We have been searching for a “home base” for a while now…I have lived in Oregon my whole life, and while there are many benefits to living in Oregon-it’s green, no sales tax, friends & family…to name a few-we are ready to start a new adventure! My husband was born and raised in Southern California, and neither he, nor his parents, have any desire to move back there (traffic, high real estate prices, earthquakes.)
I am drawn to warm weather and palm trees. Our ultimate goal (someday) is to live in Hawaii, but for now, when our main focus is raising our son and traveling, we are looking for somewhere on the mainland that is affordable, safe, warm, and close to a major airport. We will be taking my in-laws with us, and hopefully some of my family as well. Family is important to us, and we want our son to grow up with his grandparents. This has been a struggle for us, as we have a heart for travel as well. This leaves us in a place where we need to find a home base that we can all agree on!
As a family with children, some common focuses when choosing a place to live are: a safe, family friendly neighborhood; ample law enforcement; good schools; activities and events for families and children, such as playgrounds, water parks, parades, festivals, carnivals; proximity to educational locations, such as museums and aquariums. We also need to cater to the grandparents, and their requirements are golf courses, shopping, and access to quality medical care, including VA providers.
We all agree on finding a place to live that has low crime rates, warm weather year round, close to the beach…however there are a lot of hurricane fears, causing us to shy away from Florida/The Carolinas (my top choice-I would deal with hurricanes to be close to Disney World!) Since California is out, and I can’t quite sell them on the East Coast, we are now focusing our search on other warm states, such as Arizona and Texas (just not too close to the coast.) I have always had an obsession with Texas and deserts (who are we kidding, I would move there for the BBQ alone!) We are planning a trip to check out some of the areas we are interested in, which I will share in the future!
Anywhere we choose to move will have pros/cons, but for our family, new adventures are an important part of our happiness! Focusing on these more southern states, the Austin Real Estate market is pretty comparable to the housing market where we live now. Finding a location with similar or lower home prices is ideal, to make the sale of our homes and buying new homes simpler. We have also found areas we love in Arizona.
Where do you think we will end up? Texas? Arizona? Either place would give us the ease to drive to the beach within 2-5 hours (and we can actually enjoy the warm water-you don’t get in the freezing water on the Oregon Coast!) We would be closer to major airports than we are now…a big move would definitely provide many new adventures!
Do you live in (or have you lived in) either of these areas? What are some pros and cons for us to consider when considering moving our family?
I heard Virginia is great and I know a person who could probably talk you into it! 🤪
I could be talked in to Virginia! Ben needs to come take Danny golfing and talk HIM in to it! 🙂