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Updated almost 3 years ago, 01/11/2022

User Stats

4
Posts
15
Votes
Kevin Rea
15
Votes |
4
Posts

Of all the places you lived, where would you move to right now

Kevin Rea
Posted

I have only ever lived in Wisconsin so I do not have a good idea as to how it compares to other places.  I know it always seems that the grass is greener in another state but I want to get some sort of consensus.

The south is only getting hotter.  Austin TX has seen the average number of 100+ days go from 14 to 24 in the last 30 years.  The north is getting warmer ... I have seen winters here get milder and milder.  I could go south, but Illinois has high taxes like California and there is an outflux of people from both states.

To me, the states in the middle seem appealing.  Like NC, SC, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Colorado, Utah, Nevada.

But I want to hear what you think.  Tell me a place that you have lived before and would be the one place you would live if you had nothing binding you to where you are now.

Account Closed
  • Investor
  • Singapore
3,225
Votes |
1,581
Posts
Account Closed
  • Investor
  • Singapore
Replied

I wouldn't want to stay in any one place full time. Ill always maintain a place in the Bay Area because you cant beat the weather and I have roots there. I lived in Taipei for a few years and loved it. Singapore is nice also. I prefer living in Asia to the US for many reasons. I expect I will spend a few months a year in the US and rest in Asia. Of course with traveling around the regions assuming life eventually does return to where travel is normal again!

User Stats

1
Posts
5
Votes
Replied

Hands down the south of Spain (Andalucia). The weather, the culture, the people and the quality of life make it an amazing place to live and raise a family. 

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User Stats

8
Posts
4
Votes
Landon Reigelman
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Lee county, FL
4
Votes |
8
Posts
Landon Reigelman
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Lee county, FL
Replied

I have only lived in Florida and North Carolina. However, I've spent some time in Washington State and it's beautiful, so naturally that is my choice. I'm sure there's better options, but the landscapes are amazing although the housing is a bit expensive in the more popular areas. 

User Stats

61
Posts
44
Votes
Lan Raby
44
Votes |
61
Posts
Replied

I have lived in FL, MO, AL, NC, HI, CO, UT, NY, Germany, Israel, and Afghanistan(kind of).   Stateside, I would rank them: HI, CO, AL, UT, NC, NY, MO.   My experiences in Germany and Israel were awesome and would certainly consider going back if the opportunity was there. 

User Stats

61
Posts
44
Votes
Lan Raby
44
Votes |
61
Posts
Replied
Originally posted by @Account Closed:

I've lived in Cincinnati, OH and New York, New York. I would not want to live in NYC again long-term. I loved it, but it also takes a lot of physical and mental energy to live there, and you have to actively seek out nature and green spaces. I definitely wouldn't want to be there right now either with all that's going on pandemic-wise. 


I really like Cincinnati. There are a lot of parks, a pretty good arts community, good restaurants, and many beautiful homes and neighborhoods. The only thing I really don't like is winter, but it's not horrible.

If I could live anywhere, I'd move somewhere in Florida or maybe Hawaii. I want sun, nature, and the beach all year long. 

User Stats

61
Posts
44
Votes
Lan Raby
44
Votes |
61
Posts
Replied

Having lived in Florida and Hawaii.   Hawaii is 20x better in many different ways, except for taxes and cost of living. The beaches are comparatively empty if you exclude Waikiki.

User Stats

110
Posts
110
Votes
Jonathan Mueller
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Park City, UT
110
Votes |
110
Posts
Jonathan Mueller
  • Real Estate Agent
  • Park City, UT
Replied
@Adam Tafel Lived down there as a Kid. However I am also looking at places down there, I am considering buying a small hotel/motel in Tamarindo area in the next year or two, I think there will be some good deals to be had with the lack of international travel. 

User Stats

4
Posts
2
Votes
Rob Scarry
  • Malta
2
Votes |
4
Posts
Rob Scarry
  • Malta
Replied

Interesting responses. I logged-in to read about the ridiculously high property taxes in TX, but found this thread.

I've lived and worked extended durations in Northern CA, Colorado Springs, CO, Germany, Italy, Israel, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Japan, Spain, Thailand, and Malta. Without question, I'd hang it all up and retire to Gozo, Malta, with a second home in Phuket, Thailand.

