# Where should I live? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 12, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live/788802 "2017-06-12T20:29:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2017, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live/788802/41 "2017-06-15T11:46:22Z")
Based on your water needs, I’m going to go “outside the box” and suggest Hot Springs, AR. [This is what the town looks like](http://www.arlingtonhotel.com/bpimages/headers/history.jpg), and for kayakers/water-skiers here is [Lake Ouachita](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/d1/3d/5f/d13d5f9f50ea02d85ba8640255299570.jpg) adjacent to the city (10 minutes away). If you look closely, you’ll notice there’s nothing built on the lake – it’s surrounded by national forest and AFAIK cannot be developed. At about 40 miles in length it’s a genuine paradise for boater/kayakers with hundreds of isolated beaches to either hang out or camp on. The town straddles the [Ouachita River](http://cdn.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Ouachita-River-hooker-hole-700x466.jpg) for those who prefer a more isolated paddle trip. A quick look at Zillow will surprise you. You can probably afford an amazing home there. Here’s a [gated, waterfront house](https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/76155013_zpid/250000-400000_price/915-1464_mp/34.481585,-93.080463,34.404573,-93.190327_rect/12_zm/2_p/1_fr/?) with two boat docks for under 400K. It might be worth a look. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2017, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live/788802/42 "2017-06-16T03:02:12Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Based on your water needs, I’m going to go “outside the box” and suggest Hot Springs, AR. > > [This is what the town looks like](http://www.arlingtonhotel.com/bpimages/headers/history.jpg), and for kayakers/water-skiers here is [Lake Ouachita](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/d1/3d/5f/d13d5f9f50ea02d85ba8640255299570.jpg) adjacent to the city (10 minutes away). If you look closely, you’ll notice there’s nothing built on the lake – it’s surrounded by national forest and AFAIK cannot be developed. At about 40 miles in length it’s a genuine paradise for boater/kayakers with hundreds of isolated beaches to either hang out or camp on. The town straddles the [Ouachita River](http://cdn.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Ouachita-River-hooker-hole-700x466.jpg) for those who prefer a more isolated paddle trip. > > A quick look at Zillow will surprise you. You can probably afford an amazing home there. Here’s a [gated, waterfront house](https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/76155013_zpid/250000-400000_price/915-1464_mp/34.481585,-93.080463,34.404573,-93.190327_rect/12_zm/2_p/1_fr/?) with two boat docks for under 400K. > > It might be worth a look. That looks sublime. If we ever decide to pull up stakes for some reason, I think that’s where I’m headed. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live/788802/43 "2017-06-17T15:56:26Z")
OP, you mentioned Florida as a potential residence. I suggest you consider [Nocatee](https://www.nocatee.com/)(in Ponte Vedra, between Jacksonville and St. Augustine). Plenty of water activities: intracoastal waterway (with Kayak rentals/launch), fine beaches, award-winning [beach clubs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_Vedra_Inn_and_Club) and water parks. And, if you’re into golf: TPC. Pleanty of fine [seafood](http://pussersusa.com/locations/ponte-vedra-beach-restaurant/) [restaurants](http://www.capsonthewater.com/)and [fish](https://palmvalleyfishcamp.com/) [camps](http://www.luluswaterfrontgrille.com/), too. If you like more [exotic](http://www.clarksfishcamp.com/Default.aspx) entree’s. If you’re an older couple, you may be interested in consierge living at [this](https://starlingliving.com/communities/starling-at-nocatee/)facility opening in a few months. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live/788802/44 "2017-06-17T20:06:41Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > After living in NYC 15 years, my wife and I have decided to seek out other pastures. Not really “settling down” _per se_, but certainly longing for a simpler life… one that doesn’t include being shoulder-to-shoulder with 10 million other people, having to move the car to the other side of the street every day, and paying outrageous amounts of money for an apartment that doesn’t even have a washer and dryer. But now the question is just: where? > > We don’t have kids or debt, so the world is pretty much our oyster. We do, however, have a puppy (well, he’s 2) who is a huge part of our family, so it needs to be a place that’s dog-friendly. Work-wise, we’re both in a bit of a transition period, but suffice it to say we both freelance and have the ability to work pretty much anywhere. She has also just completed her yoga teacher training, so somewhere yoga is part of the culture would be ideal. > > We’re basically looking for a small town with a big city feel, or even a suburb of a large city. We don’t want to move to another big city like Chicago or L.A., for example, but we also don’t want to end up bored milking cows on a farm (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Places we’ve been looking into, to give you an idea, are St. Petersburg FL, Virginia Beach VA, the Orlando area, Raleigh and Wilmington NC, and maaayybe Seattle, although I feel that might be comparable to NYC. You’ll notice what these cities all have in common: better weather and a close proximity to water, both very important! > > Anyway, if you’ve read this far then kudos to you, because my eyes have glazed over from all the research I’ve been doing on various cities. On the other hand, I can now tell you the average cost of living in just about every city in the United States… I’ll venture Honolulu, our home now. Close to the water for sure, and despite its 1-million population has a small-town feel. There are other communities on the island – Kailua seems nice – and even small “cities” on other islands, but Honolulu is the biggest and for us the most convenient. And if you’re used to the cost of living in NYC, Honolulu won’t seem all that expensive. Lots of yoga enthusiasts here too. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live/788802/45 "2017-12-20T20:04:35Z")
