good travel planning and a little luck.

That's Mustang Island!

 

[Jay Honeck]

Sequim. Here in the PNW we have a secret called Sequim. With 320 days of sun, the most flyable area in the Puget sound, it is sheltered by the shadow of the Olympic Mountains. I often see homes on the airport with beach access & dock, and for less than my suburban home & standard lot. Diamond Point is but one of the many airports, Private & public in Sequim (the sectional shows 8 but I know there are a couple not on the map). A mild even climate little to no snow at your home(here in the PNW we keep our snow up on the mountain, we go visit the snow, it does not come visit us). Best of all the Spruce Goose Cafe at Port Townsend is but a few minutes away, and up here we all know they have the best pie of any airport diner. Dave

My sister lives in Sequim, and loves it.

 

[roadwarrior]

The Texas coast is probably unacceptably toasty by northern US standards even if we transplanted Texans don't mind it. I could see myself moving down to the Texas coast though. It's still kind of what I remember Florida was in the 1970's; not too built up. The beaches are nice, the gulf water is warm, the fishing is really good. There are several cool GA airports especially around Corpus Cristi. You can get a nice home on an intracoastal waterway for a 6 digit number, not 7. You would have to be ready to run for the hills when storms come in though.

 

[Ghery]

Do I dare to tell you that both OR, and Wa are blue states?

WE are so blue that Patty Murray is our senator but we are trying to fix that.

I'm with you on that.

Tom reminds me, I am so photon-addicted that I would also do a search for number of vfr days per year. Anything under 300 would throw me into a fit of S.A.D., I believe!

Nice thing about flying is you can often get above the clouds and get all the sun you want.

If you are willing to fly under the marine layer we get more VFR days than San Diego.

Yup.

Sequim. Here in the PNW we have a secret called Sequim. With 320 days of sun, the most flyable area in the Puget sound, it is sheltered by the shadow of the Olympic Mountains. I often see homes on the airport with beach access & dock, and for less than my suburban home & standard lot. Diamond Point is but one of the many airports, Private & public in Sequim (the sectional shows 8 but I know there are a couple not on the map). A mild even climate little to no snow at your home(here in the PNW we keep our snow up on the mountain, we go visit the snow, it does not come visit us). Best of all the Spruce Goose Cafe at Port Townsend is but a few minutes away, and up here we all know they have the best pie of any airport diner. Dave

Spruce Goose Cafe is a good place. Tie down right in front and enjoy the view. The airport cafe at PWT (Bremerton) is great, too. Fish and chips. Grade landings from your table.

 

[kmead]

Sequim is one of the towns we really do like. That will be one of our first stops. The airport doesn't look very big. Anybody know much about it? Another NW town that looks interesting is Medford OR. It's listed as one of the least windy US cities.

Kevin

 

[Tom-D]

Sequim is one of the towns we really do like. That will be one of our first stops. The airport doesn't look very big. Anybody know much about it? Another NW town that looks interesting is Medford OR. It's listed as one of the least windy US cities.

Kevin

There several airports near "SQUIM" Diamond point an airport community. Port Angles the commercial airport for the Olympic penn. and Port Townsend All very GA friendly. and hangars open at all of them. But I have seen the ground Fog close them for days on end.

This side of the water usually clears out quicker than the straights due to thermal lifting on the main land.

there are hangar homes for sale at AWO and Concrete Wa, at this time.
this is for sale now at $295.000 owner will finance with a sizable down.

It is a R&M steel building built as a hangar with living quarters built in, that need upgrading to Barb's standards. septic is in but not hooked up, no bathroom or kitchen. hangar floor is 40 X 80

 

[woodstock]

I might have to make this list my "vacation list" next year. Now that I will officially fill my passport next week, I don't feel like I'm under a deadline anymore.