User Stats

38
Posts
36
Votes
Danielle Gray
  • Realtor
  • Laurel, MD
36
Votes |
38
Posts
Danielle Gray
  • Realtor
  • Laurel, MD
Replied

I've lived in San Diego, CA, Chicago, IL, & Laurel, MD. I'd honestly stay where I am now, visit Chicago during summers and holidays, and retire to San Diego.

User Stats

23
Posts
28
Votes
Bonnie Jones
  • New to Real Estate
  • Southwest
28
Votes |
23
Posts
Bonnie Jones
  • New to Real Estate
  • Southwest
Replied

I grew up in ND. Too cold in winter, but beautiful countryside in summers! I have lived in Seattle, so beautiful, and I love the weather, but cost of living is too expensive! I have lived in San Diego, which I loved, but also expensive! I have traveled all over CA, which is all very lovely! Big Sur is my favorite of all. It's magical there! I live in west TX for now, because it has a great cost of living and is great for real estate investing. But it is too hot, and not pretty at all. I would love to retire somewhere around Big Sur, CA, if I have enough money by then.

User Stats

23
Posts
4
Votes
Gordon D.
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Orlando, FL
4
Votes |
23
Posts
Gordon D.
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Orlando, FL
Replied
Originally posted by @Lan Raby:

I have lived in FL, MO, AL, NC, HI, CO, UT, NY, Germany, Israel, and Afghanistan(kind of).   Stateside, I would rank them: HI, CO, AL, UT, NC, NY, MO.   My experiences in Germany and Israel were awesome and would certainly consider going back if the opportunity was there. 

You didn't rank FL, that bad huh?

User Stats

8,329
Posts
4,343
Votes
Colleen F.
Pro Member
  • Investor
  • Narragansett, RI
4,343
Votes |
8,329
Posts
Colleen F.
Pro Member
  • Investor
  • Narragansett, RI
Replied

I've lived in RI, PA, NJ, MA, AZ. 

  1. I'd rank them to live in:  
  2. 1. RI/ AZ  
  3. 2. NJ 
  4. 4 PA.
  5. 5 MA

And I will go back to living in AZ/RI in the near future. RI and AZ have beautiful recreation opportunities. Hiking, sailing, and beaches (in RI).  AZ I like the climate and the terrain out by the superstition mountains.  The desert is beautiful and you can still get to a ski area in a couple of hours. Cost of living matters,  RI costs are higher then AZ but its closer to my NJ family.  That said there are alot of places I have traveled to and others I still need to get to that might make great places to live. For living somewhere getting back to family though is always part of my equation. 

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User Stats

130
Posts
235
Votes
Luke Marsh
  • Property Manager
  • Cincinnati, OH
235
Votes |
130
Posts
Luke Marsh
  • Property Manager
  • Cincinnati, OH
Replied

I have lived in Wisconsin and Indiana, currently living in Kentucky. If I could choose anywhere it would likely be somewhere in the northwest, Seattle or Vancouver. I don't mind the snow, or rain and think those areas would provide some amazing scenery. 

User Stats

1,418
Posts
1,182
Votes
Nick Rutkowski
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Ithaca, NY
1,182
Votes |
1,418
Posts
Nick Rutkowski
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Ithaca, NY
Replied

@Kevin Rea

Puerto Rico, so I can go island hopping on my plane that I haven’t bought yet.

User Stats

30
Posts
30
Votes
Tony Merchan
  • Real Estate Broker
  • New York, NY
30
Votes |
30
Posts
Tony Merchan
  • Real Estate Broker
  • New York, NY
Replied

Hawaii for sure .

I lived in Miami

Cali

PR

Currently living in NY

User Stats

25
Posts
24
Votes
James Schulz
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Los Angeles, CA
24
Votes |
25
Posts
James Schulz
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Los Angeles, CA
Replied

I have lived in NY and CA. I would love to live in Hawaii someday, but will take Los Angeles for now.

User Stats

62
Posts
26
Votes
Marianne Lopez-Henthorn
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Fort McMurray Alberta, Canada
26
Votes |
62
Posts
Marianne Lopez-Henthorn
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Fort McMurray Alberta, Canada
Replied
Originally posted by @Crystal Smith:
Originally posted by @Kevin Rea:

I have only ever lived in Wisconsin so I do not have a good idea as to how it compares to other places.  I know it always seems that the grass is greener in another state but I want to get some sort of consensus.

The south is only getting hotter.  Austin TX has seen the average number of 100+ days go from 14 to 24 in the last 30 years.  The north is getting warmer ... I have seen winters here get milder and milder.  I could go south, but Illinois has high taxes like California and there is an outflux of people from both states.

