I currently live in California, but it’s literally impossible to afford to buy a house.
Where are some good places to move to? I was thinking about Washington State, but I’m not sure I could handle the snow.
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Tennessee still has some affordable housing in rural areas. Very little snow as well.
Are you prepared for no-flouride water, septic tanks, an awful education system, a sub-tropical climate that seems to get less “sub” every year, more types of pollen than you’ve ever dreamed of, more guns than people, and rampant meth/opioid abuse?
Or consider Rural PA, all the same problems, but with the climate of early 2000s Tennessee!
Don’t forget the discrimination and frequent unreported assaults on queer folks and people of color!
Tennessee: The volunteer (to give up any reasonable expectation at a decent quality of life) state!
Are you working remotely or would you depend on the local economy for a job?
Because the big catch is, the places you can afford have no work.
Or even with remote work, you need broadband access, so no DSL, no Hughesnet.
This is why I moved to rural Oregon, paid mid-5 figures for a one-off trenched fiber line, and still came out on top.
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Ideally remotely
In that case, look for small-ish towns with decent internet, that’s really all you need.
A friend of mine just moved to California. San Diego. Couldn’t afford a house so he bought a boat and he now lives on the boat. He said the boat is much better than any house. It’s much larger than any house he could maybe afford there and if he doesn’t like San Diego, he could just float away to somewhere else.
Dock slip fees gonna get ya
Just anchor off shore and row in like a pirate. Good exercise too.
This honestly sounds really appealing
I hear Arkansas is great
It’s objectively one of the worst states to live in
“No snow” and “Affordable housing” are going to be a tricky combo.
Eastern Washington gets lots of snow and is basically Idaho, but houses are around 3-400k. Western Washington doesnt tend to get much snow, but it does happen, and housing is averaging around 600k for a 2bd/2ba even out in more suburban areas, so not exactly affordable. Big cities think more like 750-850k.
Im also assuming you’re looking for West coast vibes given the Cali to Washington idea. New Mexico/Arizona/Nevada might match what youre looking for.
Where I live it’s lot of snow and also unaffordable housing.
What’s your issue with snow?
I’ve never lived in it, so I wouldn’t want to be a menace on the icy roads
Icy roads are generally ok if you have a front or 4 wheel drive and you know they’re icy so are on high alert and ready to deal with other motorists doing reckless shit which is 99% of the issues you’ll face (like driving their rear wheel drive car round a corner up a hill, then spinning out as they accelerated too hard and ending up sliding back down the road towards you, which happened to me but as I was driving reasonably I just pulled over to the side)
What you’ve gotta watch out for is wet leaves though… Sounds innocent enough but in the wrong conditions they’re as slippy as if not more than ice and because usually they’re fine your brain just dismisses them until the day you slide/spin on them
I have lived in a snow area for decades after moving from California.
Nobody knows how to drive in the snow here. They forget every year, so you will fit right in. Get a car with AWD, leave room to stop, accelerate slowly, no throttle when sliding to regain traction(don’t put your foot to the floor), and keep your tires where others have driven. Snow tires are amazing, but not necessary and are a hassle. Keep a small snow shovel in the trunk and non-folding traction mats if you can. You should also keep a charged jumper pack in your car because the cold don’t give a shit about you needing to start your car.
Get a car with AWD
Be prepared to pay 4x as much when you need a replacement tire (you have to replace all 4)
I’ve never heard of replacing 1 tire. it’s usually in pairs. never been told to replace all 4 with my awd either.
Don’t worry, loads of people that live in a snowy climate also are a menace on the road.
Can’t be any worse than most of the people who have lived in it their whole lives.
not an issue if you live in a city centre where you won’t need to drive, or on the outskirts of somewhere that has good public transit. hard to say what your requirements are though; if you’re planning to have to commute or otherwise.
I’ve lived in Washington State (western) for 4 years total and have seen exactly 10 days of snow the entire time I’ve been here. Houses are still 3-400k. I want to move either closer to SeaTac or down to Vancouver because I bought a house in an area with a lot of flags on trucks if you catch my drift. We have more cloudy days than anything. We get lots of rain but it’s mostly just clouds and drizzles.
That’s my ideal weather. But, yeah, I need to be near a metro area to be happy
I’d personally recommend Vancouver then. Lived there in an apartment for a year and it was a nice mix of urban, suburban and rural. Basically drive 15 minutes in any direction and you’re in a new biome. Personally looking to move back there once I get a new job and sell the house.