An update for those who provided suggestions: we decided on Florida! We’ll be in Vero Beach, a lovely town on the Atlantic coast, about 90 minutes south of Orlando. We might be just about the youngest people there at 40, haha, but we’ve both been several times for work and love it. It has everything we’re looking for (and doesn’t have anything we’re _not_ looking for, if you can dig that), and is close enough to Orlando and Miami to make a day trip out of it. We move in late January. Here’s to new beginnings! ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live/788802/46 "2017-12-20T20:32:31Z")
> [@pullin](#): > > Based on your water needs, I’m going to go “outside the box” and suggest Hot Springs, AR. > > [This is what the town looks like](http://www.arlingtonhotel.com/bpimages/headers/history.jpg), and for kayakers/water-skiers here is [Lake Ouachita](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/d1/3d/5f/d13d5f9f50ea02d85ba8640255299570.jpg) adjacent to the city (10 minutes away). If you look closely, you’ll notice there’s nothing built on the lake – it’s surrounded by national forest and AFAIK cannot be developed. At about 40 miles in length it’s a genuine paradise for boater/kayakers with hundreds of isolated beaches to either hang out or camp on. The town straddles the [Ouachita River](http://cdn.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Ouachita-River-hooker-hole-700x466.jpg) for those who prefer a more isolated paddle trip. > > A quick look at Zillow will surprise you. You can probably afford an amazing home there. Here’s a [gated, waterfront house](https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/76155013_zpid/250000-400000_price/915-1464_mp/34.481585,-93.080463,34.404573,-93.190327_rect/12_zm/2_p/1_fr/?) with two boat docks for under 400K. > > It might be worth a look. +1, of course there is an abundance of the elderly. My Daddy retired there in the 90s and me and my children visited a bunch. There is plenty to do, water is everywhere. Racing season is bitch, trafficwise. Your age should factor in, it matters to what kind of vibe you’re looking for. I have visited the gulf coast every year for a few years. My eldest daughter lives in New Orleans, we have went east from there to the Mississippi gulf coast and Gulf Shores, Ala., it is a lovely part of the US, people are really laid back. Good luck to you. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live/788802/47 "2017-12-20T20:40:47Z")
Crap, zombied!!☹ ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live/788802/48 "2017-12-20T20:45:15Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > An update for those who provided suggestions: we decided on Florida! We’ll be in Vero Beach, a lovely town on the Atlantic coast, about 90 minutes south of Orlando. We might be just about the youngest people there at 40, haha, but we’ve both been several times for work and love it. It has everything we’re looking for (and doesn’t have anything we’re _not_ looking for, if you can dig that), and is close enough to Orlando and Miami to make a day trip out of it. > > We move in late January. Here’s to new beginnings! An interesting choice. I’ve been there for spring training baseball. It isn’t a place I’d pick, I found the odd lack of taxis to be weird (I had to extend my stay one trip due to needing car repairs) and most of the restaurants were chains. At least the people aren’t as nasty as they are further south in Florida. ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2017, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live/788802/49 "2017-12-20T21:33:58Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > …most of the restaurants were chains… Weird, that hasn’t been my experience at all. There’s that strip on the beach that’s entirely made of local restaurants (or at least small chains I’d never heard of). It’s the city that presented the most work opportunities, coupled with the fact that everything is a short drive away, including the beach, tennis and golf. 🆒 One more northeast winter to get through and then it’s _sayonara_. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live/788802/50 "2017-12-21T05:10:55Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > An update for those who provided suggestions: we decided on Florida! We’ll be in Vero Beach, a lovely town on the Atlantic coast, about 90 minutes south of Orlando. We might be just about the youngest people there at 40, haha, but we’ve both been several times for work and love it. It has everything we’re looking for (and doesn’t have anything we’re _not_ looking for, if you can dig that), and is close enough to Orlando and Miami to make a day trip out of it. > > We move in late January. Here’s to new beginnings! Thanks for the update - I love it when people come back to their old threads and tell everyone how things turned out. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-should-i-live/788802.md?page=2)