To me, the states in the middle seem appealing.  Like NC, SC, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Colorado, Utah, Nevada.

But I want to hear what you think.  Tell me a place that you have lived before and would be the one place you would live if you had nothing binding you to where you are now.

I'm going to cheat a little bit on your question and include places that we've traveled to so often that some would say we almost lived there. I'll only include the places where the grand total of our stays exceed 3 months

  • New York City
  • Dayton Ohio
  • St. Lous Missouri
  • Orange County California
  • West Palm Beach
  • Dallas Texas
  • Fort Worth Texas
  • London
  • Paris
  • The Netherlands
  • Bangalore India
  • Brisbane Australia
  • Singapore
  • Seoul Korea
  • Trinidad & Tobago
  • Atlanta, GA
  • Chicago, Il
  • Tokyo Japan

So where would we move right now? We'll maintain multiple homes. We're going to buy a small flat in Amsterdam, some of the smartest people in the world and the center of Europe so we can travel anywhere. We'll keep a place in Chicago because of business & we're going to buy a place in the Florida Panhandle.  

 Did you live overseas on a visitor's visa? Your list is amazing! So cool that you've spent so much time abroad - that's my dream! 

User Stats

69
Posts
24
Votes
Ruben Correa
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Champions Gate, FL
24
Votes |
69
Posts
Ruben Correa
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Champions Gate, FL
Replied

@Kevin Rea I am from orlando Florida, been here for a long time and I wouldn’t move anywhere else. This it’s heaven beaches- sun. Hot weather all year long.

Thank you

User Stats

3
Posts
14
Votes
Stella Xu
  • Rental Property Investor
  • New York City
14
Votes |
3
Posts
Stella Xu
  • Rental Property Investor
  • New York City
Replied

I live in Manhattan, NYC and grew up here in the city. I'm concerned that we're going to see a reversal of urbanization due to the pandemic. I think what COVID has done is 

1) sped up the migration of millennials to the nearby suburbs - NJ, Westchester, LI 

2) new permanent work from home policy changes lead by the tech industry (Twitter, Facebook) which will echo across industries will make people reconsider where they want to live. That's never been an option until now. A lot of permanent flexible work from home corporate policies (esp in the finance, insurance sectors) are up in the air at the moment and not finalized. As people work from home more they're going to want to have more space and would want to leave densely populated cities. Another issue here is shared washer/dryer space in mega apartment complexes - that alone might be enough to move me!! State income tax would be another consideration. So I think what we're going to see is an exodus from densely populated urban cores to slightly smaller cities - esp to those in warmer climates and tax friendly states. Think Atlanta, Austin, Portland etc...

Going back to your original question - we're also seeing milder winters in NYC as well but it's tough living here. I only realized that when I left NYC to live elsewhere (SF, London, Germany, Shanghai, etc...and those aren't even small). If I were to leave to NYC I'd want to move to the bay area which is even more insanely expensive but I love being on the coast and easy access to gourmet sushi/japanese food is important to me! yes that's actually a consideration :)

    User Stats

    61
    Posts
    44
    Votes
    Lan Raby
    44
    Votes |
    61
    Posts
    Replied

    @Gordon D. Haha... missed it on the list. I grew up in Florida. I would put it after Alabama I guess. I lived there so long I really don’t want to go back, especially after living in Hawaii. The beaches in Hawaii are so much less crowded.

    User Stats

    195
    Posts
    23
    Votes
    Ashley Zhang
    • Investor
    • colorado
    23
    Votes |
    195
    Posts
    Ashley Zhang
    • Investor
    • colorado
    Replied

    When i saw this post today, i am immediately thinking what a great topic, especially now with all the riots going on. Definitely not those cities with many rioters looting stores, burning down buildings and murdering people. So pretty much stay away from any bigger cities. 

    User Stats

    41
    Posts
    54
    Votes
    Steve Stuart
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Myrtle Beach, SC
    54
    Votes |
    41
    Posts
    Steve Stuart
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Myrtle Beach, SC
    Replied

    This is my kind of post!

