# Trying to decide on a place to 'settle down.' **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 23, 2018, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642 "2018-05-23T00:23:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/21 "2018-05-23T16:55:52Z")
I’m also from the Kansas City area. You know how they “nice place to visit, but I wouldnt want to live there” well KC is a nice play to live but not such a cool place to visit. Yes, it has the basics like nightlife and some museums and historic areas but I think its real great feature is its lower cost of living and fewer traffic problems. The Kansas suburbs have good schools and safe neighborhoods. Frankly I like boring anyways. My city, [Overland Park,](https://shawneemissionpost.com/2017/04/03/overland-park-among-top-10-cities-in-us-in-livabilitys-2017-best-places-to-live-rankings-61949) has been voted as one of the top 10 places to live in the country. Its also popular with veterans because of nearby Ft. Leavenworth and its PX, a good VA hospital, and generally pro veteran vibe. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/22 "2018-05-23T17:48:25Z")
I’m another KC area resident. Most areas outside of the KC city limits are low on violent crime. Like a lot of metro areas there are pockets of blight which tend to shine a bad light on the whole area. But even within the city limits there are lower crime zones. My preference for a “settle down” location includes being close to a beach but I live smack dab in the middle of the continent. I’d say the Kansas City area is still a great place to live. You have major and minor sports teams, big name entertainment venues, air transportation from the center of the country makes for shorter flight times, four full seasons, lower cost of living etc. Some of the smaller outer cities like Olathe, Lenexa, Leawood, Lees Summit, Blue Springs, Liberty, Mission have a small town vibe with large city attractions just within a 30 minute commute. You also mentioned Wichita which I visit often. There’s a great variety of restaurants in that town. It’s got a great mid-sized city flavor to it. An arena to bring in large venue attractions, good semi pro and college sports teams. A thriving aeronautics industry and a decent mid sized airport. Cost of living is very nice. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/23 "2018-05-23T17:58:30Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > Tulsa is fine. It is a little boring but it is cheap and has a great zoo. I hope you like violent thunderstorms and tornadoes though. Tulsa night life: filth, gin, a slut. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/24 "2018-05-23T19:03:38Z")
Lived in Indy for 3 years and liked it well enough. It’s a small town masquerading as a big city so you definitely feel at-home no matter where you go, but it’s big enough to have cool sports teams (fair weather fans tho) and some good concerts and things to do. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/25 "2018-05-23T20:54:29Z")
Go West, Young Man! ---
**Author:** ![Unix\_Geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unix_geek/32/19368_2.png) [@Unix\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unix_Geek)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/26 "2018-05-23T21:10:39Z")
Look at Waco… cheap, but not too far to Austin for a good time. [http://www.tstc.edu/](http://www.tstc.edu/) Texas State Technical is there. Space X and L3 are there. It’s hot. And it’s Texas. But if you can get by those two, it might be a good fit. ---
**Author:** ![senoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@senoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senoy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/27 "2018-05-23T21:28:50Z")
I live in Morgantown, WV, about an hour south of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is a great choice. It has grown a lot over the past 20 years, so traffic now has that city congestion feeling, though hardly as bad as any of the mega-cities. Housing is still fairly affordable and schools on the south side are excellent. There are neighborhoods that are worse than others, but I don’t think anywhere is insanely bad for a city. Personally, I like living where I do since going to Pittsburgh is a breeze and I’m there fairly often, but I don’t have to bother with the negatives of a city and live in a town big enough for most of the amenities, but right on top of nature. It’s also nice since I’m only 3 hours from DC, so if I want really big city, I pop down there for the day. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/28 "2018-05-23T21:32:56Z")
The only thing I’d recommend as you narrow your choices is to spend a chunk of time wherever before you commit. I’ve heard tales of folks who talked forever of retiring to Florida, only to discover that living there isn’t the same as doing a week at Disney or the beaches. So find an extended stay hotel or something similar and audition your choices if you can. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/29 "2018-05-23T21:36:55Z")
> [@Marcus\_Flavius](#): > > When I finish my military contract, I’ll have a _lot_ of cash collecting dust in my savings account, since I’m a frugal bastard who puts away 2/3s of his paycheck… I figure that I should find a place to ‘settle down,’ perhaps permanently. My ultimate financial goal is to be retired by the time I’m in my late 30s (I’m in my mid 20s now). I’d like a place with highly affordable housing and low general cost of living. Are you staying in the military until then? You need a LOT of money to retire. And then there are women and children… Anyway, if you are staying in, why are you thinking about your retirement location now? A lot can change in a decade. If you want to invest in property, that’s another matter. Personally, if I were forced to retire to North America, I’d choose somewhere on the West Coast in Canada, north of Vancouver. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/30 "2018-05-23T21:42:39Z")
