[toothpuller]

I want you to name the best places to live in the states with a few ground rules and exceptions.

Rules:
1. Has to be near a major urban center, however the area must be suburban, i.e. Boston or NYC suburbs, etc. 1 hour outside of a major metro area is preferrable.
2. Must be near at least two major airports, one international, one domestic serving other major cities and areas.
3. Must be on the coast and near very nice beaches. Ocean beaches preferred.
4. Must be clean, affluent (median income above $80,000), low crime rate, excellent healthcare, low pollution, well educated with outstanding school districts (well above national standards), low traffic and transportation problems.
5. Housing, affordable, 1 acre plots preferred, suburban to slightly rural. Small towns OK.
6. Climate and Geography, temperate. No desert, change of seasons with definate seasons preferred (nothing south of Maryland).
7. Areas currently being evaluated. Maine, New Hampshire, Mass, Conn, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, nothing south of Virginia. Nothing more inland than Pennsylvania.
8. Other areas of the country will be considered including California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, New Mexico.
9. Activities enjoyed, mountain biking (of course), hiking, camping, fishing, skiing (must be a short under 2 hour drive), also enjoy fine dining and arts.

Now the reasoning. I currently live in a NYC suburb but even as a young professional with a high projected income I am priced out of living here. It is completely unaffordable and unrealistic to consider spending $500,000 for a 3/4 acre plot with a 30 year old house. My girlfriend and I are both doctors recently graduated and can likely afford to live nearly anywhere but we would rather enjoy a higher standard of living if we can as opposed to struggling here with our student loans, ridiculous taxes (in excess of $10,000), and high cost of living. We love it here (Long Island) but we think we can do better.

 

[toothpuller]

Food is important

I am definately spoiled by the dining here in NY, especially NYC. I had the most delicious Goat Cheese Ravioli, Calamari, Raw Clams, and other Italian treats in Bay Ridge over the weekend. I highly doubt I could get it anywhere else. Des Moines sounds nice but I'm not sure I want to be in Iowa. I would miss the salty water and ocean sailing way too much. I'm very much a Yankee.

 

[lawhoo]

Charlottesville, VA

Recently rated best city by USA Today and some travel book.

Its 1 hour from Richmond and 1 hour 45 minutes from Washington, DC.

Close to Dulles International and has its own domestic airport.

Mountain biking in town and within 20-30 minutes. Skiiing very close (Wintergreen, plus Snowshoe further out in WVa). Sherando and other great George Washington MTB locations within a hour or so. Shenandoah National Park within 30 minutes.

Several very nice restaurants and many more great more casual places. Solid arts and music scene.

Plus UVA medical center.

I want you to name the best places to live in the states with a few ground rules and exceptions.

Rules:
1. Has to be near a major urban center, however the area must be suburban, i.e. Boston or NYC suburbs, etc. 1 hour outside of a major metro area is preferrable.
2. Must be near at least two major airports, one international, one domestic serving other major cities and areas.
3. Must be on the coast and near very nice beaches. Ocean beaches preferred.
4. Must be clean, affluent (median income above $80,000), low crime rate, excellent healthcare, low pollution, well educated with outstanding school districts (well above national standards), low traffic and transportation problems.
5. Housing, affordable, 1 acre plots preferred, suburban to slightly rural. Small towns OK.
6. Climate and Geography, temperate. No desert, change of seasons with definate seasons preferred (nothing south of Maryland).
7. Areas currently being evaluated. Maine, New Hampshire, Mass, Conn, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, nothing south of Virginia. Nothing more inland than Pennsylvania.
8. Other areas of the country will be considered including California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, New Mexico.
9. Activities enjoyed, mountain biking (of course), hiking, camping, fishing, skiing (must be a short under 2 hour drive), also enjoy fine dining and arts.

Now the reasoning. I currently live in a NYC suburb but even as a young professional with a high projected income I am priced out of living here. It is completely unaffordable and unrealistic to consider spending $500,000 for a 3/4 acre plot with a 30 year old house. My girlfriend and I are both doctors recently graduated and can likely afford to live nearly anywhere but we would rather enjoy a higher standard of living if we can as opposed to struggling here with our student loans, ridiculous taxes (in excess of $10,000), and high cost of living. We love it here (Long Island) but we think we can do better.