    So far I’ve spent varying amounts of time in 45 countries across 5 continents from the Andes to the Pamirs and the top few where I could definitely live:

    Mexico

    South Africa

    Zambia

    Tanzania (maybe not Zanzibar)

    UAE (Dubai or Abu Dhabi)

    Thailand

    Singapore

    Panama

    France

    Italy

    A few places I’ve been where I think I’d have some difficulty adjusting to living long term:

    Egypt

    Uzbekistan/Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan/Afghanistan

    Andorra

    Brunei

    I’m thankful for the economic opportunities the USA provides, but I’d be very happy living elsewhere (which I’ve done and will again).

    In the USA if I had to pick one spot, I’d live in South Florida (Delray Beach, maybe Jupiter) at least for a bit.

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    User Stats

    555
    Posts
    148
    Votes
    David Smith
    • Rental Property Investor
    • NJ/PA
    148
    Votes |
    555
    Posts
    David Smith
    • Rental Property Investor
    • NJ/PA
    Replied

    Live where all peoples and races are peacefully mingling. 

    NJ is the most diverse place.  But here is too cold and polluted. 

    Find a place with a good combo of natural and social sustainability. 

    Think about PA/ DE/VA.

    User Stats

    621
    Posts
    455
    Votes
    Stephen Keighery
    Wholesalers
    Pro Member
    • Rental Property Investor
    • New Orleans, LA
    455
    Votes |
    621
    Posts
    Stephen Keighery
    Wholesalers
    Pro Member
    • Rental Property Investor
    • New Orleans, LA
    Replied

    I am born and raised in Sydney, Australia as was my parents and my wife and her parents. This is a beautiful city and there is a lot to offer. We would traveled to the United States regularly and have a goal to go to all 50 states (We are currently up to 28). Our favorite state is New Orleans, there is just something special about the city. The culture is infectious and the food is to die for for. I sold out of my company in Australia and we took the opportunity to take a 6 month vacation in New Orleans. 2 months into our 6 month vacation we knew we couldn't leave. That was 2 years ago and we actually ended up buying the AirBnB we were staying in on a lease option so never even left it. I now flip houses and wholesale in New Orleans full time and enjoy soaking in the culture, good food and good times. I am not sure what is store economically in the near future as the city is heavily reliant on tourism and oil, but the people are resilient and as an investor I have different strategies for different market cycles so think the future is bright here. Come for a vacation and check it out, who knows you may never leave. 

    • Stephen Keighery

    User Stats

    107
    Posts
    45
    Votes
    Jason H.
    Pro Member
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Chicago IL / Pittsburgh, PA / NW Florida/30A
    45
    Votes |
    107
    Posts
    Jason H.
    Pro Member
    • Rental Property Investor
    • Chicago IL / Pittsburgh, PA / NW Florida/30A
    Replied
    Originally posted by @Crystal Smith:
    Originally posted by @Kevin Rea:

    I have only ever lived in Wisconsin so I do not have a good idea as to how it compares to other places.  I know it always seems that the grass is greener in another state but I want to get some sort of consensus.

    The south is only getting hotter.  Austin TX has seen the average number of 100+ days go from 14 to 24 in the last 30 years.  The north is getting warmer ... I have seen winters here get milder and milder.  I could go south, but Illinois has high taxes like California and there is an outflux of people from both states.

    To me, the states in the middle seem appealing.  Like NC, SC, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Colorado, Utah, Nevada.

    But I want to hear what you think.  Tell me a place that you have lived before and would be the one place you would live if you had nothing binding you to where you are now.

    I'm going to cheat a little bit on your question and include places that we've traveled to so often that some would say we almost lived there. I'll only include the places where the grand total of our stays exceed 3 months

    • New York City
    • Dayton Ohio
    • St. Lous Missouri
    • Orange County California
    • West Palm Beach
    • Dallas Texas
    • Fort Worth Texas
    • London
    • Paris
    • The Netherlands
    • Bangalore India
    • Brisbane Australia
    • Singapore
    • Seoul Korea
    • Trinidad & Tobago
    • Atlanta, GA
    • Chicago, Il
    • Tokyo Japan

    So where would we move right now? We'll maintain multiple homes. We're going to buy a small flat in Amsterdam, some of the smartest people in the world and the center of Europe so we can travel anywhere. We'll keep a place in Chicago because of business & we're going to buy a place in the Florida Panhandle.  

    @Crystal Smith I am originally from Miami, but I am in complete agreement with you on wanting to buy in the Florida Panhandle, especially the Santa Rosa Beach/30A stretch.  The best water/sand/sunsets you'll likely see in the continental US.  If the local terrain had some hills or small mountains, it would be even more beautiful.

  1. Jason H.