I’ve just assumed I’d be priced out of, well anything, there. But I’ve certainly considered it. Haven’t been there in quite a long time though. I should visit there again
I would recommend somewhere in Europe. You will have paid vacation and heathcare insurance and (almost) free school and … :)
I’ve looked into relocating there, but citizenship seems difficult?
I also think I read somewhere that there are stricter labor laws so I wouldn’t be able to freelance as heavily (~30 hours a week) alongside having full-time employment?
You don’t have to get citizenship.
Why would you want to work 70 hours a week in Europe? Nobody really does that there
I’m trying to retire early, so I usually work my 40hr day job and then do another 20 or so contracting / consulting.
You don’t have to have that mindset there
Hmm, that’s a good point!
The Working Time Directive means you can’t work more than 48 hours per week and it also prevents employers from making you work more than 48 hours per week (there are some exceptions eg workers on ships and trainee doctors) but in most EU countries you can opt out of it.
WE AREN’T INVITED
Europeans are so fucking stupid telling Americans to move there. As if we could just up and run and get visas and jobs. Trust me, if it were easy, I would have done it.
Do you have any idea how difficult immigration is? Maybe you’ve been listening to the Islamaphobes too much… another great reason not to move to Europe btw, what if you’re the wrong color…
One citizenship please!
Upstate NY, VT, ME, NH, basically new england, some snow, but pretty nice places
NE is nice but it has also been hit hard with housing cost increases. I have family there and it sounds really rough ATM
I think New Mexico is where it’s at for low/no snow and affordable housing. Not coastal vibes at all, but neither is it anywhere close to Texas feeling. They just kind of have their own thing. Almost anywhere on the I-25 between Albuquerque and Las Cruces might suit your desire.
Raleigh/Durham in NC. it’s a little bubble of progressive in a red state. Houses aren’t crazy yet. Lots of tech work. No snow.
Same as Austin, but housing is not really affordable right now, unless you’re willing to live out in the burbs.
Been in this area for almost 35 years. Had to move further south (Johnston Co… like 30 min from downtown Raleigh) to find a house we could afford. Lived in Cary in a townhouse that more than doubled in rent in 10 years.
Can confirm there are quite a few IT jobs. Been in IT since mid 90s.
All in all would recommend this area.
City Nerd has a few great videos on affordable places to live that have urban amenities, for example: https://youtu.be/1qzePci2N6E?si=dWq43GmzH5ObF1q8
I know this will be unpopular, but if you’re ok with heat and traveling out of state if you need an abortion, Texas may be an option. Yes, our governor is terrible, but day to day life is not the horror that you see on tv. Our big cities are blue and populationwise we’re not as red as you think (52-46% in 2020). Snow and ice are pretty minimal. The topography varies tremendously across the state - mountains, desert, coastal, etc. - and each big city has it’s own vibe, so there are lots of opportunities for weekend getaways. We have great food, good airports, and colleges and universities of every size and focus. Housing prices have increased since COVID but are still much lower that the east or west Coast. I’m in Dallas and i like it here. San Antonio is a very fun city and a little cheaper.
Nah, Texas is way worse than you say.
Just having a baby is dangerous. Pregnancy complications can quickly lead to a death of both. Doctors are leaving the state. A miscarriage could be prosecuted as murder.
Abbott is really pushing the school vouchers because private schools can set “standards” so specific as to keep certain people out of getting an education.
If you ever need unemployment, Medicaid, or social security, Texas does everything possible to refuse money from the federal government to fund these programs.
Non-cis people are losing rights. The DPS for driver licenses is a mess because not having a driver license makes people think they can’t vote
Voter rolls have been purged.
Many places receiving state money have closed their diversity programs. Abbott doesn’t understand that wheelchair ramps and wide doors are “inclusion.”
And if you think DE&I isn’t important, imagine trying to wash your hands at an automatic sink, only to find out the faucet sensor was only trained on a different skin color so it doesn’t see you.
How’s that power grid looking?
Freedum and no federal regulations flow through these wires!
Sometimes we also have electrons in the wires.
What city are you in? Do you actually see those issues in your day to day life? I’m not discounting how terrible Abbott is at all! And yes, he’s definitely trying to make things worse, but we have plenty of people (44% in 2022) who disagree with him. I live in Dallas and work in public education with people from a wide variety of backgrounds. My husband works in Ft. Worth, where it’s considerably more conservative, and his company is very invested in DEI. Yes, there are difficult places and situations, but it’s really not the shitshow you see on tv. Gerrymandering has given us a government that’s not representative of our population. Extremes make the news.
Western Washington doesn’t get a lot of snow unless you’re in the mountains.
Just live where other people don’t want to live. Living in desirable places drives the prices up.