 

[Ddayle]

Here in the PNW, flying club planes from BFI & S50 I log the fewest hours in March. Typically Dec & Jan are good. We have our areas that suffer from seasonal morning fog. I am comfortable flying under a 4,000 ft overcast. I stay west of the rocks,and have plenty of options. Both my airports begin under a class Bravo lid that is a greater limit than the overcast.I am a VFR pilot, but the IFR guys around here tell me that ice is the real problem, much of our cloudy weather in winter has ice in the clouds. On the good side , an IFR pilot got out of TIW, one of the foggiest, for breakfast In Bremerton in Jan. I switched from Auburn (S50) to a plane at BFI to get out of the fog. most the rest of the south sound was mostly clear, and great flying. Even on a rainy day, it is often scattered, dodge-em or wait and fly. Dave

 

[alaskaflyer]

This is almost as much fun as hangar flying!

Due to my career I've lived many places. Your list is sort of like choosing an airplane: sometimes a list is impossible e.g. speed, payload and fuel efficiency, you can have two but not easily three.

Southern Rockies mountain towns might be nice. Yes, even in New Mexico, which isn't quite the crime-riddled no man's land that Nick makes it out to be so long as you stay away from Alber...er, Albur...er, the state's largest city. There is snow but usually the winter temps are moderate (at least in my book.) You will get winds and a short growing season depending on the location and elevation. Flagstaff is like this too.

Northern California is not easy to classify, same with Washington and Oregon. The communities can range from provincial to welcoming, from conservative to liberal, sometimes right next to each other. I would target a college town if in this region. I have several friends who retired in the Bend, Or area and love it. But again, winds.

I enjoy the Sierra crest, on both sides of the mountains - I like the desert as much as the mountains and there it is easy to enjoy an equal measure of both. But w-i-n-d-y on the east side.

And I have to plug Alaska here for a minute. The Juneau area has moderate temps, is less conservative than almost any other area of the state, has a good growing season for gardens (18-24 hour days have their advantages), and has less rain than many areas in SE Alaska. Tax atmosphere is great except for property taxes. That is offset by a higher cost of living in other categories particularly groceries and transportation. In many ways you can have a similar experience down in coastal Washington.

Mid-Appalachians are nice, not too hot, not too cold. Between Eastern Pennsylvania and western Virginia?

I have resigned myself to the fact that as long as I intend to remain west of the Miss. River, I will be able to live in some of the most beautiful areas on the planet as I work in federal land management but often the winter weather is challenging and my neighbors often don't think like I do.

 

[Ted]

Quite a few, absolutely. Doubt any of them are in the 7 hour range (ie making a weekend trip doable).

The bigger problem with weekend trips to Europe (for me, anyway) are the time zone changes. I've done them (out of necessity), but don't find them enjoyable for a vacation.

Obviously your body is more tolerant of those major time zone jumps than mine, though.

 

[woodstock]

The bigger problem with weekend trips to Europe (for me, anyway) are the time zone changes. I've done them (out of necessity), but don't find them enjoyable for a vacation.

Obviously your body is more tolerant of those major time zone jumps than mine, though.

It's not a vacation, it's a weekend. Saturday is usually foggy but by Sunday it's all good. Late afternoon flight home Monday and you aren't really out of it Tuesday - it's all good.

 

[Doggtyred]

As for hurricanes, they give you lots of warning for them

Umm. How long you lived there, Jay??

It wasn't two years ago we had a high pressure push it's low out into the summertime gulf, and BAM. Named storm.

We get tornadoes too. Even on the coast.

I've lived on the gulf coast 30 years and have ridden out and run from enough storms.

 

[weilke]

Why go to europe for a weekend if you are retired. You are RETIRED, you can stay the whole darn week.

 

[woodstock]

Why go to europe for a weekend if you are retired. You are RETIRED, you can stay the whole darn week.

Or even ten days!

 

[SCCutler]

Some times ya jest havta pay for what ya git.

My guess is, Dave prefers to git it without having the money filtered through the tax man's cash depreciation system...

...any event, where Dave is, is pretty much my idea of heaven.

 

[ejensen]

West slope of Colorado has always attracted me. Mild winters, summer aren't bad if you get up out of the valley. Cedaredge, Hotchkiss, Paonia plus lots of rural options. Not that Fort Collins and other Front Range locations are bad. Rates in the top 10. Some wind but no disasters.

 

[denverpilot]

Our hurricane escape plan? Lock the front door, point the motorhome and airplane toward Austin, and go party for a few days on Sixth Street. Let the insurance company worry about the rest.