 

[billybobzia]

you say Colorado is an option, but it ain't anywhere near an ocean!! but..i love denver, a nice small city with good riding close and GREAT riding for getaways...within an hour you could take your pick of places to live....Evergreen is nice, Loveland is kind of cool...I live in NW Denver and its great, 5 minutes to city, 15 minutes to riding. yeah there is skiing, ww kayaking, fishing, you name it.....Oh...and the sun shines 300+ days per year, can't beat that..good luck on your quest..

 

[davis]

Wow.

I want you to name the best places to live in the states with a few ground rules and exceptions.

Rules:
1. Has to be near a major urban center, however the area must be suburban, i.e. Boston or NYC suburbs, etc. 1 hour outside of a major metro area is preferrable.
2. Must be near at least two major airports, one international, one domestic serving other major cities and areas.
3. Must be on the coast and near very nice beaches. Ocean beaches preferred.
4. Must be clean, affluent (median income above $80,000), low crime rate, excellent healthcare, low pollution, well educated with outstanding school districts (well above national standards), low traffic and transportation problems.
5. Housing, affordable, 1 acre plots preferred, suburban to slightly rural. Small towns OK.
6. Climate and Geography, temperate. No desert, change of seasons with definate seasons preferred (nothing south of Maryland).
7. Areas currently being evaluated. Maine, New Hampshire, Mass, Conn, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, nothing south of Virginia. Nothing more inland than Pennsylvania.
8. Other areas of the country will be considered including California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, New Mexico.
9. Activities enjoyed, mountain biking (of course), hiking, camping, fishing, skiing (must be a short under 2 hour drive), also enjoy fine dining and arts.

I can't believe that you're willing to sacrifice high-speed bullet train access to the local opera house. You're kidding, right? If not, my suggestion is to stay in NYC.

My reasoning: Life is all about trade-offs. You're unwilling to forego any of the conveniences and luxuries of major urban dwelling, yet you don't want the trade-off of the high cost of living. Sounds to me that you would pretty much be miserable anywhere else, so why not stay where you are and be miserable in NYC?

Seriously, you're kidding, right?

 

[Strafer]

To meet all your requirements would be almost impossible.
To be close to the beach and the mountains both, it'd have to be somewhere inNew England.
But I also like to ride my motorsickle, so Virginia does fine for me without the long cold winter.
Richmond suburb area is fast growing and Chesterfield county was listed as one of the best countys to live in the country.
2 hours east is VA beach, 2 hours west is WIntergreen ski/DH/FR resort, 90 min. north is DC metro area.
Best of all, 250K will buy you a very nice house in upper middle class subdivision.

 

[Jm.]

Kansas or Nebraska.

 

[Nat]

...i love denver, a nice small city... QUOTE]

Small city? Doesn't Denver have some 4 million people now? Back when I grew up there (early 70's to late 80's), there were only 1.5M if you included the surrounding suburbs, and I thought it was big back then. It might be too intimidating for me now. My current residence has only about 60K people and everyone's fussing up a storm that it's gotten too big. I saw a cool time-lapse movie made of a series of pics of the Denver skyline starting before any high-rises went up downtown, taken from the same vantage point. It was pretty wild. Right around the mid 70's the skyline went "pow!" and suddenly Denver was taller than 5 stories.

 

[Nat]

I want you to name the best places to live in the states with a few ground rules and exceptions.

Rules:
1. Has to be near a major urban center, however the area must be suburban, i.e. Boston or NYC suburbs, etc. 1 hour outside of a major metro area is preferrable.
2. Must be near at least two major airports, one international, one domestic serving other major cities and areas.
3. Must be on the coast and near very nice beaches. Ocean beaches preferred.
4. Must be clean, affluent (median income above $80,000), low crime rate, excellent healthcare, low pollution, well educated with outstanding school districts (well above national standards), low traffic and transportation problems.
5. Housing, affordable, 1 acre plots preferred, suburban to slightly rural. Small towns OK.
6. Climate and Geography, temperate. No desert, change of seasons with definate seasons preferred (nothing south of Maryland).
7. Areas currently being evaluated. Maine, New Hampshire, Mass, Conn, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, nothing south of Virginia. Nothing more inland than Pennsylvania.
8. Other areas of the country will be considered including California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, New Mexico.
9. Activities enjoyed, mountain biking (of course), hiking, camping, fishing, skiing (must be a short under 2 hour drive), also enjoy fine dining and arts.

