When my grandson was in Iowa his girlfriend’s parents had a vacation home on Lake of the Ozarks that he thought was nice. Anywhere off the lake could be very sketchy according to what he saw.
Affordable places you would actually want to live
- Thread starter jaredoconnor
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When my grandson was in Iowa his girlfriend’s parents had a vacation home on Lake of the Ozarks that he thought was nice. Anywhere off the lake could be very sketchy according to what he saw.
Wow, NY a big state to write off so completely. I’ve never lived there, but my friend has been living in Saratoga Springs. I recently visited him and it sure seemed far from depressed and broken down. The downtown was bustling and not fully 100% generic and corporatized; seemed to have character. I don’t know how affordable it is, probably not very. Adirondacks are right there, NYC within reach, Albany the airport I flew into and out of was practically quaint, and functional.
Lake of the O's is nice, but unfortunately can actually be a pretty dangerous place; lots drunken boaters - a surprisingly high number of deaths on it each year.
I can be at prime BC lakes quicker than E. WA lakes. And B'ham is closer than I am. Quick trip from B'ham to the Skagit... maybe I should just shut up.
For some reason my brain just blanks on Stillwater
there's so little within a reasonable distance to me that I have a tendency to forget it's a thing. Even my carp are in a river.
Pink Nighty
Legend
You're probably right, I was a little over the top, I can only speak to what we saw, which was just about all central New York state (slightly north of Albany to north of Binghamton and all points south) when we were looking to move back north; a lot of depressed small towns, with few new schools or businesses, and given the taxes, was unclear why (we were told most of the taxes go to NYC); but that's just what we saw.
My wife and I are doing a similar search now. I love everything western Washington has to offer but we are ready for a new adventure. We are also seeking more solitude/space. We are currently WFH so the whole country is an option which actually makes the decision really hard. Lots of beautiful places out there. As a native New Englander, as well as someone who has lived in MT, ID and CO, winters don’t scare me. Too damn hot and humid does though so the Southeast and Southwest are off the table more than likely. As is the Midwest. To far from mountains and saltwater for our liking. We’ve narrowed our search down to a handful of states at the moment: a more rural area of WA, OR, MT or NH. Moving back to the Northeast was not really a consideration until recently but there are some appealing things about NH we’ve overlooked in the past.
It will be super tough for me to leave the west though. I think it would be really difficult for us to pull the trigger on a move back east.
Good luck on your search. If cost is the sole driver, the SE seems like a place to explore. Those states seem to be the most affordable and I’m sure there are areas to consider when it comes to kids, healthcare, etc.
It will be super tough for me to leave the west though. I think it would be really difficult for us to pull the trigger on a move back east.
Good luck on your search. If cost is the sole driver, the SE seems like a place to explore. Those states seem to be the most affordable and I’m sure there are areas to consider when it comes to kids, healthcare, etc.
Those still in prime time working years, as well as those starting out their college or working years, are facing unprecedented times as the development of AI tools supporting human job displacement begins to roll out.
My son is a Senior Director at Google, 16 years on the job, and runs a team of over 200 highly educated and experienced folks responsible for Search functions at Google. He has been informed in high level meetings that Google expects to reduce their staffing levels from the current 180,000 to well below 100,000 as AI tools replace employees, and he should expect his team to start downsizing in the very near term.
These are apex paying jobs, and Google is just one of the hundreds of tech companies around the globe that employ millions of folks. And those unfortunates who get laid off will have tough prospects ahead as a skill glut emerges in the tech sector. AI displacement will be an economic wrecking ball for millions of families.
And meanwhile, the only outboard mechanic in Bend is scheduling two months out, has no drop off shop, and will only work in your driveway at $165/hr. It's a good time for young folks to seriously consider the trades vs college.
My son is a Senior Director at Google, 16 years on the job, and runs a team of over 200 highly educated and experienced folks responsible for Search functions at Google. He has been informed in high level meetings that Google expects to reduce their staffing levels from the current 180,000 to well below 100,000 as AI tools replace employees, and he should expect his team to start downsizing in the very near term.
These are apex paying jobs, and Google is just one of the hundreds of tech companies around the globe that employ millions of folks. And those unfortunates who get laid off will have tough prospects ahead as a skill glut emerges in the tech sector. AI displacement will be an economic wrecking ball for millions of families.
And meanwhile, the only outboard mechanic in Bend is scheduling two months out, has no drop off shop, and will only work in your driveway at $165/hr. It's a good time for young folks to seriously consider the trades vs college.