Isn't it 6th Avenue?

If you guys ever enact your escape plan, I want an excuse to go back to Austin and listen to tunes in all the bars along that strip o' asphalt.

Put out an all-call.

It's been too many years since I've been down there.

 

[Tom-D]

Tsunami, evacuation plan....

 

[Henning]

No one has mentioned Idaho - I've wondered about that state.

Mr Potato Head lives there... They have potatoes and mountains, nice mountains, but they have winter.... I visit winter, I don't live in it.

 

[SCCutler]

Isn't it 6th Avenue?

If you guys ever enact your escape plan, I want an excuse to go back to Austin and listen to tunes in all the bars along that strip o' asphalt.

Put out an all-call.

It's been too many years since I've been down there.

It's 6th Street, but if you buy a round, you can call it... Pecan Street (which it used to be, lo those many years ago).

Tsunami, evacuation plan....

Evacuate in style!

 

[Anthony]

How about France?

I second or third Colorodo. Stay out of the extreme high elevations and you'll be fine. Maybe Boulder?

 

[Everskyward]

I second or third Colorodo. Stay out of the extreme high elevations and you'll be fine. Maybe Boulder?

Coincidentally I was just reading a nice aviation article from the Boulder Daily Camera.

http://www.dailycamera.com/business/ci_18758803

 

[Skylane81E]

Colorado is my eventual goal, hell I'd go now but for having local roots here.

 

[denverpilot]

Coincidentally I was just reading a nice aviation article from the Boulder Daily Camera.

http://www.dailycamera.com/business/ci_18758803

Interesting that coming from the Daily Camera there's only a short blurb about Boulder Airport, then they focused on KBJC, KEIK, and KAPA.

Boulder is by far the most noise-unfriendly airport in the State, bar none. A fun place to fly, and a good community at the airport, but the surrounding community is about as anti-aviation as it gets.

The number-of-operations number is interesting too. It averages out to 138 a day prior to the downturn and a bit less than that after, going by those numbers. The reality is that during weekdays it's a lot quieter (pun intended?) than that, and the average is driven up by massive weekend traffic. Also curious if they count glider tows as "two" operations.

 

[SCCutler]

Interesting that coming from the Daily Camera there's only a short blurb about Boulder Airport, then they focused on KBJC, KEIK, and KAPA.

Boulder is by far the most noise-unfriendly airport in the State, bar none. A fun place to fly, and a good community at the airport, but the surrounding community is about as anti-aviation as it gets.

The number-of-operations number is interesting too. It averages out to 138 a day prior to the downturn and a bit less than that after, going by those numbers. The reality is that during weekdays it's a lot quieter (pun intended?) than that, and the average is driven up by massive weekend traffic. Also curious if they count glider tows as "two" operations.

Y'know what else? I bet it has a very high proportion of the population who did *not* originate there - came there from someplace else, and wants to change it to match their own vision.

 

[tonycondon]

you mean hutchinson isn't intellectually stimulating enough for you?

i don't really have much to add except that after 20-odd years of living in Iowa and in my 3rd year in kansas if you don't know that tornado-capable weather or winter storms are possible you just aren't paying attention.

 

[Everskyward]

Y'know what else? I bet it has a very high proportion of the population who did *not* originate there - came there from someplace else, and wants to change it to match their own vision.

Boulder is a college town and has been blue as long as I can remember, if that's what you're getting at.

 

[Anthony]

Y'know what else? I bet it has a very high proportion of the population who did *not* originate there - came there from someplace else, and wants to change it to match their own vision.

Colorado is great except for the Californians there.

And Texans.