Now the reasoning. I currently live in a NYC suburb but even as a young professional with a high projected income I am priced out of living here. It is completely unaffordable and unrealistic to consider spending $500,000 for a 3/4 acre plot with a 30 year old house. My girlfriend and I are both doctors recently graduated and can likely afford to live nearly anywhere but we would rather enjoy a higher standard of living if we can as opposed to struggling here with our student loans, ridiculous taxes (in excess of $10,000), and high cost of living. We love it here (Long Island) but we think we can do better.

Check out this site:

http://www.findyourspot.com/

 

[toothpuller]

Outstanding site

That helped a whole lot! Thanks so much! Interestingly enough a search yielded results ranging from Virginia to Long Island. Really super interesting. There are some places that I am going to have to check out. At the back of my mind though, the recent terrorist threats have made living here less than desireable. I have enough stress already, I don't want or need this anymore. Thanks for all your help.

 

[Strafer]

Check out this site:

http://www.findyourspot.com/

I went through the questions and RIchmond came up #1 .
I'm already where I should be!

 

[Nat]

I went through the questions and RIchmond came up #1 .
I'm already where I should be!

When I did it, half the locations were in the Colorado front range (where I grew up). Funny how that works.

 

[geddy2112]

Slc

Salt Lake City!! Small and beautiful. Unlike Denver, which has only mountains on one side of the city and the plains on the other... SLC is surrounded by them. Lush forests, skiing in the winter, and Moabs only a short ride away. I love it here.
Perfect place to raise a family.

 

[geddy2112]

I forgot to MENTION

You say you want beaches...The Great Salt Lake!! Its salty...c'mon.
Just got to get over the smell, thats all
Its terrible

 

[Jm.]

there's no beer.

 

[russw19]

Gainesville, Florida.

Rules:
1. 1 hour from Jacksonville, 2 from both Orlando and Tampa. 5 to Miami and Atlanta.
2. Has a local airport that serves Atlanta and Charlotte as hubs. 1 hour to Jax airport (International) and 2 hours to Orlando (also International)
3. 1 hour to your choice of the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico. 1hour 15 min. to Cresent Beach, 2 hours to Daytona, 1 hour to fishing in Cedar Key
4. Small town feel with a Major University right in the center. If you are a doctor, you surely know that Shands Hospital in Gainesville is one of the best teaching hospitals in the country. The top Neuro-science and Brain institute, great Vet school, great Dental school, one of the best public Law schools (esp. Tax Law) great academic univeristy, and lots of good local college sports. UF has great football, mens and womens basketball, baseball, softball, swimming, and womens soccer programs. Oh, and Track and Tennis too.
5. Lots of cheap apartment rentals, due to student population, but lots of afluent neighborhoods outside of the University's halo, and large acre horse farms available within 5 miles of town.
6. Climate is southern tropical. The only downside is that due to it being located 80 miles from both the Gulf and Atlantic, humidity is often very high in the summer. Winter, on the other hand is usually about 2 months long in Jan and Feb. but by March temp is into upper 60's again..
7. Florida is not really the south either... Florida is too far south to be the south. The South really ends in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.
8. No comment.
9. Activities enjoyed, mountain biking (of course), hiking, camping, fishing, skiing (must be a short under 2 hour drive), also enjoy fine dining and arts.<--- the Ocala National Forest is 20 minutes south. There is lots of mountain biking in the area (but it is mostly flat) fishing.. again, 1 hour each way to either the Gulf or the Atlantic... doesn't get much better than deep sea fishing.

Again, if you are a doctor (or judging from your screen name, a dentist) you surely know how good of a school UF is and what type of living you can expect in an area where so much research goes on. So if Florida isn't too far south for you and your wife, check out Gainesville.

 

[geddy2112]

Theres a few good microbreweries in Park City and such...I guess you just have to drive to Evanston, WY and get some fireworks, 6% beer, and an adult video.

Get'err done'!

 

[billybobzia]

Gainesville, Florida.