Chattanooga, Tennessee has low cost, and being in the mountains, is less humid than the rest of the South. TVA makes electricity cheap. Museums, a Zoo, & some Federal Parks nearby. The TVA Hydro Dam offers a lake, for fishing. A local University offers college, & thereby college football. Unlike much of the South, it ain’t a dump. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/31 "2018-05-23T21:50:52Z")
There are a lot of small towns around Minneapolis, including quite a few just across the border in WI. A lot of people commute to the Cities for work, including one of my sons. You can find a decent house in his town for $150-200K ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/32 "2018-05-23T22:33:07Z")
Greenville, SC has all the OP’s criteria except that its in the South. Could be the buckle of the Bible Belt. Cost of living is reasonable. Has a growing aircraft maintenance sector with training programs at local tech school. It also has Bob Jones University. :o :eek: Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/33 "2018-05-23T22:48:37Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > All of these would be on my worth-a-look list, except Indianapolis. Good choices. Kansas CIty is a great city to ive in. I’d add St. Louis. What do you have against Indy? I’ve lived there or in a suburb for the last 30 years. It has, and continues to get better every day. There is a good reason it made Amazon’s short list for their HQ2. There is a big FedEx hub at the airport so jobs in your field should be available. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/34 "2018-05-23T23:33:57Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > What do you have against Indy? I’ve lived there or in a suburb for the last 30 years. It has, and continues to get better every day. There is a good reason it made Amazon’s short list for their HQ2. There is a big FedEx hub at the airport so jobs in your field should be available. I’m from Cincy 90 miles west of you and I totally agree with you. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Indianapolis (although it’s fair to note how different your winter weather can be from ours for such a short distance away) and I have always enjoyed my visits there. There’s plenty to do, people are generally friendly and it’s clean. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/35 "2018-05-24T00:09:20Z")
Not on your list, but I’d look at Fayetteville Arkansas and Madison Wisconsin. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/36 "2018-05-24T00:41:46Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m not surprised it’s depressed. Last I checked there were homes selling there for the price of a new Chevy. It’s probably in my top 3 right now though. have you considered a depressed neighborhood in a city that is otherwise doing ok? and, are you on [city-data.com](http://city-data.com)? their forums are a good place to ask questions of locals. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/37 "2018-05-24T01:17:36Z")
marcus flavius: You’re young. Initially, I planned a somewhat lengthy post, but I think it’s better this way. You’re young, that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/38 "2018-05-24T01:25:43Z")
> [@Spud](#): > > What do you have against Indy? I’ve lived there or in a suburb for the last 30 years. It has, and continues to get better every day. There is a good reason it made Amazon’s short list for their HQ2. There is a big FedEx hub at the airport so jobs in your field should be available. Amazon and I do not have the same criteria for a place to setttle. Indianapolis is growing too fast, trying too hard to gain recognitiln. Bedsides, it’s in Indiana. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/39 "2018-05-24T01:33:36Z")
You’re in your twenties. What appeals to you for “settling down” now may not be what appeals to you in your 30s and later. That said, what do you like to do, and how does that juxtapose with A&P schools and, more importantly, places to obtain A&P jobs? I had thought that North Dakota was, weirdly, a good place to start one’s aviation education, especially if you don’t mind the cold and you want a lower cost of living, but I don’t know how the A&P schools are there. There’s always Embry-Riddle. It’s in the South, (LOL.) A lot of the “best A&P schools” on [this list](https://study.com/articles/Top_Aviation_Maintenance_Schools_in_the_US.html) don’t strike me as great for low costs of living. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642/40 "2018-05-24T01:57:01Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > A lot of the “best A&P schools” on [this list](https://study.com/articles/Top_Aviation_Maintenance_Schools_in_the_US.html) don’t strike me as great for low costs of living. Looking at the list, I see schools in Tucson and Fort Worth. I have veteran friends in both places, and they like those places very much. Frankly, I don’t see the appeal of Tucson, being a desert and all, but Fort Worth has a neighborhood for every taste and Texas has no income tax. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-decide-on-a-place-to-settle-down/814642.md?page=3)