i feel lost. my computer cord died on me thursday and i had to order a new battery & cord. seriously... what would we do without computers? i completely take that necessity for granted every day. i have to wait my turn on landen's (like at 11:19 pm sunday night) when he isn't studying to check out all my stats. crossing my fingers my package arrives tomorrow. i've got things that need to be typed upon people.
in other good news my well written brother finally started a blog here. he's the literary genious in the family. we call him when we need help thinking of a word, editing a paper, or just sounding smart in general. he helped landen get into dental school on his essay alone (ha. wouldn't that be funny, essay alone...) you should take a peek, i'm sure he won't disappoint.
and in other other good news, we have finally come up with this.
::l&k's top 7::
(until further inspection)
(these are places to LIVE someday people. of course it depends on the job market, and the long road it will take to have a practice but at least we are narrowing down the options!)
in no particular order...
1.fort worth/dallas, texas
2.phoenix, arizona
3.denver/littleton, colorado
4.portland, oregon
5.seattle, washington
6.nashville, tennessee
7.charleston, south carolina
we did some major cost of living comparisons on this website. it's cool.
here are some of our *most important* factors to be added in besides job:
*near a temple
*near an airport
*climate
*cost of living
*housing market
*tillamook cheese can be bought at the local costco/grocery store
*near a red robin
*easy trip to mountains or beach
*good schools
ok. fill me in people. any thoughts or experiences with any of these places?
example of bad input: you should move to portland so we can be neighbors (ok nevermind, that's actually a really good reason).
example of good input: you should move to charleston so you can sip lemonade and watch the sun go down on your dream front porch that looks like this:
SOLD.
in other good news my well written brother finally started a blog here. he's the literary genious in the family. we call him when we need help thinking of a word, editing a paper, or just sounding smart in general. he helped landen get into dental school on his essay alone (ha. wouldn't that be funny, essay alone...) you should take a peek, i'm sure he won't disappoint.
and in other other good news, we have finally come up with this.
::l&k's top 7::
(until further inspection)
(these are places to LIVE someday people. of course it depends on the job market, and the long road it will take to have a practice but at least we are narrowing down the options!)
in no particular order...
1.fort worth/dallas, texas
2.phoenix, arizona
3.denver/littleton, colorado
4.portland, oregon
5.seattle, washington
6.nashville, tennessee
7.charleston, south carolina
we did some major cost of living comparisons on this website. it's cool.
here are some of our *most important* factors to be added in besides job:
*near a temple
*near an airport
*climate
*cost of living
*housing market
*tillamook cheese can be bought at the local costco/grocery store
*near a red robin
*easy trip to mountains or beach
*good schools
ok. fill me in people. any thoughts or experiences with any of these places?
example of bad input: you should move to portland so we can be neighbors (ok nevermind, that's actually a really good reason).
example of good input: you should move to charleston so you can sip lemonade and watch the sun go down on your dream front porch that looks like this:
SOLD.
(this really is my dream porch i found tonight in charleston. landen was laughing because i was just saying like yesterday how i want that exact diamond flooring in my future kitchen. i'll keep dreaming...)
more interesting pictures of things like my kids when i get that package...
15 comments:
i say no to phoenix. maybe i'm just bitter because we were only there for a summer, for internship....but it's MISERABLY hot in the summer. almost too much to even make the warm winters worth it. plus there are too many big bugs and spiders and scorpions there:)
and i LOVE seattle. but cost of living is the pits!! it's gorgeous though....
i hear oregon is so beautiful. i could see your family there, or texas too.
I say yes to Pheonix, so you and I can hang out every. single. day. :) oh yeah, and so we can go to the pool in december with our kiddos while the rest of the nation is freezing and stuck in their house. oh yeah, and we can buy matching vacation homes to escape to during the summer. sounds nice, eh?
seattle sounds beautiful, and charleston sounds charming. dj hates texas. I always talk about living in denver, because in my mind's eye, it's a beautiful place.
so, there you go. :)
i'm from the dallas/fort worth area and love it! it is such a great place to live with so many fun things to do. the perfect part about it is the weather. sure, it's pretty warm in the summer, but you can be outside and enjoy the rest of the year because it never really gets too cold. it's also quite green and pretty in its own way.
you ARE moving to portland so we WILL BE neighbors. i have nothing else to say.
I gotta say, Texas is a GREAT place to be. Terrific weather, excellent cost of living, temple, airport, good schools, etc.
I would absolutely go back to Texas someday if the opportunity arises.
I'm just writing in response to your "must" list: Tillamook. That made me laugh. Then I stopped and thought about it. And you're right.