Rules:
1. 1 hour from Jacksonville, 2 from both Orlando and Tampa. 5 to Miami and Atlanta.
2. Has a local airport that serves Atlanta and Charlotte as hubs. 1 hour to Jax airport (International) and 2 hours to Orlando (also International)
3. 1 hour to your choice of the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico. 1hour 15 min. to Cresent Beach, 2 hours to Daytona, 1 hour to fishing in Cedar Key
4. Small town feel with a Major University right in the center. If you are a doctor, you surely know that Shands Hospital in Gainesville is one of the best teaching hospitals in the country. The top Neuro-science and Brain institute, great Vet school, great Dental school, one of the best public Law schools (esp. Tax Law) great academic univeristy, and lots of good local college sports. UF has great football, mens and womens basketball, baseball, softball, swimming, and womens soccer programs. Oh, and Track and Tennis too.
5. Lots of cheap apartment rentals, due to student population, but lots of afluent neighborhoods outside of the University's halo, and large acre horse farms available within 5 miles of town.
6. Climate is southern tropical. The only downside is that due to it being located 80 miles from both the Gulf and Atlantic, humidity is often very high in the summer. Winter, on the other hand is usually about 2 months long in Jan and Feb. but by March temp is into upper 60's again..
7. Florida is not really the south either... Florida is too far south to be the south. The South really ends in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.
8. No comment.
9. Activities enjoyed, mountain biking (of course), hiking, camping, fishing, skiing (must be a short under 2 hour drive), also enjoy fine dining and arts.<--- the Ocala National Forest is 20 minutes south. There is lots of mountain biking in the area (but it is mostly flat) fishing.. again, 1 hour each way to either the Gulf or the Atlantic... doesn't get much better than deep sea fishing.

Again, if you are a doctor (or judging from your screen name, a dentist) you surely know how good of a school UF is and what type of living you can expect in an area where so much research goes on. So if Florida isn't too far south for you and your wife, check out Gainesville.

I dont think they call it "mountain biking" in Florida, more like "hill biking"

Denver is considered a small metropolitan area, i guess comparing it to others, but it feels small -- shoot i lived in a town of 5,000 for ten years and moved here and can deal with it.

Salt lake city - hmmmmm - your right beautiful -- the beer thing is weird -- what is it like for the non-Mormon??

 

[pting]

I want you to name the best places to live in the states with a few ground rules and exceptions.

Rules:
1. Has to be near a major urban center, however the area must be suburban, i.e. Boston or NYC suburbs, etc. 1 hour outside of a major metro area is preferrable.
2. Must be near at least two major airports, one international, one domestic serving other major cities and areas.
3. Must be on the coast and near very nice beaches. Ocean beaches preferred.
4. Must be clean, affluent (median income above $80,000), low crime rate, excellent healthcare, low pollution, well educated with outstanding school districts (well above national standards), low traffic and transportation problems.
5. Housing, affordable, 1 acre plots preferred, suburban to slightly rural. Small towns OK.
6. Climate and Geography, temperate. No desert, change of seasons with definate seasons preferred (nothing south of Maryland).
7. Areas currently being evaluated. Maine, New Hampshire, Mass, Conn, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, nothing south of Virginia. Nothing more inland than Pennsylvania.
8. Other areas of the country will be considered including California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, New Mexico.
9. Activities enjoyed, mountain biking (of course), hiking, camping, fishing, skiing (must be a short under 2 hour drive), also enjoy fine dining and arts.

Now the reasoning. I currently live in a NYC suburb but even as a young professional with a high projected income I am priced out of living here. It is completely unaffordable and unrealistic to consider spending $500,000 for a 3/4 acre plot with a 30 year old house. My girlfriend and I are both doctors recently graduated and can likely afford to live nearly anywhere but we would rather enjoy a higher standard of living if we can as opposed to struggling here with our student loans, ridiculous taxes (in excess of $10,000), and high cost of living. We love it here (Long Island) but we think we can do better.

Let's see...
1) check
2) check
3) check
4) check (more or less, traffic not the greatest)
6) check (we only get spring and fall here)
9) check (3 hours to Tahoe, but it's worth it)

5) pretty much mutually exclusive with the others. If you want a 1 acre lot, pony up the $1.5 million and make a bid. You may get lucky.

(Menlo Park, SF Bay Area - only reason I can afford to live here is cause my grandparents bought the place 30 years ago.)

 

[Darkan]

Another place that fits most of what you are looking for is Carson City, NV. Close to Tahoe and close to Reno (okay...I realize Reno is a bit of a dump). Even Sacramento isn't all that far away.
No ocean though. Although Lake Tahoe has a beach or two...kinda. Best of all...no state income tax in Nevada.

I live north of Salt Lake City and Utah certainly is beautiful. It also has all you are looking for except the beaches. Getting used to the mormon influence in EVERYTHING takes a while to get used to. It's not a bad thing, just...umm...unusual. There is a reason it's called 'Planet Utah'.

Hope you find what you are looking for.