 

[Jeanie]

Mr Potato Head lives there... They have potatoes and mountains, nice mountains, but they have winter.... I visit winter, I don't live in it.

~~~~~~~ well, that's it isn't it... Winter. I don't do winter either and I barely visit it. I have been considering taking a mountain flying course out of McCall though just for something different.

2 places to live would be ideal but pricey.
Actually, except for the lack of "cultural entertainment" I'm pretty pleased w/ Alpine, TX.

 

[Everskyward]

Colorado is great except for the Californians there.

And Texans.

I don't know very many other people who moved here from California, or Texas for that matter. Most transplants seem to have come from NE, KS and other places in the midwest.

 

[SCCutler]

Boulder is a college town and has been blue as long as I can remember, if that's what you're getting at.

Naw, not really that; just the not-uncommon practice of people moving from (someplace) to (someplace generally considered desirable), and immediately embarking upon a campaign to change the new place to better match their own image of what it *should* be. Once settled, of course, that's their right, but you always wonder why they chose a place which so badly needed fixing.

So far as I know, one finds jerks like this at all points in the political spectrum.

 

[Everskyward]

Naw, not really that; just the not-uncommon practice of people moving from (someplace) to (someplace generally considered desirable), and immediately embarking upon a campaign to change the new place to better match their own image of what it *should* be. Once settled, of course, that's their right, but you always wonder why they chose a place which so badly needed fixing.

Dunno, I think Boulder had its reputation long ago and it attracted people with similar leanings and similar lifestyle preferences. In Colorado there's also the choice of Colorado Springs which has a similar physical setting but a much different political and cultural climate.

So far as I know, one finds jerks like this at all points in the political spectrum.

True.

 

[oldbabyboomer]

Roseburg, Oregon

Lived in San Francisco, LA, Mojave desert, Sierras, San Antonio, Monterey, Northern Idaho, South Carolina.

Umpqua Valley is the best.

 

[Tom-D]

Naw, not really that; just the not-uncommon practice of people moving from (someplace) to (someplace generally considered desirable), and immediately embarking upon a campaign to change the new place to better match their own image of what it *should* be. Once settled, of course, that's their right, but you always wonder why they chose a place which so badly needed fixing.

So far as I know, one finds jerks like this at all points in the political spectrum.

That's the biggest Bit-- we have about the Californians that move up here.

They come up on vacation love all the trees and greenery, so they move here.

then they want their neighbors to cut their trees so they can have a view.

and they vote democrat, just like they did in CA and expect a change

 

[Tom-D]

Roseburg, Oregon

Lived in San Francisco, LA, Mojave desert, Sierras, San Antonio, Monterey, Northern Idaho, South Carolina.

Umpqua Valley is the best.

That area is very nice, but Or. is an income state, so if you have substantial income be prepared to pay.

We like the Mc Minnville area and the vineyards.

 

[Anthony]

I don't know very many other people who moved here from California, or Texas for that matter. Most transplants seem to have come from NE, KS and other places in the midwest.

Have you lived in any of the Denver transient burbs like Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Parker, Castle Rock, etc?

 

[Everskyward]

Have you lived in any of the Denver transient burbs like Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Parker, Castle Rock, etc?

I've lived in Arvada and Elizabeth. Many of the people I work with have come from elsewhere, but not generally from CA. Weirdly I moved here the first time from CA, the second time from MO and the third time from ID... but I'm really from NJ.

But if what you are asking is if have I lived in any of the high-end subdivisions the answer is no. I'm only one person, and would not want to take care of a McMansion even if I could afford one.

I guess what I'm really getting at is that of all the people I know in CA I don't know a single one who has expressed a desire to leave.

 

[John Baker]

Coastal San Diego meets everything on your wish list. I have a large yard, but not much of a gardener. My neighbors have a large vegetable garden, citrus trees, etc.

The weather year round is pretty darn mild. The main drawback is the expense. Houses are not cheap. Hangers run from $350pm for a small T hanger. Doubles are around a thousand at KMYF. Coastal homes are in $400,000 and up range.

You can buy a hanger condo combo at Gillespie Field (KSEE) for around $800,000+ But no garden. ( not positive on the garden)

Water is expensive, so is gas and electricity. Sales tax is 7.75%

John

 

[astanley]

Bar Harbor is your airport. Live on the mainland or north/west of Bar Harbor proper if you want to find reasonable housing. (South of Bar Harbor is the "expensive" part of the area)

There are lots of options on the coast of Maine if that is your thing. I would pick NE over the PNW, if only because I prefer the people and area.

No matter where I have been on this earth, no place is as beautiful as Acadia National Park.

Cheers,

-Andrew