When I fish the BC Lakes with my coastal friends they get there HOURS earlier due to the shorter drive.
I am always amazed at people from Bellingham fishing in eastern Washington. That is downright silly.
One point not mentioned is the different social and cultural aspects of communities. The world is becoming much more homogenized at a rapid clip, but this was not always true.
But in the early 1970'd when I moved to Vancouver, I found it to be a incredible city. Unfortunately, it had lots of Canadians!!! I would get together with other immigrants and we would tell Canadian jokes. I did make an exception for Albertans and French-Canadians, but those "English" Canadians were a different kettle of fish. I left as quickly as I could.
Don't believe those stereotypes everybody quotes. I moved from Berkeley to southern Idaho and met the LDS church. They were wonderful folks, and though our lifestyles and values, were pretty different I had a great time with them.
I moved to Coeur d'Alene thinking my southern Idaho experience was typical of Idaho. Nah, the folks in North Idaho had more in common with Canadians!! It was awful.
The northwest was/is different and not friendly. I don't know anymore since after almost 50 years of living in north Idaho and eastern Washington I think I have become "one of them".
Small towns and their communities are very different than large cities. Chose carefully and wisely, lest you get stuck living in s place like Coeur d'Alene in the 70's.
jaredoconnor
Peabrain Chub
Already starting to see people flood into trades. The more white collar jobs become defunct, the more plumbers there will be and the less plumbers will get paid. No one will be unaffected by all this.
At some point capitalism will cease to work entirely, but hopefully not in my lifetime. I have worked quite hard to find my place in this economic model!
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Wasatchangler
Steelhead
Gresham intrigues me. Easy to get into Portland but far enough to ditch some of the inherent chaos of being in the city. Plus quick to skiing and the gorge.
My wife and I are having similar discussions. Raising two toddlers in Pugetropolis is expensive! And we’d really like the kiddos to have more room to roam. A small town in an outdoorsy area with some cultural influx is the unicorn.
Our unique wrinkle is that I have a sister in Sitka, and if jobs lined up we’ve agreed we’d move there in a heartbeat. I’d be curious to hear from anyone who has lived in SEAK how much less or more affordable it is than big city WA. I know the cost of goods is pretty bad since everything has to fly or barge in.
Our unique wrinkle is that I have a sister in Sitka, and if jobs lined up we’ve agreed we’d move there in a heartbeat. I’d be curious to hear from anyone who has lived in SEAK how much less or more affordable it is than big city WA. I know the cost of goods is pretty bad since everything has to fly or barge in.
For a long time I was concerned about Oregon's state income tax and it's impact on retirement cash flow.
With Washington's increases in sales taxes and property taxes it now makes Oregon a better choice.
Washington tried to pass a property tax cap increase in 2025 which would of allowed property taxes yearly increases to triple. I bet it is only a matter of time.
When I retired my property taxes were 15% of my pension. It is now over 50%.
With Washington's increases in sales taxes and property taxes it now makes Oregon a better choice.
Washington tried to pass a property tax cap increase in 2025 which would of allowed property taxes yearly increases to triple. I bet it is only a matter of time.
When I retired my property taxes were 15% of my pension. It is now over 50%.
Yup, I remember reading over a decade ago, before any of us really knew what any of this AI stuff was going to look like, how it was going to absolutely devastate the job market.
And since it went unregulated and likely never will be, we're about to find out how bad that's going to hurt.
This is Pandora's box. Much like social media was, the net negative on our society is going to be profound in ways we don't even understand yet.
Taxes on a 650K Bend home town average 5K, and barring major home improvement or local bonds and levy's passed by voters, per statewide Ballot Measure 50 property taxes are restricted to a max increase of 3% a year.
Along with our explorations was comparing COL between our current home and relocating, and current won every time. As did time in car when we tested what a drive into the nearest metro would actually be like during working hours.
Regarding AI, one of it's most threatening impacts will be providing the tools to criminals and rogue states to commit wholesale fraud and theft. There has never been a more critical time to guard and lock-down your credit, identity, and monetary accounts.
Well said!
In my last couple of years at work I was able to mentor several summer interns. They asked me about career choices. I responded get into network security requiring a security clearance or into the trades. I was just talking with a plumber and he said too many people are applying now.
The kids entering the job market now or in the near future will have to make some tough choices. Like my kids are experiencing, jobs are not paying enough to be able to live on their own, at least in the PNW. More tough choices about jobs and where to live.
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Evanston, WY.—— Logan, Ut.