The Dallas/ Fort Worth area has definitely been great so far. It fits all your parameters except maybe the "being close to mountains/beach." Although, it's not too bad of a drive to the ski resorts in New Mexico, and there are some cool national parks here. I hear The beaches in Texas are not so great, but we have lots of big lakes in this area. The economy and housing market are still great here. Everyone is super friendly, and the weather is great except for two or three really hot and humid months in the summer. There is always lots of things to do, and on the off chance you can't find something here one weekend, it's only a 3 hour drive to Austin. Anyway, we are really liking it so far.
Sounds like some good spots on your list. Have you gone to findyourspot.com? I went there a few years ago and they have this little quiz that you take and then it gives you a list of cities.
I've lived in a lot of places, and everywhere I go there are good things and there are bad things. When we were graduating and thinking of where to go, we decided we wanted a small town, close to the temple & stake center{we were in Kansas}, and close to family.Then we went to Boston and realized it was the OPPOSITe of just about everything on our list. But it was the first place I wasn't ready to leave. SO you never really know, ya know?? There are definitely tons of variables, but I guess the biggest one is who will fork it over so you can pay the bills!! But I guess your situation is a little different than ours in that regard. My dad is a doctor in Seattle and I don't know how different it is for dentists as far as malpractice insurance, but insurance in Washington is reeeeally expensive for doctors. GOOD LUCK!!
i think all those cities sound nice! the only one i can truly comment on is phoenix and i am wishy-washy on it. everyone says that the summers aren't too bad but honestly, this summer was r-e-a-l-l-y hard on me! it doesn't just last 2 or 3 months...it was may to end of september. i have learned that i prefer cold - i like the chilly weather and bundling up...so for me, i'd take being inside during the winter over being inside during the summer. i think no matter what season it is though it's hard to be stuck indoors with a toddler. other than the hot summers and the fact that i get thirsty just looking at the landscape (i need more green!) - it really is a nice place to live. i am eager to see where you guys end up!
I do hear great things about Charleston, but I will say that I continue to be partial to the west coast. The only thing Washington/Oregon doesn't have going for it is only one season:) Although it doesn't get bitter cold and you have both the mountains and the beach! But you already know how I feel about this topic.
Ok, I love that porch too. There's a house I pass on my way to WalMart that has a gorgeous wrap-around porch that I can't help but covet. Someday I want a house exactly like it. Of course Mesa would be an awesome place to be for the obvious friends and family reason, but my second choice from those options would be Denver area. I served my mission there and absolutely love the beautiful rolling hills, seasons, and culture.
OK, what's up??? Nowhere on your list are the words Bobo and Drampa? Don't Sopie and Piper get a say in who they live by? You know my vote! Liz, you're right on!!
I'm glad to see that Utah is not on your list... although I was disapointed that MA didn't make the list (let alone the fact that MA doesn't line up with that criteria).
I would add traffic to your list of considerations for each place. Seattle has horrendous traffic. I've been in a traffic jam on I-90 going to Seattle that is clear out in central Washington that turns into a parking lot. Rush hour in Seattle is ridiculous, it's like LA. It is perty up there though...
One other thing you youngen's should consider is tax considerations. There is a reason retired people choose certain locations for lower taxes. A lifetime of paying taxes in a high tax state could pay for a few college educations, etc., or that nice sports car that you or Landen will want some day. No income tax states = Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming. Tennessee and New Hampshire only tax interest and dividends so kinda nice. Another angle are the states with no sales tax = Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon. Oregon has no sales tax but has a rather punitive income tax and property taxes are on the high side. Nevada for example has no income tax and lower property taxes so fairly attractive from that angle. Lots to consider but sometimes picking just the prettiest place or the coolest place could cost you a bit. Typically the closer you get to the coast (east or west) the cost of living goes up, hence the attraction of Texas and other midwest states as the cost of living, particularly housing is much more affordable.
We love Oregon, but looking back, paying 9% of my income over a lifetime that I paid to state income tax would be really nice to have for kids, houses, cars, retirement, etc. Do the math, the numbers get quite large.
Not saying to do this for tax reasons only, just don't ignore it and go into the decision knowing what you are getting into. Landen will make some money, might be nice to keep some of it!
Love ya, Dadster
All 4 years in MA we planned on moving back to Phoenix to be near family and the sunshine...but once I got there I was sadly a little disappointed. I missed having city centers--there are no main happening places to go (The commons, downtown crossing, quincy market, nantasket beach). Downtown phoenix is pretty much a business district-we went down on a saturday once--and many food places were closed-LAME! There is shopping everywhere, but it just wasn't as cool/fun (your same basic stuff everywhere). Our family lives there--but since the valley is so big-the area we liked was still an hour away from my sister and my side of the family was about an hour in a different direction--so it wasn't convenient to just pop over as I had imagined. The major airport is nice--and I have been able to find really cheap fares to MA, Seattle, CA and Hawaii. The real estate market sucks for people who already have houses--but is great for people just moving in.
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